Home study visit

We had our first home study visit on the 30th. It was really laid back, no real reason to have been nervous about it (even though I was). Our social worker was really nice. She lives in the same town we do, and actually went to the same college Andrew and I went to, so we talked about that some (she has children our age, so the college changed a lot from the time she was there to when we were there!)

We went over the orientation form for the home study, basically just going over what the next 2 visits would look like, what paperwork we still had to turn in, and she answered any of our questions.

There was a LOT of paperwork still to do. So after she left Monday night I made a long to do list, and the next day we got to work. I filed our taxes yesterday, which helps with 2 things. We have to include our most recent tax return in our home study AND our refund will be paying to finish the home study (costs $900 to get started and the other $900 is due at the end). Yesterday we also called to set up a vet visit for all 3 of our animals, doctor's visits for Andrew and myself, and made phone calls/emails to references to get those in. We have 4 references that aren't related to us and 2 that are (one from each side) asked to write a "letter of support".

Today the stars aligned. Andrew closed at work (so he didn't go in until 3pm), the girls were at school, and the baby I watch during the day wasn't here today, so we took advantage and got a lot of errands done (and a lot of money spent ;) )

After we dropped the girls off at school, Andrew dropped me off at the dentist. This wasn't adoption related, I just had a cavity I had to get filled and added to the "lots of money spent" part. While I was there, Andrew went and dropped off the forms at the girls' pediatrician that they need to fill out and fax in. Then he headed over to drop off the 911 record forms that they'll mail back to us. He also picked up a copy of our marriage certificate, then I was done and he came to pick me back up.

After the dentist we headed to Pak Mail to get our fingerprints done for the GBI (Georgia) background check ($34 per person). Next we went down to the jail to get our FBI (federal) fingerprints done. This was only $5 for both of us to do it, but then we'll pay $36 when we mail it in to them.

We also picked up birth certificates for Andrew, Alexis and Kaitlyn. We got 3 copies of each, just in case we need more. They're $25 for the first one, but only $5 for additional copies at the same time, so we figured we'd get a couple extra just in case. So $105 later....

I'll have to mail away for my birth certificate, since I wasn't born in Georgia, so that's still on my to do list.

After all that craziness Andrew and I still had time for a quick lunch before we had to pick up the girls from school (they go to a 3 day/week preschool 9am-1pm), so we tried out a local BBQ place (Troy's BBQ for local readers). We've heard great things, but have never been. It was great! Not great for my diet, but taste wise... great!

Still on our to do list before the 21st-

• get our FBI forms notarized
• mail in our FBI fingerprint forms
• mail away for my birth certificate
• replace the battery in one of our smoke detectors
• double check that all of our cleaning supplies are locked up
• make sure all of our references get mailed in
• get letter from Walgreens verifying Andrew's employment/salary
• print our Will and get it notarized

I *think* that's it, but our actual to do list is in the car, and it's raining really hard... so we'll just say that's it.

We just got back from the vet to get all of our animals up to date on their vaccinations... $300 later, they're all mad at us and our bank account is empty ;)

Speaking of money... on the fundraising front, we have a couple things coming up, hopefully soon! Our tshirts should be ready in the next month or so (we have to finish paying for them, which requires our tax refund too), and the website that we're going to be the "featured family" on will hopefully be sometime in March. They've announced all the family's for February and we aren't on that list, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll make the cut for March. They pick the families to be featured based on their need and where they are in the process. We obviously need the money, but there are other families that are leaving next week/month to pick up their babies and still don't have the money needed. OR they have already brought their children home, and have debt because of it.

If you have any ideas about how we can fund raise in other ways, please let me know! As soon as our homestudy is complete we'll be able to apply for several grants from different organizations, so I'm looking forward to that phase... lots more paperwork!

Finally, please keep us in your prayers! This is a long process, but we're trusting in God's timing with everything and leaning on Him to provide. Thank you to everyone for your support!

Another edition of FAQ

We have our first home study visit scheduled for one week from today! We've answered lots of questions since scheduling this and I'm hoping to answer some of those questions here for anyone else who might be wondering, but haven't had a chance to ask.

