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.