Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Documents away!
Another piece of good news today... my dossier returned to the agency following authentication in Washington DC and was sent to Ethiopia today!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Approved!
I got a big shock in the mail today. My I-171H form! For those of you who aren't familiar with the I-171H, it's approval from our government for me to bring an orphan into the country. It's one of the essential documents I need to complete the adoption and bring my child home. I was really shocked to see it because they estimated the processing time between 2 and 3 months. From application to approval was 33 days. Yippee for the Dallas CIS office!
Once again, I'm completely shocked by how quickly and smoothly everything has gone thus far.
Once again, I'm completely shocked by how quickly and smoothly everything has gone thus far.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Little News
I don't have a lot of news, just didn't want people to think I'd abandoned this little project.
I got email on Friday telling me that my dossier has been sent to Washington DC for authentication, and they're hoping it will be back this week. Immediately after it returns from Washington, it'll be rerouted to Ethiopia. There, it'll be translated and forwarded to the Ministry for Women's Affairs, which handles adoptions and child welfare in the country.
I'm told those two events will take about 3 weeks so we're definitely missing the deadline for court closure. I'm not sure, but I think that happens next week. I'm frankly quite amazed that everything has gone as quickly as it has, so I don't feel awful about having to wait for the courts. I'm hoping that I'll be close to the top of the pile when courts open back up again in October though.
I got email on Friday telling me that my dossier has been sent to Washington DC for authentication, and they're hoping it will be back this week. Immediately after it returns from Washington, it'll be rerouted to Ethiopia. There, it'll be translated and forwarded to the Ministry for Women's Affairs, which handles adoptions and child welfare in the country.
I'm told those two events will take about 3 weeks so we're definitely missing the deadline for court closure. I'm not sure, but I think that happens next week. I'm frankly quite amazed that everything has gone as quickly as it has, so I don't feel awful about having to wait for the courts. I'm hoping that I'll be close to the top of the pile when courts open back up again in October though.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Dossier update
I just got a call from Courtney at IAN. I overlooked the fact that they spelled my name wrong on one of my documents. Ugh! Hopefully it'll be a quick process to get that document replaced.
She also had really good news for me. Since that was the only problem with my dossier, I've secured my spot on the waiting list! I'm currently #3! She had no idea how long it'll take to get my referral for my child, but I can't imagine it'll take very long. So exciting!
Of course the excitement of the referral will be tempered by frustration that I won't be able to pick up my baby in Africa until late in the year. The courts in Ethiopia will be closed soon, certainly before my paperwork makes its way through Authentication in Washington DC and translation in country. And they don't open again until October 1.
Meanwhile, I'm working on other preparations. I've been in communication with a doctor who specializes in international adoptees. He said he'll be available to look over the baby's medical information when it comes in. From that, he'll give me an assessment as to whether the baby is at low, medium, or high risk for major problems.
I also got some shots yesterday. I never imagined how many vaccines would be recommended by the travel clinic. Since I hate hospitals and hate being sick I decided to go for the whole recommended suite. No bad effects at all other than sore arms.
I also made my first visit to Babies R Us yesterday. Wow, that's an overwhelming place. Lots of choices for all major equipment though, which is nice. I looked at all of the typical baby must-haves... cribs, high chairs, car seats, bedding, etc. I got a little antsy to buy some stuff, but decided to hold off until I know more about my baby.
She also had really good news for me. Since that was the only problem with my dossier, I've secured my spot on the waiting list! I'm currently #3! She had no idea how long it'll take to get my referral for my child, but I can't imagine it'll take very long. So exciting!
Of course the excitement of the referral will be tempered by frustration that I won't be able to pick up my baby in Africa until late in the year. The courts in Ethiopia will be closed soon, certainly before my paperwork makes its way through Authentication in Washington DC and translation in country. And they don't open again until October 1.
Meanwhile, I'm working on other preparations. I've been in communication with a doctor who specializes in international adoptees. He said he'll be available to look over the baby's medical information when it comes in. From that, he'll give me an assessment as to whether the baby is at low, medium, or high risk for major problems.
I also got some shots yesterday. I never imagined how many vaccines would be recommended by the travel clinic. Since I hate hospitals and hate being sick I decided to go for the whole recommended suite. No bad effects at all other than sore arms.
