We have been so blessed by the love and support from friends and family over the past few weeks. It is such an encouragement to know that so many people are excited about us adopting a child. Lots of people are asking about the process of adoption so I wanted to share some basic information.
We are working with Bethany Christian Services. They are a great agency and we are very blessed to be able to us them to adopt our child. Here is their website: http://www.bethany.org/ The process I am about describe is all in reference to Bethany. Other agencies might have different procedures.
1. Fill out a Statement of Faith - We had to answer questions about our faith and spiritual life. In addition we had to decribe how we would develop and nurture a spiritual life in our child.
2. Attend an information meeting - We had to attend a three hour meeting at the Bethany office. We learned a lot about the adoption process and got to ask all kinds of questions.
3. Formal application - This is the stage we are in right now. There is A LOT of paper work! We have to tell about our family relationships, show financial stability, show proof of insurance, have a back ground check, and provide references.
4. Home Study - We will have several interviews with the social worker at Bethany and two visits to our home. They will be checking to make sure we meet all the legal requirements to adopt. For example, the bedroom has to be a certain size, have a window, etc. They are also making sure the home is a safe environment. During our interviews the social worker will be making sure that we are mentally and emotionally stable and ready to raise a child.
5. Make a profile book - We will make a "scrap book" about Brett and I. We will share pictures and tell about ourselves. Birth mothers will look at these profile books to pick the family they want to give their baby to.
6. WAIT - Because birth mothers choose the family they want to give their baby to, we have the hard job of waiting patiently to be chosen. During this time we will take some classes on infant care and do some adoption training. Also we will be getting ready for a baby. We will need to get some of the basics like a crib, stroller, car seat, etc.
7. We are chosen! - Once a birth mother chooses us we will work with Bethany to finalize out all the details. Once we are chosen the baby could be born in 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months. We won't know until we get there. That will be fun and scary part! There are three levels of adoption: closed, semi-open, and open. I will share more about this later on.
8. The baby is born! - Once the child is born there is a lot of legal things that happen, but basically we hope to take the baby home from the hospital. In about six months the adoption will be finalized in court.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions about the adoption process. We still have a lot to learn about this process. We would love to answer any questions you might have. Thanks again for all the love and support!
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