There is perhaps nothing that parents considering adoption want to know more than "how long will it take?" There's also perhaps nothing that a good adoption agency is less likely to commit to.
We've learned the hard way that adoption, like any other way of becoming a parent, happens on its own clock. Still, we always found it helpful to hear about others' experiences and so we thought it might be beneficial to share ours...
January 18 -- We arrive in Almaty.
January 19 -- We meet with the Kazak sisters who coordinate adoptions with World Partners.
Later that evening - We arrive in Kokshetau.
January 20 -- We meet Owen for the first time.
February 2 -- We hope to have a court date to be granted formal custody
February 23 -- If all goes well we return to Almaty for meetings with the U.S. Embassy
February 27 -- We return to the U.S. with our new son.