Group 278

When our paperwork went to China September 1st, it was not alone. Fourteen other families became paper pregnant with us. The great thing is that we are from all walks of life, at very different places in life and we get to share this incredible journey to our daughters and hopefully, travel to China together next year. We are from TN, LA, TX, CA, WI, NE, IN, NJ, VA and NC. How wonderful!

So what does our paperwork (called a dossier) include:
1. Application Letter to China requesting a baby girl between the ages of 0-8 months.*
2. Original copies of our birth certificates.**
3. Original copy of our marriage certificate.**
4. Physical Exam forms for both of us. *
5. Financial statement showing we meet the income requirement to adopt from China.*
6. Jeff's unemployment letter stating why he is not working and his plans after graduation.*
7. Debra's employment letter.*
8. Homestudy report.*
9. Police background checks for each of us.
10. Copy of USCIS (immigration) Form I171H - official letter stating we are approved to adopt a foreign child. * VERY IMPORTANT document. We will take the original with us to China to prove we have been cleared by the US to bring our child home.
11. 2 passport photos each.
12. Copies of our passport photo and signature page.
13. Copies of Photo pages. You can create up to 8 pages of photo pages to represent your family's life. Required photos are a picture of the outside of our home, a picture of the inside of our home, 2 formal/posed family pictures (just me and jeff) that show facial features. We included a page of photos from our wedding, extended family vacations and Jeff's homecoming. While it took a day to complete 7 pages of photos (hence, why I don't do scrapbooks), they are fun to look at now.

Items marked with * were authenticated as follows:
1. Our signatures were notarized
2. Notary signature was certified by the county clerk office
3. County clerk signature was authenticated by the Secretary of State
4. The Secretary of State signature was authenticated by the Department of State in D.C.
5. The Dept of State was authenticated by the China Embassy in D.C.

Items marked with ** came directly from the State and did not have to notarized, but authenticated by the Secretary of State, Department of State and China Embassy.

We started the process at the beginning of April, switched home study agencies in May, moved twice, got fingerprinted for USCIS in July, authenticated documents in D.C. in August and mailed everything to AWAA at the end of August. It was a crazy, stressful, revealing time and we are relieved that this part of the journey is behind us and we are now in the waiting stage.

Debra