It's in the mail!

As of yesterday afternoon, the dossier materials are in the mail to St. Paul, MN to my agency. The scheduled delivery date to the agency is tomorrow. What a great feeling to have that portion of the process out of my hands, and in the hands of the God and the agency!

The main dossier consists of the following documents:

• Family profile summary form
• A typed letter to the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia stating why you are interested in adoption
• 2 passport size photos
• Home study
• Copies of home study agency licenses
• 2 power of attorney documents (for representation at the court date in Ethiopia)
• Certified birth certificate
• 2 letters of recommendation (Thanks Mary and Michele!)
• Police clearance from local police
  
• Medical certificate from physician
• Employer's letter
• Most recent Tax 1040
• Attestation and Declaration of Personal Condition (finances)
• Bank letter
• Post placement agreement reports
• Photocopy of passport

In addition to these documents, other required documents are:

• Several checks (some personal, some money orders)!
• Signed contact agreement
• Signed referral disclaimer
• I-171H document from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services

Other than the I-171H document, I have submitted all I can at this point. The I-171H will not be sent until the state of Illinois gives the approval to CIS regarding my home study. Hopefully, this will not take too long. I applied for it in April, and hope it will be submitted by the end of summer, if not sooner. This document is THE document that allows you to adopt internationally. Needless to say, the day it arrives will be a very happy day for me!