In the Home Stretch

We are winding down our home study, but we are going out with a bang. This week alone includes two adoption classes and our final meeting with our social worker not to mention another fingerprinting experience for Jessica. 

We both had to be fingerprinted for our home study. Not a big deal. We’ve been fingerprinted for jobs before, but the FBI said Jessica’s weren’t clear enough this time. She had to redo them, but we’re not certain they’re any better. They might even be worse, so we will see what the FBI says this time. We thought the background checks might take awhile but not because the prints weren’t clear. Another bump in the adoption process. We won’t let this small hiccup deter is at all though.

As for our classes, it might seem like we’ve attended a lot of them, but we will have only technically attended two so far. Our third one will be on Saturday. Most of the classes or meetings we have attended were orientation meetings for different agencies. They are required for most agencies, and we attended around 6 of them to get a feel for each one. After attending the orientations, we chose the agency we felt the most comfortable and began our home study. Read more about our process for choosing an agency here.

It might be surprising to know the classes really have nothing to do with infants or their care. We attended our first adoption class last month that focused on children’s possible emotions surrounding their adoption as well as birth family and adoptive family emotions. It was an intense 5 hour class, but it really was very informative. Tuesday’s class was on how to talk to your child about adoption and how to make details age appropriate. Saturday’s class will focus on open adoption. We’re hoping to hear more from birth families, adopted families, and adoptees. Adoption experiences are very personal and each situation is unique, but the social workers give you the tools to help you through the process. And if you forget something, they’ll be there to help you when you need it. 

We also attended an infant care class held by another agency. This class was designed for adoptive parents but isn’t a requirement. We just wanted to get the experience and hear some baby tips.

Some of the classes are required by the state, but they can be presented in other formats, including online. We chose an agency that had the most education, and Chris preferred the in-person classes. The director was adopted and is a birth mother and social worker. She leads the classes, and the personal experiences she share are invaluable.

We are very excited about finishing our home study and becoming an official waiting family. 

We appreciate everyone continuing to keep us in your thoughts. You’re more than welcome to share our story and website with friends, family, and coworkers, and anyone considering an adoption plan for their child. The more people who know about our desire the more likely we will adopt sooner rather than later.