Thursday, January 1, 2009

Blog business, first. (With an addition at the end...)

A "Happy New Year" post will follow...

I added a link on the right to my friend Angie's new blog. She started about a month ago, and I love it. I'm not sure how I spaced out on adding a link.  Angie and I were in the hospital together when Finley and Emmett were born, just hours and rooms apart. Dave and I work with Angie and her husband, Greg.

Also, I started our adoption timeline. I find these so useful when I'm visiting other adoption blogs and, more than once recently, I've been asked "where we are" in our process. So, here it is. 

When I was putting it together last night, I couldn't help but think again about the similarities between building our family through our pregnancies and, this time around, through our adoption.  With Theo and Emmett, the question was always, "How many weeks?" or "Which trimester?" or "How far along?"  And now, it's "Where are you in the process?"  It's my feeling that the adoption, like pregnancy, is really divided into 3 major parts: the homestudy, waiting for the referral, and then waiting to and finally traveling. Each period has it's own milestones... like every trimester. In the first, it's waiting for the nauseousness to subside. In the second, it's being able to feel your baby moving inside of you and beginning to show, so the entire world knows that your expecting. And with the third, clearly, it's looking forward to childbirth (or, the travel call...) and life thereafter.  

And so, right now we are waiting for the news that our homestudy document is complete (any day now?) and has been sent to A.I.A.A. in Michigan.  I'm anxious for this first trimester, and all of the not-knowing that goes with it, to be over.  I can't wait to have our referral, our baby, in my hands, so that I can show the world that I, too, am expecting.

(the link has been on my blog since the beginning, but i wanted to point it out to those of you who may be in the adoption process as well, particularly adopting from korea. david's blogspot chronicles his trip to korea this summer in search of his biological family. my husband and i work with david and his "journey into his past" served as a big push for us, into our future. also, i added a link to my best friend erin's website. enjoy!!)

3 comments:

Krista said...

I hope your homestudy (and all the major paperwork) is complete now too! Then on to the second (hopefully very short) trimester... Thanks for adding a timeline - I find it really interesting comparing the Canadian process to the US.

Shelley said...

I like your summary of the process! Thank you for posting your time line. I too find them very helpful!

janiece said...

Ahhh, just think--the "morning sickness" is almost over. I agree--the not knowing is always the hardest part. Not that we had the not knowing--but I've had it other areas of my life.

Our Adoption Timeline

  • December 23, 2009- Adoption Finalized.
  • May 7th, 2009- Family circle complete in Madison.
  • May 6th, 2009- Mama's got Rubin in Seoul.
  • May 4th, 2009- meet Rubin
  • April 23rd, 2009- Visa Interview
  • April 22nd, 2009- TRAVEL CALL!!
  • April 14th, 2009- Packet 3
  • April 7th, 2009- NVC out
  • April 1st 2009 (no foolin')- I171 received
  • March 9th, 2009- I171H received
  • February 27th, 2009- progress report from SWS
  • February 24th, 2009- Fingerprinted at USIS
  • February 19, 2009-Rubin's legals arrive in state.
  • February 16, 2009- mailed referral acceptance.
  • February 12, 2009- received referral paperwork.
  • January 29, 2009- verbally accepted referral
  • January 27, 2009- received unofficial referral.
  • January 20, 2009- I600A received and filed with the Dept. of Homeland Security
  • January 16, 2009- submitted I600A
  • January 12, 2009- homestudy document complete.
  • January 12, 2009-received Foster Home Licensing
  • December 22, 2008- A.I.A.A. director approves application, establishes our file, and requests our homestudy documents from J.D.
  • December 5, 2008- submitted Foster Licensing application.
  • November 25, 2008- A.I.A.A. accepted official application.
  • November 15, 2008- submitted formal application to A.I.A.A.
  • November 13, 2008- final homestudy meeting.
  • November 12, 2008- autobiographies completed.
  • October 30, 2008- second homestudy meeting.
  • October 22, 2008- received formal application from A.I.A.A.
  • October 14, 2008- first homestudy meeting.
  • October 1, 2008- submitted pre-application to Americans for International Adoption and Aid
  • September 25, 2008- submitted application packet to Adoption Advocates, Inc.
  • September 18, 2008- first meeting with social worker (J.D.)
  • August 2008- decided to adopt

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