Current Standings

We have been plowing through paperwork this week. I am a machine! Seriously, I am in awe of how easily everything is coming together. Thank you Jesus!
A lot of you have been asking what a dossier is...and I don't have a real great answer except that it is a bunch of random paperwork that you have to collect to prove that you are worthy to adopt from whatever country you are trying to adopt from. Ethiopia's requirements are different from El Salvador's. Here are the basic things we've had to collect and/or do:
1. birth certificates
2. marriage license/certificates
3. Physicals, blood work, TB tests
4. 3 letters of reference (for Ethiopia, 7 different ones for our home study, good thing we have lots of friends!)
5. Police Record
6 Proof of medical and life insurance
7. Financial Info (yuck)
6. Proof of employment (or in my case a letter as to why I am a stay at home Mama.)
Other things are passports, power of attorneys, pictures of us and our house and then the biggie is a home study. That takes several months to complete. Luckily, ours is done and won't expire before we send in our dossier and hopefully get our referral. We also have to have approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Needless to say, all of this is not cheap, and I am extremely grateful for all of your generosity! We're not done yet, though and are still trying to figure out how to pay for all this so, if you think of any bright ideas (or have an extra 20k in your back pocket....) feel free to share!
I've been researching how to take care of African hair. It is going to be pretty interesting! And you know what? I am so looking forward to it. I don't care if I have to take weekly trips to the salon, I just want my daughter home! I get this crazy knot in my stomach and I feel like I'm going to explode with excitement just thinking about it. I can not wait, I really can't. I just want a picture.
Keep praying for us, please! Pray specifically that we can get our dossier in by March and that our funding will not be an issue.
Guess what???? Just got my police clearance....as my sister would say "AND DONE!" You guys pray fast! Still need Johnny's....