I got an email this weekend from our home study social worker. She had spoken with the out-of-town social worker who is holding up the committee decision to allow us to adopt our sibling group.
She found out what the issue is.
Ready for this??
We have no adoption experience.
Seriously.
No matter that our in-laws have adopted a sibling group of three as well as a special-needs child.
No matter that we have friends and neighbors who have and are still adopting.
No matter that we have read SO MANY books on adoption, attachment, multi-racial families, etc...
Nope - that doesn't matter. We have never adopted before. Therefore, we can't possibly figure this out.
It's like having a degree from a university and applying for jobs but hearing "we really want someone with more experience".
And you know what's worse??
We can't argue with not having experience. We have NEVER adopted personally before.
That much IS true. However, we are parents and we KNOW Jesus put these kids in our lives for a reason and that they belong with us.
Still praying for Thursday.
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
No news is not news.
Whoever said "no news is good news" has never adopted.
I did speak with both - our social worker from our home study agency as well as the social worker we have been working with from Holt, last night.
Basically, we wait.
Since one question/objection was that we had no experience with special needs kids, I wondered if it would be helpful for me to send my employment evaluation from this past spring when I was working as a Special Education T.A. I got a very favorable evaluation and was asked back for this school year. The only "negative" on my evaluation was that I tend to get too attached and personally involved in the kids I worked with.
And no, I didn't NOT go back this year because it was too hard. I would have been happy to return. However, my parents dental practice needed a front desk person while theirs was on maternity leave and she did not return.
I was told not to worry about providing any more documentation - that this was all now FAR above the social worker level and up to the director levels. Yikes. I hope that proves beneficial to us and that we do not now appear to be that pain-in-the-rear family. I did not personally start this domino trail of emails and phone calls between our HS agency and Holt... but I fear we may be the victims if it doesn't work out in our favor because the big-shots got all involved and got feathers ruffled.
One more week I guess... then maybe we will know something.
On a positive note, I think we may be nearly finished with the dossier documents! We still need our finished home study and maybe one more document then we will go get everything notarized and two things certified... and VOILA! Dossier! ;) Yeah, right. Because everything else so far has been that easy, right? LOL!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Spaniopians
Tiny little world view:
Overheard today while eating ice cream...
Sam: "My baby brother is going to say "Hola Amigo!" when he sees me..."
Olivia: "No... it will be "HOLA Amigas!" (accent on the HOLA...)
Me: "Um, guys... they don't speak Spanish in Ethiopia."
Them : "oh."
Homestudy:
We had our final two visits today for our home study!! WOOHOO!!
Paul had his individual interview and we had our home visit where she toured our home and talked to the kids. We had to count smoke detectors. If you have never done that, I highly recommend counting your smoke detectors - you know, just for fun.
We also had to make sure we had a fire extinguisher in the home. I thought we did... I was wrong - it was a butane torch. NOT the same thing. Paul went to buy two extinguishers.
I scrubbed bathrooms - she didn't visit them or even really look inside very well.
I thought for SURE she would check for ring-around-the-tub.
Our oldest thought she was coming to approve our home in some sick "Super Nanny" style. He was afraid she was going to be British and throw away his video games.
We all survived... we may have even enjoyed having her visit! I really didn't stress too badly... however, you might get a different opinion if you asked someone else! ;)
One week from tomorrow is the next committee date.
I was looking at our kids' pictures today and thinking how much I would love to squeeze them and tell them how hard we are working to bring them home quickly!! A home study---paperwork, visits and interviews in 2 weeks?? Insanity. I have read three adoption books in the past three weeks... absorbing them like a Sham Wow. I want the committee members to know how hard we have worked and how many hoops we have jumped through... so we are writing a letter. They may not read it, but at least they will have it for presenting as a part of who our family is.
I was reading today that the founders of Holt International were one of the pioneering families in international adoption. They had 6 bio kids when they adopted 8 (EIGHT) kids from Korea *AT ONE TIME*. Hmmm.... interesting, they didn't think they would be "overwhelmed" and just say "no". One quotation from the story on the Holt website says, "Their example proved that a family’s love can transcend the barriers of nationality and race, that love and commitment are the most important bonds in a family."
I love that quotation! The line, "love and commitment are the most important bonds in a family"...if they only knew how strongly and deeply I believe that statement to be true!!
I am SUPER excited for 2010! (Slightly disappointed that we don't have flying cars yet... weren't we supposed to have flying cars?? I remember writing essays about "What will life be like in 2010?" in school! WHEW!)
I really hope 2010 is the year we bring our kids home and that we are able to inspire other families to get off of the adoption fence and expand their own families!
I can't wait to see what the new year holds!
Blessings!!!
Overheard today while eating ice cream...
Sam: "My baby brother is going to say "Hola Amigo!" when he sees me..."
Olivia: "No... it will be "HOLA Amigas!" (accent on the HOLA...)
Me: "Um, guys... they don't speak Spanish in Ethiopia."
Them : "oh."
Homestudy:
We had our final two visits today for our home study!! WOOHOO!!
Paul had his individual interview and we had our home visit where she toured our home and talked to the kids. We had to count smoke detectors. If you have never done that, I highly recommend counting your smoke detectors - you know, just for fun.
We also had to make sure we had a fire extinguisher in the home. I thought we did... I was wrong - it was a butane torch. NOT the same thing. Paul went to buy two extinguishers.
I scrubbed bathrooms - she didn't visit them or even really look inside very well.
I thought for SURE she would check for ring-around-the-tub.
Our oldest thought she was coming to approve our home in some sick "Super Nanny" style. He was afraid she was going to be British and throw away his video games.
We all survived... we may have even enjoyed having her visit! I really didn't stress too badly... however, you might get a different opinion if you asked someone else! ;)
One week from tomorrow is the next committee date.
