A small victory!

Two months and 5 days ago (but who's counting?) we received our instructions for beginning our Home Study.  After two months of gathering papers and signing documents, we finally mailed (almost) everything off today.  We still have some educational classes to take, which we will receive a certificate of completion and our FBI background checks to go.  Once our information is reviewed we can get a Social Worker out to our house for interviews and get this Home Study done!  This whole paper chasing and Home Study process is predicted to last approximately 4-6 months.

 And so here we are:

2 months and 5 days into it.

So if you're curious here's what we mailed off today:

Individual 4-page biographies

Adult Physical Exams

Duty of Candor

Accuracy Statement

Guardianship Statement

Reference Forms & Contact Information (BIG thanks to those we have asked to be references!)

Residential History

Reading Agreement

Home Study Agreement

Home Study Agency Agreement

Home Study Post-Placement Agreement

Consent to exchange Info for Employer, Doctors, VA Registar, and References

Financial Statement

Statement of Monthly Expenses

Education History of Adoptive Parents

Work History of Adoptive Parents

Sworn Disclosure Statements

Photocopies of the following:

Birth Certificates of all household members

Marriage License

Employment Verification Letter

Copy of Driver Licenses

Copy of Medical Insurance Cards

Most Recent Tax Forms

Copy of Social Security Cards

Copy of most 2 recent pay stubs

Copy of Life Insurance Policies

Copy of Automobile Insurance Policies

Copy of Pet records (yes, even Beamer has to reach clearance status!)

So that's what we've been doing for the last two months. My original goal was to do it all at record speed and get it done in 2 weeks. Ha! Then my goal was 3 weeks, then 1 month. And well…here we are!

It feels incredibly good to have all that in the mail.  The last few days…Travis and I turn to each other and give a look like, "I can't believe we finally completed that!"

It. Feels. So. Good.

So good in fact…we are treating ourselves to a little time away…just the two of us!  Yippee!

Our mini vacay will start…ironically…where it all started for Travis & I…A Dave Matthews Concert.  We have always loved DMB and have followed him around to numerous shows over the years…NC, VA, NYC, DC.  8 years ago, Travis almost proposed to me at a Dave show…but he got too excited and couldn’t wait so he popped the question the night before....and the rest is history! 

After the show we will head to Cape Hatteras for a few days for some fun in the sun!  Can’t wait!

Thank you to those reading this blog post and following our story.  Please share our story and let anyone & everyone know that we have not given up on our dream to have a family and would love the assistance of our friends & family to help us spread the word, share stories, offer comfort and one day celebrate with us as we bring a little one home.  It has been a long road, but we are confident there is a reason for everything!  Feel free to share our story with others that may be struggling with their own fertility issues and/or those contemplating the toughest decision of their lives...allowing their child to be loved & cared for by an adoptive family.

Contact us anytime at susan_and_travis@yahoo.com

 

What a process!

Forgive me for letting so much time lag between blog updates!  We are new to this adoption process and the beginning of it can be a bit overwhelming…to say the least!  First and foremost, I would love to tell everyone it is less stressful and not near as emotionally grueling as fertility treatments…this is totally what Travis & I were expecting.  We were WRONG!  Although we are not physically going through testing...or taking multiple shots to the stomach…or in the dreaded 2 week wait.  We are experiencing something… 

It’s hard to describe exactly.  Overwhelming is probably the best word that I can use to describe it.  I realize now, more than ever, that those lucky parents that chose the path to adoption…and completed it…are a very special few.  I didn’t think I went into this process blindly…I had done a little research here and there on the adoption process, but it is a whole different perspective when you are knee deep in it.  I think I was like many that thought…”yeah, I know there is going to be a lot of paperwork and a long process, but so many people have done it, and with everything we have been through over the past 5 years, I’m sure we can handle it.”

Once again, another test of our true longing to be parents is at work!

It’s a slow process and one that patience is quite the virtue.  We are still in the beginning stages…the homestudy is underway…which is only the first step in a multi-step process. 

When we received our homestudy paperwork we were super excited to get the process started and ripped the packet open with nervous anticipation.  The more we read through the information the more in-depth we realized we needed to get.  The stack of paperwork was divided into 7 packets…each packet no less than 10-15 pages.  We dove in with determination and plowed through the first few (easy) packets that just required general information and medical history, along with a physical and gathering of financial papers.  Next was the 2-3 page auto-biographical sketch that we had to write about ourselves, our entire family, our courtship & marriage and how we planned to pass along our moral beliefs to our potential children.  Followed by a detailed outline of what our potential family would do in the event of an emergency such as, fire or community evacuation.  (We even had to draw a blueprint of our house with exits that would be used in case of such an emergency).  All of this is followed by multiple in-home visits by a qualified social worker before getting the final “stamp of approval” that we, and our home, is suitable for bringing an infant into our family.

So…our mantra over the next few months…

Overwhelming and tedious??  YES!

Going to be worth it in the long run??  ABSOLUTLEY!!

Please keep your fingers crossed for us over the next few months and we will update soon!