Happy New Year! It's been a while since our last post. Too long. The goal of the adoption journey this time around was to keep everyone informed, every step of the way. Last time, we were pretty quiet about the adoption-it felt like a jinx. We rarely talked about it because somehow it felt like if the world knew how bad we wanted it, it would never happen. Now we know that the absolute perfect child for our family will come at the absolute perfect time, but it is still hard. The process is so slow, and it feels like we have to jump through a thousand hoops just to move an inch forward. We are moving forward though! Here's what we've been up to: After we chose our adoption agency, we had to submit an application and have our application be accepted. Once it was accepted, we received a GIANT list of items to complete in different stages. The first stage included: 1. Health physicals for all members of the family. This means that we all had to go to our doctors (not an easy thing to make happen in the middle of a pandemic) for a physical. We also had to have blood drawn and TB tests in order to prove we have no communicable diseases. Did you have to do that before you could have your child? 2. Background checks- we had to submit payment and authorization for background checks for all members 18+ in our immediate family. 3. Fingerprinting- we had to go get fingerprinted to prove we're not criminals. 4. Budget form- we had to complete an in-depth budget form explaining all of our finances, assets and debts. We also had to provide proof of income and tax returns. 5. Pay a $2700 home study fee. We completed all of the steps in stage 1 and sent in all of the paperwork just before the holidays, so we are anxiously awaiting what's next. We are no where near done with all of the paperwork, appointments, payments, trainings, meetings, etc. In fact, we have only begun, and these are the easiest parts of the adoption process. It may not seem like a lot, but all of these things take so much time and effort, it is exhausting. Add a toddler and full time jobs to the mix, and it becomes even more exhausting. We know in the end it will all be worth it, but I think we forgot just how much work it takes to go through an adoption. However, that is exactly the reason why we want to share our journey with all of you! We know that many of you are just as invested in this as we are, and we can not thank you all for your support. What's next? Next we will be assigned an adoption social worker who will guide us through the next round of paperwork and the home study. This process will likely take a few months due to COVID and the many meetings it entails, but our goal is to have it complete by early spring! Here's what we need from you! 1. Continued support. It is fun for us when you ask us about the adoption-so don't hesitate! 2. Fundraising ideas! Do you have any fun/unique fundraising ideas? Do you know anyone who is really good at fundraising or who has had successful fundraisers in the past? We would love to collaborate! 3. Spread the word. If you, or anyone you know, knows of someone who is thinking about placing their child for adoption, please pass along our information. It is never too early for a match! 4. What do you want to know/see? Let us know what content you like to see/read about! 5. Check out our social medias! We post more often on social medias regarding our everyday life and our adoption journey, so check it out! "Life is amazing. And then it's awful. And then it's amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful it's ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That's just living. Heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it's breathtakingly beautiful." - LR Knost We are currently in the ordinary and routine-but thankful to not be in the awful and patiently awaiting our next amazing. We hope you all have a very happy and healthy new year! flow.page/ohwowmomentsmamas
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AuthorsHello! We are Sarah and Anna, and we are inviting you to come along on our journey to adoption! Archives |