The dossier is off!

Well, I mailed our dossier yesterday. The next milestone is getting our fingerprinting appointment. We should get the appointment in the next several weeks. Basically, it is sit around and wait time - and of course more check writing! :0)

Once the dossier is translated and approved in Vietnam, we will get our referral which will include a picture of our new addition!

Picture included in the dossier (with the house picture)

Good news and bad news...

Good news first....
I have all the paperwork completed on my end (yes, Eric still has a few pieces to go)! I hope to get everything notarized by this Friday!

Bad news...
Time lines seem to have lengthened. On March 1st, Vietnam changed their process so that there is an additional step (aka layer of bureaucracy). This means that we could be looking at 6-9 months of waiting once they have received our dossier. UGH! It was a month previously. Our adoption agency is waiting to see what reality turns out to be but it is definitely not what I wanted to hear!

Making progress

I feel a little better today. We have completed our application and commitment letters. They now need to be notarized. Also got Eric's medical letter yesterday. I went to the police bureau today at lunch and got the local police clearance letter. Tomorrow I will go and get a certified copy of our marriage certificate. So today, I feel like we are making some progress in the "paper chase".

Plugging away!

I am trying not to get frustrated by what is referred to as the "paper chase". Last week I sent off the documents to our doctors, contacted the police (no response), got my employment letter (Eric get on it!) and started our application and commitment letters. Our passports are copied and pictures are taken. This week I hope to get our passport pictures taken and complete the rest of the paperwork and get it notarized. We have friends who are adopting and they said they would have their dossier completed by June 1st. I decided that would be a good goal for us too!

Yesterday afternoon Carli and I sorted through baby clothes and washed everything. I then let Carli put the clothes away in the dresser that will be Pearl's. I figure the more I can involve Carli the better and since she is a little mother herself, she actually enjoys it.

Time to begin the dossier

dos·si·er (dŏs'ē-ā', dô'sē-ā')
n. A collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject.

Here is a list of documents required for the dossier. Gotta love the paperwork!

 2 HOME STUDIES
Certify and Authenticate ONE

 2 CERTIFIED MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE
Re-certify and Authenticate ONE

 4 APPLICATIONS FOR ADOPTION
Certify all 4-Take one photocopy to VN when you travel

 4 COMMITMENTS
Certify all 4- Take one photocopy to VN when you travel

 4 LETTERS OF EMPLOYMENT (2-Mother & 2-Father)
Certify and Authenticate ONE for each

 4 LOCAL POLICE CLEARANCES (2- Mother & 2-Father)
Certify and Authenticate ONE for each

 4 MEDICAL CERTIFICATES (2-Mother & 2-Father)
Certify and Authenticate ONE for each

 2 POWER OF ATTORNEYS Certify and Authenticate ONE

 2 I-171H (PRE-APPROVAL FROM IMMIGRATION)
Certify and Authenticate ONE

 2 COPIES OF PASSPORT (Mother & Father on one page)
Certify and Authenticate ONE

 4 PASSPORT SIZE PHOTOS (2-Mother & 2-Father)
2 of each for dossier & two of each to travel with.

 2 PICTURES (Front of home, and family picture)

Home Study Interview

We completed our home study interview last night. It was pretty straightforward. After Carli got warmed up, she basically did all the work for us! She was showing Don around the house and taking him outside to see her car in the backyard.

Don was really pushing for us to consider a boy. Apparently there are lots of boy babies since everyone seems to want girls. I really want a girl and Carli has her heart set on a sister so I think we will stick with our original plan.

Don told us he would have our home study written up by Thursday and then it has to be passed around to several people in the office for review. Once it is complete, it will get sent to the US Homeland Security office so that our I600 can be completed.

Now it is time to put together our dossier.