8 Dec 2011 – Turned in our application with the home study agency and met our social worker!
13 Dec 2011 – Received Step 2 packet from social worker, sent forms to references, and contacted lawyer.
14 Dec 2011 – Heard back from lawyer’s assistant! Made appointments for physicals and returned lawyer’s email with additional information and questions.
15 Dec 2011 – Mailed our birth certificate requests and VA Social Services forms. Faxed Hawaii CAN forms to home study agency.
21 Dec 2011 - Got fingerprinted to meet Hawaii and FBI requirements.
7 Jan 2012 – Nicole’s medical clearance obtained.
13 Jan 2012 – AJ’s first travel clinic appointment; picked up Proof of Residency from housing office.
17 Jan 2012 – James’s medical clearance appointment, obtained income verification (Statement of Service), and had first home study meeting!
18 Jan 2012 – “Officially” announced our plans to adopt!
13 Feb 2012 – Criminal clearances obtained.
16 Feb 2012 – AJ’s yellow fever vaccination and our home study home visit.
27 Feb 2012 – Contacted baby home #1 about possible referral.
7 Jan 2012 – Nicole’s medical clearance obtained.
13 Jan 2012 – AJ’s first travel clinic appointment; picked up Proof of Residency from housing office.
17 Jan 2012 – James’s medical clearance appointment, obtained income verification (Statement of Service), and had first home study meeting!
18 Jan 2012 – “Officially” announced our plans to adopt!
13 Feb 2012 – Criminal clearances obtained.
16 Feb 2012 – AJ’s yellow fever vaccination and our home study home visit.
27 Feb 2012 – Contacted baby home #1 about possible referral.
1 Mar 2012 – Received reply from baby home #1 that they are
not accepting applications at this time due to increased domestic adoptions
(great news!); contacted baby home #2.
13 Mar 2012 – Received call from our social worker with additional questions for our home study and to request AJ’s TB result from his PPD. As soon as we get it to her she’ll send us the home study for review!
14 Mar 2012 – Found out that no one at the clinic has AJ’s TB result.
15 Mar 2012 – Had AJ's PPD test redone. Contacted the program coordinator at an adoption agency we recently read about, inquiring about working with them. Received home study from social worker for our review.
13 Mar 2012 – Received call from our social worker with additional questions for our home study and to request AJ’s TB result from his PPD. As soon as we get it to her she’ll send us the home study for review!
14 Mar 2012 – Found out that no one at the clinic has AJ’s TB result.
15 Mar 2012 – Had AJ's PPD test redone. Contacted the program coordinator at an adoption agency we recently read about, inquiring about working with them. Received home study from social worker for our review.
17 Mar 2012 – Had AJ’s PPD read; he is negative for TB.
23 Mar 2012 – Notified that country adoption guidelines have changed. Submitted pre-application to agency.
6 Apr 2012 – Received notarized home study in the mail!
7 Apr 2012 – Mailed I-600A to USCIS!
8 Apr 2012 – Happy Easter! Sent application requirements to
agency.
10 Apr 2012 – Happy 2nd Birthday, AJ! Attended
first of three Adoptive Parent Training classes at our home study agency's office.
16 Apr 2012 – Received text message notifying us that our
I-600A was received by USCIS!
17 Apr 2012 – Attended second APT class.
24 Apr 2012 – Attended third APT class.
6 Aug 2012 – Wrote and sent our signed request for inclusion of increased age and minor special needs to our home study agency.
27 Sep 2012 – Found out that we’ll have to update our home study after all; must contact home study agency in the beginning of December.
3 Dec 2012 – Contacted our social worker about updating our home study.
29 Dec 2012 – Finally started the adoption training required by our placing agency.
2 Jan 2013 – Adoption training is complete!
11 Jan 2013 – Received home study update packet from social worker.
13 Jan 2013 – Returned home study update packet and mailed criminal clearance request.
15 Jan 2013 – James’s medical clearance appointment and PPD shots for James, Nicole, and AJ.
17 Jan 2013 – Heard back from social worker: home study visit will be on January 31st. Got PPDs read and paperwork signed.
6 Feb 2013 – Our appointment on the 31st was rescheduled, so we had our home study visit today.
20 Feb 2013 – Revised and approved home study update. Assembled paperwork to send to USCIS.
26 Feb 2013 – Picked up home study update from agency and sent it to USCIS.
9 Mar 2013 – Received updated USCIS approval (I-171H) in the mail!
30 July 2013 – We begin another home study update, to increase the number of children from 1-2 to 1-3.
9 Aug 2013 – Received home study update from agency to review.
11 Aug 2013 – Sent agency corrections to home study update.
12 Aug 2013 – Received corrected update and approved it; it will be mailed to us tomorrow.
23 Aug 2013 – We get an early morning phone call with the boys’ referral!
27 Aug 2013 – We received the child placement agreement & child report, and our updated I-171H!
29 Aug 2013 – Sent placement agreement back to agency.
13 Oct 2013 – Received the draft of the affidavits. Made edits and corrections and sent back to program coordinator.
15 Oct 2013 – Sent request for I-171H extension to USCIS.
17 Oct 2013 – Received affidavit approval from attorney! Got last of the documents for the dossier together and made an appointment with the notary public.
