Our Journey To You

This is listed (with costs) for the benefit of those in the process.  Sometimes it helps to know what to expect on how long it takes to get the paperwork for your dossier completed and the costs, which was very difficult for us to come across on other websites, so we thought it may be helpful to families considering adoption.

2/11/05 - We sent in our application to Harrah's Family Services - Adoption International Mission  ($150.00)

2/18/05 - Yippeee!!!  We're pregnant again!!!   We received an email advising us that we are now part of the Harrah's family. 

2/28/05 - We sent out our contract today to HFS-AIM along with all the required paperwork.  Now we wait for our dossier guide and to be assigned a consultant. ($1950.00)

3/1/05 - Today we sent out our I600A with all of the paperwork required except for the homestudy!!!  ($665.00)

3/4/05 - We were assigned our Dossier Consultant today!  Stephanie Reid from Houston.  She's GREAT!!!

3/7/05 - Scott had his lab tests done and returns for completion of physical on Tues.  3/15!! ($15.00)   We had our local background check today at the Sherrif's office.  ($15.00 x 2 = $30.00)   Also, today we scheduled our first hs visit for Wed. 3/16!!!!

3/9/05 - Ohilda had her lab test done and returns for completion of physical on Thurs. - 3/10 ($15.00)  Requested Scott's  Birth Certificate from Rhode Island Vital Statistics office.  ($25.00)  Stephanie said we could use our old marriage certificate,   which is great, because that saves us $40.00!  Also, today we received the letter from UCSIC (Immigration) letting us know our application has been received.  Now we wait to see how long before we get our fingerprinting appt.!  

3/10/05 -   Ohilda returned for physical today.  ($15.00)  HIV results weren't ready! :(   Have to go back on Tuesday.  We got our fingerprint appt. today for March 22 - 26!!!!  YIPPEE!!!!  We also FedEx'd the passport pages, pictures and family pics to HFS-AIM today. ($11.00)  And got our employment letters and financial statement notarized!  (Notarizing is a freebie!! - Thanks to Tia Ily!)  :)

3/14/05 - Scott went back for his physical and for his TB test!  Healthy as horse! LOL!  ($15.00)  I got back my physical form and had it notarized along with our Application to Adopt for CCAA.

3/16/05 - Our first homestudy visit.  Wow....sooooo much more paperwork!   ($500. for hs + $6. for child abuse check)

3/17/05 - FDLE background checks today ($23. ea. = $46.)  We also filled out tons of forms for our social worker and got back our reference letters.  We're almost getting to the end of the paperchase.

3/19/05 - Scott's birth certificate came in the mail today!!!  Monday we are sending it out to our dossier consultant with some preprinted FedEx airbills and our check to cover the certifications and authentication costs ($420.00).  

3/23/05 - Today was our last homestudy visit.  Dr. Knickerbocker said we should have our rough draft of the homestudy by Tues.!!

3/26/05 - Today is such a special day!!!  Scott was confirmed at Easter Vigil.  YEAHHH!!!  A new soldier of God!   Also, we drove 2 hrs up to Tampa to be fingerprinted.  We laughed when we left there.....drove a total of 4 hrs for a 15 min. stay....but it was great thinking we are one step ahead.

3/30/05 - Scott's birth certificate was already sent back apostilled from Rhode Island to our dossier consultant.  I emailed her our passports so that she could send his to the NY Consulate for Authentication now.  Where is our homestudy???  UGH!!!!  Scott spoke to our SW today and he said another couple of days!

3/31/05 - We received the rough draft from Dr. Knickerbocker, our Social Worker.  Our dossier consultant says we need lots of changes!!  :(   Also, we have petitioned for a little girl we fell in love with from a waiting child list.  So we will wait until the committee meets to see if God wants her to be our child.

4/12/05 - Unfortunately, after much waiting, we were not chosen to be this little girl's forever family.  Although we are so sad, we know with every beat of our heart that God is preparing the perfect child for us.  We have decided to continue the non special needs route and wait for a referral.  Hopefully soon our dossier  will be completed and we will be on DTC (dossier to China) and the waiting for our referral will begin!

4/18/05 - Our first authenticated document came back today!!   Scott's birth certificate.  WHERE IS THE FINAL HOMESTUDY???!!!!!

4/22/05 - WOOOHOOO!!!  Final homestudy came in today.  I whisked it over with the rest of our papers to FedEx  to send to our dossier consultant ($19.04) and to Immigration ($14.48).  They should have it on Monday morning and now we wait for that elusive I171H....then we're DTC!!!!

5/2/05 - Our paperwork came back from the Florida Sec. of State today and will be off to the Chinese Consulate on Wednesday!  Where is that I171H????

5/6/05 - Called Homeland Security again and was told that the I171H  would definitely be sent to us this week.  I even gave them our FedEx # so they could overnight it.  Hopefully it'll be here Tuesday!!

5/7/05 - Sent off 2nd package to Harrah's with our backup support work, copy of final homestudy and check!  ($2,765.00 = $1700. 2nd 1/2 of agency fee, $565. CCAA dossier translation Fee and $500. post placement deposit). So please, arrive soon I171H!  We wanna be DTC!!!

