Two Posts For Today

Since I've explained how John and I came to start this awesome journey, I thought I'd also explain what specifically has transpired from the time we started until now. I'll try to give an abbreviated version, as I'm catching you up on the last 6 months.
One thing I need to add which I believe I left out. How we came to use La Vida International as our adoption agency. Well you see there was this add on the bulletin board at church, and as they say... the rest is history!!!
We began the "dossier shuffle", putting together the dossier(adoption packet that tells China all about us, and is used by the CCAA to match us with a child), by applying to immigration (USCIS part of the Department of Home Land Security)and applying for the documents that we needed, like birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc. Also the birth certificates needed letters of authenticity. Other documents required a notary, others didn't, not to mention that we needed multiple copies.
We needed to be fingerprinted by the Suffolk County police, as well as applying for a "Good Conduct Letter" saying that we don't have criminal records.
Ya know how many times I thought doing this that biological parents should go through this???? too many to count. I'll bet there would be less incidents of child abuse if they did.
Anyway, the other major thing that had to get done was our home study. We had a local adoption agency do it because La Vida is in Pennsylvania and cannot. Family Focus Adoption Agency in Queens sent a wonderful social worker named Sandy. It took 2 months and 4 visits for her to write up a 5 page document that not only approves us to adopt a child, but tells all about us, from our childhoods to what are home is like and what hobbies we have. Those of you that know John, what do you think his hobby is.....fishing do ya think????
I was also described as "full figured", I'm going on weight watchers asap :-).
Once the home study was completed, one copy was sent to immigration, then they sent us an official appointment to be fingerprinted, which we were at the immigration office in Hempstead, the FBI checked those out, and in February we received immigration pre-approval on a form called the I-161H. Then that form needed to be authenticated (with multiple seals). The rest of our dossier had been authenticated as we had sent in the documents to La Vida.
So... are you dizzy yet??? The dossier was finally ready and was sent to China on 3/6/06, and we are anxiously awaiting our log in date (LID) as that is the true beginning of our wait.
So, consider yourself completely updated!!!!!!!!