More Good News

A "dossier" is all of the information and legal documentation that must be gathered and submitted for an adoption. It includes all birth and marriage certificates, background checks, fingerprints, employment statements, tax returns, and a Home Study conducted by a social worker. After all of the documentation is gathered, the home study is submitted with an adoption request to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). The approval form from USCIS is the last piece of the puzzle and many families (including us) wait for months on pins and needles for this government form to arrive. Then the dossier is considered complete - and you are officially "logged in" and waiting for a referral. Our completed dossier arrived in Ethiopia on November 21, 2007.

Originally, we had requested to adopt 2 children between the ages of 0-6. When we first received news about our older son, he was 6 years old - and then shortly after, he turned 7. So we needed to seek an ammendment to our home study and get another approval from USCIS. Great - more paperwork and more waiting. We updated our homestudy with a request for 2 children, ages 0-8, and submitted that paperwork on May 12. Yesterday (July 12), we received the much needed USCIS approval form!!! Now our paperwork is complete again and another puzzle piece clicked into position.

In addition - the Schmidt family was able to greet the Raymer family at the airport, so we know they have arrived home safely! And we have heard from the Gibsons in ET. They are battling some serious issues - exhaustion, depression and fear - but Zoie seems to be doing better and hopefully they will be able to return home early this week. Duni has arrived in ET and will be petitioning the courts on behalf of the remaining waiting families to secure a court date!!