What a night!!!!! I truly had no idea what to expect with the final home study walk through. My stomach was tight and mind deep in thought about what she was going to look at, and what she might have concerns with. About 15 minutes before she got there, I went into my room and had a heart to heart with God. My nerves calmed and I was able to mentally prepare for her to arrive.
It was nowhere near scary. She came in and we sat at the kitchen table (since there is no furniture upstairs). We went through detailed information about the house, my finances, and ultimately how I plan to handle certain situations with my little boy. It caused some pretty deep thoughts for me last night, but it appears I gave the answers she was looking for. I should have the approval letter within the week.
So where do I go from here? That is a great question. I, now, get to submit the application for adoption from Ethiopia (I-600A) to their government and wait. While I wait I put together my dossier (group of papers which show pretty much everything about my life). It consists of letters from my bank, my doctor, my employer, taxes, forms that give power of attorney, reference letters, birth certificates, etc. The good news is that I have most of the required information for this. I should have it completed before I get the approval back from the government giving me permission to adopt.
Once the dossier has been submitted, I wait for them to refer a child to me. This can take some time, so I hesitate to go into this part simply because it becomes a waiting game for everyone who is vested in this adoption with me. (and there are a lot of people going through this process with me). I will update you all more on this area later. Stay tuned.
THE GOOD NEWS is that once I receive the copy of the home study approval I can start applying for grants to help me come up with the remaining fees. There are several agencies out there that give grants for adoption so I hope to get one or two. If you know of anyone who gives grants for adoption or for anything else which might apply here, please comment and let me know. The more places I can submit the better my chances of getting help. This latter part of the adoption is where the most costs are, so I want to make sure my chances as good as possible.
I will also still be doing some fund raising. I am still trying to get the online auction off the ground, but things have taken priority over it. Please look for that to come soon. Also, please note the donation link on the right hand side of my blog, if you know of anyone who might be willing to help out, please share it with them. There are angels everywhere and I can only get this to so many of them. I know that you, my friends, can share this link and maybe, just maybe, someone we don't know will be touched enough to help in way no one else can.
For now we will continue to move forward on the remodel of the house. There is still much to do, but we don't feel so rushed to get it done. My social worker could see what we are doing and is okay with the progress we have made. The house looks like a new house inside. It's very cool. Feel free to stop by and check out what we have done.
I am truly blessed with the most amazing people in my life. I am blessed to have friends who support me without hesitation in my quest to become a mom. Friends who listen to all I have to say about this adoption and what I am doing to prepare for it. Friends who read my blogs (boring as they might be) to get an update on where I am in the process. You are all great to me and it humbles me to know you all love and support me in this great quest of mine.
Kayleen's Kid Quest.......continues
Kayleen,
ReplyDeleteThat is great news...