A Look at Our Process

So we've let you know what we're working on, but we'd like to give you an idea of what the whole process will probably look like for us, from start to finish (gosh, we love that thought!).  That one part -- for us -- is especially important because the adoption process can be very different for different people and we can only speak to how this process is for us.

Big steps we've completed:

• We chose an agency to facilitate our adoption - this is our placement agency
• We chose a local agency to complete our home study  
• We completed the adoption planning questionnaire and consulted with our adoptive family specialist
• We completed all home study paperwork, including background checks and getting references

Big steps still in-progress:

• Our home study social worker will be meeting with us for interviews and a home visit, and we'll be completing 18 hours of educational requirements
• We are working on our adoptive family profile to show to birthparents
• Once our adoptive family profile is complete, we will begin working on a video profile that will also be shown to birthparents... this is a unique tool that our agency uses, so we're excited about this! (More to come on that part later.)

Then... once the home study and our profiles are all completed, we will be ACTIVE!! That's when the basic groundwork has all been completed, and the true waiting begins...

Once active:

• Birthparents that fit our preferences (and who are looking for people like us as well) will be shown our profile
• At some point - could be a week after we're active, could be a year - birthparents will choose us to parent their child and we will get a call from a social worker that will change our lives. We will get to know the state of the birthparent(s) and as much as possible about the medical history of the baby, and of course... the due date! Our birthmom could be due to deliver two days after choosing us, or four months after choosing us. We will have to see!
• When our birthmom is in labor (or about to be), we'll be notified and we'll have to travel quickly to the state where she will be giving birth.
• Within a few days after the baby is born, we will anxiously wait for the birthmother to sign papers and when she does we can take custody of the baby!

Now... that's the process in a nutshell.  There are a lot of little things beyond what's on the list here and there are a LOT of uncertainties -- things we can't control and things we'll just have to pray that go right.  For instance, a birthmother could pick us but then change her mind either before delivering or after the baby is born but before signing papers... thoughts that are definitely scary and on our minds, of course. BUT, right now, we're just going to finish our requirements to become active and we'll deal with those uncertainties if/when we need to... for now, we're just darn excited and we know that someday, the greatest little blessing in the world will end up OURS.  And that's all that matters...

(This is Andy with our nephew Peyton.  He is going to be an AMAZING dad!!)