During the adoption process most of us stalk our mail carrier at one point or another. There is only 1 piece of paper ever worth stalking your mail carrier for. The ever elusive 171-H. That is of course unless you have brought your child home and are stalking him for that big fat IRS refund. Thas a whole nother post.
Either way when you open your mailbox and see a basic white envelope with the words Citizenship and Immigration Services stamped on the front you do a little jig that makes your neighbors think you hit that cooking sherry a little early in the day. Once you bring your child home you have no reason to continue stalking your mail carrier and when you find an envelope stamped USCIS on the outside you sit in the street and cry a little. At this point in the game you have forgotten about all the fricken paperwork and your worries for the next 6 months fell into the DHL slot as you grinned and sent off your first postplacement report. Why the hell would the USCIS be sending stuff months after you brought your child home? Was there some bill you forgot to pay and revoking your child?s citizenship? What the hell?
I received a Dear Sir or Madam, form letter in the mail from my Department of Homeland security informing me that “More than eighteen months have elapsed since the approval of your Application, and no petition on behalf of an orphan … has been filed by you.” WTF? No form? I filed the damn thing in Moscow. I remember it clearly as my child was a little miffed that we had to be in such a place during his God given nap time. Oh do I ever remember it.
How in the world does the department of homeland security not know if I brought my child home yet? They know what color of underpants I am wearing for chrissake. I continue reading the letter. More blah blah, deemed abandoned, blah, I-600A, blah, new fees, blah blah blah. Then I get to the NOTE: at the bottom that states:
“This office will not know if you have already finished the process and brought your child home. If you have please ignore this letter.”