A quick update...starting the dossier

So, here's a quick update on where we're at in the adoption process:

• We've completed all the paperwork for the home study and are just waiting for the adoption agency that is handling it to send us the final draft.
• We've started work on the dossier of paperwork required by Alex's home country. Those of you who are the praying sort can pray about this, because the amount of paperwork--about twice as much as for the home study--and the pickiness of the requirements is a bit daunting. Just for example, Susan and I need physicals based on a very particular form that needs to be signed and notarized in the doctor's office. Where do you get a notary who is willing to go to a doctor's office? And we need copies of the doctors' licenses. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
• We've been assuming that we would not be able to make the deadline for submitting our dossier materials because it was so close at hand, but now that deadline looks like it might be more up in the air. Normally Alex's home country stops accepting new adoption applications for two months beginning Nov. 1 in order to catch up on the backlog. Without going into too much detail, it looks as though that deadline might get kicked out a little this year--but no one's sure at this point. If it is pushed back far enough, we might be able to get our dossier through before the deadline, which would get Alex over here two months faster.
• In order for that to happen, though, we really need to hit green lights all the way down the road. In particular, we need to get special $700 fingerprints from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service office in the Twin Cities (two hours away), and appointments are usually two months out. Apparently, once you have an appointment you can try just showing up to see whether they will squeeze you in, but that is not a guarantee. Those of you who don't mind praying for miracles can pray for this one!
• We've received more than $1,400 in donations and pledges in the past week. The full amount is not reflected in the Chip In ticker because several of the donations have been by check. Those of you who have donated should be receiving a thank you e-mail soon, followed by a more formal thank you card with pictures of Alex after he lands in the U.S. Thank you so much for your help.

 The adoption process, like life itself, has its ups and downs. We've had both in the past week -- the "ups" definitely coming from all the support we've been getting (just amazing), while the "downs" have come from the realization of just how much we have to pull together in order to pull this off.

We'll keep you posted!