[lovestruck]

So now that our adoption is complete and I am trying to finally finish unpacking from our trip after being home now for two weeks.........

As I look at the huge stack of papers I've accumulated over the years, ie, dossier, I'm wondering what did you do with your dossier?

Store it, burn it, shred it or as my adoption worker said, insulate your house with it?

[doozer22boys]

Ours is in one of two big file folders FULL of all the paperwork we did over the years. I don't think I'll ever throw it away but I don't think I'll frame it either. I'm just so grateful to be done with that whole paperwork thing! I don't even want to look at it right now.

[his,mine&ours]

You could shred, then use as insulation...that way its always with you!!

[SingleMama2B]

Good Morning..... I actually have mine in a binder in protective plastic sheets. I have also done this with ALL of the court documents, and other papers they gave me. I wanted to preserve them, so that when "A" is older, if she has ANY questions or memories that are distorted, and wants answers, etc., she can look through them. Hopefully not until she is mature enough to understand, and accept what the situtation truly was. As I don't have photos of her Mom (died when she was only 5 months old) or Dad, though she says she remembers him, I wanted to have what they gave me for when she is an adult.

I still toy with the idea about having a russian private eye look into more of the family history or exsisting family, and maybe trying to obtain photos for her, but the experience that I already had/endured with an Aunt, was horrid, as she tried to stop the adoption, and LEAVE "A" in the orphanage - just so an "American" could not adopt her. She was denied due to her drinking, living conditions, and police record of her boyfriend and son (still in a penial colony). Though I would LOVE for "A" to have a picture of her Mom (and of course I am alittle curious too). She was only 31 years old ("A" was the third and last child) when she died.

[MamaChinch]

I would never want to get rid of all my hard work! I have everything in a binder, also in plastic sheet protectors in the file I bought to keep things organized through the process. I will kept it for her there, maybe the file box gets moved around alittle, but there it will live! I, too, will give them to her someday to kept as part her own history of coming in our family. As I am hoping to go back for #2 soon, I may need it for reference, too!

[Pinkie]

I'd never throw it away but can't say I'd preserve it either. At the moment its kinda filed correctly and sitting in the spare wardrobe.......when I need the spare wardrobe space I'll figure out my next move!

[TweetyMom04]

Originally Posted by lovestruck

Store it, burn it, shred it or as my adoption worker said, insulate your house with it?

Those are good ones!

I kept all the paperwork and along the way made copies of everything. After we were done including: Re-Adoption and SS# and US Passports, I purchased 2 thick file folders with dividing pockets and close flap. I sorted the paperwork and put them into the 2 folders.

[RBSVARCHER]

I've had to go through and use some of the paperwork over again - when we refinanced our house the paperwork on finances and proof of ownership came in handy. Now, I store the old red passport, all the original documents from Russia, the referal video and paperwork, and his U.S Certificate of Citizenship, SS Number Card and Re-adoption certificate with all that other paperwork - it is organized and easily found. Also, it is interesting to go through from time to time to remember the hard work we had to do to get DS here!

[mixtim]

Other than receipts which you would need for tax credit purposes, and the government issued documents which you will need to get other government issued documents or other stuff you want to save for posterity, I pretty much threw it all out. It took me a good 2 months to get up the nerve as well -- was just expecting that one last phone call saying, "oh yeah, we forgot, we need this useless piece of information and need it notarized and apostilled too. If you don't, we will come repo your kid."

[jeni-b]

Same here. I could never part with all of that. I'm too sentimental. Plus with trying to get paperwork compiled ahead of time for #2 it has come in handy.

[MominPA]

My paperwork is in a binder with protective sheets. It was useful when we adopted our second child to go back to see what we did with the first child.

My DH was oh you still have that. My child abuse clearance and police clearance was useful when I applied for a job.