[nina03]

This thread is for those of us who are starting the adoption process of a Guate angel during the spring time. Anybody is welcome to join

Our paperchasing is almost complete. We are still waiting on DH's birth certificate to come back certified from California. Otherwise, we are only waiting on our homestudy so that we can file our I-600A. Last time it took 4 months for our I-171, so we are hoping it is quicker this time.

Otherwise, we are all finished with the dossier. I must admit, it was much easier the second time around! Of course, it still took 6 (yes six) tries to get DH's doctor letter correct. Don't even get me started.............

Where are all of you in the process?

I am hoping that we all make great strides this week!

[Brie Brock]

Hi Nina,

Congrats on your dossier! Our HS is finished and I sent it off to the CIS and I already have my fingerprint appt 4/24!! Working on the dossier right now everything is going pretty good but like you I'm waiting on my BC, mine is in Washington DC. We have our doctor's appt on wednesday...I hope it goes better than yours??!!

Have a great week paperchasing this week everybody!!!

Brie

[my2guats]

Hi all!
We went and got our fingerprints on Saturday and we are done with the dossier!!! I'm hoping for our HS report this week. I think I'll be able to get everything certified and authenticated at the end of this week or next week and then we just wait and wait and wait.......Our 171H is going to take 8-10 weeks. We can't be matched with a baby until we get it so this is going to be the owrst part (I hope). Good luck to everyone this week. I hope we all get things done!

[VLMD]

We are further behind you guys. We just had our 1st HS visit last week, which everyone was right about - I had no need to worry, because it went great! . The next visit will be toward the end of the month and we have to have our autobiographical statements done.
We sent our I600-A already because they process them in the order they were received, regardless of whether all the info was there, so I am hoping she will submit an aproved HS in May, well before the standard 90 day process is done.
My DH has his consult with the physician today to see if she will do his medical form, and hopefully I will get mine notarized today!
Progress is slow but steady!

[PackGirl]

Our dossier is in Chicago! However I found out the day it got there that one of my docs had to be redone...so... Most of it is OK!!!

3rd time around....you would think it would be eaiser... it doesnt seem like it has.

[guatgal]

We are sending our dossier to the agency Fed Ex tomorrow and the a few final things to our HS agency tomorrow as well. Then we have to wait for our HS to be completed so we can get fingerprinted. We also can not receive a referral until we have our I-171H. Have a great week everyone!!!!

[Leebert2]

Hi everyone!

We finished all of our homestudy paperwork and submitted it on Friday. We are waiting for the SW to call to schedule our first homestudy visit. We were fingerprinted on Friday. Now I am working on the dossier. I am hoping to complete that while the homestudy visits and write up phase is taking place. I hope the wait for the 171h isn't too bad. That is what I am worried about. Good luck to all of you!

Lisa

[jcelestino]

Well, in the last week I contacted our homestudy agency to get that rolling and have already received their package. I scheduled our physicals for later this month to get the medical forms. I contacted our placement agency, but didn't hear back from them, which is odd. Maybe they're too busy right now...

I'm not sure how to broach the subject w/my supervisor. She needs to give an brief statement in support of another adoption (for the homestudy). I'm just not ready for her to know that we're doing this again. What to do... I was thinking of telling her that in our ongoing relationship w/our agency they need a an updated statement, but how do I make sure she gives her support for a future adoption.

I definitely feel more in control of the paperchase the second time around.

Nina, did you guys ever decide which way you're going w/gender?

Good luck all!
Janet

[adoptnky]

We had all three of our homestudy visits last week. It was crazy!! It went well, though. I was mostly worried about the SW coming to our house, but that was the easiest part.

I had to have some of our docs (BC and Marriage licenses) authenticated in Chicago, and I got those back last week. It didn't even take 2 weeks.

We are making changes to our dossier documents that need to be redone, and I'm hoping to have that done this week.

Just waiting then on our Homestudy to be written up and sent to CIS. The good news is that I've heard that our office is only taking about 2 weeks for I171-H approvals. If that's the case, I may get that back before my dossier documents are finished.

[Mamma]

We're still waiting to complete our dossier (just waiting on my passport). Hoping to get everything together and sent to be authenticated and legalized next week...hopefully! Our homestudy is completed and sent where it needs to be. Our I600A form was sent about two weeks ago and we had our fingerprinting appointment on 04/07/06. I can't wait to get our I171H from USCIS and our dossier completed! Then we can accept a referral!! Yippee!

