Let's Start This Again

Okay everyone.    We haven't kept up with this blog, but now that things are actually happening, I think it wise to keep updates with the process.  For those of you who don't know yet:

1. We are "matched" with a boy, aged 9, in Thailand.  We will call him "A" for now.  
2. We are just finishing up gathering our documents for our dossier.   This includes things like certified copies of our birth certificates, marriage certificates, financial statements, letters from our doctors, employers, etc.   And EVERYTHING has to be notarized.   
3. Our homes study has to be adjusted since Thailand is a signatory to the Hague Convention.     

Once these things are done (hopefully in the next month), then we submit paperwork to both our government and the Thai government.   As is the case with most things that go through the government, this can take a very long time.   

The biggest question we are asked is "when will he be here?"  The best answer we have is "we don't know."    We think it may take a year.  Maybe more, maybe less.   We hope it goes very quickly.   We do know that once we have this next official packet put together and sent in to the Thai government by our agency and they accept it, we get to send a package to A.   That will be the best package we ever send!   In that package, we get to send photos and a letter to A and we get to begin corresponding with him.   It's at that point that he finds out about us and the fact that we are adopting him (he doesn't know yet).   I'm thinking hard every day about what to send to him.   Word is that our package has to fit in a certain size box, so we have to be very judicious about what we choose to include.  

Lastly,  I want to encourage all of you to educate yourselves about questions you may have about this process, about adoption in general, or about Thailand or Thai people in general.    There are many great books and web resources out there about adoption, specifically about adopting older children.    In addition, it is very easy to find lots of great information about Thailand and Thai culture on the internet with a simple search.   Please don't wait for our lead to learn about these topics.