Here's something productive to do with your time while you wait for your agency's re-accreditation: Lobby your legislator to extend the I-171H.

For newcomers to the adoption process, the I-171H is one of those big "green light" documents that move you ahead in your adoption journey. Known formally as the Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (leave it to bureaucrats to invent a mouthful like that), it is what U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sends you to let you know that your adoption petition can move forward for further processing. Everyone adopting internationally needs an I-171H, not just people adopting from Russia.

The I-171H is now valid for 18 months, which, as many of us have discovered to our dismay, is often not long enough to get through a Russian adoption. If it expires, you must do the whole thing over, which means not just a new processing fee, but additional costs for another round of fingerprints, new copies of birth and marriage certificates and a whole bunch of other stuff.

On January 22 of this year, Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico introduced a bill to keep the I-171H valid for "at least" two years after an I-600A (the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) is approved. Her bill, which is known as HR 628 IH has attracted 62 co-sponsors so far.

My congressman wasn't among them (check here to see if yours is), so I just dropped him this quick e-mail:

"I am writing to urge your support for HR 628 IH, introduced by Rep. Heather Wilson on January 22 to extend the validity of USCIS document I-171H. This is a critical document for Americans adopting internationally. It now expires after 18 months, which is proving too short a time to complete an adoption in Russia and many other foreign countries. My own I-171H expired before I was able to complete my second adoption in 2004 and I incurred hundreds of dollars in additional costs. Please help your constituents trying to adopt overseas by adding your support to HR 628 IH."

You can get contact information for your legislator by going to the Web site for the U.S. House of Representatives and entering your full Zip code in the box on the upper left.