Dossier to Guatemala

The boys at Ryan and Janny's wedding


The family @ the wedding - what a special day for our family we love Ryan and Janny!

THE PAPER CHASE IS DONE! OUR DOSSIER IS OFF TO GUATEMALA!

There are two major phases in any adoption process. We have just completed Phase 1, a massive whirlwind of paper work that culminates in a dossier. The dossier process included applications, intensive home study, fingerprinting four times, medical release forms, letters of recommendation and employment verification, the list goes on and on. . . All of these documents were notarized in Spokane County, certified at the state level in Olympia, and authenticated in San Francisco at the Guatemalan Embassy, which took just over 3 months to complete.

Please pray that the paperwork got to Guatemala quickly and safely. Our time line is looking very different from when we started and signed on with FTC (For This Child.) Guatemala has been experiencing delays in the adoption process due to some investigations that are going on in the government. We initially thought that our baby would be between 3-6 months old, but now it is looking like she will be between 5-10 months old. Darcy has taken a leave of absence from the school district next year to take care of all the details of the adoption, visit her as much as possible in Guatemala . . . . . and hopefully welcoming our new baby girl home before Christmas.

The e-mail below (which we've been waiting for anxiously) announces that our dossier has now been sent to Guatemala. Shortly, we will be receiving our "referral", which is an e-mail and phone call from the agency offering us a baby girl. The email will contain her birth photos and medical records up to this point. We will then take the medical records to our pediatrician to look them over to make sure we understand everything.

We will keep you updated on our progress and can't wait to post photos of our new baby as soon as we get them.

******************************************** Here is the most current email:

Subject: "Congratulations"

From: Case Manager, For This Child, Inc.

Dear Aaron and Darcy,

Hello! I just wanted to let you know that Linda has approved your dossier
and it is going to be sent to Guatemala today in FED-EX. You are now on the
list for a referral!

I am letting everyone know now to be patient for a referral as we have quite
a few families ready for a referral so we really need the stork to visit
soon! :-)

Congratulations!

Sincerely,
Shannon

Adoption Case Manager
For This Child, Inc.