The Dirks Family: Bearded Boys

Uganda Process

11.09.09 Initiated Home Study Update Process
12.23.09 First Home Study Meeting
01.26.10 Second Home Study Meeting
02.02.10 Final Home Study Meeting
02.03.10 Sent I-600A to USCIS
02.24.10 Home Study Finished
03.16.10 Fingerprints for CIS
3.19.2010 USCIS Approval!
07.26.10 Applied to Good Shepherd's Fold
08.20.10 Accepted at Good Shepherd's Fold
09.09.10 Referral!
11.01.10 Received final affidavit and sent paperwork to lawyer in Uganda
11.10.10 Our case in filed in Ugandan courts
12.21.10 Court date in Uganda
01.11.11 Receive Ruling - it's a YES!
01.22.11 Home as a Family of Six

Ethiopia Process

3.05.08 Accepted into the Ethiopian Program at placement agency
3.05.08 Sent our I-600A to CIS
3.12.08 Fingerprinted for FBI and home study
3.19.08 Sent completed paperwork to home study agency
3.21.08 Fingerprinted for CIS
5.19.08 Homestudy Completed
5.29.08 Homestudy sent to CIS
7.29.08 USCIS Approval
10.29.08 Dossier arrived in Ethiopia
12.11.08 Accepted referral for 10-month-old baby boy!!
12.15.08 Case filed in Ethiopian court
2.27.09 Court Date - We passed!!
3.23.09 Find out he's been given to someone from his birth family
4.06.09 Accepted referral for one-month-old baby boy!
6.05.09 First Court Date - postponed because of abandonment investigation
7.28.09 Second Court Date - we passed!!
8.24.09 Gotcha Day!!
8.29.09 Home as a family of four