We tweeted a few Instagram photos of us getting fingerprinted for our background checks last week…
We got them done at our local sheriff’s office and I think I must have smiled the whole time we were there.
We (all four of us) also managed to figure out how to get our Adoption Timeline set up last night…
…so if you’d like to check that out- just click on the Adoption tab in the menu bar at the top of our Home page, right here:
We’re hoping to start our home study next week, and I look forward to blogging about that whole process here as well. Oh, and hey, that reminds me- if any adoptive parents out there have any home study-related advice for us and any other “first-timers” reading this, we’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!
For pics and updates in between posts, join us over on Twitter, Facebook and/or Instagram!
Sharon
Relax! We have adopted 3 little ones from China. Our SW is a dream! Inhale, exhale and enjoy every moment!
Erin
We are beginning our journey this month towards domestic adoption. Anxious to read about your journey to see what to expect!
Samantha
God bless your adoption journey! We adopted our son, Donavan. We brought him home from the hospital as an infant. He is now three years old and a major source of joy and satisfaction for us every day! We have just started our 2nd adoption process. Advice if I may? Be patient, pray and trust the Lord, and keep up the enthusiasm and sharing!
In Christ,
Samantha
Tricia B
Relax and be yourself!
Jessica @ Dear Emmeline
keep smiling girl! 🙂
angie @ the cellar door stories
just relax! your SW isn’t there to make sure your house is perfect, she/he is there to help you on your journey 🙂 we are coming up on a home study update and i actually almost look forward to it because our SW is so fun 🙂
Kimberly from Serendipity Refined
So many reasons to smile…and more on the way! xo
Debbie
Relax! You are both so sweet they will fall in love with you! A tip that everyone gave us and that we did … We made brownies so our house would smell all homey while they were there! I think it just gave us something to do!
Donna K.
YEAH! I am so happy for you. We have chatted before on my adoption blog, and you are welcome to go back, as it documents our entire adoption timeline for our daughter from China. http://konuchfamily.blogspot.com/
There is no special advice for your homestudy. Just be yourselves, and it will be easy and painless, you will see. The hardest thing will be the wait. Your child lives in your heart already, and it will feel unnatural to wait through all of the hoops and bureaucracy before you can hold them in your arms. But it will all be worth it and wonderful! -Donna K.
Natasha
The homestudy is a piece of cake – social worker asks extensive questions about family life, dating, marriage, looks at every room in the house and that’s about it. I was nervous too but it was really pretty easy. You’ll do fine!
Annie
Thrilled to read your adoption journey. (and one day hope to blog about ours) We adopted our 2 day old baby girl in October 2010. Our path was filled with twists and turns, but consider it a privilege to have walked out this journey. Buckle up and get ready for an exciting ride of a lifetime. Praying the Lord shows you His goodness and greatness along the way. When the Lord does it, he over does it!
Sunni
I adopted my daughter from China 13 (!) years ago! The years have flown by! I knew from the moment they put her in my arms that God had made us a family before I was even born. The home study is fine…just relax, be yourself and show them around. One funny note – our counselor told us that closets are very important to the Chinese officials..having a lot of them was impressive..lol! We didn’t understand until we got to china and saw all the clothes drying outside. So many people have to share apartments that the closets are used as living space! Are you adopting from China?
One more funny story…I literally had a valence curtain fall during the tour of a bathroom! I had thrown it up so quickly that when she went to the window to look out, it collapsed! We had a good laugh while I promised profusely I would get that fixed right away!! And see, still got my angel! Write anytime…I’ll send you my phone # if you want! Talking with other folks kept me sane during the long waits. Peace to you and your home…
Sarah HI
We adopted our daughter from India several years ago. Our social worker was a joy! The only thing I can offer is try to relax and have patience. Our process was a year-and-a-half, short by comparison to many people’s experiences, but it was such. a. long. wait. Keep yourself busy and pray for your little one. He or she will be so scared and you’ll be so excited to show him the world. We had a really calm down when our baby arrived. She had to learn to do everything, except feed herself. She couldn’t communicate well at two years old. She didn’t walk. She was scared to be changed, scared to be bathed. She didn’t know how to cuddle. In fact, she still struggles with that even though she’s a very affectionate girl. Patience. Oh, you will learn patience. And you will learn about love in many unexpected ways. It took us awhile to *feel* love, but we had to act it out every day. That was really hard. Now we are so utterly thrilled with life in our little family. She was made for us and us for her. <3
Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife
Such an exciting journey, and I am thrilled that you are sharing the process with us. Best wishes and lots of love being sent your way!
