Appointment with Adoption Coordinator

I had a meeting with my adoption coordinator today after work. I signed the final papers required for my dossier and she swapped out a page of my homestudy to include my CPR certification. Now I have everything ready to go to Immigration on Monday morning. She is just waiting for two more documents from two of my references and one document that I have to take back to work AGAIN. The HR Manager has to sign and have notarized a letter stating that I am employed with the company and that has my salary. It has to be notarized by a notary who's commission doesn't expire before May 2007. This is all expained on the coversheet that the adoption coordinator sent to them. Well, the first time he used a notary that expires in December. The reason they require the notary to have a longer commission expiration date is that if the adoption isn't finalized and the commission expires, the docuent becomes invalid in the eyes of the government. So I took it back to them and I found a notary at the office who has a commission that expires in 2009. Well, this time he signed it with a different date than what the notary signed/stamped. So I have to go back and request that they do it again. What a pain. They weren't terribly thrilled about doing it the second time either. Oh well......

After these three remaining documents are back to the adoption coordinator she will send the documents notarized in Missouri to the Secretary of State of Missouri to be certified. The documents notarized in Kansas will be sent to the Secretary of State of Kansas to be certified. After the Missouri documents are certified they will be sent to the Guatemalan Consulate in Chicago to be authenticated. The Kansas doeuments will be sent to the Guatemalan Consulate in Denver to be authenticated. Hopefully these steps won't take longer than six weeks.

The goal is that my approval from Immigration (USCIS) and the authentication process will take about the same time. After both of these steps are completed, then my dossier goes to the lawyer in Guatemala. I should then be matched with my daughter within 2 weeks! Then the next phase of waiting begins as everything moves through the Guatemalan court system.

So far, things have been moving smoothly as far as preparing all of the documents. Thanks to all of my friends who have promptly sent their reference letters back twice! Once for the home study and once after being notarized for the dossier.

I am so grateful for my supportive friends and family. I would not be able to do this without your love and support!

Susan