Adoption Blog

Time Line Reality Check

Well, I just got off the phone with our adoption agency (CCAI) and we talked through the remaining steps of our paper chase. It's a bit disapointing but I'd rather deal with reality than to continue believing something that isn't true. So here's the deal...

- 2 to 3 weeks until we get our I-171H
- 1 week to get everything certified
- 2 to 3 weeks to get everything authenticated
- 2 to 4 weeks for CCAI to check everything over and to translate

If we take...

...the worse case scenarios (3 + 1 + 3 + 4 = 11) and we add in one more week just to account for any hiccups, that works out to 3 months. So that means we should expect to be DTC around the middle of May.

Then, taking a conservative view and expecting the wait time to be around 10 months (I'm being told that the wait is between 8 & 10 months), we'll be matched in the middle of March, 2005. Build in a month to plan for travel and we'll be going to China in April of 2005.

Wow, what a reality check. I guess I've been using the best case scenarios regarding the time line. Swithcing to a conservative view makes a huge difference. Perhaps we'll be surprised and we'll find that the process goes faster. We'll have to wait and see. For now, I'm going to plan on a travel date of April...

Wait Time?

Does anyone have any news regarding the current wait time (from DTC to Match)?

Fingerprints

Today we got our fingerprints done. It really feels like we're getting close to completing the paper chase. Once we get our I-171H back from the BCIS, all we have left to do is...

- get everything notarized
- send it all off to the secratary of state to be certified
- then send it all to the Chinese Consulate to be authenticated
- and then send everthing to CCAI

Once CCAI receives the final dossier, they will check it over 2 or 3 times to make sure it's complete and w/out mistakes. Then they send it off to China. When China receives it they will check it over and if they find it to be accurate, then we'll officially be "DTC" (Dossier to China). At that point we enter the waiting stage. And from what I understand, the wait is about 10 months... So we've still got a long way to go. But time sure has a way of flying when you're going through an experience like this. Seems like only yesterday we were researcing adoption agencies...

Pictures From Hawaii

Here's some of our Pictures From Hawaii.

If you have questions about any of the pictures, just post a comment about it. Please include the second part of the picture name found in the upper left hand corner.

Hope you like them. Please let me know what you think! And which picture is your favorite?

Missing Naomi...

I'm running out the door to pick Naomi up from the airport. It's been a long week here w/out her. I never really get used to her long trips to Hawaii. She usually goes for 3 weeks and I go for 1. That means I've got 2 weeks w/out her. This time she left almost a week before me and returns a week after me. I sure do miss her when she's gone...

Here's one of my favorite pictures that we took in Hawaii. This was on the beach outside of our hotel. I'll try to post a bunch of them later today if I get time!

Back From Hawaii

I'm back from Hawaii. Dealing with a little jet lag. I was laying in bed last night at 3:00am with my eyes wide open thinking it's only 10:00pm in Hawaii. But, my alarm clock went off at 6:15am. What an awful sound...

Anyway, it was a great trip. I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a chance.