THE PROCESS

Step 1: Formal application submitted.  This is where we fill out the basic information and submit that to our adoption agency (AGCI).
Step 2: Country Contracts Signed: This is where we apply to adopt from a country and we make sure that we are eligible.  Once we have been approved we wait pay our first fee and being the home study process.
Step 3: We submit all our paperwork to the country and then wait for a match.
Step 4: Match made!  When we are matched with a child we will have a few weeks to approve (or very rarely not approve - this would only be in a very rare instance of knowing we would not be able to care for the child).
Step 5: Trip #1.  This is approximately a week and will involve traveling to Bulgaria, meeting our child, and formally accepting the referral.
Step 6: Trip #2.  This occurs four or five months after the first trip.  In between trips the our adoption will be going through the court system in Bulgaria.  After approval we will return, meet with various Bulgarian officials as well as officials at the U.S. Embassy, before finally returning home with our child.