Paper Pregnant

This is the term used to describe the "paperchase" at the beginning of an adoption. And by the looks of my counters in my kitchen...yes, we are indeed paper pregnant! We have birth certificates, medical forms, tax returns and more...oh my! The pile of "stuff" just keeps growing and growing...much like my belly would be I suppose. But this method is without annoying Braxton-Hicks contractions and stretch marks. What a deal!

Our home study is winding down....then on the dossier paperchase. A dossier (for those that don't have a clue what I am talking about) is the huge stack of papers that will be sent to Everlyn's birth country. This includes things like our birth/marriage certificates, proof of US citizenship, proof of home ownership, medical reports, criminal background checks, a copy of our home study, our petition to adopt an orphan, copies of passports, tax returns, power of attorney documents, etc etc. And just for giggles, all of these documents have to be notarized and apostilled. (Think of that as notarizing the notary - usually done by the Secretary of State's office.) Once everything is put together (and PERFECT) we can send it for translation. My personal goal is to have this DONE by the end of July, but I have ZERO control of the USCIS approving out I-600A and sending us the 171H back.

So, I wouldn't say I am enjoying this "pregnancy" but it certainly is an exciting time for our family! It is a lot of work, but we know it will be SO worth it in the end!!!