WE ARE DTE!!!!

I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!

This is REALLY going to happen! You tend to wonder when you are buried in paperwork and interviews and doctor appointments for 5 months! But it is here! It is happening!

YES! We are DTE (Dossier To Ethiopia)! As we had hoped, America World was able to send ALL of our paperwork (Dossier) off to Ethiopia Friday, July 30th! We have been provided a tracking number so we can follow our Dossier on its travels to our son's/children's birth home!

THIS MEANS OUR 4 TO 6 MONTHS OF WAITING TO SEE WHO GOD HAS CHOSEN FOR OUR FAMILY BEGAN JULY 30th!!!

As exciting as this news is, I am posting it two days later because I was traveling to the Sawtooth Mountains for a weekend of backpacking with my friend, Lisa, when we received the news! I am back now, refreshed from girl time and awe-striking views of God's country!...Joyously posting our latest great news! I did get to talk with Jeff before heading into the mountains so we could read the email together: me, on my phone and Jeff at his computer. What a GREAT way to start our weekend! {sigh}

Our Dossier is a compilation of very hard work that we have diligently been working on for over five months! We are now FREE of paperwork for a while! Yay, Yay, YAY!!!!! Many have asked what our Dossier contains, so I will outline some of its contents for you below:

1. 4 Pages of family and home photos

2. Updated Passports (copies - I had to update mine, as it had my maiden name)

3. Power of Attorney (this gives our representative in ET legal right to help represent us) - notarized and certified by Secretary of State

4. Application Letter ~ stating our desire to adopt and our final child request (siblings - one child 0 to 6 mos; the other 0 to 3 years; or an infant boy 0 to 6 mos old....EITHER would make us EXSTATIC!!!!!)

5. Both of our Birth Certificates

6. Marriage License

7. Physical Exams ~ notarized

8. Physician Letter ~ clarifying no past surgeries would hinder our ability to parent a child

9. Proof of Medical Insurance ~ notarized

10. Proof of Life Insurance ~ notarized

11. Financial Statement ~ notarized

12. Jeff's Employment Verification Letter ~ notarized

13. Debb's Employment Verification Letter ~ notarized

14. Home Study (three months of personal interviews, a home visit, and reading 4 books and writing book reports for each book)

15. 3 Letters of Reference ~ each notarized

16. Both of our Police Reports ~ showing our fingerprints were clear of any issues

17. USCIS Approval ~ that all-important I-171H form giving us US approval to bring an international child into the States forever

18. Certificates of completion for 8 hours of Hague Adoption training

Won't you PLEASE join us in praying that our Dossier travels swiftly and easily to Ethiopia and is placed in the proper hands in a timely manner.......we'll keep you posted!