I-800 Processing (belated post as of December 8, 2011)

The twins themselves participated in getting everything ready for their own birthday--

--and yet it looks they were having fun!!!

Had it not been thanks to Catherine, they wouldn't have been any presents.

All I had been able to get them had been a Rubick's cube--and they were trying to make me feel fine!!!

They're just truly happy with the daily little things. Catherine had baked a cake for them--and they just enjoyed being all together!

Today we received biometrics appointments for my Mom, Catherine, and me. Today it's a very special day--not only is it the Day of the Immaculate Conception, but the twins' birthday as well!!! I cannot believe that 15 years ago I gave birth to such extraordinary, awesome, compassionate, caring and yet decisive, determined set of twin boys. On one hand they're happy helping Stephen with homework, teaching something new to Thomas and Nicholas, and changing soiled pull-ups. On the other they have very clear principles and goals, and have the courage of their convictions. They'd be ready to confront a bully to protect the bully's target. They asked not to receive any presents because they know that finances are not fine at this moment, and they do want (and pray) Maximilian and Philip home. I must admit that I only bought one very small thing that I knew Warren really wanted--and Catherine had already bought several other items!!! Every time I feel badly when things are not exactly the way I want them, I should scold myself and thank God instead for the extraordinary children He gave me.

I'm going off track. Tomorrow we're all going to the Support Center for our biometrics.  Earlier in the morning I had called the NBC, and a very kind person had told me that our file had not been assigned to an officer yet, but we should be receiving our appointment letters very soon. She did not want to say that they had been sent out already, but from the way she had said it, I had guessed the letters had been issued already.

I'd like to add that the receipt notice arrived the Monday after Thanksgiving--postmarked as of Thanksgiving day!!! Yes, it was postmarked as of 11/24/11. I called the Post Office to find out if there was some technical explanation for that, and the first employee thought I didn't know how to talk because I was not making sense to her. I called back, and another employee explained to me that their machines work on a rolling basis, so even with no personnel physically there, the machine could have been kept on over the Thanksgiving holiday, and at midnight the date would have changed automatically, thus causing the postmark to bear a Thanksgiving date. Yet, typically correspondence does not come postmarked as of a holiday. It's not a common occurrence. It's not what happens on a daily basis. No matter what technical or logical explanation there may be for it, we still think that such Thanksgiving postmark does have some meaning--some little reassurance form above that there will be a happy ending after all? We try to hold on to that.

We're going for biometrics tomorrow--all three of us!!! My Mom is keeping her fingertips moistured with cream to get better prints.

God bless,

Lillian