Being "presented"

Agencies that don't find the right matches through their own database of prospective adopting parents often advertise elsewhere. Or if an expectant mom doesn't find the right family with an agency, they will help her find the right people.

A situation like this came up with a smaller agency. We have the completed home study to hand over to the agency, but they needed a profile. A bit of a whim and way before we are fully ready. But as with any kids added to a family, is there ever a "right time?" And if it did work out, we would be able to make it happen. Just not as easy as if it were to happen a few months from now.

But the alternative (not ever being "chosen") does scare us enough to not pass up a potential opportunity.

So we put together a profile! 6 pages of photos and descriptions of us, our family, and our life.

Submitted to the agency. Which apparently many many other people did as well. Any time an infant girl (with no drug/alcohol exposure) is to be born, there seems to be huge, large interest.

Heard back yesterday afternoon that we are one of three families chosen to be presented to the expectant mother! Our hopes are not up, everything was put together so last minute! And people can wait years and years before adopting, so we're doubtful that it would happen for us within a couple of weeks of having a completed home study.
But it is good (potential) practice!!
She will see the three profiles tomorrow to see if any of them feel right to her.
yikes!
:)

More papers

And back to the county office. Weren't we just there? Yeah, back in May...but we need more from them!


Last documents needed for us to send (that were not required for our home study) were driver licenses and the kids' birth certificates.

With the count office opening this morning at 8am, I figured Wyatt & I could easily get over to San Marcos, get the 3 certificates, and then head over to his preschool by 9. Traffic was fine, but the wait in line (again) was bad. We managed to get to preschool right around 9:15 (10 miles away).

So those get mailed out with a few other things, and then we continue on our profile (photos, etc).

Home Study complete!

We passed!
Took our time getting there,
but we have a complete home study!

This means legally we are able to adopt within the parameters set through the home study. It basically says we will be adopting an infant girl within the United States. We had contemplated doing international, but are instead sticking to domestic adoption.

Within domestic adoption there are a few ways to go about it. Through the state/county, private, or independent. We will be going with a private agency.

The home study has been sent to the adoption agency we have chosen to work with. There are some documents still needed with them: one more letter of reference, our drivers licenses, birth certificates for each of our kids, as well as some papers specific to the agency.

As we get those organized we also have been pouring over photos of us & our family. Trying to get forms filled out in order to create a profile. Harder than it seems!

Once the documents are sent off and our profile is compete (we have someone creating this for us, to put together as a hard copy), we will be "active" with the agency.

At that time we could get a call that day that there is a baby born and we will need to travel. Or we could be in for a very long wait. Hopefully it will end up something in between :)

Randoms of Waiting

Taking things slow in finishing up our home study. No immediate rush, and we're not quite ready yet. Plus, the home study expires a year from completion. Not a large sum or effort to get it updated, but not being in a hurry we can wait a bit longer. Also waiting for some of the financial information (we'd pretty much forgotten about the retirement accounts from Spawar!), takes a bit of time.

We have however chosen a primary agency to work with! We will be signing with some smaller ones as well, but the large one gives us the best chance at adoption, most likely.

So we will now be working on paperwork with the home study as well as the actual agency who will (most likely) oversee the adoption & getting things moving along!

Birth & Marriage certificates

Richard and I need to have copies of our birth certificates & our marriage certificate.
So Wyatt & I went to San Marcos to order them up!

Line was maybe 15 minutes. Of Wyatt screaming.
At front another 10 minutes, but the woman helping us was super nice and kept putting stickers on Wyatt's arm & leg and giving him pens to color on the stickers with.

Birthday gifts

Birthday celebration with the Castiles was yesterday,
gift from my parents was offer to help with adoption costs (so very appreciated!) as well as an adorable jumper.
Gifts for me AND the baby girl!

3rd home visit

We got to have the third visit on my birthday.
Exciting times, and I was more than happy to get to complete part of this process on my 32nd birthday!

Started with the home inspection. That went well, showed Lori (social worker) the room that will later be the baby room (complete with baby onesie from J.D. and Andrea hanging on wall! She loved it!). Took her on brief tour of the backyard. Only thing to be fixed I think is getting a lock for the hot tub making it child-proof. Which we need to do anyways.

Visit with Richard was first, he got to do his in depth conversation with her. I took Brett and Wyatt out to lunch with Brendan while Lori and Richard stayed here to chat.

When I returned home, after picking Matthew up from school, she spoke with the kids a bit. Got answers from Brett like "the new baby can sleep in the crib with Wyatt." It went well :)

And then chats with me & Richard together. How we parent. How we will handle 4 children. Watched how we interact together. And how we handle kids fighting, since of course an argument happened between the boys over lego pieces...

And then she left!
3 hours today, it went well.
Waiting on the Dept of Justice fingerprints (other ones already came through, child abuse ones and FBI!), the rest of our financial statements, and doctor forms for us (need to make that appt).