We’ve officially started the adoption process!
Shorel knew he was going to adopt since 1998. Sandra has also considered adoption since 1999. So even before we married, we talked about growing our family through adoption.
On July 4, 2007 (Shorel’s 32nd birthday) we contacted an agency to being the process. Since we live in China and are adopting a baby girl from China, our paper chase is challenging! We hope to have everything completed and file the dossier on our son’s 1st birthday (12/30/2007).
Read on if you dare…
Here’s the paper chase so far:
July 4, 2007 – Sent initial e-mail to agency.
July 23 – signed contract with agency! Wow. It took them a while to reply to our e-mail (they were traveling) and we were getting anxious to get started!
July 23 – sent in short preliminary application. Just one short page to fill out!
July 25 – sent in the 8 page Adoption Application. Plus: 2 years of income tax information, family pictures, a brief biography, a photo of the exterior of our home and a check.
July 31 – sent in our Yichang clearances. What a run around town that was!
July 31 – ordered certified birth certificates from VitalChek
July 31 – received forms from the Arkansas Department of Human Resources to get personal clearances.
August 9 – received Medical clearances from our local doctor
August 14 – we now have tentative dates for our home study (a two day interview in our home by our agency) set for September!
August 15 – Off to the US consulate! We got our fingerprints done for our 1-600A (FBI background check form) and 9 documents notarized! The good thing about getting documents notarized at the consulate is that they don’t have to be state authenticated. The bad thing about getting documents notarized at the consulate is that they are not free!
We got the following notarized:
Pre-Home Study/Adoption Agreement
Shorel’s Medical Exam
Sandra’s Medical Exam
Request for Expedition of Adoption Application (because we live in China, we qualify as “expedited” meaning once we file our paperwork we won’t have to wait as long for a match)
Sandra’s Unemployment Certificate
Plus three more Arkansas background checks
We’ve received our birth certificates and our marriage certificate, but that’s not the end of the paper chase with them.
Each document will go through this process:
1. An original notarized or certified no more than 6 months old. The date of the certification is very important. China does not consider documents which are over 6 months old! (read: legit)
2. Once we receive the certified document, we send it to the the Secretary of State from whatever state the document originated from for a State Authentication. (read: totally legit)
3. Once we receive the State Authentication, then the document goes to the U.S. Department of State Authentication (in Washington D.C.) (read: turbo legit)
4. And finally, it’s off to the Chinese Embassy for Authentication (in Washington D.C.) (read: über legit)
There will be more stamps than writing on some of the documents! This is just the beginning…We couldn’t be more excited!
Will be praying for the success in the adoption. Love You All, John & Jenny Allen of Crossett, AR
Oh, I am so happy for you guys!!
I’m so excited for you all!! I would like to adopt too one day- I’m excited to hear about your journey!
Congratulations and blessings to all of you!! Since my very first grandson is adopted, I think that’s a perfect way to grow a family! (Two more biologicals followed our Daniel.)
Love to you all…
Wow! That’s REALLY exciting news. I guess it will be worth the nightmare of paperwork to end up with a dream of a daughter, eh?!?!?
Keep posting on the progress.
We are so excited about your news. I will tell Darrin when he returns to the states. There have been several families from this area that have adopted girls from China and one family adopted a little boy. It was a long process for
them too but it is so worth it.
I love the picture with the sauce on his face and
the Big beautiful blue eyes.
Love, Carmela
she will be worth all your time. She will be priceless.
She needs a name. Go ahead and let us know what her name will be. That will be so cool to find out how s????? ‘s adoption process is going. Then she seems more real and personal. Maybe if you are not sure of her name a temporary name. I can’t wait to meet her.
love,gloria
Congrats and my hat is off to you for doing all that paperwork and being able to sit down and write about it all after doing it all!
I have a picture in my mind of a fall weekend in Arkansas and we are walking around OBU with G and meet up with you and your family and sit in the O and catch up as the boys run and play while your little girl sits in your lap…who knows she might want to run with the boys!
That is so exciting and such a process! I have always said if we can’t have children (or maybe even if we can) – I would like to adopt a little chinese baby girl. You are so lucky that you are there and can hopefully get her quicker. It will be much easier than if you were in the states. I can’t wait to follow your progress!
Super excited for you guys!!! Can’t wait to follow along in the journey. What a lucky little girl she will be to join your family!
We are so happy for you and for the addition to your family. Just the thought of your love brings joy our hearts. I know she will be beautiful. I’m sure you have picked out a lovely name and I can’t wait to see her and find out her name. I love Schafer’s name. May God Bless You and Your Family Always.
All our love,
Joy & Dennis Holley
Sandra,
Congrats!! I know it will take a Looooooooong time! Keep posting. I love reading your blog. It cracks me up. 
Love ya! Plummer 
That is SOOOO awesome!! I am so excited for you guys. We too are beginning the process. We have a pre-adoption meeting the 25th of this month. You guys are a couple of months ahead of us. So I will be expecting details on what to expect.
Wow! Great news! What agency are you going to use? Do you know where you will be adopting from?
gee, what a simple process. to bad this isn’t done stateside,the anticipation will be well worth it.
How did I miss this? I have some dear friends here that are in the middle of paperwork to adopt a child for Korea, I think. Isn’t that one of the countries that doesn’t require dossier? (SP) Anyway, you look absolutely beautiful in these shots in Hong Kong, so happy. I’ve got to do better at checking all my blogs.
And yes, the yearbook is so digital-even with submitting on deadlines. So simple. You wouldn’t believe it! i love it!