May 2010 - Chrissie Patterson passes away shortly after my birthday, I then email Reece's Rainbow (where Chrissie was adopted by her family from), to inquire about Ian and Lera. Got a response that Lera found a family, but not Ian.
May-June 2010 - Wrestling with God over stepping out on faith to adopt Ian.
6/25/2010 - GOD WINS!
06/26/2010 - Emailed Reece's Rainbow (RR) with initial inquiry about Ian.
6/29/2010 - Received homestudy referral to Hope for Adoption from RR family.
7/5/2010 - Emailed answers to questions by Ian's placement agency, Hand In Hand (HIH), about myself and my intentions to adopt Ian.
7/8/10 - Received approval from HIH to begin dossier preparation!
7/9/2010 - Received welcome packet from Ian's US agency, HIH; and an email from a mom who has pictures of Ian because she is adopting Anna from the same orphanage.
7/27/10 - First meeting with social worker (SW) for homestudy (HS) in Canton, GA. Paid HS Fee of $2000.00
7/29/10- Mailed off RR fee's of $1275.00 and notarized agreements.
8/1/2010 - First round of fingerprinting completed for Georgia GBI, done at a cell phone store. $65.00
8/2/2010- Mailed off HIH initial $375.00 fee and application.
8/7/2010 - 2nd round of fingerprinting completed for FBI at Safe Sky Atlanta. $180.00
8/9/2010 - Received giant dossier prep package from HIH.
8/21/2010 - Applied for and mailed off three US passport applications. $400.00
8/24/2010 - Request made in writing at my place of work for employment verifications for HS and Court Dossier (quoted a two week wait time).
8/25/10 - Got HOPEFORIAN wristbands to begin passing out everywhere we go; got HIH pre-dossier forms notarized and ready to mail tomorrow.
8/28/2010 - Home study social worker comes to our house for visit #2.
9/7/2010 - My passport arrived! Completed adoption training class!
9/8/2010 - Mailed off Birth Certificates to Illinois for Apostilles; requested 911 call reports for Home study; started necklaces of hope give-a-way on blog.
9/11/2010 - Started Language classes in Ian's native language - WOW, it's very difficult (but fun too); mailed off Hand In Hand notarized agreements; bought a 1st year baby book for Ian!
as of 9/27/2010 - Craig and Ari's passports have arrived! Received other 911 call report needed for Homestudy! First apostilled documents arrive from Illinois for Registration Dossier! Fundraising almost hits 10 percent raised! Ian is in People Magazine! Employment verification complete!
10/5/2010 - Homestudy packet complete and Federal Expressed to Hope for Adoption in Canton.
10/6/2010 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ARI! Ian's soon to be brother. Completed HOMESTUDY packet arrived in Canton, GA at 9:30 am.
10/10/10 - Hit 10 percent raised today for Ian!
10/25/10 - Submitted additional documents and information requested by Home Study agency in order to complete the report.
11/1/10 - Faxed required MMPI and mental health interview conducted by a licensed psychiatrist to HS agency, waiting on one more piece of paper to be ready this Thursday. Praying for a complete HS soon.
11/17/10 - HOMESTUDY COMPLETE!! YEAH!!
11/20/10 Have dossier, will travel BUT, still Waiting for the funds to come in - still 1700 out from being able to submit, 1K out from USCIS submission, and 5K out from the orphanage fees. Lord hear my prayer, that all be revealed before it is too late. You are a gracious, loving, and forgiving God, and we put our trust and faith in your hands. We are grateful beyond words for you breaking our hearts with what breaks yours, and we are humble in your service.
12/21/10 Ready to submit first dossier!! All paperwork passed review and all but $2K raised for what we need for all fees and travel associated with Trip #1! Hope to receive travel date within 4 weeks, as courts close down Jan 1-17th in Ian's country.
1/14/11 Dossier #1 complete and en route! Now we wait.
1/18/11 Apostilled FBI Clearance arrives for beginning compilation of the Court Dossier.
1/19/11 Dossier #1 sent to Ian's country!
1/21/11 Received USCIS fingerprinting date for 2/4/11.
1/26/11 New Agency Letter obtained (correct this time), now waiting for 4 pages from HS agency to apostille and send to HIH for what will prayerfully be the last pieces of paper needed to complete and submit our Dossier #1 (Registration Application) on 2/1/11.
1/28/11 Express mailed the re-do documents to HIH for Dossier #1. Hope for Ian Benefit held in Racine, Wisconsin by Hero of Hope Amie Miller.
2/4/11 USCIS Biometrics (fingerprinting) appointment complete.
2/10/11 Additional requested documentation received by Hand in Hand for forwarding to Ian's county.
2/14/11 Dossier #1 submitted.
2/15/11 HIH notifies us that Ian's country is requesting (requiring) a new document from us before we will get our travel date. This document is extensive however, I hope to be able to secure it this week or early next week and have it to EE within 7 days.
3/4/11 USCIS APPROVED! Approval arrives in the mail.
3/23/11 We received our first appointment date for Ian's country! We leave in 10 days!
4/5/11 We met Ian in his country for the very first time!
4/5/11 Get the news that Ian is headed for heart surgery, eye surgery, and another in-patient surgery, were given the option to refuse surgery in his native country, and we did. Please pray for our Ian.
4/5/11 Friends the Fillmores post about Ian on their blog.
4/13/11 Friend Julia Nalle posts about Ian and our Hope for Ian Necklace fund raiser on her blog, very moving post.
4/17/11 Friend Julia Nalle posts about Ian again, to help us raise money to get him home.
4 18/11 Front page story in my hometown newspaper, The Racine Journal Times, about Ian. Thank you to Amie Miller, Hero of Hope for Ian, and Lindsay Fiori, the reporter, as well as Mark Hertzberg, the photographer.
4/19/11 Friend Lorraine Patterson, Chrissie's mom (the reason we found Ian), posts a beautiful plea for Ian on her blog, in memory of the one year date of Chrissie's heart surgery. The posted all week about Ian!
4/25/11 Received a grant of $1,925.00 from Golden Dawn Adoption Assistance, which paid the match fee's at Hand in Hand, bringing our Hand In Hand fee's balance to ZERO. Praise God! Since being home, God has lessened our financial burden to bring Ian home from a needed $18K to only needing $13K. $5,000 in 14 days since we met Ian. Many thanks are due to fellow adoptive and RR families who have blogged about Ian and our very special Hope Necklace fundraiser, and to all of the families and individuals who have donated to help us answer God's calling for our lives.
4/25/11 Friend Jennifer Dove posts about Ian on her blog to help us raise money.
4/29 & 5/1/11 Massive Hope for Ian yard sale is a success! Over $1500.00 raised for Ian, thank you to all who donated items for the sale and for my mother and grandmother who helped with childcare before, during, and after the week long preparations for the yard sale.
5/10/11 Our adoption agency informs us that we will be required to complete a Homestudy update. This is very sad news as it means another $1,000.00 to do that, and countless hours lost from work and home getting our hands on difficult to obtain documents and reports. This also means further delay in getting Ian home. We press on, but this news is very challenging and disheartening.
5/15/11 Our court dossier is sent to Ian's country. We already know we have three errors that need to be corrected. We will attend to those and await word on what else will need to be fixed before we can be issued a court date.