Lauren
The biggest thing that surprised me about our homestudy was how casually our social worker glanced around the house! I expected her to examine every corner and closet! The only thing we were missing was a fire extinguisher, so if you don’t have one yet, you might want to pick one up 🙂 Can’t wait to hear more about your process!
Jennifer
First of all CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! We adopted our 2 youngest daughters from China and they continually Bless our socks off!!!! As far as your home study visits go………..RELAX! Your SW will become your friend, if she isn’t already. I always made sure I had all the paperwork/documents she would need, for the home study, on the first visit. Mainly, I’m impatient and wanted it finished asap! 🙂
Embrace this part of your journey………there will be HIGHS and there will lows, but as your child is placed in your arms for the very first time……you will see the face of God!
April
We are in the process of adopting from China. Our adoption agency had some hiccups of their own, so we are still right at the end of finishing our home study this month and moving on to the next stages. We have been in the process for a year and a half. For the most part it was easier than I thought once all the paperwork was in. We are just needing to complete our 10 hours of Hague training to finish our home study. I am excited, but really aware that the Lord is really involved in the details and the timing and when I thought things weren’t going perfect, they were just what needed to happen. So my suggestion is trust the Lord fully in the good moments and the ones that don’t seem good, it is all for his perfect timing for your child to come to you.
Vanessa
Oh I am just so thrilled to be catching up on your story! When we had our first home study I was like a crazy woman trying to make sure the house looked absolutely perfect and a nervous wreck that I would put my foot in my mouth, like I always do, and it would keep us from adopting. LOL! I shouldn’t have worried because no one is going to take out a white glove and check for dust and the more relaxed you are the more you will just be your wonderful, warm selves! It’s an exciting and terrifying time and I am praying for you to feel God clearly guiding each step along the way! 🙂
Vanessa
Kristen
Hi Layla and Kevin! Been following your blog for quite some time but haven’t ever commented before until now! We’re also in the process of adopting and about ready to update our home study. I was so so nervous the first time around and had no idea what to expect. Thankfully we have an absolutely amazing social worker who is so down-to-earth and hilarious. She was so disarming the minute she came into our home. We sat at our dining room table and she asked us all about our families, our childhood, what our hopes and dreams are for our family, etc. It was nothing like I thought it would be – I thought they’d be inspecting every square inch of our home, but ours was just like a conversation about our lives and our dreams. I hope yours goes well! Can’t wait to follow along on your journey 🙂
Janell
So many congratulations on this adventure you are beginning! You will learn so much about yourselves in the process. We found that the homestudy paperwork was far more daunting than the actual visits themselves. Those were fun! One thing that I was glad I had the forethought to do was to make copies of EVERYTHING that we submitted. It made it so much easier when we completed an update, filled out profiles, etc.
Melanie
Good luck! My husband and I are finishing up the last stages before we can move on to the home study. It would be interesting to me to hear what you had to do to get to the home study stage. Even from reading the comments above, it’s obviously different, probably from state to state and agency to agency.
We had to do local, state and federal background checks, financial info, references, letters from our employers, questionnaires galore, residential history, motor vehicle checks, car insurance info, health insurance info, fire inspection of our home, tons of questions for our online profile and a video profile. Not to mention a few other things that I’m sure I’m forgetting!
Mary
Homestudy advice – I say don’t sweat it, it’s a formality and as long as you are decent folks you will be just fine. (you ARE decent folks aren’t you?) Don’t kill yourself making your house perfect for the social worker either, she is just there to get an idea of where you live and to make sure there are no glaring issues (big hole in the floor, exposed electrical etc.).
