Loving Life: Grant is 1!!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Grant is 1!!

Happy 1st Birthday! He turned one on May 24th.

Is it good?

Proud siblings

Yummy!

And Blue!!

Fun new toys (Grandma Fuller and Aunt Rhonda in background)

Nice blue tongue

Notice the blue tinge to the hands...

Grant helping (Dan putting together new toy)

Fun horse

Proud mama (Bobbie Jo)

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Mason's Adoption Timeline

January 2010
- 29th - Return home to GC!
- 20th - Fly out of GC
- 7th - Purchase Plane Tickets!
- 5th - Received Confirmed Travel Dates!

December 2009
- 29th - Received Tentative Travel Dates!
- 16th - Travel Conference Call!
- 15th - Found out we passed court! We are officially Parents!
- 14th - Court - Take Two!
- 11th - Baby Shower by Trista and Betty in COS
- 5th - Baby Shower by Bobbie Jo in GCK
- 2nd - found out we did not pass court, were rescheduled for the 14th
- 1st - Court!!!!

November 2009
- 19th - Received call for court date (Dec. 1)
- 14th - Fall Bazaar booth
- 5th - Mailed out Baggie o' Love

October 2009
- 28th - 'Next Steps' Call with Julie
- 22nd - Call in morning with internation pediatrician. Sent referral packet accepting baby M overnight to AGCI.
- 21st - Cleared referral wtih Social worker
- 20th - Received referral packet and call with Family Ed. Cord. at AGCI
- 19th - REFERRAL
- 7th - New official numbers - Boys 3, Girls 15, Siblings 4

September 2009
-27th - Dinner put on by friends
- 4th - New official numbers - Boys 5, Girls 22, Siblings 8

August 2009
- 10th - received FDL!!!
- 7th and 8th - 2nd garage sale!
- 6th - New official numbers - Boys 9, Girls 29, Siblings 10
- 5th - fingerprinted for USCIS in Wichita, KS
- 1st - Sidewalk sale

July 2009
- 26th - received USCIS fingerprinting appt. letter (any Wednesday, next 84 days)
- 11th - mailed in USCIS application
-10th - New official numbers - Boys 10, Girls 33, Siblings 11

June 2009
- 26th - Dossier reviewed by AGCI, officially on the wait list (15 boys, 15 siblings, and 41 girls)
- 24th - Received homestudy - overnighted dossier to AGCI!!!
- 23rd - Homestudy shipped out!
- 22nd - Final background check finally arrived!! Homestudy officially ok'd. Will be notarized and shipped out tomorrow!! Hurray
- 9th - Called and checked on VA and MD background checks - VA's is done and in mail. MD's is backlogged, and pulling it to do and mail in today.
- 3rd - Received vet info and faxed in, made other corrections and emailed homestudy back to Adoption and Beyond. Doctor stuff should be faxed in today.

May 2009
- 29th - Adoption and Beyond received homestudy back. Was sent to us for a few minor corrections and a little more info from doctor and vet needed. - still waiting on VA and MD background checks.
- 22nd - Received word that homestudy was on its way to AGCI to be reviewed.
- 13th - Received homestudy to do initial review/proofread. And then promptly returned it same night! :)
- 13th - Received more background checks that need to be sent in going back to each state I lived in since I was 18. We had previously only done the past 5 years.
- 11th - Newspaper interview
- 9th - 1st Garage Sale!
- 3rd - Sold another 40 cookbooks at church

April 2009
- 26th - Sold 40 cookbooks at church!
- 25th - Home Visit
- 17th - Received Dan's employment letters and last recommendation for homestudy stuff!
- 16th - Received Email from Emily at AGCI - With Eyes Wide Open Workbook reviewed and ok!
- 14th - Mailed in Homestudy Paperwork Binder!
- 9th - Physical, TB test, Fingerprinting/Background Check - Done!! - Also, notarized last of paperwork for Dossier!
- 6th - Notarize CO background check, Application letter, Post-Adoption Committment Letter. Also mailed With Eyes Wide Open workbook
- 6th - Received Tara Employment Verification Letter
- 5th - Finished With Eyes Wide Open workbook
- 4th - Homestudy education workshop and Homestudy Orientation in Kansas City, KS
- 1st - Finished pictures of house and passport pictures

