We're.......
OFFICIAL!!!
Our home study is done and we are on file with our agency now. We got home from work yesterday and found out that our profile is on the agency's website now, too! We're so excited! I am so glad we stayed up late on Monday and finished it. Steve overnighted the box of profiles to the agency, so I'm sure that's why they were able to get it online this week. Yay!
I told Steve that we're going to celebrate tonight! This is such a big deal for us. :)
I told my sister in law over the phone last night, and she was so excited for us, too. That made me feel great. I emailed everyone on our email list, too! I'm also going to include a letter with our Christmas cards to 'announce' that we're adopting but also to ask people to mention us if they know of someone considering adoption. Our agency encourages you to network as much as you can.
Anyway, I'm doing my little happy dance right now!
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Our Home Visit
This past Wednesday night we had our home visit for our home study done. We think it went really well. We talked about our house, our neighborhood, and our neighbors. We mentioned how we have a great park nearby with a splash park (I can't wait to take our child there someday...it looks like so much fun!) We also talked about how we have a library and schools nearby. We gave a tour of our house. Then we talked about what happens next. We should be on the waiting families list fairly soon - we're waiting for the final home study report to be written and then we have to wait for the proof copy of our profile to arrive. After we approve the proof, they will print up 50+ copies of the profile and we'll attach our photos to them. Then we'll send them back to the agency, and they will distribute them to their different offices.
We are both so happy to be at this point. I know I wrote it before, but I really do feel hopeful now. I know it's going to take time for everything to come together, but I feel like we are really going to become parents through adoption.
We are both so happy to be at this point. I know I wrote it before, but I really do feel hopeful now. I know it's going to take time for everything to come together, but I feel like we are really going to become parents through adoption.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Home Study
I have been wanting to write an update, but this is the first chance I've had. We have been doing so much for our home study and have been so busy.
I think the last time I wrote, I had mentioned how we were about to go to our first meeting that was part of the whole home study process. We went to it and met our caseworker. She ran the meeting/class. She's really nice. She went through the whole process from start to finish; they talked a lot about openness in adoption vs. closed adoptions of the past; they talked about birthparents, etc. They sent us home with a huge binder of information, plus more forms to fill out. We had to have fingerprints done, and get physicals from our doctor. We also have to work on our profile. We had to write out a birthmother letter and then information about ourselves and where we live. They will have all of it printed professionally and we'll add our photos to it. You wouldn't think that would take so long to write, but when you want it to sound just right, it takes forever! Plus, I'll make a change and then Steve will make 5 changes...that's how it goes. :)
Tomorrow night we meet with our caseworker for our first interview together. The next Monday night we meet to have our individual interviews. After that, the caseworker will be coming to our house for the home visit to make sure our house is safe.
After all of this part is done, we will be in the "pool" of waiting families. There are about 100 couples waiting right now. It could take up to 2 years to be chosen (if we are ever chosen, because some couples aren't chosen...I hope that doesn't happen.) If a birthmother has an adoption plan set up with the agency, she looks through the profiles of the waiting couples and can choose one from them or from online. So, the agency isn't choosing you, the birthmom is. We just have to hope that someone will really connect with our profile.
On top of all of this, it has been very busy at my school. We've had so much going on, including state testing. I worked late at school, too, because I had volunteered at one of our festivals in the evening.
We celebrated our 9th anniversary this past week, too. We went out to dinner together and tried to keep our eyes open since we were so tired!
I guess that's everything for now. We're both excited to be putting everything together - I think it makes us feel more hopeful than we've felt over the past 2+ years.
I think the last time I wrote, I had mentioned how we were about to go to our first meeting that was part of the whole home study process. We went to it and met our caseworker. She ran the meeting/class. She's really nice. She went through the whole process from start to finish; they talked a lot about openness in adoption vs. closed adoptions of the past; they talked about birthparents, etc. They sent us home with a huge binder of information, plus more forms to fill out. We had to have fingerprints done, and get physicals from our doctor. We also have to work on our profile. We had to write out a birthmother letter and then information about ourselves and where we live. They will have all of it printed professionally and we'll add our photos to it. You wouldn't think that would take so long to write, but when you want it to sound just right, it takes forever! Plus, I'll make a change and then Steve will make 5 changes...that's how it goes. :)
Tomorrow night we meet with our caseworker for our first interview together. The next Monday night we meet to have our individual interviews. After that, the caseworker will be coming to our house for the home visit to make sure our house is safe.
After all of this part is done, we will be in the "pool" of waiting families. There are about 100 couples waiting right now. It could take up to 2 years to be chosen (if we are ever chosen, because some couples aren't chosen...I hope that doesn't happen.) If a birthmother has an adoption plan set up with the agency, she looks through the profiles of the waiting couples and can choose one from them or from online. So, the agency isn't choosing you, the birthmom is. We just have to hope that someone will really connect with our profile.
On top of all of this, it has been very busy at my school. We've had so much going on, including state testing. I worked late at school, too, because I had volunteered at one of our festivals in the evening.
We celebrated our 9th anniversary this past week, too. We went out to dinner together and tried to keep our eyes open since we were so tired!
I guess that's everything for now. We're both excited to be putting everything together - I think it makes us feel more hopeful than we've felt over the past 2+ years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)