6/29/09 - Mailed AWAA Agreement and first installment of agency fee
7/2/09 - Phone call from family coordinator and receipt of dossier guidelines; ordered birth certificates; filled out passport applications
7/3/04 - Alison received certification from Hague training course
7/4/09 - Tim completed Hague course; awaiting certification
7/7/09 - Received Tim's birth certificate in the mail
7/10/09 - Picked up marriage certificate at courthouse (hopefully the right document); received home study info from social worker.
7/11/09 - Received Alison's birth certificate; began gathering additional documents for our home study
7/14/09 - Applied for passports; requested proof of insurance letter from health insurance company
7/17/09 - Received insurance letter
7/20/09 - Wrote rough drafts of Rwanda application letter, declaration of intent letters, and family composition letter; mailed majority of home study docs to AWAA social worker
7/23/09 - Received call from social worker and arranged first meeting for home study (August 3!)
7/29/09 - Received Tim's passport...only took 2 weeks instead of 6!
8/1/09 - Received Alison's passport
8/3/09 - First home study visit
8/8/09 - Adoption benefit yard sale
8/10/09 - Filled out and mailed I-600A application and supporting docs
8/11/09 - Second home study visit
8/14/09 - Ordered and received criminal record clearances online for home study
8/15/09 - Second adoption benefit yard sale
8/17/09 - Registered for fingerprinting for FBI clearance; received fingerprinting referral forms from USCIS
8/18/09 - fingerprinting for FBI clearance; third home study visit.
8/22/09 - Received Tim's and Alison's fingerprint-based FBI clearances for child abuse history checks
8/25/09 - Fourth and FINAL home study visit!
8/28/09 - Received child abuse clearances; traveled to Philadelphia for USCIS fingerprinting
9/1/09 - Pediatrician visits to complete home study medicals
9/2/09 - Edited application letter, declaration of intent letters, and family composition letter; sent to AWAA for review
9/3/09 - Mailed criminal history clearance requests - 2nd round
9/8/09 - Application letter, declaration of intent letters, and family composition letter approved by AWAA
9/9/09 - Received word that home study was submitted to AWAA for approval; sent Alison's birth certificate to VT Secretary of State for certification; ordered new, state-issued birth certificate for Tim; prepared other forms for notarization
9/10/09 - Met notary at doctor's office to notarize medical reports
9/14/09 - Received Tim's state-issued birth certificate; received VT certification of Alison's birth certificate... That was FAST!
9/17/09 - Home study approved by AWAA with minor changes
9/21/09 - Received police reports for dossier
9/23/09 - Received notarized home study; sent home study to USCIS
9/24/09 - Mailed Tim's birth certificate to IN for certification
9/25/09 - Family photo shoot to gather pics for dossier photo pages
10/3/09 - Received Tim's certified birth certificate
10/29/09 - Received I-171H from USCIS
10/30/09 - Took dossier to Secretary of State for certification; finished making photocopies and assembling copied dossiers
10/31/09 - Mailed completed dossier to AWAA
12/9/09 - Dossier mailed to Kigali, Rwanda!
12/14/09 - Dossier arrived in Kigali, Rwanda! Official DTR date
5/22/10 - Embraced by Grace Fundraising Dinner, Concert, and Silent Auction
12/9/10 - Began process of preparing required paperwork for home study update
12/31/10 - Fingerprinting for criminal record checks...again
1/6/11 - Overnighted request for re-fingerprinting with USCIS
1/8/11 - Home study update visit
1/19/11 - Received rejction of USCIS fingerprint request for unspecified reasons. Freaked out a little.
1/20/11 - Spent lots of time on the phone with USCIS and AWAA trying to figure out fingerprint problems
1/21/11 - Finally got to the bottom of fingerprint issues!
1/22/11 - Received updated home study
1/25/11 - Received USCIS fingerprint appointment notices
2/11/11 - USCIS fingerprinting. Alison's fingerprints won't scan. Waiting room blubber fest resulting in invitation to come back Monday for attempt #2.
2/14/11 - After a weekend in rubber gloves and Bag Balm, Alison's fingerprints scan successfully!
3/10/11 - Received renewed I-171H with updated fingerprint expiration dates.