My Adoption Timeline |
For someone who is
“organizationally challenged”, the paperchase
of early stage adoption is painful. I selected a homestudy
agency that sent a social worker to my house to make sure the house (and the inmates in the house) were fit to welcome a
baby. I had to gather birth certificates, police clearances, FBI clearances,
mortgage letters, address references, personal letters of support….
Let’s just say it made my top secret government clearance process look
like a job application at McDonalds by comparison. It didn’t help that
my address history for the past 10 years reads something like this: |
2/12/06 Everyone’s adoption timeline
varies greatly by family, by agency, by state, by country and by fate. Here
is my timeline so far. (As you can see, fate has played a big role in my
dossier completion date.) My agency estimates 8 months from signing to
referral for an infant girl with no ethnicity preference. So that means any
day now, right? Unless fate has more to say….. 4/10/06 Everything has changed so much since I wrote the above words when I was so eagerly anticipating my referral. On the eve of our trip to Kaz, my beloved younger sister died suddenly. |
4/25/05 |
Signed with Adoption Miracle |
4/26/05 |
File 1600 application with BCIS
(formerly INS). |
4/27/05 |
Homestudy visit by social worker
. |
5/30/05 |
Signed with World Partners Adoption. |
6/6/05 |
Homestudy Approved. |
6/28/05 |
Homestudy submitted to BCIS |
8/09/05 |
171-H Received. |
8/10/05 |
Dossier Complete! Sent to WPA |
8/11/05 |
Dossier Not Complete – new FBI
clearance requirement. |
9/10/05 |
FBI clearance comes through |
9/12/05 |
Dossier Dossier
Complete (Redux)! |
9/20/05 |
Dossier goes for translation |
9/27/05 |
Dossier Not Complete! New paperwork
requirements instituted. |
10/18/05 |
Dossier Complete! (3rd time a charm).
New docs sent to WPA |
11/11/05 |
Dossier sent to Kaz
Consulate. |
1/30/06 |
Dossier presented to MFA |
3/10/06 |
Referral received! |
3/16/06 |
Referral accepted |
3/27/06 |
My beloved sister Margaret dies
suddenly and my world collapses |
3/29/06 |
Receive travel dates for April
8. I tell WPA I cannot travel that
soon |
3/30/06 |
Receive revised travel dates for
April 18. |
4/2/06 |
Margaret’s memorial service |
4/17/06 |
Depart for Almaty |
4/19/06 |
Arrive in Almaty |
4/20/06 |
Travel to Kokshetau
and meet Annabelle for the first time |