I also made my first visit to Babies R Us yesterday. Wow, that's an overwhelming place. Lots of choices for all major equipment though, which is nice. I looked at all of the typical baby must-haves... cribs, high chairs, car seats, bedding, etc. I got a little antsy to buy some stuff, but decided to hold off until I know more about my baby.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Paperwork done!
I reached another milestone yesterday. I completed the last of my paperwork! I gathered the final document on Thursday evening, then went to Austin to have the documents certified at the Texas Secretary of State's office. That was an incredibly smooth process, which was a wonderful surprise. I sent off all of the paperwork to the adoption agency, and hopefully they'll have it Monday.
So... now the wait begins. Fortunately, IAN (International Adoption Net), as a small agency, doesn't have a huge waiting list. I hope to know who my child is by the end of this month!
I have to thank all of the people who have helped me so far. Steve, Carol, Tim, Lisa, Kate, Denise, John, and Melinda have all played an important part in helping me get to this point. Thank you!
So... now the wait begins. Fortunately, IAN (International Adoption Net), as a small agency, doesn't have a huge waiting list. I hope to know who my child is by the end of this month!
I have to thank all of the people who have helped me so far. Steve, Carol, Tim, Lisa, Kate, Denise, John, and Melinda have all played an important part in helping me get to this point. Thank you!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The adventure begins
I'M ADOPTING A BABY!!! Wow. The power of that statement is overwhelming. I'm excited, scared, and somewhat anxious. Being a parent is an awesome responsibility and I hope I'll be good at it.
Paper pregnancy. The paper chase. Home study. Prospective Adoptive Parent. Dossier. I-600A. I-171H. All words and phrases I was unfamiliar with several months ago. Now they're part of my mental vocabulary every day.
After considering adoption for about 3 years, I made the big decision earlier this year to start the journey to motherhood. I'm single. That certainly complicates things a bit. But I'm also intelligent, resourceful, adventurous, financially stable, and surrounded by supportive friends. And I had great parents as role models. It feels like the right time to do this.
I'm adopting through International Adoption Net, a small agency based in Colorado. I've decided to adopt an infant (between 0 and 12 months old) from Ethiopia. I've left the gender up to the agency. That somehow makes it even more exciting.
At this stage, I'm working on putting my dossier together. The dossier is a set of legal documents that represents me with the Ethiopian government. It consists of my completed home study (all about me), financial statements, insurance coverage information, health statements, and a criminal background check... all notarized and certified, then sent to Ethiopia for translation. This is definitely not the most exciting stage of the adoption. But it makes me feel like I'm in control of some part of the process, and I'm proceeding pretty quickly through my dossier checklist from the adoption agency.
I've also got paperwork filed with the US Government. My I-600A (application to bring an orphan into the country) was filed almost 2 weeks ago, and tomorrow I get to go have my fingerprints taken at the Fort Worth office of the Dept of Homeland Security. Every appointment like this brings me one step closer to mommyhood!
I'm new to this blogging thing, but I'll do my best to keep you all updated on the process.
Paper pregnancy. The paper chase. Home study. Prospective Adoptive Parent. Dossier. I-600A. I-171H. All words and phrases I was unfamiliar with several months ago. Now they're part of my mental vocabulary every day.
After considering adoption for about 3 years, I made the big decision earlier this year to start the journey to motherhood. I'm single. That certainly complicates things a bit. But I'm also intelligent, resourceful, adventurous, financially stable, and surrounded by supportive friends. And I had great parents as role models. It feels like the right time to do this.
I'm adopting through International Adoption Net, a small agency based in Colorado. I've decided to adopt an infant (between 0 and 12 months old) from Ethiopia. I've left the gender up to the agency. That somehow makes it even more exciting.
At this stage, I'm working on putting my dossier together. The dossier is a set of legal documents that represents me with the Ethiopian government. It consists of my completed home study (all about me), financial statements, insurance coverage information, health statements, and a criminal background check... all notarized and certified, then sent to Ethiopia for translation. This is definitely not the most exciting stage of the adoption. But it makes me feel like I'm in control of some part of the process, and I'm proceeding pretty quickly through my dossier checklist from the adoption agency.
I've also got paperwork filed with the US Government. My I-600A (application to bring an orphan into the country) was filed almost 2 weeks ago, and tomorrow I get to go have my fingerprints taken at the Fort Worth office of the Dept of Homeland Security. Every appointment like this brings me one step closer to mommyhood!
I'm new to this blogging thing, but I'll do my best to keep you all updated on the process.
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