18 Oct 2013 – Dossier notarized and sent off with UPS.
28 Oct 2013 – Dossier is safely in-country!
24 Nov 2013 – Received news that we may have court in late January, early February.
17 Dec 2013 – Learned that our dossier was filed in court last week.
12 Feb 2014 – We have a court date! April 2nd.
26 Mar 2014 - Arrived in-country!
28 Mar 2014 - Met the boys!
02 Apr 2014 - Court at noon, right on time. Date for verbal ruling is 11 April.
12 Apr 2014 - Finally got a phone call - the ruling was positive!
14 Apr 2014 - Received our guardianship order and written ruling! We are officially a family of seven!
15 Apr 2014 - Applied for the boys' passports. Told it could take 1-3 weeks.
28 Apr 2014 - Picked up passports! Noticed that evening that there is a one-letter typo on one.
29 Apr 2014 - First medical appointment at IOM.
2 May 2014 - Second (and final) medical appointment at IOM.
6 May 2014 - Medical files were hopefully sent. Passport is corrected! Requested a filing appointment from the Embassy.
12 May 2014 - Filing appointment scheduled for Wednesday morning.
14 May 2014 - Filing appointment and interview appointment. Request for visas approved!
17 May 2014 - Began flying back to the U.S.!
18 May 2014 - Arrived in Mississippi, and were reunited with Daddy at the airport.
3 Dec 2014 - Court in Mississippi. The boys are now Figueroas and the big boys' years of birth have been changed! They are officially, legally what they've been for many months now - our sons!
24 Apr 2012 – Attended third APT class.
9 May – Received letter from USCIS requesting home study
addendum.
30 May 2012 – Decided to increase our upper age limit to
five years.
7 June 2012 – Received call from USCIS officer notifying us
that our I-600A was approved on June 4th!
9
June 2012 – Found
out that we are #2 on the waiting list for a referral (wow!) and got our I-171H (USCIS approval) in
the mail!6 Aug 2012 – Wrote and sent our signed request for inclusion of increased age and minor special needs to our home study agency.
27 Sep 2012 – Found out that we’ll have to update our home study after all; must contact home study agency in the beginning of December.
3 Dec 2012 – Contacted our social worker about updating our home study.
29 Dec 2012 – Finally started the adoption training required by our placing agency.
2 Jan 2013 – Adoption training is complete!
11 Jan 2013 – Received home study update packet from social worker.
13 Jan 2013 – Returned home study update packet and mailed criminal clearance request.
15 Jan 2013 – James’s medical clearance appointment and PPD shots for James, Nicole, and AJ.
17 Jan 2013 – Heard back from social worker: home study visit will be on January 31st. Got PPDs read and paperwork signed.
6 Feb 2013 – Our appointment on the 31st was rescheduled, so we had our home study visit today.
20 Feb 2013 – Revised and approved home study update. Assembled paperwork to send to USCIS.
26 Feb 2013 – Picked up home study update from agency and sent it to USCIS.
9 Mar 2013 – Received updated USCIS approval (I-171H) in the mail!
30 July 2013 – We begin another home study update, to increase the number of children from 1-2 to 1-3.
9 Aug 2013 – Received home study update from agency to review.
11 Aug 2013 – Sent agency corrections to home study update.
12 Aug 2013 – Received corrected update and approved it; it will be mailed to us tomorrow.
23 Aug 2013 – We get an early morning phone call with the boys’ referral!
27 Aug 2013 – We received the child placement agreement & child report, and our updated I-171H!
29 Aug 2013 – Sent placement agreement back to agency.
13 Oct 2013 – Received the draft of the affidavits. Made edits and corrections and sent back to program coordinator.
15 Oct 2013 – Sent request for I-171H extension to USCIS.
17 Oct 2013 – Received affidavit approval from attorney! Got last of the documents for the dossier together and made an appointment with the notary public.
18 Oct 2013 – Dossier notarized and sent off with UPS.
28 Oct 2013 – Dossier is safely in-country!
24 Nov 2013 – Received news that we may have court in late January, early February.
17 Dec 2013 – Learned that our dossier was filed in court last week.
12 Feb 2014 – We have a court date! April 2nd.
26 Mar 2014 - Arrived in-country!
28 Mar 2014 - Met the boys!
02 Apr 2014 - Court at noon, right on time. Date for verbal ruling is 11 April.
12 Apr 2014 - Finally got a phone call - the ruling was positive!
14 Apr 2014 - Received our guardianship order and written ruling! We are officially a family of seven!
15 Apr 2014 - Applied for the boys' passports. Told it could take 1-3 weeks.
28 Apr 2014 - Picked up passports! Noticed that evening that there is a one-letter typo on one.
29 Apr 2014 - First medical appointment at IOM.
2 May 2014 - Second (and final) medical appointment at IOM.
6 May 2014 - Medical files were hopefully sent. Passport is corrected! Requested a filing appointment from the Embassy.
12 May 2014 - Filing appointment scheduled for Wednesday morning.
14 May 2014 - Filing appointment and interview appointment. Request for visas approved!
17 May 2014 - Began flying back to the U.S.!
18 May 2014 - Arrived in Mississippi, and were reunited with Daddy at the airport.
3 Dec 2014 - Court in Mississippi. The boys are now Figueroas and the big boys' years of birth have been changed! They are officially, legally what they've been for many months now - our sons!
