Thread: *Our timelines*

May 2006: Decided to adopt (finally!) , researched agencies, etc

June 2006: filed I-600A, applied to LFS and started homestudy

July 2006: completed homestudy, applied to Barker, had intake visit, fingerprinted, SWS on hold for new HS's

November 26,2006:HS to Korea!!

Dec. 4, 2006:Saw our daughter's face for the first time!

Dec. 18, 2006 - matched!!! Paperwork started to switch agencies.

Jan. 8, 2007 - official referral

Jan. 11 - referral acceptance papers mailed!!

Feb. 8 - Legals! I-600 filed

March 7 - I-600 re-filed (long story of lost paperwork )

March 22 - I-600 approval issued!!!

April 16 - Travel Call!!!!

April 25, 2007 - Placed in our arms forever!

April 26 - home!!

We're not far yet....

November 2006: made final decision to adopt

December 2006: sent in initial application to CAS, application accepted

January 2007: first home visit scheduled and beginning paperwork.

Has everyone been updating??? Put up your January what's-going-ons... I love reading about our progress.

I'm starting a new timeline for our second adoption.
3/14/07-started gathering documents for homestudy
3/19/07-CHI decided not to do homestudy for non-clients (us), so we started looking for a new HS agency
4/3/07-First HS visit with new agency
4/10/07-Final HS visit
5/22/07-DTV!! (dossier to Vietnam)
5/24/07-moved up to #10 on list
5/29/07-moved up to #9 on list
7/20/07-moved up to #8 on list

3/20/07 started classes and submitted most of our paperwork

That's been our progress so far....

June/July 2007

Researching Agencies

July 24, 2007: Sent in application to agency

August 16, 2007: Agency meeting

September 18, 2007: Homestudy meeting. Homestudy almost complete!!

September 24, 2007: Homestudy complete!!

December 4, 2007: Found out we are matched!!! Baby due in January.

December 19, 2007: Sydney Erica is born!

December 22, 2007: Sydney is placed with us!!

June 24, 2008: Finalization!!

June 17, 2007 - Information Meeting with Agency
July 6, 2007 - Applied for Colombia
July 20, 2007 - Approved for Colombia
Aug 3, 2007 - First meeting with Director
Aug 6, 2007 - Started Paper Chase
Sept 24, 2007 - First Homestudy Meeting
Oct 8, 2007 - Homestudy DONE!
Oct 26, 2007 - INS appointment
Nov 8, 2007 INS approval of Two children. We are trying to get it changed to three children.
Nov 14, 2007 INS approval for THREE children arrived =)
Nov 20, submitted dossier to the agency
Nov 30, 2007 Dossier sent to Colombia!
Dec 11, 2007 Colombia told our agency our list was closed. We are not trying to decide if we can wait the new timeline of 3-4 years or switch to another country including domestic.
__________________________________________________ ___________

Feb 29, 2008 Meeting with new program (domestic)
April 17, 2008 MATCHED!!!

I just realized I never posted our timeline!

June 2006- after 3 years of TTC we made the decision to adopt

July 2006- found our agency

Aug. 28th 2006- Our first meeting with agency...application officially submitted

Nov.-Dec. 2006- Homestudy classes and paperwork

Jan. 8th 2007- Homestudy approved and officially waiting to bring our baby home

Jan. 9th- Present - learning to be patient!!

OK, guess I should start a timeline too...

July 2007- Decide to start the process again. Call DHS to begin again. No calls back...

August 2007- Hear about the CALL in Arkansas. Decide to attend a meeting and speak with the director. Email the CALL, hear back in less than an hour. Attend info meeting, decide to go through the CALL. What a blessing! Fill out background checks that day.

Oct 2007- Begin PRIDE training. CPR classes, then final PRIDE training. Thats 10 weeks worth of classes in two weekends! WooHoo! Have first in home visit, and get our background checks back clean. Fill out the second application.

Oct 21, 2007- Complete final days of PRIDE training. Caseworker ways we are now approximately 2 months from being "open". When we are an open home, our data will be entered into the system to see if any children are waiting who match our profile. We *could* have our son by Christmas or shortly there after.

Hah!

Nov 2007- CPR / First Aid training.

Jan 2008- Home study first meeting.

Feb 8th, 2008- Attend Heart gallery debut. See a photo of a boy. Speak with his adoption specialist.

Feb 12, 2008-Receive fax with more info about our potential boy. We want to move forward. Final Home study meeting. Now waiting on a call from the specialist that we are officially matched with him. Hopefully soon.

March 2008- Loose our match. Best thing for him, so we're ok with it. DH deployed- will be home in August. Hope to have a match by then.

August 21, 2008- Get a cal about two boys in care. Call as many people as possible associated with their case.

August 22, 2008- Meet the boys. Will add legal names after the adoption is final, but their nicknames are Jae and Rion. They are with a really great foster family right now, and are considered low legal risk. That means they have not yet been TPRed, but are on the path and should be soon. We are nervous, because we really only wanted legally free- but after speaking with the boys' attorney and the head of DHS (and we have met the judge who is in charge of their case) we feel comfortable that it truley is a low legal risk.

August 28, 2008- Gotcha Day. Also is Jae's third birthday.

Our timeline is just in its beginning stages...

June '06: Two weeks before our wedding, a tumor is discovered on my thyroid.

July '06: We get married, honeymoon, return and face scary news... possible cancer.

Aug.'06: Tumor is biopsied and determined pre-cancerous.

Oct. '06: I have what will be my last period to date; hot flashes increase, sleeplessness, etc. (All signs of the news to come.)

Nov. '06: I have surgery to remove partial thyroid and entire tumor.

Dec '06-April '07: Thyroid completely out of whack; I gain 50 pounds almost instantly, fall asleep any time any where, and hot flashes become VERY intense.

April '07: Diagnosed with POV--premature ovarian failure, or "early menopause" thanks to my thyroid issue. Told that bio children are not likely, even with fertility treatments. Ultrasound reveals few eggs; IVF really not an option. I am CRUSHED.

April-Oct. '07: I battle with grief, depression, grief, anger, grief, sadness, grief, denial, grief...

Nov-Jan '08: DH and I become increasingly confident about adoption option. We know we want to be parents, and consider International or Minority (Domestic) adoption.

Feb '08: Will attend our first adoption meeting at Holt International... our baby is out there somewhere...