Our timeline

Watching God open the doors one day at a time

June 23. Lena returns to Ukraine

June 26. Lena accepts our offer of adoption

June 27. Contact made to social worker

July 3. Fingerprints taken

July 5. Fingerprints mailed

July 6. All homestudy documents are complete

July 15. Family medical physical

July 16. Bake sale raises $408

July 18. Ronnie's FBI and ABI clearance completed

July 22. We learn that Julia's FBI and ABI clearance has to be run manually

July 23. Home study visit

July 26. All state clearances are complete (we had to be cleared in every state we have lived in since age 18)

August 2. Medical paperwork complete and notarized

August 2 and 3. Yard sale raises $1400

August 8. Julia's FBI and ABI clearance completed and final draft of home study approved.

August 9. We got to talk to Lena on the phone!! 

August 12 homestudy final draft received - and i600a form mailed to Texas! 

August 13. USPS tracking says that the package was delivered and signed for at USCIS.
August 15 USCIS text/email verification that i600a was filed.

August 23 notarizarion of dossier except i171

August 24 biometrics appointment confirmation received in the mail.
August 26 ABI "no criminal history" docs acquired/Dossier apostilled and delivered to friend traveling to Ukraine to begin translation (without 171h doc)
August 27 Biometrics completed - 2 weeks early!
September 3 - our i600a officially has a case worker! usually only a week or so until we get our precious form!
September 4 - WE ARE APPROVED by USCIS! Now we just wait 7-10 days for the 171 form!!
September 9 - I-171H form RECEIVED IN THE MAIL! We now have ALL the paperwork to submit to Ukraine!!
September 10 - dossier documents FedEx'd to Ukraine. Estimated arrival Sept 17.
September 16 - our documents have all been received in the Ukraine.
September 24 - Dossier Submitted to SDA in Kiev!!!

October 21 - a generous friend has given me a ticket to travel to see Lena on her birthday! 

October 30 - official notification that our dossier is APPROVED!! 

November 7 - official notification of our SDA appointment date! December 4!!!! 

November 19 - I arrive to celebrate her birthday! 

December 1 - the family arrives in Ukraine

December 4 - SDA appointment. Notified that she was not available for adoption until Dec 9.

December 9 - second SDA

December 10 - referral picked up

December 11 - social worker meeting goes well, expect papers to be good tomorrow

December 12 - notice that two papers are missing from her file

December 13 - mail to courts requesting papers

December 18 - drive to one court to pick up paper, also stop and get other missing documents from a family member. Still missing one document.

December 20 - calls to social worker for missing paper go nowhere. 

December 24 - missing paper appears.... By miracle

December 26 - go to social worker to deliver papers

December 27 - file papers with SDA, told that one paper was wrong, one paper had two incorrect words and one paper was missing. File with court. Expect court January 10.

December 30 - re attempt to file papers. We were told that they would Accept the one with two incorrect words from an email. The expectation is that we will have approval on January 8, after holidays, and judge expects court on jan 10. 

December 31 - one last correction of a date made to one paper

January 1-7 Christmas holidays at SDA

January 8 - go to pick up papers. New person reviewing, new problem with paper. Email isn't acceptable, after all, need stamped paper.

January 9-10 - expect paper in the mail, it should have been sent January 1, apparently. We ask if we can drive to get it, nope.

January 11 - we can drive to get the paper, now it is Saturday, nothing can be done until Monday. 

January 13 - resubmit one more time, we had been told our packet is ready, and will be signed immediately upon recieving the actual document instead of the email. This is apparently not true. Papers can be checked on again Friday, January 17 - but it will likely take 10 days before anyone can sign.

January 17 - papers still not ready. Call back Monday. 

January 20 - we have to fly to the US. We will leave before she can call the SDA. Ronnie has limited vacation days left..... We will wait for court in the US. 

January 27 - court date assigned!

January 28-29 - travel back to Ukraine

January 31 - court date.... Delayed because someone didn't show up

February 3 - new court date... Court happened! Adoption granted! 

February 14 - gotcha date! We have our papers! She is ours! Birth certificate ordered and received

February 18 - passport ordered and tax ID requested

February 19 - tax ID received

February 23 - told that the passport file was lost, we have to come back and try again. 

February 27 - passport received, Medicals completed, visa received. We are going home! 

February 28 - finally home! 

Ss card received in April after having to request it and reapply in person.

Certificate of citizenship received in May. 

Registered with Ukrainian embassy in May.

American birth certificate applied for and received in May. 

 

To pray about:::

The current in-country appointment and court timeline in the Ukraine is a bit slower than it was just a couple months ago. There are several reasons behind this that I don't completely understand, but pray that the timeline speeds up, and that we have wisdom about how to best go about the time there. Some families stay the full time, some make multiple trips, some have the full family there for part of the time and some come home leaving others to complete the adoption. 

Pray for our communication with Lena, that we can express to her what she needs to know about the process. 

Pray that our time with Josiah and Lydia is always spent well. With everything in full upheaval, we want to be sure we give focus to them and not miss important days with each of them while we go through this emotionally draining, time consuming process. 

God has led us this far, we know He will continue. Pray we hear His voice and make our decisions according to His plan.