5/12/05 - Today our I171H was delivered via FedEx!!!  Wooohoooo!!!  We immediately faxed it over to our dossier consultant!  We may be DTC on the 20th of May after all!  Thank you, Jesus!

5/20/05 - WOOOHOOOO!!!!   We did it!  We are DTC!  Our dossier is on it's way to the CCAA in Beijing!!

5/23/05 - Our dossier arrives in Beijing via FedEx at 10:08 am.  Signed for by C. Hop. 

6/1/05 - We received a copy of our dossier from Harrah's Family Services.

6/20/05 - WE HAVE A LOG IN DATE!!   It is June 3rd!  Which means that the official countdown to referral has begun!  Thank you, Lord!  This date is bittersweet because it is a year to the day that we accepted a referral for a little boy in Belarus, whom we thought would be ours.  :(

6/23/05 - Our "BROWN ENVELOPE" came in today!  This is the acknowledgment from The Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, that the US Immigration has approved us to adopt.  We now have a case number!!  :)    

6/24/05 - Yesterday we took Amanda to get her passport pictures!  ($8.75), and today we went down to the Clerk of Courts and applied for her passport. ($82.00)  Soon....she will be ready to go!!  She's really excited about being a big sister!

7/15/05 - Not much happening.  We are just waiting on our referral.  My Mom went today to get her passport renewal application and she will be doing that soon.  We still need to find out about immunizations for ourselves and I have been drumming up some extra adoption funds with the new video creation business.  Otherwise, we are just waiting!  *sigh*

8/10/05 - Today Amanda's passport came in!!!  Yippeee!!   She can now go with us to China to meet her little brother!  As of today, we still have 130 days left of waiting for our referral.  (That is on an average of 212 days from DTC).

9/14/05 - Well, today Amanda and I went to the health department for our first shots.  She lucked out and only needed 1 Hep A shot and the other will be in 6 months....and she's done!  I, on the other hand, got 3 shots!  OUCH!!!!   Scott is going next week, and Abuela Titi is getting her shots on Friday, 9/16!

9/19/05 - Scott got his shots today!!  So, we're all on our way to being ready!

10/1/05 - Things are starting to slow down a bit.  It looks like the CCAA is now sending out referrals for only 3 weeks from 2/18/05 - 3/17/05.   UGH!!!!  The goal post keeps getting moved.  If now things stay as they are, we should be getting our referral early Jan. and traveling mid Feb.   Please Lord, don't drag it out much longer.  :)

10/14/05- Amanda, my Mom and I ($138.76) all went for our 2nd Hep B shots!  Ouch.....1 more to go in January.

10/19/05 - Today Scott went for his 2nd Hep B shot.  ($126.00)

12/12/05 - We went to the new Harrah's Waiting....AND FOUND OUR SON!!  Click on OUR PRECIOUS ADDITION on the homepage to read about God's miraculous works in bringing our son to us!  We sent in our petition and were told that the committee would be meeting on Friday, 12/16/05 to make a decision.

12/15/05 - Got home today and found out that the committee met today (Thurs.) instead!  ARGH!!!   What a wreck we are!  Don't know if the call will come today or tomorrow.  Please pray for us!

12/16/05 - Harrah's called at 1:45 PM to say, "Congratulations!  You have a son!"    Oh my Lord, those were the sweetest words we've heard in a long, long, long time!  God is so good!

12/29/05 - We sent our LOI and acceptance letter to Harrah's for translation, via FedEx ($23.40)!!!

1/06/06 - Our LOI left to Beijing to the CCAA Office.  Our official countdown has begun.   YEAAAHHH!!!!

1/14/06 - Today we received from our SW the addendum we need to hand carry to China.

1/19/06 - Hip Hip Hooraayyy!!!   Our dossier has made it out of the review room.  We are approved!   We are now waiting for PA or TA (whichever one they want to send) and we're off to China!

2/09/06 -  Yeah!  Got the go ahead to send in our visa applications!   Amanda and I headed  to Walgreens to have our pictures taken!.  ($8.99)   I will be sending them out tomorrow!

2/10/06 - OK!  Package went out with a kiss and a prayer.  Scott took his visa picture taken early this morning ($6.99) and I gathered all the paperwork, the money order for the consulate ($150.00) and the check for the processing fee ($60.00) got it all neatly put together with the applications and sent it off to Harrah's via FedEx ($9.42) this morning!  :)

2/24/06 - At 12:21 pm today....we received a call from the Waiting Child Director at HFS!  WE GOT TA!!!!!   We've been approved and our now awaiting our consulate appt.  They said it should be 48-72 hrs!

2/28/06 - Tonight at 11:21 p.m, HFS called us to say we had a consulate date!!!  Yippeee!!!  April 11th!  Scott's Mom's birthday!  God is good!  Now the travel plans can officially begin.

3/1/06 - Our international flights are booked!  We leave March 29 and return to the US....April 14, just after midnight!

3/29/06 - 4/14/06 - We traveled to Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou.

4/3/06 - Gotcha Day!!!!!!!!!!  Our little Emperor is ours forever!

4/14/06 - Kai became a US Citizen!

3/23/07 - Our 2nd and final post placement report was sent to our agency to forward to CCAA!  Our adoption is completely finished and he is legally ours, with no bounds, FOREVER!!!!  YAAAAAYYY!!!!!

Record Data

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