Adoption Milestones

The adoption process can lead people to be a bit obsessive over time lines - as if the key to unlocking the magic date that you will be able to bring your kids home is coded in every other adoptive parents' time line. All you have to do is unlock the algorithm and that future will be known. Here's our time line (starting with the good stuff and working backwards) for Elsa and Ashagre's adoption for those that think constantly about dates...

*Home as a family of 4!: 2/11/11

*Homecoming delayed by Embassy hold up: 2/4-10/11

*We pick up Elsa. We are a family of four!!! 1/31/11

*We pick up Ashagre. We are a family of three! 1/25/11

*Embassy Trip to Bring Ashagre & Elsa home!: 1/23/11-2/4/11


*Assigned an Embassy Date (Jan. 26th): 1/14/11


*2nd Court Date. We passed!: 11/24/10.

*1st Court Date. MOWA Letter wasn't in and we did not pass: 11/12/10

*Court Trip: 11/07-27/10


*Received our court dates - November 12th & December 14th. Planning on traveling in November: 10/19/10


*Received picture of Elsa and Asegre opening their Welcome Bags - PRECIOUS: 10/1/10


*Received our I171-H approval from UCIS: 9/18/10


*Assigned to Court Group Q: 9/07/10


*USCIS Fingerprinting appointment: 9/07/10


*Mailed Welcome Bags to AAI: 9/04/10


*Placement agreement mailed to AAI - "Official" acceptance of our referral: 8/27/10


*Dossier sent to Ethiopia: week of 8/22/10


*Dossier deemed complete by AAI. Will be sent to Ethiopia with next batch of complete dossiers: 8/16/10


*Completed and returned dossier packet to AAI: 8/11/10


*"Unofficially" accepted referral for Asegre and Elsa: 8/10/10


*Mailed I-600A application to USCIS: 7/30/10


*FINALLY received completed home study from Adoption Options: 7/29/10


*Received dossier packet from AAI: 7/20/10


*Home study approved by AAI: 7/19/10


*Home study visit: 6/6/10


*Applied to our home study agency, Adoption Options, Inc.: 4/17/10


*Applied to AAI's Ethiopia program: 4/4/10