Orientation Last Night

Our orientation went well. I love our rep!

We're officially in the race to begin gathering our paperwork, which is estimated to take 4-5 months. I know!!!

And because I am so anal, my three-ring binder has been ready to go for over a week now. The colored tabs I've organized, labeled & sorted are sure to assist in speeding up the process, no? In any event, from the outside we appear to know exactly what we are doing.

A gaggle of gathering & notarizing lies in our future...

• multiple copies of birth certificates from PA & DC


• multiple copies of marriage certificates (I've already been passed around the Vegas courthouse and still have no records)


• citizen & immigration I600a form completion


• FBI fingerprint check


• physicals


• Hague Training (followed by an exam)


• required reading


• criminal records check


• reference letters


• proof of financial stability


• letters from employers


• home visit(s) from our social worker to ensure it is suitable for a child

Once collected, all of the above (and more that I didn't list) will be sent off to the various authorities to be authenticated...the County Clerk, Secretary of State and both the U.S. & Ethiopian embassies.

That will hopefully lead to a big fat stamp of approval and our packet will then begin its journey to Ethiopia for all to be translated, reviewed again and submitted to the Ethiopian courts for approval.

Stay tuned...