Consulate and More

On 7/11 we set back out to the Secretary of State (SOS) to get the last 2 documents certified.
On 7/12 we were in the Consulate for the 1st time.............me and all 4 kids.........that is enough to drive you crazy!  They looked at the documents from the FIRST SOS trip -- all but 2 -- that the SOS had stamped with a black and white stamp instead of color (it was the 1st day they were doing black and white).........and rejected all of them.  We had to return to the SOS and get them to correct it....................
So off to the SOS to get them to correct it immediately.

We got there in time for them to correct it, which they did by putting the color ones on --- taking off the black and white...............

Frustrated at this point and discouraged, we stayed the weekend in Austin --- and made a stay cation out of it as daddy joined us that night.

Sunday daddy left and we headed BACK to the consulate on Monday (7/15).

On Friday we went to Fedex to copy ALL of our documents!  Thinking we didn't need to copy the NEW SOS letters, we went straight there and were turned back --- for new copies of the SOS stuff.

After going to Fedex AGAIN.........we went back to the consulate a 3rd time..............and they went through all but 2 documents --- passing...................those 2 were Gary's birth certificate because I didn't copy the back of it AND the home study because the HS agency paper clipped their certifications onto the back instead of stapling them..............she told me it had to be fixed.

So I went BACK to Fedex and copied Gary's BC.....................and then I did what to them in the adoption world is unthinkable.   I KNEW that most won't accept documents with holes in it or anything added on.........SO, I color copied the entire dossier ---- except the signature page with the SOS certificate attached to it, re-stapled it, and headed back to the consulate.

I had already been in tears, messaging everyone I could.  I was going to try whatever I could to make THIS work.

I got back to the consulate for the 3rd time that day, 4th time total.  I got that same lady again, so I waited for another...............They quickly took the birth certificate. Then the 1st lady told the 2nd lady stuff in Chinese..............and she questioned me A LOT!!!!  She told me that because the signature page had holes in it (from the SOS unstapling the black and white copies!) that she didn't think it would be accepted (though they'd taken the rest of them!).  BUT that she'd TRY..............and if it didn't work, they would call me BEFORE the documents were to be done 4 days later.

Thankfully when I returned, I expected to pay about $450 and only paid a $300.   AND I had lost the ticket from the original 10 documents after having to rush to Fedex.................but they FOUND it!!!! EASILY!!!!!  They made me copy my license to get it though ---- and pointed out the copy machine that sits right inside their door.............ugh!   And ALL documents were CLEARED!!!!   I was nervous and afraid they hadn't contacted me, but that it still wasn't going to be accepted.

So, in preparation for that, I contacted the HS agency and had them send me more originals of my HS.

Thank you God that this part is over!!!!