green card journey

Last year, Fil and i embarked on a visa journey (K-1) which lasted 7 months. It happened fast and went very smoothly. All it took was a lot of research and hardwork in preparing the documents (which was easy for me because i'm basically an OC person), patience, support from people undergoing the same process and of course keeping the relationship alive, so to speak, despite the distance.

Now that i'm here in the US, i have to work on my adjustment of status (AOS) as legal permanent resident. 3 weeks after i got here we were married (that's the first requirement) and started filling-up all the required immigration forms. Just before Christmas, we were finally able to send out the whole AOS package and last week, i received a letter for my biometrics.

So yesterday, i appeared at the USCIS Application Service Center in Oakland for my biometrics appointment. It took less than 10 minutes to scan all my fingers and take my photo which will appear in my green card. Got a swollen pregnant face there, eooow!

It's waiting time again. On the average, it takes 3-4 months after biometrics for an interview to be scheduled prior to the issuance of a green card. Some were lucky to be approved without an interview but i may not be as lucky 'coz i failed to comply with the vaccination requirements (MMR and varicella) due to the fact that i am pregnant. After i have the baby i need to get vaccinated so i can show them medical proof when they call me for interview.

But i'm not in a hurry. I try not to focus on it too much and stress myself. It pays to relax and wait. And i have a big task ahead: give birth and take care of my baby. The most important thing has already happened, that is, i'm now here with Fil and we're starting a family. That's my priority. The green card will only formalize my presence here and open up opportunities for me so i can live the "american dream."

When i think about it, the timing is just perfect. By the time i'll have my green card (i'm being positive here, hoping that the USCIS will not give me a hard time), baby would be a couple of months old. Hopefully by then i have already secured a driver's license and have gotten back to my old shape. Then maybe when baby is a little older (say, 5 months?), i can find myself a decent job and live a life like everyone else here in the US: balance work and family. Being a first-time mom, it pains me to think i can't spend all the time in the world with my baby but that's life, i've got to help pay the bills and add to the family coffer so we can live comfortably, send balikbayan box to our families in the Philippines (hehehe), enjoy really nice things, pursue our passion for travel and photography and of course, give the best to our precious little one.

Hmmm, sounds like a plan. Let's wait and see.
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My Green Card Interview Experience
My K1 visa and AOS timeline

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lamaze class

Fil and i just got done with our prepared childbirth class today. For two Sundays, we were at the education room of Washington Hospital here in Fremont learning about labor and delivery, pain management and anything a couple needs to know to have a satisfying and memorable childbirth experience.


We attended the class with 8 other couples and we were taught how to do prenatal exercises, labor positions and relaxation and breathing techniques. We also watched actual videos of babies being born (one of the indian guys passed out after watching the first video hihihi) and learned about the stages of labor, what a woman might experience at each stage and what husbands can do to support their wives.

We also discussed pain medications and interventions and while i am seriously thinking about having a natural birth without medication, i am open to the idea of getting an epidural if the contractions become too painful and unbearable.

Come to think of it, everything i learned from this class i already read from books, magazines and the internet and chances are i might not remember a single thing when i'm actually experiencing painful contractions. But i'm still glad we signed up because Fil learned so much from it. He is now more aware of what's going on inside my body and he has become more caring and extra concerned about my health and condition (to the point of being OA 'coz he sometimes treats me like an invalid) but i'm savoring the pampering because he volunteers to do the dishes and the laundry and the house cleaning more often now...yehey! :-)

And now that we're only 5 weeks away from the big day, the nesting instinct has kicked in. Last Thursday we bought a stroller and infant car seat and we have started clearing the other room so we can have more space for baby's stuff.

We are very, very excited! Each day brings us closer to our dream: to come face-to-face with our precious baby...our very own bundle of joy. As for labor and delivery? I am more excited than scared. I have nothing to worry about. I am giving birth in a highly-equipped hospital here in the US, we have insurance coverage, a professional medical team is taking care of me, i have a loving and supportive husband and i trust that my body and my baby will know what to do when the time comes.

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Bay Bridge at night

After spending new year's day with Fil's family in San Francisco today, we dropped by Treasure Island on our way home to savor the view of the city's brightly-lit tall buildings and the Bay Bridge. It was so romantic!!! Now I know why they call it the City of Romance :-)

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