Adoption Timeline

9/28/12 - Submitted application and paid app fee $250
10/3012 - Received CAM and welcome email
10/5/12 - Received fingerprint packet and paid SBCN fees $97
10/8/12 - First call from our Social Worker
10/9/12 - Fingerprints taken
10/16/12 - Fingerprint cards mailed to SBCN
10/19/12 - Paid first agency payment $2578.75
10/23/12 - Orientation Interview
10/26/2012 - Fingerprints returned to us and remailed to SBCN
10/31/2012 - First Homestudy meeting @ agency
11/7/2012 - My individual home study meeting
11/8/2012 - Received my fingerprint clearance letter, Robert's individual home study meeting
11/10/2012 - Received Robert's fingerprint clearance letter
11/14/2012 - Paid for Hague online training $195
11/15/2012 - Third home study meeting @ agency
12/12/2012 - Jennifer's medical
12/13/2012 - Robert's medical
12/13/2012 - Paid for IAC Online Training $150
12/27/2012 -  Home Study complete!
12/28/2012 - I-800A sent to immigration $890, paid 2nd agency payment $2578.75
12/31/2012 - I-800A received at USCIS Lockbox (we received notice 1/8/2013)
1/3/2013 - Applied for Robert and Jennifer's passports
1/22/2013 - Received passports in the mail
2/2/2013 - Received I-797 (immigration approval)
2/4/2013 - Dossier sent to county/state $39 + $65
2/12/2013 - Dossier back from county/state
2/13/2013 - Dossier sent to consulate $150 + $325
2/21/2013 - Dossier authenticated, arrived at LL from consulate
2/26/2013 - DTC!!!  $1,190
3/25/2013 - LID!!!  Finally!
7/8/2013 - Received referral 9:49PM!!!
7/10/2013 - Call from Dr. Chambers at 8:44 PM
7/11/2013 - Submitted LOI
7/25/2013 - Received PA (Pre-approval)!!
8/13/2013 - Received email that our paperwork is at the reviewed stage
8/28/2013 - LOA!!!  Dated 8/22/2013
8/30/2013 - 800 paperwork sent to immigration
9/3/2013 - Applied for Carter's passport
9/9/2013 -  Received letter of receipt for 800 paperwork (receipt date 9/3/2013)
9/14/2013 - Received Carter's passport
9/19/2013 - RFE
9/27/2013 - Received 800 Provisional Approval Notice (incorrect date)
10/1/2013 - Received email w/GUZ# and PDF from NVC (EK's name misspelled)
10/4/2013 - Article 5 submitted

Our journey begins

Robert and I started talking about adoption in the spring of 2011. I spent many hours researching and began to think this may not be for us. I found every reason why we shouldn’t adopt. Robert never really seemed to have any doubts but I am a worrier and I tend to overanalyze things. Although I had decided I didn’t think it was a good idea to do this, I just couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. While driving home one day after dropping the boys off at school, I had a moment when I felt that God was commanding us to go and so here we are. Today we met with our agency and submitted our application, we were there about an hour just talking and asking questions. So this is the beginning of our journey to adopt our daughter from China!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 
                                                                                                                                              James 1:27