Adoption Timeline

robin ♦ July 9, 2005 ♦ 1 Comment

June 14, 2004-received packet from AWAA and decided to adopt a baby girl from China
August 9, 2004-made contact with Lifeline Children’s Services out of Birmingham to conduct our Home Study
August 25, 2004-fingerprinted for DHR, Alabama!
September 1, 2004-sent first application to AWAA
September 1, 2004-applied for certified copies of birth and marriages certificates
September 14, 2004-received preliminary approval to adopt through America World
September 15, 2004-mailed first USCIS I-600 application to begin naturalization for our future child
September 21, 2004-our I-600 application was logged in
September 21, 2004-sent first big payment to AWAA
October 12, 2004-Frank wrote Vital Records to obtain a copy of his “Certification of Birth Abroad”
October 14, 2004-applied for Passports
October 15, 2004-ABI clears Frank to adopt
October 21, 2004-ABI clears Robin to adopt (hum…they must have had more questions about me!)
October 30, 2004-fingerprinted for FBI for I-600
November 4, 2004-completed application letter (with a little help from my friend the grammar nazi-Amy Kelsey!)
November 9, 2004-Robin’s physical
November 22, 2004-Frank’s physical
November 24, 2004-Frank wrote Vital Records to request a copy of his birth cert. that said he is MALE – not female like the one we received
Throughout November-constant visits to the “God-Notary”-Sue Darouge
December 3, 2004-first Home Study visit at Lifeline Children’s Services in Birmingham with Jennifer Knierim
December 10, 2004-individual Home Study visits at Lifeline
December 16, 2004-Home visit for Lifeline
December 23, 2004-local police reports obtained for both of us
January 12, 2005-Home Study completed and notarized
January 19, 2005-LOTS of county and State certifications on many documents!!!
January 27, 2005-sent Frank’s birth certificate to Chinese Embassy for Authentication
March 2, 2005-Received long awaited I-171H-hooray!!
March 3, 2005-county and state cert. for I-171H and off it goes to the Chinese Consulate in Houston, TX-Happy Birthday to me!!
March 15, 2005-fedexed completed dossier to AWAA
March 18, 2005-AWAA sent our dossier to China
March 21, 2005-CCAA signed for receipt of our Dossier
March 30, 2005-wrote Allison Kraftson, special needs coordinator to add our family to the waiting child list, with very specific requests
April 11, 2005-dossier logged in to the China Center for Adoption Affairs- and the waiting begins!!
June 3, 2005-AWAA receives 22 special needs referrals, it will be next week before they are translated and we find out if our Ella Grace is one of them
June 8, 2005-Allison calls with a referral she thinks might be our little girl!!
June 9, 2005-we know for sure it IS our little girl
June 14, 2005-we fedexed Letter of Intent to adopt Fu Zhi Yuan a two year old baby girl with a 2nd degree cleft palate, because really she is Ella Grace and we have to go and get her
June 16, 2005-received notification that we had received a Shaohannah’s Hope adoption grant for over 20% of our adoption costs-an AMAZING display of God’s provision!
June 17, 2005-LOI sent to China from AWAA
July 19, 2005- sent care package to Ella Grace, she could recieve it in 3-5 days
August 1, 2005-Travel Approval arrived from the Chinese Government for us to adopt-in a record breaking 6 weeks!
August 2, 2005-mailed visa applications to Chinese consulate in Houston, TX-flight arrangements made August 3, 2005-2+ hour conference call with AWAA and all the other families who travel on August 18 about travel specifics-boy am I tired!
August 8, 2005-Received Chinese Visas
August 18, 2005-Left for China
August 22, 2005-GOTCHA Day!
September 2, 2005-Ella Grace lands in Chicago and the Department of Homeland Security stamps her Passport-she’s an American girl now! This is also the day she met her sisters for the first time, her grandparents, her Aunt Katie and Lori, too!