Final Stretch of our Dossier

Main Entry: dos·sier
Pronunciation: \ˈdȯs-ˌyā, ˈdäs-; ˈdȯ-sē-ˌā, ˈdä-\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, bundle of documents labeled on the back, dossier, from dos back, from Latin dorsum
Date: 1880
: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject

Dossier was a new word for my vocabulary when we started this process, now it's an everyday word in our family, but we are finally in the home stretch before this huge packet of information about us heads around the world to match us to our baby. Pregnancy was draining physically, but adoption is draining mentally. I agree with a friend who explained the process as an excersise in paperwork.

Last night I wrote a letter to the orphanage introducing our family and explaining why we want to adopt a baby from Ethiopia. Tony also wrote a letter to the Ethiopian government stating that we will care for and raise this child to the best of our abilitly.

Tonight we headed back to Costco for another set of passport photos that will be on her documents to bring her home.

Tomorrow we will go to Phoenix to get two of our documents state authenticated (a step about a notrary), one of which is our power of attourney that will be used to grant the orphanage power of attourney during the time after we've legally adopted her and before we can bring her home.

Then we will deliver these last documents to our social worker, and they will head out on the next leg of the journey.

Tomorrow also brings a very large payment to the adoption agency, and we have been so blessed by the generousitly of our friends and family, the success of our garage sale, and above all, God's provision.

Then, we wait to be presented with a baby. It could be weeks or it could be months (and in some cases years, though we are not expecting that with Ethiopia). While we have been busy working on getting everything together, this will be a stage of waiting and trusting God while everything is out of our hands.