2007
March 7:
Our first meeting at our agency for information on the adoption process
March 23-25:
After many discussions with the agency, we decide to adopt from Kazakhstan
April 4:
We mail our application to the agency and begin the homestudy
April 11:
Our first “intake” meeting with our agency. We learn about changes in Kazakhstan and are encouraged to consider a different country.
May 8:
Our first meeting with our social worker (SW). After much thought we decide to adopt from Vietnam.
May through August:
We collect homestudy documents and gather information about Vietnam adoption, the culture, the people, travel, and the Vietnamese language. We start learning a bit of Vietnamese. We have our 2nd meeting with our SW at her office.
September 7:
My solo meeting with our SW
September 20:
Hubby’s solo meeting with our SW
September 27:
SW comes to our house for inspection. We know we are moving, so the inspection is done in the new house. The inspection goes great.
October 10:
Our all-day adoption education meeting (part of the home study process). After the meeting we head to local police station for fingerprinting for the state’s approval process.
October 13:
We go to USCIS for fingerprints for CIS approval process.
December 18:
Completed dossier and sent overnight mail to the Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco.
December 27:
Vietnam consulate returns documents, approved.
December 28:
Our agency receives our dossier.
December 31:
Our agency calls – we forgot to include two passport photos! They cannot send dossier to Vietnam without them.
2008
January 2:
We get our certified checks and passport photos. I drive to the agency, drop off the checks and photos. The agency sends our dossier to Vietnam that afternoon. We are officially DTV!!!!! Now we wait for a referral (and wait, and wait)…..We are #6 out of the families waiting for our referral.
April 7:
Our agency receives a referral for a girl. We move to #5.
April 23:
The Embassy announces that adoptions from Vietnam are being discontinued, and any family without a referral before September 1 will have their dossier returned. We pray.
May 1:
Our agency receives a referral for a girl. We move to #4.
May 27:
Our agency receives a referral for a boy. We move to #3.
June 12:
We meet with our SW to discuss the possibility of switching to Korea.
June 27:
Received a call from our SW; another agency is looking for a forever family for a baby boy in Korea. She wants to know if we are interested. Are we interested?!!! Of course!!! We will know more on Monday…
June 30:
We receive a call from our SW. She is still waiting to hear from the other agency.
July 1:
Our SW calls – we have more paperwork to fill out for the other agency.
July 2:
We complete the paperwork and send it to Agency #2
July 7:
We receive the referral!!! We have more paperwork to complete, including a letter to the birth parents and a photo album of our family.
July 11:
Application paperwork completed. We officially accept the referral. We send the application overnight express to Agency #2, and overnight a request to CIS to change our approval from Vietnam to Korea.
July 12:
Agency #2 confirms receipt of paperwork and referral acceptance letter.
July 15:
We receive another package of paperwork. This is intake paperwork for agency #2, approval paperwork for Korea, and the USCIS I171.
July 16:
All forms completed and sent overnight to Agency #2.
July 17:
Agency #2 confirms receipt of papers.
July 21:
Agency #2 forwards papers to Korea. Agency #2 also receives the legal paperwork for our son, which they forward to USCIS for approval.
July 25:
Update from Agency #1; adoptions from Vietnam will likely stop effective September 1st barring a miracle. There will be only two more referrals from our agency by September 1st.
July 26, 2008:
Received approval of I-600A, change to Korea. It was sent to our old address but forwarded by USPS to our new address
July 30:
Called you-know-where to make sure address is fixed. Was told I should wait six months and if the I-600 approval never arrives, to call back. WHAT??!!! Called agency #2. They will take care of it for us.
August 7:
Email from USCIS, I-600 approved and on its way to us via mail. YAY!!!!! Maybe 4 more weeks????
August 12:
Spoke with Agency #2 about travel plans.
August 13:
Received I-600 approval in the mail and sent a copy to both agencies.
August 29:
Received letter dated 8/26 from National Visa Center; case forwarded to US Embassy in Seoul.
September 6:
Mom and sis threw an awesome baby shower.
September 17:
Still waiting for the call.