Step One

So, let the paper chase begin!!!!  

In case you have never heard that term before, and probably if you've never adopted you wouldn't hear that term, we are in the depths of the paper chase.  That means that we are working diligently at filling out, copying, notarizing, obtaining and sending document after document after document!  All in the name of the Homestudy and Dossier.

I am spending many late nights after my night owl goes to bed working on filling out paperwork and gathering documents, etc.  

Our homestudy agency requires a large amount of paperwork to be  submitted before they will even assign a social worker.  With the amount of paperwork involved they should be paying me instead of me paying them.  After I finish this packet there really isn't much left for the social worker to do.

Bill and I have gone to the CBI for our fingerprints to be taken.  Raleigh now does the fingerprinting at the very nice (not kidding) juvenile detention center.  So, as we entered the facility there were guards and a metal detector to go through.  I decided to take this opportunity to tell Olivia that this would be the place she would have to live if she made bad choices in life and did things that were against the law.  Probably should have waited until we on our way out of the building instead of in, because she refused to go through the metal detector and venture beyond the guards into the unknown.  Luckily she stayed close to me so she had no choice, but to follow me through the detector.  I must say she was very well behaved in there (LOL).  

Once we obtained our fingerprints I filled out the proper forms, attached money order for payment and sent them to the State Bureau of Investigations for a background check.  They will send me the results to include in our homestudy and dossier (more on what that is later).

Next, I realize that I don't have original stamped copies of Bill and my birth certificates or marriage license.  Of course they originated in NY so I can't just go downtown and request them, instead I have to order them over the Internet.  The lovely great state of NY (not) charges $47.20 $52.25for each birth certificate and marriage license.  Now, you could save $17.42 $22.25 per document if you are willing to wait 12 to 14 weeks to receive your copies............ARE YOU KIDDING ME..........12 to 14 weeks...........and they say Southerners are slow! 

I don't have 12 to 14 weeks to dilly dally around waiting on documents so here's your $52.26 $66.75 NY so I can receive my documents in 5 to 10 business days.  For that price they should turn it around in 3 to 5 days.  The real exciting part is that once I receive them I have to send them back to NY's Secretary of State so they can authenticate them.  I'm afraid to look and see what they charge for that service and how long they take.  Raleigh turns them around the same day if they are there before 10am.  Boooo to you NY!

Anyway, there is a lot more to say about the paperwork, but this post is long enough and I'll be amazed if anyone reads it to the end.  I guess I will put a picture of Olivia here as a reward for reading this post.
Until next post.......