I was looking at our kids' pictures today and thinking how much I would love to squeeze them and tell them how hard we are working to bring them home quickly!! A home study---paperwork, visits and interviews in 2 weeks?? Insanity. I have read three adoption books in the past three weeks... absorbing them like a Sham Wow. I want the committee members to know how hard we have worked and how many hoops we have jumped through... so we are writing a letter. They may not read it, but at least they will have it for presenting as a part of who our family is.
I was reading today that the founders of Holt International were one of the pioneering families in international adoption. They had 6 bio kids when they adopted 8 (EIGHT) kids from Korea *AT ONE TIME*. Hmmm.... interesting, they didn't think they would be "overwhelmed" and just say "no". One quotation from the story on the Holt website says, "Their example proved that a family’s love can transcend the barriers of nationality and race, that love and commitment are the most important bonds in a family."
I love that quotation! The line, "love and commitment are the most important bonds in a family"...if they only knew how strongly and deeply I believe that statement to be true!!
I am SUPER excited for 2010! (Slightly disappointed that we don't have flying cars yet... weren't we supposed to have flying cars?? I remember writing essays about "What will life be like in 2010?" in school! WHEW!)
I really hope 2010 is the year we bring our kids home and that we are able to inspire other families to get off of the adoption fence and expand their own families!
I can't wait to see what the new year holds!
Blessings!!!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Christmas photos!
I am not sure how I feel yet about putting pictures of our kids online, so these are pics of my family... minus my kiddos (for now).
Christmas was good... crazy busy... but good! I think if anything, it helped keep my mind off of the number of days until our next committee meeting at Holt!! (10 days)
Christmas Eve we went up to my dad's house for brunch with that side of the family. My grandmother was there and we got lots of pictures together since there are VERY few in existence of the whole family together!
After eating and opening gifts, we drove to my Mom's house for "Christmas, part deux". My hubby cooked quite a bit in both locations (since he is an amazing chef and loves to cook for friends and family!).
This is him butchering the Christmas Goose. This was the first year for goose... have not decided if it is one of my favorites yet or not.
Christmas Day we woke up around 7:30 to our youngest, Sam, announcing that he had been downstairs already and Santa had indeed visited our house! He took care of waking up the other 3 kids (amazingly easy to do on Christmas morning!!) while I poured our coffee (which I had the forethought to set to brew ahead of time!). We opened gifts and played for a bit, then got dressed and headed back to my Mom's house for the Christmas Day festivities which include the (newly) traditional Seafood Stew made by my hubby and step-dad. It's WONDERFUL and this is the third year in a row that we have had it! It's my favorite and I definitely look forward to that on Christmas Day!
My sister and her hubby are here from Colorado Springs for the week! She is pregnant with their 1st baby - Alice - who is due in early March! It is so much fun to see the baby moving, feel her tummy, and just hang out with my sister! We don't get to see each other very often since we live so far apart, so this has been quite a treat!
The kids got a Wii this year for Christmas from my Mom and we have been having lots of fun playing bowling, boxing, tennis and Band Hero! I gotta say... I am QUITE the rock star (on "easy") on the guitar! It's great to have a video game that the whole family can play and enjoy together!
On the adoption front, we have 10 days till committee, part two.
We have the formal application with Holt signed and notarized, just need to mail it in tomorrow and call them with payment over the phone.
Home study visits are half-way done... we have one last visit (two birds with one stone) for Paul's individual interview and our home visit. I am not stressing out over the home visit. I really like our social worker - she is just such a sweet lady and seems very approachable. She says she really isn't coming to inspect our house cleaning skills, so I am going to try REALLY hard to control myself and not stay up all night before her appointment organizing closets and scrubbing baseboards. I. Will. Not. Go. Crazy.
Christmas was good... crazy busy... but good! I think if anything, it helped keep my mind off of the number of days until our next committee meeting at Holt!! (10 days)
Christmas Eve we went up to my dad's house for brunch with that side of the family. My grandmother was there and we got lots of pictures together since there are VERY few in existence of the whole family together!
Christmas Day we woke up around 7:30 to our youngest, Sam, announcing that he had been downstairs already and Santa had indeed visited our house! He took care of waking up the other 3 kids (amazingly easy to do on Christmas morning!!) while I poured our coffee (which I had the forethought to set to brew ahead of time!). We opened gifts and played for a bit, then got dressed and headed back to my Mom's house for the Christmas Day festivities which include the (newly) traditional Seafood Stew made by my hubby and step-dad. It's WONDERFUL and this is the third year in a row that we have had it! It's my favorite and I definitely look forward to that on Christmas Day!
My sister and her hubby are here from Colorado Springs for the week! She is pregnant with their 1st baby - Alice - who is due in early March! It is so much fun to see the baby moving, feel her tummy, and just hang out with my sister! We don't get to see each other very often since we live so far apart, so this has been quite a treat!
The kids got a Wii this year for Christmas from my Mom and we have been having lots of fun playing bowling, boxing, tennis and Band Hero! I gotta say... I am QUITE the rock star (on "easy") on the guitar! It's great to have a video game that the whole family can play and enjoy together!
On the adoption front, we have 10 days till committee, part two.
We have the formal application with Holt signed and notarized, just need to mail it in tomorrow and call them with payment over the phone.
Home study visits are half-way done... we have one last visit (two birds with one stone) for Paul's individual interview and our home visit. I am not stressing out over the home visit. I really like our social worker - she is just such a sweet lady and seems very approachable. She says she really isn't coming to inspect our house cleaning skills, so I am going to try REALLY hard to control myself and not stay up all night before her appointment organizing closets and scrubbing baseboards. I. Will. Not. Go. Crazy.
Friday, December 11, 2009
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