Our Adoption Process So Far.....

Many people have little knowledge of the actual adoption process and what it entails. Now I am no expert that is for sure but I have learned a lot over the last several months and would like to share some about the process and the cost of that process.

The first thing that we had to do was decide what type of adoption was right for us. Option 1, adopt from the foster care system, option 2, adopt internationally, option 3, adopt domestically. We have decided to adopt domestically because it is the right fit for us. We had the desire to adopt a newborn which is difficult to do through foster care or international adoption from what we learned. There are plenty of birthparents that are wanting to place their children for adoption right here in the United States. So we got through Step 1, domestic adoption it is!

Step 2 we had to decide what agency and/or lawyer we were going to use. After much research, reading, meetings, and phone calls we picked our agency. We are working with a non-profit agency, Children's Home Society.

The application......I knew there would be a lot of stuff but was not prepared for quite as much as it was. It took us about 2 weeks to complete everything and on May 10th we submitted it to the agency social worker with our $400 application fee. At the same time we reviewed the fee schedule. I am going to share this part because I think it is important for people to have an understanding of how expense adoption is.

$400 Application Fee.........COMPLETE

$1,800 Home Study Fee......SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK

$4,300 Match Fee.................???????

$4,300 Placement Fee..........???????

$4,300 Post Placement Fee..??????

$15,100 GRAND TOTAL before lawyer finalization fee

We are almost to the part of the process where the waiting begins. Our homestudy is scheduled for next Thursday and will be completed in about 30-60 days. So far we have been asked to answer questions about our childhood, marriage, views on child rearing, education and much more. We are being evaluated under a microscope to make sure that the right child gets placed with us.

The above is all the objective steps to the process and where we are at. The emotions involved have been overwhelming at times and we are only at the beginning. Right now the home study visit is nerve racking and the financial side of things as well. How are we going to afford to complete the adoption process? We are not wealthy people that can spend thousands and thousands of dollars and not feel the pressure. Our society is one that takes advantage of other people's misfortunes. Because we cannot have a baby naturally we are going to have a financial and emotional burden that others do not. From the medical bills to the adoption bills someone is making money off of our situation. Coping with that can be challenging at times. We know that no matter how much money we spend or how much time it takes it will be worth it in the long run.

For now.....small steps to the big prize.