Oh. The. Drama.

Is this standard protocol in every adoption? I'm having some serious Déjà vu.
I swear I've read the OH MY! OH ME! My Fingerprints Are Expiring!! drama on many an adoption blog. You would think that maybe they could make your fingerprints last 1.5 years instead of just 1? Seeing as how the average adoptions takes 1.5-2 years. geeeeeesh.

So. CIS Fingerprints, CIS stands for: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Ours expire on January 8. You can apply for an extension 90 days before they expire. The extension involves CIS sending you an appointment to be re-fingerprinted. We sent in our application 76 days before they expire...almost a month ago. I have called twice inquiring about our appointment. Yesterday I was told that our paperwork is in the queue and should be in front of an officer "in a few weeks"...

screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!

WHAT?!?! A few weeks? No no no no no. That just will not do. I, in my sweetest voice, begged the woman on the other end of the phone to do something. Anything. I explained that we are traveling in 4 weeks and then hope to be traveling again SOON after to bring our baby home. In the meantime, we must be re-fingerprinted, await our new approval letter, send this to another government agency who must then send the approval letter to the US Embassy in Ethiopia. Silently I thought to myself 'And that, my friend, does not sound like anything that is going to happen quickly.'

She said she would pull our file and try to get it in front of an officer asap. I will call again tomorrow to see if this really happened. Until then I am fretting about this ultimately causing a delay in bringing baby B home. siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

All of you reading this who are waiting:
Mark your calendars now, even get your mom or BFF to make their calendars for 88 days before your fingerprints expire. Get your letter written and post date it. Put it in a fed ex envelope and have it ready to mail on the 89th day so it can arrive with CIS 90 days before your fingerprints expire. And then be sure to call CIS to check to be sure you are in the queue. Make no assumptions.

edited to add: Thank you to MG from Texas who pointed out that it should be:
Mark your calendar for 92 days
Mail your package on the 91st day.
DUH Heather.