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!
We adopted our son a few years ago and we have been waiting to adopt #2 for nearly 3 years now (ugh!). We are just getting ready to update our home study (again…) and the best advice I can give you is to just relax. The paperwork (endless forms, background checks, fingerprints, etc) can be overwhelming and the anticipation of the social worker’s visit to your home can seem terrifying – just do your best to take it in stride. They are basically just checking to make sure your house is safe and that you have a home that will accommodate a child. However, I will say that we have several friends that adopted little ones through the county and they had to make sure that their homes were completely childproofed before they were approved – that involved modifying deck stairs (installing the footboard “backs”), adjusting the space between spindles on railings (or installing plexiglass), installing the cabinet locks where cleaning supplies are kept, etc. They had to be READY. We were lucky, and that was not the case for us. The wait truly is the hardest – we waited just 6 months the first time, and now we are at nearly 3 years for the second. I have blogged a little about adoption on my blog (http://momsgonnasnap.blogspot.com/search/label/adoption). During the wait time for our first, I sometimes found it very therapeutic to buy something for the baby. If I was at Target and walked by the baby aisles with a longing, I just changed my attitude and said, “We will get our call. I’m buying something for the baby today” and would pick out something small – a package of socks, a rattle, etc. Just enough to keep reminding myself that it WOULD happen. It just takes time.
Congrats to you as you continue your journey to parenthood!
Don’t know if you have thought about it at all but how will you protect your new little person’s identity on your blog? My daughter and her husband have requested that I don’t use my grandson’s name on Facebook or anywhere to protect his identity until he is an adult and can decide for himself what should be public and what shouldn’t. I hadn’t thought of it until they brought it up but in this age of internet bombardment it seems worth it to protect a child. Good luck with your process!
Best advice I’ve ever heard about a home study – they are not there to run a white glove across the top of your refrigerator – they are there to make sure that you HAVE a refrigerator!
Congrats on getting to this step in the process! Excited to read more about your adoption journey 🙂
Thanks for keeping us posted! Thinking of you and I will keep you in my prayers,
Erin
Good luck on your journey! We’ve adopted 5 kids from Russia and it has been an incredible ride. Are you adopting domestically? It is a long process but you will get it all accomplished! If you’d like to read our story please go to http://www.zukorville.com. Life gets crazy really fast!!
Hi There! We adopted our now almost 9 year old son from Ukraine two years ago and I remember being TERRIFIED of the home study! We worked for days getting the house ready, studying for possible questions our social worker may ask, all for a barely 10 minute meeting! Our worker hardly looked at our house, asked us 3 easy questions each then left, so no sweat! (The real work is NOW–dealing with a kiddo with major Reactive Attachment Disorder), so good luck! I’d be happy to let you know of our experience if you’re feeling bogged down by the adoption process. 🙂 Feel free to write any time, if you feel the need. God bless!
I remember being nervous before our home study, too.
If I could tell you one thing it would be to enjoy it. They aren’t looking in your closets to see if you’re organized. They are really getting to know you and Kevin and your story that led you to adoption.
You guys are going to be wonderful parents…can’t wait to follow along on the journey. 🙂
Get a fire extinguisher! Or two. Everyone I know has gotten dinged on the home study for this one. If you have guns, have them locked up (or lie!) and be able to show her the security system. You may be required to have smoke detectors also–can’t remember that one. Your pets’ vaccination records–have those available. Social workers are wildly tolerant of all sorts of things that people worry about–you can be gay or Wiccan or whatever, but they also have boxes to check, and these are some that trip up a lot of people and require a follow up visit. It has been 13 years since our home study, so there are probably more boxes to check now. Good luck!
Holding you in a so great journey! Will look for your progesses, fingercrossed for you! Oh, so sweet to me this new! I know what’s in your hearts!!!! Hugs
Hi Guys! I have read your blog for a few years now on design and really enjoyed it, so you can imagine my surprise when your blog again popped up on my google search today for “adoption timeline china.” Congrats, and join the party! We’re waiting for our travel approval and will be heading out to China this month to pick up our daughter. Just be patient and have fun (and keep posting about your design adventures!) cheers! carla, palo alto, CA
This is so sweet! I will be keeping posted to see how it all pans out. Good Luck!!! You will make great parents in my opinion!
Hi! I just wanted to say good luck a my husband and I are also in process of our first home study. I just noticed the adoption posts and read through them. We just took our CPR class this past weekend and we’re still waiting for our background checks to come back. We’re researching attorneys and we think we are going to sign with an agency here in IL. Send me a message if you’d like to compare notes on this amazing process. It’s gonna be a crazy ride right? :o) And all worth it in the end. Good Luck to you!!
Just wanted to say how excited I am for you. I am the mom of 3, a now married bio son and 2 beautiful daughters 10 yr old and an almost 8 yr old that came to us from S. Korea in 2003 and China in 2006. We have been so blessed.
Seems like only yesterday I brought a little boy home from the hospital to have a nice first Christmas not in the hospital before he died. Long story short- 16 Christmases have followed and he still cries when I take the decorations down. Adoption is a roller coaster,but so worth the trip. You will be in my prayers.
I am so moved by your posts and journey. Kevin’s song had me in tears. You all are so precious and I know you are going to be such wonderful parents. How blessed you and your little one will be. Praying for you each step of the way. xo
A friend shared your blog with me. We are in the middle of our home study. We have 3 beautiful daughters and now God is leading us to adoption in Uganda. We are so blessed knowing God has a plan for our family that we would not have thought up ourselves. God is good. It’s neat to read about others going through the process. Ours has been good this far. We are excited to see what lies ahead. We have heard from others that adoption is a long, sometimes hard experience , but definitely worth it! I know you are experiencing the worth and blessing in your adoption journey.