More tiny steps...

Officially all of my paperwork is now in Missouri for USCIS. That is such a HUGE relief to me. I was beginning to get my eye twitch back.

I am hoping to get my renewal stuff in the next two weeks; then praying for 2-3 months to get Mia. I am secretly hoping or 2 months.

We first saw her face around Thanksgiving, and have beeing waiting not so patiently ever since.

Soccer

This is Christian's first year for soccer. He was so excited to finally get to play like his brothers. He had his first game this weekend.

Fingerprints-done

We traveled to Detroit this morning for fingerprints. Painless! Per the home study agency the central registry will be back this week. YES! So folks hopefully next week we can start counting down to the next step in this paperwork train. Honestly I have done more paperwork for this adoption than I did for my Masters. ;)

Everyday I check my email in hopes of updated pictures of Mia. We wonder how much she has changed since the referral picture was taken. Maybe we will get some this month. The last update was from January and it was just measurments.

How much longer to you get her?

If I had a dollar for every time I heard "How much longer?" Good grief this adoption would be paid for and I would have spending money in China. The people asking aren't being rude or mean. I am just frustrated at the paperwork process right now. This is where we stand: we are waiting on the central registry in Ohio to come back. We are going into week 6; it was supposed to take 4-5 weeks remember. I need that paper saying that we are all clear for the central registry and I will overnight it to USCIS in Missouri. We are set to be fingerprinted in Detroit this week for immigration. All that just for the renewal-- that is not even the other paperwork. Here is hoping that once we are through this log jam the other steps will fly by.

Adoption Tax Credit

I kept hearing on the yahoo adoption groups about the adoption tax credit being renewed and the amount increased. Below is an article from a Missouri Newspaper. It is very encouraging.
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There is good news in the new health care bill for adopting parents. H.R. 3590 includes a provision to extend the adoption tax credit until December 2011 (see pages 904-906). The tax credit has also been increased from $12,170 to $13,170 for adoptions occurring after January 2010. The health care bill also allows the tax credit to be refundable.What this new tax law means for prospective adopting parents. According to Lee Kutz, of Kutz Accounting in Joplin, this new tax law means that adoptive parents may apply up to $13,170 of their adoption expenses toward their taxes owed, thereby decreasing the amount owed overall by this amount. In the event that the couple owes less than the tax credit amount stated, they may receive some or all of the balance as a refund on their Federal taxes. Many groups and individuals have successfully lobbied to help extend this tax credit beyond its original expiration date of December 2010, and are still seeking to make the tax credit permanent.Since most international and private domestic adoptions cost upward of $10,000, this tax credit makes adoption much more affordable for families from many different income brackets. This, in turn, helps more children find permanent homes.