Q. What does it mean to have your first "visit" scheduled?

A. We will have 3 visits with our social worker. This first visit is very informal, she'll come over and see our house and talk to us about the rest of the process. We'll talk about what paperwork is still required of us (lots), what to expect in the next 2 visits, and things like that. She's already told us that before she comes for the 2nd visit that she likes us to have all the paperwork finished, so that could be several weeks. I believe by the 3rd visit we'll have to finish paying, but that shouldn't be an issue since it's almost tax refund time! The 2nd visit is when the social worker will sit down with Andrew and I together and separately to ask us a million personal questions. Not looking forward to that one, but I was referred to this particular social worker and heard that she's really nice, so hopefully it won't be too rough.

Q. How much longer is the adoption process going to take?

A. A long time. It really depends a lot on how fast we can get all the paperwork sent where it needs to be, all the documents in we need (birth certificates, etc), and of course how quickly we can come up with the money to move on to the next thing. Right now we have $900 left to pay to the home study agency.

Q. What happens after the home study?

A. Well, first the home study has to be approved, and then we have to complete a dossier, which is basically a bunch of paperwork that the Congolese government requires of families that want to adopt. After that we'll be put on the waitlist for a referral. How long we wait for a referral depends on how many other families are in "line" ahead of us- age/gender/etc. Eventually we'll be matched with a little girl that's in our requested age group, and if we accept the referral our case will be presented to a local court in Congo for their approval. Luckily, we don't have to be there in person (most countries require this now, which adds a lot to the cost). After the court approval we have to wait 30 days to make sure there isn't a blood relative or something of the child that wants to appeal the court's decision. After ALL that, we'll file a I600 (more paperwork), that takes a month or 2 to get approved. After the I600 is approved, the Embassy will process a visa and then we have to get a letter from the Congolese government that says the child is allowed to leave the country. As far as I know, that last step happens while we're there with our little one (Hannah... Natalie... we're undecided ;) ). Travel time is estimated to be 7-14 days.

Q. How much money do you still have left to raise?

A. Lots. We still have $900 to pay to the home study agency, and $14,700 to our adoption agency. And then we also have to pay all of our travel expenses which are expected to be about $3,000. So yeah... that's a lot of numbers. After we get through the home study process we can start applying for grants, etc. We'll keep you updated.

Q. Are the shirts here?

A. Not yet, but they're ordered! I ordered 100 shirts, so if you want one, I have one for you! I got lots of different sizes- everything from a kid's XS to an adult XXXL.

I hope that answers some questions people have had!

PLEASE let me know if you have any other questions. I know I still don't have all the answers, but I'm learning a lot as we go forward in this process. Our next "to do" is another big stack of paperwork (what else is knew?)

Featured Family

Next week we’re going to be the Featured Family on Give1Save.com. During that week they’ll be asking people to donate $1 to help fund the adoption of our little girl. We’re so excited about this! Please, please, please... PLEASE if you could help us next week by blowing up your Facebook timelines, emails, etc. with the link when I post it. Just think, if 25,000 people each donated $1, we’d have the whole thing funded! Thanks in advance everyone!

Fundraisers!

Hey folks, today kicks off National Adoption Month, so it seemed fitting to kick off a few fundraisers too. I have 3 fundraisers starting today.

1. Scentsy. If you don't know what Scentsy is, you're missing out! It's a home show business that electric candles. They warm wax using a lightbulb and the scents are amazing! My friend Chrystle Woods sells Scentsy and has offered to donate her commission to our adoption fund! We will receive 25% of the sales in this "party". I'm keeping this fundraiser open until the end of the year. Makes for some great Christmas gifts, and you can donate to a good cause at the same time! To shop, just follow this link. Please share with your friends! If you don't want to shop online, let me know, I have some catalogs and order forms I can take your order with.

2. T-shirts! We're finally ordering tshirts! This is what the shirt will look like- we will have fitted and regular tshirts. The fitted shirts are $20 and are available in sizes XS-XL. The regular shirts are also $20 and available in children's XS-L and adults XS-XXXL. If you'd like to preorder you can leave a comment here, facebook me or email me (saragentry at gmail dot com). I'll take cash (if you're local), check or paypal (br616611 at yahoo dot com). Please let me know what cut and size shirt you want when you message me.

