I will be sharing some posts on our adoption that I have been writing over the past 6 months. This post was written on March 7, 2012.
We had our first class of adoption training today {March 7, 2012}. It wasn?t really a class?it was more like a meeting since there were only 3 of us there?me, J, and the adoption counselor.
We are required to have 12 hours of in-home training for our home study plus 2 additional hours of online training.
Speaking of home study we learned today that we should finish it up within the next 3-4 months at the most. I didn?t even know what home study meant until recently, but it is basically a written book of your entire life. It is something that your adoption agency will use to send to the country you are adopting from to help place you with a child.
And when I say it?s a written book of your life?I mean they want to know everything about every member of your family?including how many freckles you have on your face.
Ok, maybe not that detailed, but pretty darn close.
So far for the beginning stages of the home study we had to turn in:
- Up-to-date physicals on everyone in the family, including TB & HIV tests for my husband and I
- The initial adoption application, which was roughly 4 pages of personal information and questions
- 5 references
- Fingerprints (adults only)
- Information on residency in any state, other than IL, in the past 5 years
- Floor plan of our home (with room measurements)
- Proof of adequate income (tax return)
- Copy of birth certificates for each member of the family
- Copy of marriage license
- Copy of pet inoculations
- Copy of driver?s license and insurance card
- Copy of medical insurance card/policy
Not bad so far. Ha!
From what I have been told this is JUST the beginning of the paperwork saga though. Did I mention that the agency that is doing our home study is not the actual adoption agency?
Oh yea.
Since our actual adoption agency is out of state, we are required to have an in-state agency do our home study. It seems so confusing.
And really?it is. I think it took me a good 4 weeks to fully understand the difference.
Lutheran Social Services is the company that is doing our Illinois home study and Hope Adoption Agency in Minnesota is the actual adoption agency that will work with the international country to help place us with a child.
Clear as mud?
Psssst.
Anyway, both companies have their OWN set of paperwork, their OWN set of applications, and {even better} their OWN set of fees. 
We haven?t even applied to the actual adoption agency yet or filled out the application. Right now I am just working on trying to get our home study completed with Lutheran Social Services because we can not technically send an application to adopt ANY child until a home study is done.
Back to our training. The first set of training was a 3 hour session. Not to mention we also had to write our first BIG check today. The initial application with LSSI (Lutheran Social Services) was only $250. But, the actual home study fee was due today and I wrote a check for $2,250.
This is real.
As in?we REALLY will be adding to this chaos.
At least that?s what writing a check that big said to me.
Some of the things we went over in the first training had to do with ?expectations of adoption?. ?When adopting internationally, no matter which country, you will be getting a child that in some shape or form has been traumatized. Whether it be that the child was abused or neglected?they will have some form of trauma that they have dealt with in their life. Even a 1-2 year old.
It?s important to realize that our future child will be grieving the loss of their ?old? life. Even though we know that we will be able to provide this child with a much better life than living in an orphanage or foster care, it is still important to remember that we will be pulling this child from everything that is familiar to them.
Can you imagine being an infant or a toddler and being placed with 2 unfamiliar people that you have never seen before? ?Not to mention that this child will have to LEAVE the country they live in with these 2 unfamiliar people. I can not imagine how scary that would be for a child. It?s probably the one thing about the adoption process that scares me the most.
Will this child bond with me? Will they accept us as parents? Will they adjust to life in a new country with a family that doesn?t even speak the same language? ?Will they scream bloody murder when we take them from the arms of the orphanage workers?
It will break my heart.
But one thing I am certain of, God is leading us down this path for a reason. He?s creating his own story for our lives and although it?s not exactly how I thought our story would be written, it?s the way He sees fit and I?m ready to continue down His path even if it means I?ll be out of my comfort zone as a parent.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
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