Deb left a message yesterday on the cell. Illinois already returned Dodd's child abuse clearance. Yee haw!
One down, three to go.
Most concerned about California since the state is having a hard time paying its government employees.
Thank you for your prayers!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Went to Jail!
We are trying to make the most of our setback. All that stands between us and the wait list is 4 background checks. Our local agency moved like lightening and sent the requests for state background checks off the day after I brought the paperwork and releases to the office. Sunday we went to jail to have our fingerprints taken for the FBI. A sheriff's deputy led us through metal detectors, past rows of cells and ushered us into the Booking Office at the Washington County Jail. A delightful place we have not had the opportunity to visit until now. Ha! Dodd's sister was visiting from California and waited patiently for us while we were printed.Someday we will tell our son that Mom, Dad, and Auntie Jo had to go to jail to bring him home!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Starting to get the frustrating part
Will you allow me to vent a little?
We've hit obstacles with the home study. Did not realize when we started that we are required to have an FBI background check as well as background checks in every state we've lived in since we were 18.
What does this mean? We need to be fingerprinted. Then we send our prints off to a division of the FBI in Virginia to check them against their national database to make sure we aren't bad people. At the same time, we need to request child abuse clearances from the states of California, Alaska, and Illinois.
Some other things we didn't realize... we have to break down all our monthly expenses for mortgage, utilities, car payment, insurance, phone, cable, food, trash collection, etc.
...we have to know the date Dodd was brought home from the hospital when he was adopted as an infant.
...have we ever considered separating?
...how were we disciplined as children?
And the list goes on.
Ugh.
And we haven't started working with a foreign government yet. As Dodd said, Obama's cabinet was probably not vetted as thoroughly as us! I understand and appreciate that all of this is to protect kids. I just wish we could have been working on these requirements the past 4 months.
This is a big setback. Probably 2 months before we get all this back and assembled.
We were also informed of some setbacks in Ethiopia. But I that is a post for another day.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
We've hit obstacles with the home study. Did not realize when we started that we are required to have an FBI background check as well as background checks in every state we've lived in since we were 18.
What does this mean? We need to be fingerprinted. Then we send our prints off to a division of the FBI in Virginia to check them against their national database to make sure we aren't bad people. At the same time, we need to request child abuse clearances from the states of California, Alaska, and Illinois.
Some other things we didn't realize... we have to break down all our monthly expenses for mortgage, utilities, car payment, insurance, phone, cable, food, trash collection, etc.
...we have to know the date Dodd was brought home from the hospital when he was adopted as an infant.
...have we ever considered separating?
...how were we disciplined as children?
And the list goes on.
Ugh.
And we haven't started working with a foreign government yet. As Dodd said, Obama's cabinet was probably not vetted as thoroughly as us! I understand and appreciate that all of this is to protect kids. I just wish we could have been working on these requirements the past 4 months.
This is a big setback. Probably 2 months before we get all this back and assembled.
We were also informed of some setbacks in Ethiopia. But I that is a post for another day.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Education Done!
We just completed the last of 6 classes!
The Journey of Attachment
Medical Issues in International Adoption
Conspicuous Families
Let's Talk Adoption: A Lifetime of Family Conversations
Finding the Missing Pieces: Helping Adopted Children Cope with Grief and Loss
Adopting the Older Child
In addition to the classes above, we also completed the Eyes Wide Open Workbook a couple weeks ago.
We've spent every Saturday but 2 in the past 3 months working on our education. The material is excellent. I am sure we will refer back to it often.
I just posted a link in the sidebar to a Nova special on the medical condition called Fistula. It's provides a glimpse into life in Ethiopia for women. Beautifully filmed and poignantly told, it ends with hope in an Ethiopian orphanage. I will warn you, it's heart wrenching.
The Journey of Attachment
Medical Issues in International Adoption
Conspicuous Families
Let's Talk Adoption: A Lifetime of Family Conversations
Finding the Missing Pieces: Helping Adopted Children Cope with Grief and Loss
Adopting the Older Child
In addition to the classes above, we also completed the Eyes Wide Open Workbook a couple weeks ago.
We've spent every Saturday but 2 in the past 3 months working on our education. The material is excellent. I am sure we will refer back to it often.
I just posted a link in the sidebar to a Nova special on the medical condition called Fistula. It's provides a glimpse into life in Ethiopia for women. Beautifully filmed and poignantly told, it ends with hope in an Ethiopian orphanage. I will warn you, it's heart wrenching.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Home Study Done...
...and sent to AGCI on Wednesday!!
Paperwork glitch with dossier. Notary commission expired in Feb. on the letters from the sheriff. Need to redo. Ugh.
Just 3 more classes to go!
Paperwork glitch with dossier. Notary commission expired in Feb. on the letters from the sheriff. Need to redo. Ugh.
Just 3 more classes to go!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
More Paperwork
No postings lately because we are STILL plugging away at our dossier and parental education. Education wise, we've finished the workbook (about 50 hours) and have completed 2 of 6 online classes (about 4 of 12 hours). Dossier wise, we have all required documents back and notarized with the exceptions of two reference letters going directly to Ethiopia (which we learned also need to be notarized), and a copy of our power of attorney, which is being state certified in Madison. I should have all the paperwork sent off to AGCI (the international agency) this week. Deb, our local social worker should be finishing up our homestudy this week. And, if we buckle down, we should finish up our education this week or next. After AGCI reviews ALL of this, we will go on the waiting list.
We learned this week that the wait for boys is very short at the moment because of the imbalance in families wanting to adopt boys versus girls. There are over 30 families waiting for girls and just 3 familes waiting for boys. (This is common in adoption, both domestic and international.) We will take a boy, we will take a boy!! This means our referral may be as fast as a month after our paperwork is accepted. There is still waiting after that (probably 5-6 months) before we can travel to pick him (or them) up.
Our dossier also requires photos of us, together and individually, photos of the front and back of the house, photos of the baby's room, the dining room, the kitchen, the family room. It made me realize that the baby's room might not look all that inviting to whomever in Ethiopia will be placing our child. Right now it is empty except for the wicker giraffe I bought and a teddy bear from Dodd's parents. I decided to take advantage of the recession sale on window coverings (65% + 10% +15% off!) at JCPenney and buy wood blinds for the baby's room. A small step, but kind of a big one too.
We learned this week that the wait for boys is very short at the moment because of the imbalance in families wanting to adopt boys versus girls. There are over 30 families waiting for girls and just 3 familes waiting for boys. (This is common in adoption, both domestic and international.) We will take a boy, we will take a boy!! This means our referral may be as fast as a month after our paperwork is accepted. There is still waiting after that (probably 5-6 months) before we can travel to pick him (or them) up.
Our dossier also requires photos of us, together and individually, photos of the front and back of the house, photos of the baby's room, the dining room, the kitchen, the family room. It made me realize that the baby's room might not look all that inviting to whomever in Ethiopia will be placing our child. Right now it is empty except for the wicker giraffe I bought and a teddy bear from Dodd's parents. I decided to take advantage of the recession sale on window coverings (65% + 10% +15% off!) at JCPenney and buy wood blinds for the baby's room. A small step, but kind of a big one too.
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