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Adoption - Nearing End of Phase One

Phase One I'm defining as the filling out of paperwork in preparation for the home study. Kari has been on a tear, filling out every form as it comes in and turning them around to the adoption agency, in most cases, within a day. Twice, Kari stayed up until 2AM to complete forms so they could be sent out immediately.

This is one of the advantages to being married to an attorney: you have someone who can fill out the forms without panicking--and there are a ton of forms. Plus, it seems like everything has to be notarized and/or stamped by some govenrment agency. We've had to produce birth certificates, marriage certificates, police background checks, fingerprints, proof of employment, medical exams, personal references, etc. Everyone we've dealt with on the form-filing-out end of things has been very accomodating (and in some cases enthusiastic), something we truly appreciate.

There are a few loose ends to tie up: I need to have my passport renewed, we're waiting for birth certificates to be "exemplified" (something that involves a stamp of approval from the Department of State), and I need a medical exam. After that, we have our home study and then we send our application over to China for approval. This waiting phase will be the hardest part.

Thanks to everyone who has shared pictures with us, and thanks for the support and well wishes. It really means a lot to us.