Adoption - the Dossier

When we received the dossier checklist from the placement agency the length of it took my breath away. But after studying it more thoroughly I realized that I was only responsible for 21 items on the 37 item checklist. That was some relief. After getting the lowdown from the placement agency coodinator on each item, I started in. And within a week or two I had to set it aside because it was all-consuming and my gastritis was flaring up.

I think the most stressful part of the process is coordinating the notary to show up at the physician's office to witness the signing of 6 different documents per patient. The physicians are busy, notaries are slow, and I worry too much about what people may be thinking. I'm going to have to learn to relax because the physician's reports are only good for three months before they need to renewed (and notarized again). The notary I used with my physician was also new, and didn't get the stamp on just right, and made a mistake that needed to be crossed out. But we couldn't have the physician come back and redo the whole thing over. All I could think of was a big Russian stamp - REJECTED! But according to the placement agency coordinator, Russia only cares about the apostille, and doesn't necessarily look at the notarizations. I hope so.

Some dossier preparation tips I've learned:

1) I hope you have a printer/copier in your house. You can't mess up any of the forms you fill out, so I always made an extra
copy of a blank form before I filled it out so I would have a backup in case I flubbed.

2) Get a large D-ring notebook and some pocket folders to hold your documents. I found transparent colored plastic pocket folders at Longs (drugstore). I have 10, and so far it seems like it might be enough. Everything is then in one spot, and you can take the notebook out with you and have everything you might need. (See above photo.)

3) Carry BLUE pens with you when you travel to get something notarized. I heard Russia likes things to be signed in blue because it can clearly be identified as an original. (And doctors in this country don't use blue, because black is the official color).

4) Make a separate list of the documents you are personally responsible for. It's less intimidating than the entire list. This helped me to understand how much there was to do, and realize that it's actually not that much more than the home study.

5) If physicians, employers, or others are required to write a letter that follows a template, draft the letter yourself, leaving room at the top so that it can be copied onto their special letterhead. This saved a huge amount of time for me at the doctor's offices, because a boilerplate letter was needed and each time I simply provided it. I See if they can give you some letterhead beforehand and then it's even less work for them (and less worry for you).


And on a semi-related topic, here's a picture of my desk at home. It's kind of a multi-purpose station, holding our stereo and my papers. Kevin let me buy it when he got tired of all my crap laying on the kitchen counters and dining table. We have a desk upstairs, but who can leave a room to check email when you have small children? I hope to transition this armoire to be a computer station for the kids when they are older. It is right where I can see it from the kitchen. It's a little cramped for adoption paperwork, but the dining table is right there next to it.