Adoption Timeline

January 2006 - We decide that we are ready to add to our family again and begin looking into our adoption options. We decide on international adoption, and the country of China, and begin looking for agencies dealing in adoptions from China.
January 27, 2006 - We mail in our application to GWCA.
February 3, 2006 - While in a cab on our way to the Hard Rock hotel in Orlando for a fun weekend we get a call from GWCA saying that out application had been accepted. We start to think of names, and stare lovingly at every little Asian child we see the entire weekend.
February 7, 2006 - Begin collecting documents for our Dossier.
February 9, 2006 - Joe has his physical and I order Joe's birth certificate from TX, mine from LA, and Blaine's from AR.
February 22, 2006 - Courtney's physical
February 27, 2006 - Joe and Courtney have their blood work done.
Also in February - have police checks done and ask 5 friends for personal reference letters for the home study.
March - receive birth certificates, prepare home for home study, make sure all police checks are done, get back results of physicals and blood work, get employment letters, insurance letters, financial statements and letter from doctors saying that my Crohn's disease won't interfere with my ability to parent a child, and get everything notarized at the Dr.s office because the physicals have to be signed by the doctor in the presence of a notary. I am sure I left something out.
April 7, 2006 - First home study visit with just Joe and I - 3hrs.
April 14, 2006 - Second home study visit with just Joe - 1hr
April 17, 2006 - Third home study visit with just Courtney - 1 hr
April 27, 2006 - Fourth and final home study visit with the whole family and walk through of our home
May 11, 2006 - Receive draft of our glowing home study to proofread. Everything looks great! Thanks Paula (our social worker was awesome)
May 18, 2006 - Mail first part of our Dossier to GWCA for them to have everything authenticated by the Secretary of States in TX, LA and AR, and by the Chinese consulate in Houston.
June 5, 2006 - Finally mail in I-600A to the CIS office in New Orleans. They are finally open and have finally returned to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
June 28, 2006 - Receive fingerprint appointment letter. Would leave right away to be fingerprinted but husband is away on business and we are leaving for Disney World on July 2nd for Blaine's 4th birthday.
July 10th - get fingerprinted for our FBI check. All we need now is for it to come back OK and for BCIS to issue us our 171 saying that we are pre approved to bring an orphan from another country into the US to be our child.
August - Didn't hear anything
September 23, 3006- WE GOT OUR 171 YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 25, 2006 - After getting the last of our documents notarized we mail the rest of our Dossier to GWCA for review.
October 13, 2006 - GWCA informs us that this is our DTC date.
November 13, 2006 - GWCA informs us that this is our LID date, now we officially can start waiting. Current time frame from LID to referral - 15 months with an expected increase to at least 18 months to 2 years, possibly more:(