How We Got This Far!

Here is how our timeline has gone....

October 2008 - we applied to our agency with our first paper application and our $200 application fee

October through December 2008 - paperwork for our dossier, including medical appointments, gathering birth certificates, marriage licenses, employment verification letters, local police clearances, etc. Our agency sent us a HUGE checklist of things to gather and we just started doing that. We hadn't even been contacted by a social worker yet.

January 2009 - HomeStudy application....this was a huge packet of questions (everything from finances to child-rearing practices to marriage strengths and weaknesses to personality surveys, etc, etc, etc)....plus four references had to complete a large packet on us as well. Plus we had to do fingerprints (again) with Oregon State Police.

February 2009 - Home Study visits.....we were assigned our social worker and she did two office visits and two home visits. We worked through this process very quickly because we happened to have President's Day off school so we scheduled one visit then and we were able to schedule our later visits in rapid succession.

January, February, March 2009 - we attended three weekends of adoptive parenting classes in Portland. This is a new requirement for Hague countries

April 2009 - Our Homestudy written report was completed. We submitted our HomeStudy and our Medical Checklist (the kinds of medical conditions we were willing to accept) to our agency's China Program in Eugene.

May 5, 2009 - we got a call that we had our referral and we got our first pictures of Jack. This program is a little different than the standard China program in that, if you're wanting a healthy regular Chinese baby, then the Chinese government matches the family with a child. If you are taking a child with medical needs, then the agency matches the family with the child. So our social worker selected Jack as a match for our family.

May 14, 2009 - we received word that our USCIS immigration clearance arrived (I-800A)and soon all our paperwork will head to Beijing. (It seems weird that we already have a baby assigned to us....and none of our forms are even in China yet!!!) But, like I said, this process is different than most.

June 5, 2009 – DOSSIER SENT TO CHINA!!! Check for $12,000 sent to Beijing along with travel paperwork and placement agreements. Preliminary forms for U.S. visa….mom and dad select name for sure (Jackson Noah)

June 9, 2009 – email update includes new height / weight for Jack and GREAT news that Jack has been moved to foster care family!!

June 12, 2009 – Marlene emails to say they ran into foreign director for orphanage. He looked up Jack’s file and reported that Jack is very healthy and moved into foster care at about 5 months of age (Jan 2009).

June 16, 2009 – decide to take Cole & Elise to China with us. File for passports.

Aug 1, 2009 – just five days before Jack’s first birthday we get updated height / weight information and a BEAUTIFUL picture of our son. He is absolutely adorable!

Aug 6, 2009 – Jack turns one today. We celebrate as a family by going out to eat Chinese food for dinner and the kids sing Happy Birthday to Jack.

Sept 8, 2009 – First Day of School. We arrive home to find our LOA (Letter of Approval) has arrived from Beijing. We sign, fax and return immediately. We file for our I-800 approval from USCIS. File for visas on our passports for Paul, Linda, Cole and Elise.

Sept 25, 2009 – Agency calls to say all paperwork has now been sent to Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) and now we wait for travel approvals (about 8 weeks).

Nov. 20, 2009 – 8 weeks today. No T.A. yet. Still waiting.