Therefore, we have been knee deep in paperwork again!!
What does that even mean? Paperwork?
I'm sure you hear adoptive parent say all the time "there's SO MUCH paperwork!"
Allow me to enlighten you.
For those of you who think our paperwork journey looks like this, you are sadly mistaken.
Oh how I WISH it was simply sitting down and working through mounds of paperwork!
Instead, it looks a little bit more like this.
This.....
Sometimes this.....
And sadly.... At times, it looks like this lady!
Journey with me for a moment.
One of the 20ish things we had to do for "paperwork" was get a physical done by a physician.
We pulled up the email. Printed out the forms from our agency. Contacted our hospital (which no longer does physicals). Contacted a new place to get the physicals done and they said "go to your old hospital, print out your records, then come here and we can do it."
Easy cheesy huh.
8 am.
We pack the kids up.
Drop Miller off at daycare.
Head to our old hospital to get our records.
Unload Chip.
Sit in waiting room.
Get the records. Back in the car.
Stop by the house to get any last minute paperwork so that there are no questions and we have all needed info. Drive to the new place.
By now it's nearing 11 o'clock.
Sit in waiting room for ONE HOUR.
12 o'clock.
Get called back.
Vision test. Blood pressure. Etc. Etc
Chip is getting hungry.
Into another room we go.
Sit there for approx 20 min.
Chip is screaming by now Bc he's hungry and sleepy and has been in the car seat for a really long time.
Nurse walks in.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry but the doctor says she can't sign this physical because these tests were done at an outside facility."
A conversation takes place.
I tell Lee to just leave and take Chip home to grab a bottle.
Lee leaves.
I try to work out the details.
I Sign another medical release form.
Back in the room.
Doctor comes in to finish the physical and draw some blood.
She isn't pro children or pro adoption.
She makes some less than nice comments. I would post them but seriously, they would outrage you.
I don't have the energy to even respond to her.
I'm almost in tears.
She finishes.
Lee returns.
He goes in the room to finish his physical and get blood drawn.
I feed Chip.
It's 1:15
We finally leave the medical facility, WITHOUT completed physicals. We leave our phone number and ask them to call us when they have everything they need or need us to do anything else.
And that my friends, is the road to (almost) filling out ONE piece of paperwork!
Don't get me wrong. Malachi is totally totally worth it!
I simply blogged this to enlighten you into a day in the life of adoption paperwork!
On to the next form we go :-)
Actually we are praying for that "form" to be complete!
Our car on the way to doctor office
Happy camper for most of the morning!!
Abby, I say, "Boooo!!!" to the grouchy doctor. Hang in there, once the process gets rolling after referral, that paperwork will be way in the rearview mirror. We are in the middle of the PAIR process and now all of the paperwork is in the hands of the Embassy and our agency's in-country staff. Even now, the paperwork is a little nerve-wracking, since we are dependent on someone else to do it.
ReplyDeleteGlad that your camper was happy (and adorable) for most of the morning!