First Post

Ok, this is my first venture into the blogging world. It may take me a while, but I'll get all the bells and whistles added to this blog (pictures, tickers, timelines, etc.) to pretty it up a bit.

This blog will not only be a way for me to share my adoption journey with my friends and family (as well as complete strangers), but also a way to document it for my daughter for when she is older.

A bit of background:

I'm about half way through the adoption process. I'm using a local agency, Adoption Avenues, to facilitate this adoption, and so far I'm very happy with them. I first had contact with Radu in early January, but didn't officially start the process (and fork over the money) until early April, so technically I'm only two months into the adoption, even though I've been dreaming about it for much much longer than that.

I've sent in my petition for adoption to the USCIS (immigration) and once I send in my homestudy to them, they will "invite" me to come down and get my fingerprints done, and then they will process the petition. Once they approve me, they issue me the I-171H which, in the adoption world, is referred to as "the golden ticket".

After I receive "the golden ticket" I gather all my documents that make up the "Dossier" (which I have been working on since January) and send it on to Washington D.C., and then on to Ethiopia. Then, I wait for a referral.

After referral, I get assigned a court date in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and my attorney there will represent me so I don't have to be present. Once I pass court, the baby will legally be mine and an appointment with the U.S. embassy in Addis will be schedule for me. This appointment I have to attend, and will be when I can bring my daughter home.

My greatest hope is to be travelling to Ethiopia by the end of December. We'll see if the cards will be in my favor.