Our Kenya Adoption Timeline:
October 2007: Started researching adoption in Kenya
November 2007: Submitted Application to US Agency that had a Kenya program
December 2007: 6 Hour adoption education class on International adoption
December 2007: February 2008: Post election violence plagues the country and jeopardizes adoption to Kenya
2008: Our US agency stops their Kenya adoption program
January 2011: Moratorium on visas for adoptees lifted by the US State Department
February 1, 2011: Sent application to FRC for our Home Study
February 14, 2011: First interview for home study in office
March 14, 2011: In-home home study visit
June 2011: home study complete, awaiting DCFS approval
July 7, 2011: received approved home study and DCFS approval
July 8, 2011: Mailed I-800A to USCIS
August 24, 2011: Fingerprint appointment .... although we went on August 14.
August 31, 2011: I-800A Approved ...... 56 days!
September 2011: Authentications complete in IL, Washington DC State Department and Kenyan Embassy
September 15, 2011: Dossier complete, mailed to LSS of WI
September 21, 2011: Dossier mailed to Kenya by LSS of WI
September 27, 2011: Dossier Arrived at the post office in Kenya
October 3, 2011: Picked up by KCH.
October 8, 2011: KCH sent our dossier to the National Adoption Committee (NAC) - in Kenya for approval
February 2012: We were approved at the February National Adoption Committee (NAC) meeting
March 6, 2012: We found out this evening that we were approved!
March 12, 2012: We found out we need a hard copy of our FBI background check before we are "officially" approved.
March 13, 2012: We Fedex'd the FBI background check to the FBI. Now we wait up to 8 weeks for the FBI to return it to us ..... waiting .....
April 18, 2012: FBI background check arrives :) YAY! In record time! :) 36 days from when we Fedex'd it to the FBI! Now it needs to go to Washington DC to be authenticated by the US State Department & the Kenya Embassy. This process will take a week or 2.
April 19, 2012: Fedex'd FBI documents to Caring Hands Courier in Washington DC to have our documents authenticated at the US State Department and the Kenya Embassy.
April 20, 2012: Documents received by Caring Hands Courier in Washington DC, they will walk them into the State Department for authentication on Monday.
April 23, 2012: Caring Hands Courier walked our 2 FBI documents into the State Department to be authenticated. You can take up to 15 documents to be authenticated while you wait. After they were authenticated they took them to the Kenya Embassy to be authenticated. They had to leave them there until Friday.
April 27, 2012: Caring Hands Courier picked up our FBI documents at the Kenya Embassy, made photocopies for us and Fedex'd our FBI documents to Kenya.
April 30, 2012: Our FBI documents were delivered via FEDEX to our Kenya adoption agency! Talk about FAST! They were not due to arrive until May 2!
Waiting, praying our documents will be submitted to the NAC (National Adoption Committee) by Friday, May 4. So that we can get them in for the May meeting ... whenever that is this month.
After we get our official approval from the NAC for 2 children ... our adoption agency will begin preparing our referral of our 2 children. Hopefully we will have that in August. :)
Delays, delays, unknown delays ......
June 4, 2012: We left our home in the USA and moved our family to Kenya. With hopes that things will now move along faster with our adoption process.
June 5, 2012: We arrived this evening in Kenya. With 9 suitcases and 7 boxes everything arrived and we made our way to our new home in Nairobi area.
June 6, 2012: We met with our adoption agency in Kenya, our documents were not submitted for the June NAC meeting *sigh* They know we are here in Kenya, we are committed to this adoption ... we wish for things to move forward ..... and they are :)
Now we wait for the July NAC meeting, now that we are here in Kenya we are told our documents should be submitted for the July meeting. Prayers needed!
