Working with LMG, meant that most of the real work would be done by their consultants and our social worker. We had to get our fingerprints, get our medical exams, letters from our banks, employers and references from our friends, etc., but all the notarization, certification, authentication and dossier preparation would be done by LMG. Holt would do the dossier translation and see that it arrived safely in China. We would wait, and wait we did.

Throughout the process, I saved everything. I had a file about a foot thick by the time our dossier left the United States. Although I thinned it out a bit after we got home from our trip, most of it is still in tact. I learned early on, that organization was important. I had to know which piece of paper was where, what was done, what needed to be done and what, at any given moment, were we waiting for, who was waiting on us, and who were we waiting on.

Being a computer nerd, I relied heavily to my PC. Microsoft Word and Excel came in real handy as well as Symantec's contact management software, ACT!. I made checklists, typed letters, scanned documents, scheduled our appointments and pretty much ran our adoption "business" from within the box that sits on my desk.

Just to give you an idea, here's a list of the documents that sprouted into existance as part of our adoption quest.

INS DOCUMENTS
Date	Form	Document				D/L
			Notary	Cert	Auth	Dossier
n/a	I-864pkg	Affidavit of Support Package
6/17/1996	I-600A	Application For Advance Processing of Orphan Petition
7/15/1996		Photocopies of Terry & Carolyn's Passports
10/22/1996	I-171H	Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition
10/29/1997	I-600	Petition to Classify Orphan as Immediate Relative
11/9/1997		Emma's Resident Alien Registration (Green Card)
8/12/1998	N-643	Application for Certificate of Citizenship in Behalf of an Adopted Child

AGENCY DOCUMENTS
Date	Document	Notary	Cert	Auth	Dossier
6/9/1996	Child Information Form
6/9/1996	Monthly Cash Flow Analysis
6/10/1996	LMG Adoption Application
6/15/1996	Holt International Adoption Application
6/24/1996	Verification of Deposits
7/8/1996	Terry's Autobiography
9/10/1996	Adoptive Home Study Evaluation
10/10/1996	Adoptive Home Study Synopsis
7/22/1997	Child Assignment Letter
8/1/1997	Placement Agreement
8/4/1997	Carolyn's Autobiography
8/5/1997	Travel Preparation Questionnaire
2/10/1998	Post-Placement Report
5/10/1998	Post-Placement Report

STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
Date	Document	Notary	Cert	Auth	Dossier
7/3/1996	Carolyn's City of Atlanta Police Clearance Letter
7/3/1996	Terry's City of Atlanta Police Clearance Letter
7/12/1996	Terry's Divorce Decree
7/19/1996	Terry's Birth Certificate
7/31/1996	Carolyn's Birth Certificate
8/5/1996	Marriage License
5/18/1998	Certificate of Adoption
5/22/1998	Certificate of Foreign Birth

LETTERS
Date	Document	Notary	Cert	Auth	Dossier
6/8/1996	Adoption Expense Financial Plan
6/14/1996	Application Letter
6/19/1996	Terry's Employment Letter
7/14/1996	Certificate of Assets
7/19/1996	Carolyn's Medical Exam Letter
7/19/1996	Terry's Medical Exam Letter
7/30/1996	Carolyn's Employment Letter
8/8/1996	Infirtility Letter
1/10/1998	Digital Equipment's Adoption Benefit Claim Form
5/23/1998	TAP's Adoption Benefit Claim Form

CHINESE GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
Date	Document	Notary	Cert	Auth	Dossier
6/14/1996	Information About the Prospective Adoptive Parent
7/21/1997	Physical Examination Form & Translation
10/29/1997	Chinese Abandonment Certificate & Translation
10/29/1997	Chinese Adoption Certificate & Translation
10/29/1997	Chinese Birth Certificate
10/29/1997	Emma's Chinese Visa