March 2009
- 31st - Check in call with Julie
- 30th - Finished Online Education required
- 30th - Sent off Power of Attorney to State for Certification
- 23rd - Received Marriage licenses - Requested letters of recommendation from friends.
- 21st - Received Dan and Tara's birth certificates
- 19th - Dossier call with Julie
- 17th - Ordered Birth Certificates and Marriage Licenses online
- 16th - Received Dossier binder in mail
- 16th - Started selling cookbooks!
- 15th - Registered for Homestudy education workshop and set up orientation meeting
- 13th & 14th - Cooked for Women's Conference at church
- 13th - Call from Homestudy Social worker to set up Orientation Meeting
- 13th - Received call from AGCI - everything looked great! Set up Dossier Call
- 12th - Notarized and overnighted contracts
- 11th - Orientation call with AGCI to go over contracts
- 5th - Emailed Homestudy initial application
- 2nd - Officially approved with AGCI! Praise GOD!

February 2009
- 26th - God answered prayers! - We serve a huge God!!
- 26th - Received call at lunch that we needed at least $10,000 in bank
- 19th - Emailed requested info to AGCI
- 12th - Overnighted formal application to AGCI
- 11th - AGCI received CHOA letter, everything should be ok!

January 2009
- 10th - Received Passports in mail!!!
- 6th - finished requested personal, medical, and infertility letters - faxed and mailed in
- 5th - requested medical letter on Dan from CHOA

December 2008
- 30th - Submitted Passport applications
- 27th - Started filling out AGCI formal App.
- 19th - Filled out AGCI Pre-App online

The New Adoption Timeline

November 2011
- 9th - 2nd BMI at embassy

October 2011
- 27th - Request from 2nd BMI
- 27th - Cleared for one child!
-26th - BMI at the ET embassy
- 25th - BMI at the ET embassy - delayed
- 5th - 2nd attempt at being submitted to embassy - requested BMI

September 2011
- 21st - 1st attempt at being submitted to embassy - rejected

August 2011
- 11th - received call that the boys were officially ours!
- 3rd - received call that MOWA is delaying our letter

July 2011
- 9th - Arrive home from first trip
- 7th - Court hearing- Passed pending MOWA

June 2011
- 30th - Meet boys for first time!
-28th - Fly out of Denver for first trip!
-27th - Preliminary hearing
- 14th - Book plane tickets
- 7th - Found out Court Date - July 7th!

May 2011
- 11th - Filed with Courts!
- 10th - Travel Conference Call!
- 6 and 7 - Fundraising Garage Sale!

April 2011
- 28th - REFERRAL! - 8 and 4 month old boys!

March 2011

February 2011
-25th - Talk to Sheila - we are #6!
- 22nd - Receive I - 171 -- Overnight to West Sands

January 2011
- 26th - Fingerprinting at USCIS in Wichita

December 2010
- 31st - mailed off dossier and I-600A!
-30th - received homestudy report!!!!
- 29th - notarized the final documents necessary for dossier. Copied entire dossier twice!
-23rd - filled out I-600A for immigration
-12th - emailed back corrected version of homestudy
- 10th - Received first draft of homestudy
- 4th - Home visit (combined with final post placement)

November 2010
- 5th - Turn in all homestudy paperwork!
- 5th - H.S. education seminar in KC
-4th - Finish all homestudy paperwork!

October 2010
- 29th - Physicals for all 3 of us
- 25th - received email that homestudy agency received criminal and child abuse clearances
- 15th - fingerprinted locally for criminal check
- 12th - mailed in child abuse clearance checks
- 11th - applied for online training that is required
- 8th - received training videos in the mail

September 2010
- 22nd - Sign Contracts with West Sands!
- 16th - Decide to finally start second adoption!