Sunday, October 26, 2008

Oops......


Hmmmm, the photo of our dossier paperwork didn't seem to make it into the last post......so here it is!

Going on a road trip!


On Friday I drove to Richmond to get all of the papers certified by the state. It was nice because another lady rode with me who is also adopting from Ethiopia and she needed to get her papers certified too. So we had some nice long chats which made the ride go much faster. Everything is ready to be turned in to America World on Monday. They will get the dossier authenticated at the Embassy in DC and then it will be sent to Ethiopia on Friday, Oct. 31. Our name officially goes on the waiting list Friday. The top photo is the paperwork we are submitting for the dossier. The second photo is of me at the Secretary of Commonwealth office in Richmond holding the last piece of the paper needed for the dossier......can you see my joy?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Hip Hip Hooray!

FINALLY, the anxiously awaited letter (better known as 171-H) arrived in the mail today. What a great feeling to know all of our paperwork for our dossier is now ready to be certified. On Friday, I am driving down to Richmond with another adoptive mom from our area. We will get our dossiers certified and then drop them off at America World Monday morning. If all goes well, we'll be DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) next Friday (Halloween). We are one big step closer to bringing Ava home. Once we turn in everything next week, we officially get on the agency's waiting list. Currently, the wait time for a baby girl is about 7-9 months. That seems so far away, but when I look back on how quickly these last 5 months have gone, I realize it will be here before we know it. There was a feeling of excitement in the house tonight knowing that we are finally moving ahead in this long process.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Where is that little piece of paper?

So, we are STILL waiting to receive the 171-H form from Dept of Homeland Security. We were told it could take up to 9 weeks from our fingerprint date. This Tuesday (Oct 14) will be nine weeks. I sent an email to the lady who reviews our paperwork at USCIS and have not received a response. It is very frustrating to sit here with our piles of paperwork ready to go... just waiting for one piece of paper. If I have learned anything in this process so far, it is PATIENCE! I have also sent an email to our state representative asking them to send an email or letter to this woman to check on our case. I know some other families who have taken this approach and they have received their 171-H shortly after contacting the State Representative. I am hopeful that it will arrive this week. I will then drive to Richmond to have the dossier certified by the State of Virginia and then drive all of that to America World Adoption Agency.

Duni, who was in the photo of our previous post, and who cooridinates the Ethiopia Adoption at our agency here in Virginia, will be moving with her family to Ethiopia in November. This is wonderful news because she will be working for America World over there.....making sure the paperwork is ready for the courts, overseeing the referrals, etc. So we will be seeing her again when we travel to Ethiopia next year. And hopefully it will keep the referrals and court dates running smoothly and quickly. She is such an amazing person and really pours her heart into her job.

Hopefully, my next post will be about receiving our 171-H form.