I got my Visa today!!!  Now we are good to go!  Hanna will get her Exit Letter Sat!  Ready or not, here I come!

What a great Monday!

This is what I woke up to today!!!

Dear Susan and Gary Macklis,

 

Congratulations! Your visa has been issued. We are very happy for your family.

We are trying to get a hold of your representative to come and pick up your baby’s visa and packet tomorrow Tuesday, July 24, at 3:00 pm.

 

Sincerely,

Sarah

 

Consular Section

US Embassy Kinshasa

Hanna is coming HOME!!!

OK, so our Escort may have problems getting a Visa, so I (Sue) have decided to go get our baby girl!  I will be traveling with another Adoptive Parent, meeting up in Chicago.  We plan to leave August 7th, arrive in Kinshasa August 8th and I will be back in the USA with HANNA August 14th if all goes well! Hanna has her Embassy Appointment this Monday, July 9th, so we feel confident that she will be ready to come home by August. We are sooooooooo excited to finally have a plan and a date!!!

Thank you Sherrod Brown!!!

So, we have had an interesting turn of events the past few days.  Hanna had her Medical Exam last Weds, 6/20 which means her documents could have been dropped off at the US Embassy 6/21.  When our Agency Attorney attempted, he was told the next eligible day to drop off documents was July 12th!!!!!!  Docs are only accepted on Thursdays!  So, we reached out to Senator Brown's office, and here is what we got today.

Thank you for your email regarding the inquiry made by Senator Brown’s constituents.

 

The adoptive child of the Macklis family is scheduled for document drop off on June 28, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.

The interview is currently scheduled for July 9, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. as our interview schedule is full for July

2, 2012.

 

We hope this information proves helpful to Senator Brown and his constituents.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Andrew G. Winkelman

Acting Consular Officer

U.S. Embassy

Kinshasa, DRC

No matter your political affiliation, please remember what he has done to  help us bring our daughter home!!!!!  After the Embassy  Appt, there is an investigation and then her Visa is issued and her Exit Letter!!!!  Yeah!!!!! 

In the meantime, another family is picking up their son and they saw Hanna at her Foster Home!  Here is what she said about her:

"She held hands w our in country rep on the way to our taxi.  She was dressed really cute, clean, well coiffed. Their care was obvi good." Unfortunately, she did not know for sure it was Hanna because they were calling her "Anna".  The H would be silent in French!  LOVE HER!!!!

 

 

Skyped with our girl today!

This morning we got to Skype with our girl in her Foster Home!  It is amazing how happy and healthy she looks.  She is talking up a storm.  Too bad we cannot understand her!  They said they would start speaking some English words to her and calling her Hanna. She is potty trained, eats very well & sleeps very well!  She loves to play so she she will fit right into our family!  She said she loved us.  Amazing!!!!!!!!!

More Pics!

 Could she be any cuter?????

News!

Sorry, I have not posted much lately, honestly there has not been much new info until recently.  We found out that it is probably going to be 12 more weeks before we bring Hanna home because the time it takes to get her Passport, Embassy Date & investigation, Medical Exam, Visa, & Exit Letter.  Hanna is now in Foster Care with another little girl in Kinshasa.  We are glad the girls are together, but hate the fact that they have to leave everything familiar to them.  The plan is still to have her escorted. 

I have been given an incredible opportunity to work as an Adoption Consultant with my agency.  I will be helping families sing up and help them with the paperwork process.  I am super excited about it!  If you or anyone wants info, you can email me @ sue@adoptmeinternational.org


Here are some pics we got of Hanna when someone from our Agency picked up his son!  This was the first case to be completed in DR Congo for our Agency!  So exciting!