In my own opinion there are three parts to the adoption process:
1. Pre-Work (the stage we are currently going through-almost finished)
2. The WAIT (waiting for a referral, waiting to visit, waiting for DNA, waiting for PGN, waiting to go pick her up)
3. THE PICK-UP (You are approved and you pick up your precious gift from God)
As I mentioned above, we are currently in the pre-work phase of our adoption. You get letters saying you are employed, healthy, mentally stable, etc. You also have to obtain "certified" copies of your birth certificates and marriage certificate. Once you have obtained all of the above it has to be notarized and then certified by the Secretary of State.
The point we are exactly at: waiting on our agency to send our approved homestudy to CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) in Dallas. This will put the following things into process:
1. Receive a letter telling us when to get our fingerprinting done in OKC.
2. Wait for approval - the I171. This tells us we are approved to bring a foreign born child into the US.
3. Anxiously wait for our Agency to send us a referral (a child that has become available for adoption)
4. Accept the referral. Then enter phase 2 - The WAIT.....
I will post more about that when the time comes.....