Okay - so it's been quite the journey already - to get to this point where we can actually utter these words!!! We know that, for some time, our language has been more like "we are pretty sure," or "we think this is the direction we're going, but we don't know for sure," or some other variant. But, before we left for Scotland, we submitted our completed paperwork application because we felt confirmation from the Lord that this in fact our path. God's story in our lives is something we never could have predicted or dreamed up. When we got married over four years ago, we had no idea this is where we would go. And now, we're so thrilled to have begun praying for our adoptive child, and also for the birthmother and family.
While we were gone, the agency started reviewing our file, and even sent our references their forms. We expect a call early next week to start scheduling our home study - but as we have to remind ourselves - nothing about this journey is really predictable or controllable. Soon, I hope to write about some of the things we learned about in our classes - adoption language, open adoption, adoption not being "plan B", the fact that adoption does NOT replace the pain of infertility, etc... We are so happy that you are choosing to walk this journey with us by reading along!
In the meantime, our task is to start our match letter. This is the letter that will go on the agency's website and into books in pregnancy centers throughout the state. WOW! We're moving forward!!!
We're adopting!!!! (gotta get used to saying that - we're SO excited!)
9/30/11
9/15/11
Vacation!!!
We've created a special blog for our vacation (we cross our fingers we'll be able to update it regularly)! You can find it here.
9/9/11
The Journey
So - updates!!!
We have lots to talk about... First, we are moving forward on the adoption journey!!! The first part is completing the paperwork, which we are doing in faith as we continue to search our hearts for any closed doors from the Lord. The agency we are working with is 100% all about open adoption - which for us, is one of the pieces we hesitate about, but certainly doesn't deter us from pursuing this. If you want to know more about open adoption, I'd be happy to share all we've learned! (If I shared everything we experienced in our classes here, it would be WAY too long) All in all, we feel very excited about this journey and the story that God is weaving. That's not to say that the infertility journey is "solved" or that we aren't still grieving our inability to have biological children right now (this is seriously a whole nother post on its own - maybe I'll get there soon). But God is helping our hearts move forward in anticipation of His Great Plan.
Second, we leave in ONE WEEK for our vacation to SCOTLAND!!!! We are so excited to have this getaway. It will be time to be together, to focus on us, to be away from work, and see more of God's beautiful creation that we've never experienced.
So,in the meantime, we have indeed been working diligently to complete our paperwork package for the adoption agency before we leave, and we're pretty much done!!! After fingerprints, 180 question personality tests (taken twice each!), physicals, about a billion pages of things to read and sign, a 26 page Word form of narrative questions, completing a budget, getting photocopies of birth and marriage certificates, and tax forms, it's completed! I still have to work on getting certified copies of our birth/marriage certificates (needed for the formal certification request), and starting to dream about writing a match letter, but this first piece is just about ready for Fed-Exing, along with our first home study/certification fee check.
So - the next steps, you say?? Well, they're honestly a bit fuzzy to me, but I'll outline it the best I can. Once our package is received and given a once-over by the adoption supervisor, our case worker will schedule 4 visits with us: one is a home visit at our house, which will be coupled with one of our 1:1 meetings with her (since she has to travel two hours to come here). Then, another 1:1 meeting, and one additional meeting that I don't know the purpose of or location for (I just can't remember - it was May that we talked about this). Then, the last pre-placement step is getting our match letter (this is the initial tool that prospective birth mothers/families use to choose the family they want to place with) on their website and in the books around Arizona at pregnancy centers. Writing and putting that together seems really intimidating, so I'm glad we have some time. Finally, once the letter is out there, we have to expect placement (and placement payment - the biggest chunk of the fees) ANYTIME, but the average is about 3 months-1 year.
Phew. That's a lot!
We have lots to talk about... First, we are moving forward on the adoption journey!!! The first part is completing the paperwork, which we are doing in faith as we continue to search our hearts for any closed doors from the Lord. The agency we are working with is 100% all about open adoption - which for us, is one of the pieces we hesitate about, but certainly doesn't deter us from pursuing this. If you want to know more about open adoption, I'd be happy to share all we've learned! (If I shared everything we experienced in our classes here, it would be WAY too long) All in all, we feel very excited about this journey and the story that God is weaving. That's not to say that the infertility journey is "solved" or that we aren't still grieving our inability to have biological children right now (this is seriously a whole nother post on its own - maybe I'll get there soon). But God is helping our hearts move forward in anticipation of His Great Plan.
Second, we leave in ONE WEEK for our vacation to SCOTLAND!!!! We are so excited to have this getaway. It will be time to be together, to focus on us, to be away from work, and see more of God's beautiful creation that we've never experienced.
So,in the meantime, we have indeed been working diligently to complete our paperwork package for the adoption agency before we leave, and we're pretty much done!!! After fingerprints, 180 question personality tests (taken twice each!), physicals, about a billion pages of things to read and sign, a 26 page Word form of narrative questions, completing a budget, getting photocopies of birth and marriage certificates, and tax forms, it's completed! I still have to work on getting certified copies of our birth/marriage certificates (needed for the formal certification request), and starting to dream about writing a match letter, but this first piece is just about ready for Fed-Exing, along with our first home study/certification fee check.
So - the next steps, you say?? Well, they're honestly a bit fuzzy to me, but I'll outline it the best I can. Once our package is received and given a once-over by the adoption supervisor, our case worker will schedule 4 visits with us: one is a home visit at our house, which will be coupled with one of our 1:1 meetings with her (since she has to travel two hours to come here). Then, another 1:1 meeting, and one additional meeting that I don't know the purpose of or location for (I just can't remember - it was May that we talked about this). Then, the last pre-placement step is getting our match letter (this is the initial tool that prospective birth mothers/families use to choose the family they want to place with) on their website and in the books around Arizona at pregnancy centers. Writing and putting that together seems really intimidating, so I'm glad we have some time. Finally, once the letter is out there, we have to expect placement (and placement payment - the biggest chunk of the fees) ANYTIME, but the average is about 3 months-1 year.
Phew. That's a lot!
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