Our Unbelieveable TIMELINE

• 04/19/07 - Signed our contract with Faithful Adoptions (FA)


• 04/30/07 - Received Kimberly's birth certificate & applied for her first passport; Lannie renewed his passport


• 05/04/07 - Received Lannie's BC


• 05/05/07 - Sent BC to Jefferson City, MO for certification


• 05/07/07 - Received copies of marriage license


• 05/18/07 - 1st appointment with our social worker to begin our home study - a very good day.


• 05/21/07 - Filed I-600A with USCIS


• 05/23/07 - I-600A received at USCIS


• 06/01/07 - In-home interview with social worker for our home study; received letter from USCIS, we forgot to put a 0 in the "number of previous marriages field; submitted paperwork for TBI background checks


• 06/06/07 - Shelby County background checks complete


• 06/07/07 - Received Lannie's BC from Jefferson City and sent to Chicago Guatemalan Consulate for authentication


• 06/08/07 - All paperwork needed for home study complete and submitted (letters of reference, background checks, medical letters and Lannie's own adoption story - extra homework for our SW)


• 06/15/07 - TBI background checks received


• 07/13/07 - Received completed home study


• 07/17/07 - Fingerprinting Done!


• 08/24/07 - Kimberly received her passport!


• 08/30/07 - Received another letter from USCIS requesting confirmation if this request is for 1 or 2 children


• 08/31/07 - Returned info to USCIS and ALL TENNESSEE PAPERWORK IS CERTIFIED!


• 09/06/07 - All Tennessee paperwork authenticated by the Atlanta Guatemalan Consulate


• 09/10/07 - OK from Sally to submit our dossier...FINALLY!


• 09/20/07 - Received I-171H, a very good day!


• 09/21/07 - Faxed I-171H to Aby in Guatemala


• 10/17/07 - REFERRAL

• 10/19/07 - Embassy letter and 1/2 of foreign fees sent


• 10/21/07 - Received our Power of Attorney (POA)


• 10/22/07 - POA to Shelby County Clerk for Certification and sent to Atlanta for authentication


• 10/26/07 - Authenticated POA received


• 11/14/07 - Emailed Sally about POA & DNA: Received "don't know about your POA or your DNA either"


• 11/18/07 - Email to Sally requesting legal updates: Received "I have absolutely no answers"


• 11/27/07 - Received notice that our POA was registered and told "you should be fine now"


• 11/28/07 - Received picture update...he is growing and beautiful





• 12/10/07 - Asked about DNA


• 12/12/07 - Rec: "I assume it has been done this is not something I routinely hear. You should get the results approximately one month from time of lab draw, I'll keep you posted"


• 12/25/07 - Notified that we need 10 hours of adoption education...WHAT!!!...Merry Christmas!


• 01/07/08 - Sally is still waiting on update...so are we...


• 01/08/08 - The CNA now exists; per Sally we are waiting on DNA results


• 01/21/08 - Found out Ozzy is in a hogar and not in foster care, a bad day


• 01/22/08 - Per Sally "Bethlehem Home is ASORA - a very good place for children to be"


• 01/25/08 - OK to visit without DNA


• 02/19/08 - Asked for 10% of final fees


• 02/20/08 - Received copy of CNA registration with 2 stamps; 1 dated 2/5 and the other 2/9; we have family court on Thursday


• 02/21/08 - From Sally: You are done with family court, I bet they took birth mother for a DNA sample as well


• 02/28/08 - Picture update - just adorable, a very good day

• 03/06/08 - Received medical update: 70 cm tall and 7.2 kg


• 03/14/08 - After asking about legal updates again Sally resends pictures from 2/28


• 04/04/08 - Received notice that we now have a new attorney and documents from El Estor are expected next week. FYI: this attorney is same one on our original POA - never knew we changed lawyers the first time and these documents that are expected are the ones that get submitted to the US Embassy so that you can receive DNA AUTHORIZATION...the same DNA we've been asking about since October 2007!!!


• 04/08/08 - We have plane tickets to go visit Ozzy! Yeah!!!!!


• 04/10/08 - Medical update: 71 cm tall and 8.5 kg


• 04/11/08 - Picture update - precious, no other word for this boy!




• 04/17/08 - Met Ozzy! He's awesome, beautiful, best baby in the world! He receives his first Mommy check-up...Mommy is a Ped Nurse.


• 04/18/08 - Sally asked us "is Ozzy in foster care or orphanage?" What is she smoking?


• 04/21/08 - Visited the hogar "Bethlehem Home" in Mixco where Ozzy is staying...very mixed emotion day


• 04/22/08 - Met with attorney with an interpreter. Were told that documents will go to embassy no later than 4/24 and should receive DNA authorization after that


• 04/24/08 - Received medical: 21 lbs., 28 inches; his measurements of chest and head all match what Kimberly did while in Guatemala.


• 04/25/08 - Documents were not submitted on 4/24 - now it's today!


• 04/29/08 - We have airline tickets for May visit!


• 04/30/08 - Documents still not submitted - now it's going to be May 5th.


• 05/06/08 - Documents were not submitted...again. No date given for when they will be this time; We are now talking to an US immigration attorney.


• 05/08/08 - Documents submitted and rejected because forms are not complete. Side note: How a Guatemalan Adoption Attorney does not recognize incomplete Guatemalan BC's and medical letters is completely beyond us...Now corrected documents have to be gotten from El Estor...AGAIN


• 05/09/08 - US Attorney HIRED! One of the most prominent attorneys in immigration law, Hague Convention, USCIS, Homeland Security...could we be more blessed!


• 05/10/08 - Ozzy is sick and yes they need $50 for Doctor and medicine


• 05/15/08 - US attorney talked with Guatemalan attorney and he promised to go to El Estor to retrieve correct documents on 5/19


• 05/18/08 - Guat. attorney needs $300 to go to El Estor to get the documents


• 05/19/08 - We refused to send $300 to the Guat. attorney, with the $2,000 Italian shoes, until he shows us the documents and our US attorney confirms they are complete. If he does, we will hand deliver the money to him on Thursday when we arrive back in Guatemala City...Ridiculous.

That's right folks, 7 months and we haven't gotten to the US Embassy yet. After the numerous times that we were mislead, misinformed and told that our DNA had, was, will, may have been, can't find the birth mother, isn't completed yet. Furthermore we have never received any email marked as a legal update and, as of this entry, we're not sure that anyone with FA knows where our DNA authorization stands in the legal process!!!