3. I got this idea from my friend who saw it as a fundraiser for another adoptive family. We'll be selling puzzle pieces for $5. If you buy a puzzle piece you'll be able to write a message on the back to our little girl and then when the puzzle is completed we'll put it together and frame it for her room. If you aren't local, you can still buy one and just let us write on it for you. This will be a nice keepsake for her to know that she had lots of people thinking about and praying for her before she even made it home!

If you're interested in buying a puzzle piece, let me know! If you're local, I can get with you to write your message. If you want us to write the message for you, we can do that as well.

Please continue to pray for our little girl, and for the adoption process as a whole. We're still working on home study paper work, but are getting closer to being able to start the home study. Continue to keep the Congo in your prayers too, elections are in a couple weeks and the violence and demonstrations are getting worse. Pray for safety for those involved and for a positive outcome for the election.

Next step- home study

The next step in the adoption process for us is the home study. If you're like me, you don't really know what that means. Going into it I sort of thought it was just a study of your home... you know, like the name implies. But it's more than just a case worker going around your house looking for reasons why you're an unfit parent. 1st it's a LOT of paperwork. A LOT. We have to get fingerprinted, background checks, criminal record checks... pretty much anything in your past gets checked up on.... we have to submit a request for all the 911 calls made from our home! Which, I still have to figure out because we don't have a home phone line. Cell phones? I don't know. That's one of the questions I'm asking my friend Noelle on Friday when we meet for coffee and I bring my giant file folder of paper work with me and pick her brain. She's adopting a baby boy from the Congo and is #1 on the waitlist!

So, back to the home study- it's lots of paperwork, lots of questions about your past, your upbringing, relationships with your parents/siblings, parenting ideals, etc. There are 12 pages of "stuff about me" I have to fill out, and Andrew has to fill out those same 12 pages about himself. After we get all the paperwork finished we'll have the meetings. I'll be interviewed, Andrew will be interviewed and then she'll interview us together. Going more in depth into the questions we already answered and I'm sure bringing up other questions.

We've asked for a girl, around 2 years old. That's the age we think will fit well in our family, that way we'll have a 4, 3, and 2 year old. Little stairsteps :)

We still have a long way to go, the home study process takes about 8-10 weeks, and I'm pretty sure that start time is after the first visit, which we still have to schedule. We can't schedule that till we get through this mountain of paperwork AND we replace the carpet. If we're friends on Facebook you read about a week ago we had plumbing issues that resulted in poo carpet in our master bedroom. Well, we ripped that out and bleached the foundation, but now our master bedroom has no carpet, which I'm sure does not bode well for a home study! We're working on the carpet thing, just have to get people out here to measure so we can get people out here to install!

On the money side of things- we have the money for the home study, YAY! That's a big hurdle and God has faithfully provided thus far. Right now we have exactly what we need to pay for the home study. After that we still have a long ways to go, but we do have a couple fundraisers coming up. My friend who sells Scentsy has offered to do a Scentsy fundraiser (more on that later) and I'm getting tshirts made soon (more on that later too!). Be on the look out for more blog updates.... hopefully we can knock this paperwork out and things will start to feel like they're moving faster!

p.s. God bless you if you can make sense of this whole post. My thoughts are all jumbled together and it's late!

Blog Hop

I'm learning so much from other adoption blogs. Today one of the blogs I follow posted a "blog hop" for anyone with an adoption blog to link up, so there's a great big list of adoption blogs over there. If you're interested you should go check it out here!

Hopefully I'll have another update about our adoption soon. We've been so busy we haven't had time to work much on the fundraising stuff, which slows down the rest of the process. Stay tuned!

Another update

It's been a little while since I've updated, so I thought I'd let everyone know what's going on. Right no we've submitted our application and have been approved. And we're waiting on a couple things now- mainly money.

Our first fundraiser went really well! We raised a total of $970. I'm still waiting on about $100 of that, but I'm really happy with that number. We will be starting our home study soon. The money we raised will pay for a little over 1/2 of that. As far as the rest of the adoption process goes, to move forward after the home study, we're waiting on $3,400. That is the adoption agency registration fee and agency fee. And to finish the home study we'll need about $500 more than what we've got left in our adoption bank account.

So right now the waiting starts. We're working on some tshirts, but we want to pass the home study first before we start selling those. The yard sale will probably be in the beginning on November, so if you have anything to donate to that, please let me know! Thanks!

Please continue to keep us and our future child in your prayers. Thank you!!