Adoption advice – every step will take longer than you expect. Roll with it. You are on a path that you have little control over. Accept that and know that you are on the right path, the one that leads to your child in His own perfect timing.
As mentioned above, make copies of everything and file those receipts and check copies for the IRS. If you take the adoption credit, you’ll be audited – it happens to everyone.
~Mary
(Mom to an 8 year old from China with a 9 year old on the way)
Denise
I like what Mary wrote “You are on a path that you have little control over. Accept that and know that you are on the right path, the one that leads to your child in His own perfect timing.” So often, we try to get things done on our “timeline”. We have adopted twice internationally and in both cases, it took longer than i expected .In our little one’s case, he was twice as old as his big sister when we got custody of her but looking back, I am glad that I had the extra time with our older two before heading back to toddlerhood since I had NO CONTROL over when our little one’s paperwork was approved. Enjoy the “couple time” you have with your husband, because once you have a child, things completely change when you go from being a couple to being a parent (baby schedules etc)
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
What a pleasure to be able to share your journey! My college major was child development and my senior project was developing a home study plan for an adoption agency. It was an awesome experience to work with some very special families. My advice is simple – relax and just be yourself. The two of you will be amazing parents and that will shine through loud and clear. Waiting will definitely be the hardest part. But all good things are worth the wait. Wishing you all the very best. Now take a deep breath and enjoy the ride!
Amber
Do you read simplysmithwick.com ? It is a blog I read. They were just placed with a newborn boy a week before Christmas and found out they were chosen by the birth mom just a day before the little guy arrived. She blogged a bit about the whole process starting in June.
Lynn in Michigan
This brought tears to my eyes. I have three nephews who hail from Russia, South Korea and China, and was blessed to be able to travel to the Far East with my sister for the adoption of her youngest son. I well know the joys and hiccups of the process. My thoughts and prayers are with the two of you as you begin your own journey. Thanks for letting us tag along!
Ashley
Love your site, I am a regular follower!! I just wanted to give you some encouragement. My husband and I are currently in the adoption waiting process. Our homestudy has been complete for about 6 months now. I know how hard this process can be, but just stay positive! Good luck and well wishes to you both!
Lisa
We adopted our son almost 6 years ago from Japan. (I believe the agency is not active right now. The woman who founded it is 84 and declining health.) It is the BEST thing we have done, or will EVER do!!
We (I really mean mostly me) were so stressed out about the home study, which ultimately turned out to be the easiest part of the whole process. The case worker was very laid back, yet totally professional. My advice is to remember that they are looking at you and your home not for a level of perfection, but rather a safe comfortable home with two loving people waiting to parent a child who needs them.
During our process I felt like the paperwork might kill me if the wait didn’t! But, I can PROMISE you that it was so worth every stressful moment. Our son is a blessing from God!
Love and strength to you both! What an exciting time!!
xo-Lisa
Amiee
We are about to turn in our paperwork and get our home study done for a domestic adoption. We are both nervous and excited. We have twin girls that are going to be 9 this month. They cannot wait to be big sisters! We are hoping for a sibling set of 2 or 3. Only want is that they are under 8. We will be praying for ya’ll and hope you will lift up some for us. God Bless!
Eileen
Enjoy the process!! We’ve adopted twice from China and it was the best decision we ever made. Hands down.
I can remember getting fingerprinted and when they did the pinky on my left hand, all these lights went off and it beeped and said there was a match. I was like, “What the heck has my pinky been up to?!” Gee, I had no idea! Thankfully, all was well and my pinky didn’t block our adoption!
Keep a sense of humor about the oftentimes CRAZY process of adoption!
