Our Newest United States Citizen!!!!

Yahoo! Finally! Today is a very special day! Not only is it Chelsee's Uncle Dump's birthday, her cousin Laura's birthday and her Biao Ge Ge's (Garrett) birthday BUT it is also the day we received notice from the US Department of Homeland Security that Miss Chelsee Rose FuMei is now a US citizen! Yahooo!!!!!!!

Seems it did take over 6 months from my initial application for her citizenship for the paperwork to be processed! I am seriously so close to being done with adoption related paperwork that I am giddy! All I have left to do is have her social security card issued in her American name now where she will go from a 4 letter name to a 25 letter name!

And it seems that even though we are just learning of her new status, it has been in effect since October 26, 2009!! New definition of snail mail, I guess!

Back to the citizenship! What an amazing journey just for this piece of paper that gives her the right to everything we hold valuable in these United States! It feels wonderful and bittersweet at the same time. I am proud to bring Chelsee up in the USA while always honoring her Chinese heritage. I am proud beyond words for her freedom to be who she wants to be and all those who have made that possible for Chelsee. I am proud to be able to show her a way of life that will always be full of love and respect! We are indeed lucky to be Americans! I need some fireworks or something!!!!!!!!!!!!