Dulce
02/06 Agency paperwork
02/05/06 Paperchasing for Dossier
02/16/06 Homestudy appointment
03/23/06 Homestudy complete
03/25/06 Submitted I600A
04/07/06 Fingerprinting appointment in Pittsburgh

[LindaInChicagoLand]

I spoke to my SW for the first time today, and she's coming to my house on Friday! I had expected meeting her somewhere else the first time, giving me time to do all I wanted to do at home before showing her around, but I guess that's not what the Universe had in mind for me.
I've requested the form from the State Police in order to get my Criminal History Check, I've asked friends for their help with witness statements and letters of referral, and I've even started my "ME" story! I guess I should wait with that until I know what they're looking for (I'm assuming I'll get some guidance from the SW) but I just had to get started. Anything to get the ball rolling, right?
I sent out an email to all my friends & family on Friday telling them about my plans, and it was just amazing the feedback I got. You wouldn't believe how many of them are getting their passports ready in case I'd like their company to Guatemala! (I'm single and they don't want me to go thru this alone).
Life really is wonderful!

[Michelle Smiles]

I have to say I've never been so anxiety ridden over a bunch of pieces of paper in life! Every step seems to be a battle. Today we went to the bank to get our letter from them. I called ahead to explain what I needed - they said no problem. First I had to argue with a teller because she said they couldn't do that. Then I had to argue with the notary because she kept insisting she could only notarize official bank documents. After I made her understand that it would be a bank document, I had to ask them to re-do it after it was done because the notary stamp didn't clearly print the date and she wrote it in and I didn't think that would be okay. They were so glad to see me leave.

Then the records woman at the police department called and was all snippy because I didn't pick up the criminal check letter on Friday. I picked it up on my way home. She spent 10 minutes complaining how precise everyone insists these letters must be before she could give it to me. Then, being very nice, she offered to do my fingerprints. I explained that I had to do them through the federal government with a special appointment and she kept aruging that it didn't matter. I almost let her take them just to make her happy!

I'm annoyed with my doctor. I was just there 6 weeks ago, talked with doc at length and got a bunch of blood work done. Despite that they are still insisting that I have to go in for a physical before she can sign off on the letter.

Then I was disagreeing with the agency I think I am going to use. They sent me a packet and they require that we pay them to review our homestudy that we paid to have done (not amused about that). They also require things for their homestudy review that my state doesn't require for a homestudy. I was frustrated that they were adding to my to-do list. So now I have to get and pay for and wait for an HIV test for both my DH and I as well as a couple of other things.

I think I just have unrealistic expectations about how quickly I can get everything done. I just need to relax and go with it but I'm having trouble doing that. Sorry about the rant but I'm having a bad adoption day lol.

[LindaG12345]

Hi All,

We just started the process. what a paper dump! I will say our home study agency in southern ca let us show passports instead of birthcertificates.

Fingerprints are done and the final to do before the inhome is our pool gate installation this friday! We are so looking forward to having a complete home study!!

We have the final steps for the home study next week on 4/19. We have the in home inspection and second meeting with our SW. Anything we should expect from the in home? Any tips?

Thanks!

3/13 signed with a adoption agency
3/22 started the home study

[kam521]

Hi. I'm Kim, and my husband Ron and I are in the very early stages. Feels like it will take forever and the paperwork part has me half scared to death that I'll mess something up, and optomistic that every time I can check something off the list that we are one step closer to bringing home our baby. We have signed with an agency, sent our I-600 and have our home study scheduled for the 3rd week of May. Received our marriage certificates, waiting on birth certificates. It is so nice to know that there will be a bunch of us going thru this together. I'm looking foward to keeping updated and sharing our journey.

[arthymom]

thanks Nina for keeping this going :-)

We are the slow and steady family. We are getting fingerprints this week-end (walk ins in PA).

Doctor's appt. on the 24th for both of us. I checked the letter and it's perfect, and we're hiring a mobile notary to meet us there to make sure that there are no issues.

After the doctor's appt., our homestudy should be ready for INS submission.

Our dossier is another matter...

Still waiting on those foreign birth certificates, but there is more light at the end of the Colombian rainbow.

This is really stressful indeed, and I feel like other balls are getting dropped.

Take care,