Danielle
So happy for you guys! Can’t wait to read about the process and this adventure of finding your little bundle of joy. x
Baileywife
I remember (long ago) when you showed pictures of a couple quilts you purchased for your future child(ren). SOOO excited for you to join “The Mother’s Club”!!!! ~Kim
Lee
My nephew and his wife just adopted their second child and it went much faster than expected…I should ask her for advice for you. They now have two adorable children. I know they made a book about their family for prospective mothers to read. They were going to make a video but the baby came before they even started working on it. I guess you can say it is in God’s hands….be yourselves and be patient. Good luck!
Deb Huffaker
As I look at your pictures and read your story, I’m reminded of our daughter and son-in-law. They have two biological boys….who have their Nannie’s heart (that would be me), but they felt God calling them to adopt from Uganda. They are there as I type this and have already received custody of a precious 2 year old baby girl whom they named Ruby Kate, after her paternal Grandma!!! Hoping and praying for them to return home soon so we can start the spoiling!! Keeping you and Mr. Kevin in thought as you go thru this special time together!!!
Ter'e Crow Lindsay
I am so very excited for you guys!
Since I have “sat n the flipside”………and I have been the child looking for a home……..I am even more excited for you. Luckily I had wonderful foster parents that took me in and gave me a good life. I wasn’t adopted…..but I was taken in as a forever child……..that was 52 years ago! Seriously!
God Bless You on this wonderful journey.
Funky Junk Interiors
A home study is about ensuring you’re of sound mind, your home is safe and your intentions are true. I have complete faith that by just being yourselves, you’ll roll through it with flying colours!
I think for me, the part that was so fun was attending the sessions. I learned so much and kept saying to myself, “every parent needs to go through these courses!” You’ll make lifelong friends there too. 🙂
Kelley
My only home study advise is this: Don’t get uptight about it. It’s not as bad as you might dream up in your head. Enjoy, ask questions, soak up the experience.
April
Congrats on your baptism!
We adopted our son locally. The homestudy is pretty straight-forward. The wait is the hard part. After being chosen and adopting, the courage begins. My advice is strongly not to skip on ethics for a faster adoption process. If you don’t have much for pre-adoption classes, read read read and connect with other adoptive families. It’s hard, but no matter what country your child is born in, as much as you can encourage the best relationship/counseling/future for your child’s birthparents. You and your child will have no regrets if there is complete honesty, and openness and respect with birthparents and history if possible.
If we adopt internationally someday, we will include our current children in the process. We lean toward Haiti because of our relationships with people who actually live there and because there is such need in the country.
And pictures. Take lots of pictures! 🙂
God bless you! 🙂
Deb Owen
Best Wishes to you as you begin your journey! Having 3 Blessings of our own from China I would say that our best advice during the home studies is just to relax. From following your blog during the past couple of years I can see that you are more than ready for any and all challenges. Think of your SW as your partner in the paperwork maze to help make your dreams come true.
Dawn
Congrats! The process most days is a joy, some days it is downright frustrating! We will be sending our dossier to China by the end of the week, so we are right in the middle of our adventure. The home study was fun and not at all what I expected it to be. Be yourself and know that the house does not have to be perfect (I went nuts the day before). Your SW is looking at who you are and the love you have. Looking forward to following your process! God bless!
Kari J
We adopted our younger son from Guatemala almost 5 years ago, he was 6 years old when we brought him home. I am social worker, but I was still a little nervous when we had our first home study visit. We had no reason to be nervous, I felt like an old friend was visiting us. W were very sad having to say goodbye to our social worker after our 3rd (and final) post- placement visit. Be honest and be yourselves.
Julie
I have been through the home study process three times — once to adopt my older (now adult) daughter, once to adopt my Haitian sensations and, sadly, once to become a foster parent to my grandson who was in protective custody. Remember the goal of the home study isn’t to make sure that you are perfect people so you can relax. It is just to make sure that they don’t place vulnerable children (every adoption — even infant adoptions — involve a loss for the child) in the homes of psychopaths or garbage hoarders. Every home study is different. The first time, my home study took forever. The second time, my husband and I each wrote an extensive autobiography. The social worker had read them prior to coming to our home and the whole process took only about an hour. The SW spent about 3 and a half minutes in the unfinished basement that my husband and I spent two weekends cleaning and organizing. The third time my grandson was already in foster care with a non-relative caregiver. Our home study was done emergently. We didn’t clean, write a biography or do anything to prepare other than to agree we wanted him with family. Our case worker got a copy of our second home study and just attached an update.
