We are matched!

We have officially been matched with the little boy who captured our hearts! And just in time! 

Colombia essentially shuts down for the month of December. We knew if we didn't hear soon, we'd be waiting until 2024 for an update. On November 28th, I sent Madison a kind, "Hey, have you heard anything yet??" email, expecting a response of "No, we're still waiting." But instead, she responded, "I have great news! We were told yesterday that you have been officially matched!" 

My jaw dropped in disbelief. It finally happened. After a year of wondering how our story would end and trying not to get attached to the sweet little face in the photos that I've grown to adore, we heard the long awaited news... he indeed will be our son!

Madison was still waiting on a couple more documents from Colombia before they could send the official matching email with the next steps in the process. That email would arrive in my inbox December 1st with the subject line "CONGRATULATIONS!" It was now official. 

Over the weekend we worked on several documents needed to accept the referral. Our next step is to submit our I800 application to USCIS. Unfortunately, the documents we need to do so have not yet arrived. I was expecting them Saturday as they were shipped from Madison via overnight FedEx. But hopefully they arrive tomorrow and we can get our I800 application submitted in the next couple days. As soon as that happens, the countdown to getting our travel dates begin. 

We are getting so close now! Hopefully we'll be boarding a plane in February bound for Bogota!