I protest!

Things are going swimmingly with our paperwork process.  Immigration received our file, it was checked into the lockbox on October 18th.  From there, it takes 10 - 14 calendar days to reach our immigration officer.  I was able to speak Officer Bethany this week, she is the hero in this bureaucratic story.  She said the day it hits her desk, she will process it!  That means next week we will have provisional approval!  That is then sent to the US Embassy in Bogota for final approval, the step that means we are cleared to travel.  The last family this took 8 calendar days, we have consistently heard 10...  but one never knows.

Knowing that we should have provisional approval by the end of next week, we are planning to head to Chicago to visit the Colombian Consulate to get our travel visas.  We made appointments on November 5th.  If all goes according to plan, that puts us on a plane probably Sunday November 11th.  Unless...

... the entire Colombian court system goes on strike.  Which it did.  And we can't travel until they are back at work.

I am having flashbacks to 4 years ago when we were a waiting family.  The court system went on strike which meant no cases were being processed.  There were no referrals during the strike and for a 1st time waiting mom, I was obsessed - for 45 DAYS!!!  That was when I discovered just how sophisticated Google Translate is.  It allows you to translate entire websites, and for someone who's Spanish conversation topics are limited, this is absolutely necessary when reading about negotiations, unions, and the like.

So, back to my hourly checking of El Tiempo via Google Translate.  Positive news today as negotiations have resumed, but after 16 days on strike nothing but the words "back at work" qualifies as good.

In the mean time, we busy ourselves with preparations and loose ends!

How would you react if all of your shoes were pink?  I think if you're a little girl who LOVES dresses, this is a pro, not a con.

And here we have the exact same cubby unit that is in Lucy's room.  The interesting part of this one is that Lucy helped me put it together.  Yes, she helped me hammer on the back panels... that's my girl!

And lots and lots of clothes.  Now all she needs is a dresser to put it in!  Hopefully we'll find Lucy a dresser this weekend and move hers into Josie's room.  I can see this hand-me-down thing is going to be a way of life.