You may have done this as part of your application, but if you haven’t I would discuss what kind of child you both feel you are prepared to parent. My oldest daughter was exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol, has many developmental/behavioral disabilities and was in foster care for many years. She was in 8 different homes before she came to me the week after turning 7. She has an attachment injury. None of my children are white. One child has an infectious disease and all the stigma that goes along with that… It is important to know what children you, your family and your community can support with your treasures, talents and time.
Gloria
Godspeed to you and Kevin with the adoption process.
Best,
Gloria
Sharyl
Congrats! We have adopted 4 children over the past 8 years. It has been a wild ride to say the least–your home will never be the same–and I mean that in a good way.
Home studies are fun–be yourself–share the good things and the challenges and how you worked them out. It really was not hard for us at all. Ours were very simple and conversational and I saw our SW as a friend and someone who was getting to know us.
We did USA adoption and we got our first call for our two boys within 4 months of completing our home study. Then our daughter 2 years later and then our other daughter that third year. They are a blessing.
One thing that I did that helped was I started to read adoption books on how the child is affected. This really helped me be prepared for that new child in our home.
Ask lots of questions and plan for the future. Congrats!
Oh and diapers…pink package means girls and blue package blue—we got the girl ones for our boys the first time. We were so nervous we were thrilled we got diapers. ROFL
Amanda @ Our Grace Filled Life
I am so excited for you guys! We just adopted our sweet little boy (domestically) 3 weeks ago so I know all of those emotions well:). My advice, it’s all not nearly as scary as you think it may be so relax, pray & be yourself! Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your journey!
Jan L
My two sons were adopted (1975/1978)- wonderful blessings. At our first home study, we were so terrified although we had a brand-new home. Like others have mentioned, the Social Worker was interested in us and our views/beliefs/thoughts. When he got ready to leave but had not looked at the nursery, I asked “don’t you want to see the bedroom?” He let us know that he believed we had bedrooms in our house. Funny how we stress ourselves over things that really were just things!
Tracy P Barton-Niles
We were right where you are AT now…but this time last year. THIS year we are in month 4 of a 6 month preadoption placement. We are adopting a 12 year old from the VA foster care system. She has waited 8 years for a forever home. WE pray to also adopt the last sibling in her family group soon as well. (we have run out of room at home) BUT first we must legalize her then move on. There were 5 originally. so He is the last young man standing. 🙁 While you are waiting may I recommend reading….The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis. EXCELLENT resource! 🙂 look her up. and if you get that done and are in “waiting” limbo you can come design an addition for our home! 🙂 We have a building materials co. that has offered to donate up to 95% of the materials needed. just don’t know where to START! 🙂 love what you do and WHAT you are doing! God Bless!
Amber
Congratulations on starting your adoption journey! My husband and I had our home study approved in November for a domestic adoption and are currently in the process of waiting.
Lisa
Don’t stress out about it. I know, easier said than done. Just be yourself and relax. I had totally “prepped” our house – which is funny since my house is always company ready and our SW only was interested in common areas and the room we would be using for our child. I’ve heard other have had different experiences – every SW is different. Make sure they know you have pets. Enjoy the process – it truly is a journey of a lifetime. We have two wonderful and amazing kids. I also recommend the Connected Child. It is a great resource for anyone parenting.
Kelly @ View Along the Way
This is so exciting! I’ll be living vicariously through you for now, eating up every little detail, until it’s our turn to go through the process too. Sending up prayers for a smooth, easy process!
Jessica May
I don’t have adopted children, but I am an adopted child. Adoption is so wonderful and your child is so special. I am grateful everyday for my parents and I’m so lucky they chose me. My sister adopted a little girl from China 6 years ago and her experience was very positive. Best wishes to you both and your future child(ren)!