Dossier Update and Process Defined

My dossier is almost done. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the adoption process, the dossier is your set of legal papers that are used to complete your adoption. It takes months to collect information and complete processes to obtain documents that come together to make up a dossier.

I learned from my adoption agency (PLAN Loving Adoptions Now, Inc. http://www.planlovingadoptions.org/hoping_to_adopt/hoping_welcome.php ) Wednesday (9/26) that the big batch of documents that went to the Vietnam Consulate for processing were completed and have arrived at the agency. This means that they are waiting only on my employment letter to finish processing and to receive my passport photos. Things are moving along, and my dossier should be completed soon. Once PLAN has all of my documents and can send them off to Vietnam, I should be on the waiting list for a baby girl. I started the process back on March 22nd while I was in Singapore. That's the day I sent my application to PLAN.

The waiting time for a baby has been averaging 2.5 to 3 months most recently, but there is no guarantee on how long it will take. The agency officially states that it can take 4 - 7 months currently. They tend to overestimate to keep families from being disappointed. Things could change from what has been happening recently, though, so it pays to be patient. I keep telling myself that God has chosen my baby girl for me already, and it will happen on His timing and not on mine. I am putting my faith in Him. If the recent timeframes continue to hold throughout the rest of my adoption, my little girl will probably be born some time in Ocotber or November. Uh oh, Angie, we might just have another little Scorpio in the family! :-)

The way I understand the process to take place is that PLAN receives your dossier in Vietnam and has it translated. Some time soon after that, you are matched with a child that will become your child as long as the paperwork can clear legally through the system. You are not given any information about this child (or that a match has taken place) until their paperwork clears through the system in Vietnam. This step can move quickly or can take longer than others. You just never know. The speed with which your matched baby's paperwork clears will determine how quickly you are given your referral. Recently there have been two families who have received their referral about a month after their dossier went to Vietnam. That's super fast! Others recently have taken as long as four months, but very few have gone much over this four month mark.

Your referral is your notification that a baby has been chosen for you. When you get your referral, you get a few pictures of your baby along with her medical records. You review these medical records with a doctor to determine the health of the baby. After review of the medical records, you can then accept your referral, and the process continues. Families generally travel to Vietnam about six weeks after receiving their referral, so there's not a lot of time to get prepared after that picture arrives. Needless to say that I'm doing lots of preparation now so that things aren't too hectic when I get the call.

The trip to Vietnam lasts about three weeks. It takes about that long to process all of the paperwork to allow the families to return home. My Mom (Phyllis) is traveling with me to go pick up my baby, and I'm so excited that she is going to be taking this journey with me! We are both looking forward to the day we can hold my little one, and we can't wait to explore beautiful Vietnam during the three weeks that we will be there. We are planning to update the blog often during our trip so that friends and loved ones can keep up with the adoption progress. I hope you'll come back and join us on our journey!

Much love to all,
Dana