The Call- Meeting my adoption counselor

Max and Mini..nap time

         

              Talked with Janet tonight. It went well and I feel better about everything that has to happen and the time frame for it all. There are a lot of little pieces that while, not difficult have to happen at specific times. Medical exams, birth certificates and all sorts of stuff to be filed with our state and the government. 

I have worked out some of the financial stuff and am waiting for the information on a few other pieces. I am also hoping to get the website for purchasing photos and gifts up this weekend as well as the place for people to make donations. I should be ready to send off the application for my home study this week and make that payment. Then it begins the process of gathering information, researching Ethiopia, and meeting with the social worker. 

Some time this weekend I also need to clean my house. Time for a good spring cleaning, just a little early.

Packet Received

By J Kramer

             So I went to my mailbox today to find my official packet from the adoption agency that outlines all the steps I have to take through this process. It is a very large 3-ring binder with a ton of things I need to know and I think maybe even more that I need to do!! I have scheduled a time to talk with my adoption counselor, she has been great so far and I am looking forward to talking to her Wednesday night.  So for right now I am just looking at the introduction stuff in the front flap and being patient. I think while patience has always been a strong character trait of mine it is going to get much stronger during this process. Well until Weds, there is not much more to say, but I definitely have a lot to read! ;)

Application Mailed

By J. Kramer

                                 

So today is the day I have everything completed to mail the application. Reality, it will not get in the mail until tomorrow, but everything is complete. I had a hard time selecting a picture of me to put in so I decided to send two, one picture, my friend Keith took of me, and one some stranger took of me when I was hiking in Yosemite. Now it is on to getting funds together to start the home study and the dossier paperwork. I emailed my adoption counselor yesterday to make sure I was doing things in a timely and correct manner. I hate for paperwork to be my stumbling block. The paperwork is already going to be the slow process, getting it all completed and checked and translated and back with approvals. But that process gives me time to fundraise and secure loans needed  for this process. As I have begun sharing with more and more people what I am doing more and more people are shocked at the expensive of adopting. It is a expensive process but I know that the child at the other end is worth it. 

The process begins

I have started to fill out my application for the agency and sent out two of my reference letters for people to fill out. I have two more reference letters to send out and then get in touch with a social work to complete my home study. Then it is on to the dossier paperwork and the background check. I almost have my website done to be able to sell photos to help me earn some money to offset the cost of adopting. It is well worth it I know, but I am amazed at all the costs that come with the process.

 I am so thankful for my friends that have been supportive so far. They keep me going as I wade through all the paperwork.