Where does all that money go?

As most of you know and some of you may not know, adoption is quite expensive.  Did you know??  Well now you do.  We are looking at about $30,000 for this journey to our daughter.  Here is a breakdown of where some of  that $30,000 will go.  Of course there will be unexpected expenses as well.  What does cost mean when you want so badly to give a little girl a forever family.  I would pay this amount over and over for any of my children.

Application - $300 paid

Technology Fee- $250 paid

Adoption Education Classes -$150 paid

Homestudy Fee - $ 2000 plus .52/mile

USCIS Application - $1000

U.S. Processing Fee -$3500

Adoption Program Fee - $15,000 (not a typo) that is 15 thousand

Travel cost - ~$10,000

Placement Fees - $2000 plus mileagae

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork

It is never ending and it is just now beginning.  Luckily I have a very organized husband so all of the info needed for the paperwork is close by and I don't have to do much digging.

One of the items needed by our adoption agency is a pic of all of us.  Much easier said than done.  Trying to get all three boys to look at the camera at the same time and smile is no small feat.  This is the one that we ended up sending.
It was the best shot of all of us.  Blah!  We'll try again soon but for now this one will have to work for now.

We are officially in the Holt Adoption System

I got an email today saying that the intake has finished processing our app and we are in the China program.  Now starts the fun stuff.  Training courses, gathering paperwork, deciding what medical needs we will accept.
I guess I should talk to our ped. to see what her thoughts are on all these special needs that we could encounter and if we think we are capable of caring for these children.
I am excited and emotional about the whole process.  Its scary and joyful at the same time.  Can't wait to see where this journey takes us.

One step at a time

I talked to the adoption representative at Holt International today.  She just confirmed the worries that I already have.  Vietnam may or may not open by the end of the year and the needs of the children are not certain nor are the ages or if we would even qualify.  So many unknowns.

The only option right now is China.  So the next step is a home study to make sure that we are capable of taking care of a child ;).  We can begin that process and then hope that Vietnam opens up sooner rather than later or we can just decide to go with China.

If we decide to go with China then we may wait a little while anyway because we are wanting to adopt a girl and there are more people wanting girls right now than there are people wanting boys.  Which kind of makes me sad anyway.  This could put us at another 6 mos out which would mean about 2 years before we area able to travel to China and come back home with a baby girl.

I guess we just take one step at a time.

Our first fundraiser

We are starting our first fundraiser to help with the funds to bring home our daughter. I love this fundraiser because it not only helps us but also helps Haitian parents to care for their children who may have otherwise been adopted out due to poverty.  The organization that helps these parents is apparentproject.com.  The jewelry is made out of cereal boxes and other recycled material.  I am incredibly impressed by the craftsmanship of each piece.  I just love this organization and what they are doing in Haiti.

Please support us and this organization by purchasing a bracelet.  Each bracelet is $9.50 including shipping.  They are each different and unique.  Send me an email including your paypal email address and I will get one shipped to you asap.  Thanks so much for your support.

Let The Journey Begin!!

We have decided on an agency and the application has been sent.  I have gotten the agreement notarized and will be mailing it out on Monday. It will take 2-3 business days for the agency to review the application and we still need to decide on a country but at least the first step is finished. The journey officially begins today.  The journey to our baby girl! I am so nervous and I know David must be too.  All the uncertainties!

I will update when we know more about what country we choose.  For now the application is done and now we proceed to the next step.

Welcome

Welcome to our corner of the inter webs! Some of you may know this by now but most do not.
WE ARE ADOPTING!!!!  This is something that David and I have hoped to do even before we got married.  We always said we would have 2 bio kids and adopt one.  Little did we know that God had different plans for the amount of bio children we would be blessed with.  I love my three boys with all of my being but I have always little princess.  So we are starting our journey to find here.

We haven't decided on a country yet.  Our first choice has been Vietnam but we are starting to think otherwise now.  Vietnam is currently closed to the United States but will likely open again towards the end of the year.
There are quite a few uncertainties that come along with Vietnam until they actually reopen adoptions with the U.S.  Not sure if they will only be allowing adoptions of older children or if younger children with specials needs will also be adopted out.  So with the unknown of when Vietnam will open and also who will be available for adoptions, we are thinking that we may have to consider another country. China possibly!
The first step if we rule out Vietnam would be to decide on an agency.  Hopefully we can come to an agreement and make that decision asap.