This is our story....of love, life, and adoption

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Florida Home Studies and Adoption

Okay, so I just wanted to give a shout out to our Agency: Florida Home Studies and Adoption(FHSA), I have added a link for them if anyone wants to know more about them--->
I have to give them major kuddos, first for dealing with my totally neurotic self. Second for dealing my totally panic strickin' self.. We have said before that they are going to earn their money with us. So now that it's all done and over I can laugh about it but this is how it went a couple of weeks ago..
I was on my lunch break sitting at the front desk at work-
"Ann you have a phone call"
"this is Ann"
"hey it's me"
"What's up?"
"We got the letter from immigration"
"you don't sound good, it's not good is it?"
"No, blah, blah, blah, DENIED, blah blah blah" note: Jon didn't say denied, he said deficient...
but he's reading the letter to me and I hear... "DENIED, DENIED, blah, blah, more paperwork, blah, blah, by May 24,2006, DENIED..blah, blah, blah" another note: he still never said DENIED.
"blah, blah, blah"
..so there I was pacing at the front desk, tears streaming, trying to find a phone I could make a long distance phone call from...I find one, I'm by myself, and pure panic sets in....
I'm on the phone with the agency
"WE'VE BEEN DENIED!!!"
"What, I'm in total shock, we've never had anyone denied that had a favorable homestudy from us..never"
tears are now free flowing like a flippin waterfall, I'm sobbing, eyes bulging, chest heaving...not making any sense, can't get a real sentence out, "DENIED...I can't do this....why us..maybe we're not meant to be parents...DENIED...what are we going to do....DENIED.."
"Mrs. xxxxX? I'm so sorry, you must be very upset..I can only imagine, but please..what exactly did the letter say, do you have it with you?"
"DENIED!...it said DENIED!....I don't know what the letter says I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME..."
"can you fax it to us please, so that we can see what it says.."
"Jon says it says denied, we've been denied...I can't fax it to you b/c I don't have it Jon has it...Well maybe he didn't say denied...he might have said deficient...yay maybe deficient."
"Okay, Ann, that's very different. That's not denied...I think we're okay...can you get Jon to fax it to us?"
...sob..sob...tears rolling...chest heaves...." but...we can't be denied....we had a favorable homestudy..." heave, heave....deep breath...
"okay...I'll call him"
"Ann I pretty sure we're okay if it just says deficient, they just want more info."
"ok"
So then I call Jon and he faxes it to them. By that night they were on the phone with our homestudy coordinator and she had started getting together what needed to be done. That night she emailed us telling us that she is working on it at that moment. Within days she had a "fluff" up of our homestudy with the added info they wanted, and by a week later they had the rest of it fed exed to immigration.
Phew...and you know the rest we were approved a week later. No problems.
So this is just a glimpse into the panic attack that I had. I think it's quite humerous now, b/c it's all okay. And Jon never said denied to me. I just lost it for a day or two there. But anyhow I just wanted to say that everyone at FHSA rocks, they took care of the situation with total grace, and calmness(which I needed) and made sure that everything was taken care of with the utmost of speed. SO Horray for FHSA, they are the bomb diggity!!

5 comments:

island jen said...

a glimpse huh? girl you barely scratched the surface!! that poor agency will earn their money and then some with you incharge!! so happy things worked out for you guys!! which i knew they would...this is going to happen for the two of you, i know it will!

Anonymous said...

You will have your little angel in your arms before you know it. I barely know you, but from what I do know you are going to be the best mom to that little baby. You make them work for every darn penny of what you and Jon saved for!!!! It's getting closer than you know.

Luis Liwanag said...

Anne,
Thanks for stumbling into my new blog...Ironic that all I could ever document recently, are pain and suffering of our fellow Filipinos. Although once in a while as I come acroos them I will also show you the beauty of the Philippines and our people. to see more of my older stuff, Please visit...http://pitikbulag.blogspot.com

Luke Martin said...

It's all good -- and it'll all work out in its time. The paperwork is definitely a pain in the derriere but when you're on the plane coming back from Taipei you'll realize that you would have climbed over barbed wire to get to that place. Everything will fade in comparison! Wishing your a happy (and less stressful) journey...

PinkDevora said...

Oh cr**. Here I am thinking that all I need to do is get the freakin' physicals to my social worker and they'll approve my I600A...it never occured to me that they might find our paperwork "deficient".

Like the delay in Chinese referrals isn't bad enough.

Darn, darn, darn.

But otherwise so I'm happy you've got it all done and are waiting for a referral!

Good Luck!