Certifications, Authentications and Fingerprints, Oh My!

As part of our adoption process, all the documents required for our adoption have to be notarized. We then take these documents to the local county clerks' office for certification and then the documents go to the Secretary of State for authentication. Today was the day I went to do the certification and authentication. In addition, today was our appointment for fingerprinting. In order to get the piece of paper (an I171H) that allows us to bring an orphan into the country, we are required to be fingerprinted (again).

I started at the Robertson County Clerk's Office and let me say they are the MOST friendly and efficient folks!! And, additionally, since their Clerk has a heart for adoption, she has determined that certification for adoption is (get this) FREE!!! It's one of the only things in this process that has been free!

After that, I headed over to the Davidson County Clerk's office. I got a parking spot right up front and walked right in with no waiting and was done in less than 10 minutes.

I headed over to be fingerprinted after that. Apparently, I have perfect fingerprints. I'm SO HAPPY to have something perfect about me. *smile* Processing time in the Memphis CIS is 8 weeks so hopefully, we will get the I171H right about the time we get our referral or have to travel.

I then spent 20 minutes driving around downtown Nashville trying to find a parking spot near the building where I had to get our documents authenticated. Finally, on what I had decided was my last round before I parked three miles away, I found a spot -- right in front of the door again. The lady working there was the same one who did ours for China. She is SO nice!! They were also not busy and I managed to get them done quickly. Right at the end, I realized one of the documents I had combined really needed to be separate. Unfortunately, it was one that was from Robertson County so I had to drive back to that office to get a new certification. I will go Monday and get it authenticated and put the package in the mail. I just didn't have the energy (or gas money, for that matter!!! at $3.19 a gallon) to drive back to Nashville.

And, the best of all is that after reading about how much folks in other states have had to pay for their authentications, I was very pleased to have walked away with all my documents having only paid $40.

Our fundraiser for this weekend (concessions at a ball tournament) was cancelled due to the storms that are expected. While this is disappointing in that we needed to have the fundraiser, it will answer a prayer that our family has been praying for just a little time to get some things done at our house. I'm behind in my paperwork and Kevin's working very hard on building up the floor in the office.

I'm EXCITED to report my friend Jennifer has received her daughter -- a big surprise to me as I thought she was still waiting in the Vietnam program. Congratulations to her and her beautiful daughter. Jennifer was my Secret Santa this past Christmas. Visit her blog here.