Where We Are (Paperwork-Wise) and When We Can Go Home

Many have asked why we are still in Georgia and not already Wisconsin-bound. I thought it would be a good idea to answer that question and document the ICPC process for this blog-style baby book.

Marguerite was born on Friday, December 11th. Her birthmother signed surrenders, and we received placement on Sunday, December 13th. ICPC paperwork generally begins on the first business day after the adoptive parents take placement. So that means our ICPC paperwork started on Monday, December 14th.

Here is a description of the ICPC process from adoption.com:
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC): An interstate compact, or agreement, that has been enacted into law by all 50 states in the United States, and the District of Columbia, which controls the lawful movement of children from one state to another for the purposes of adoption. Both the originating state, where the child is born, and the receiving state, where the adoptive parents live and where the adoption of the child will take place, must approve the child's movement in writing before the child can legally leave the originating state. This Compact regulates the interstate movement of both foster children and adoptive children.

Until we are cleared by both the originating state (Georgia) and the receiving state (Wisconsin), we cannot leave the state of Marguerite's birth. Thus, we can travel anywhere within Georgia, but we cannot cross the state line. (To do so, could result in felony and kidnapping charges.)

This afteroon, we received a call from the adoption agency, stating that our Georgia paperwork had cleared, and it was overnighted today to the Wisconsin ICPC office. That means that Wisconsin will be in receipt of our paperwork tomorrow (Friday) morning. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Wisconsin could start and finish their end of the paperwork in one day, and we could get the green light to start heading home tomorrow night. In that event, the earliest we'd likely be home would be Sunday, as we are driving the big ol' van with SIX kids.

If we have to wait until Monday for clearance (fairly likely, I think), we'll be driving Tuesday and maybe Wednesday, but we still should make it home before Christmas, barring any bad weather.

If we get clearance tomorrow (Friday, the 18th), the ICPC process will have taken just five days which would be amazing. If it takes until Monday or Tuesday, I think that would be more typical. I commonly hear people say that you should expect to be in the state for 7-14 days after an adoption. But we're fortunate in that Georgia and Wisconsin have reputations for being fast ICPC states.

I can't tell you how antsy we all are to get home, lovely as Georgia is.

One other thing that bears mentioning: The birth mother has a ten-day revocation window. Those ten days begin to run from the day that she signed surrenders (Sunday). Counting it out, that means that next Wednesday, December 23, we are free and clear, knowing she cannot change her mind. We have received reassuring phone calls from the social worker over the last couple days, stating that all is well and that she feels comfortable advising us to start for home, even before the ten day revocation period is up. Even so, it'll be a little nerve-wracking for the next few days until Wednesday comes and goes. I can't begin to tell you how attached we already are to Sweet Marguerite.

And now, for some cutie-patootie photos of Marguerite on her sixth day of life...