We're moving right along with the home study portion of things. Our home study requires that we gather all of the paperwork BEFORE they come to do the interviews, so that's where our efforts have been focused. For those who are not doing the Paper Pregnancy along with us, here's a list of things we've been assigned to gather...
- birth certificates for all 4 of us
- (4) letters of reference
- certified copy of marriage license
- letters of employment
- a copy of our deed
- letters from each of our physicians stating we're physically and mentally healthy
- copies of tax returns for the past 3 years
- State police clearances
- Local police clearances
- FBI clearances (also had to get fingerprinted for this)
- child abuse clearances
- copies of passports
- copies of driver's licenses
- copies of health insurance cards
- current bank statements
- another financial statement stating our net worth
- guardianship info in the case of our death
- Signed contracts
- completion of adoption education
Whew! It's taken a lot of lunch breaks to get through that list. There were also fees involved with most of the things on the list. My favorite: two expedited passports - $380. Ouch
We just finished our online adoption education today. Our adoption agency and home-study agency use the same online courses, so that was nice. Now we just have to finish the "With Eyes Wide Open" workbook, and we'll be able to cross it off of both lists.
Besides the seemingly endless paperwork chase, I think the most daunting part of the adoption has been the financial aspect. With costs approaching $30,000 for an Ethiopian adoption, we've been doing a lot of brainstorming for fundraisers. Our first fundraiser will be something very near and dear to my marriage - coffee! Coffee is a staple in our marriage, and we were excited to find out that coffee actually originated in Ethiopia. How cool is that? So when I saw this adoption fundraiser, I knew it was meant to be :-) For every bag of coffee sold, $5 will go directly towards our adoption fund. Please help us in spreading the word!
Hello, friends and family. Welcome to our adoption blog! There are so many of you and only one of me, so hopefully this mass-communication is more effective than my email and phone call-replying abilities (which are not effective in the least).
So, the basics....
- Why? - Why not? We have a lot of room in our hearts, a little room in our home, and an incomplete family. Add that to the fact that I would rather eat glass than ever be pregnant again, and hey! Adoption! No, really, I've always wanted to adopt. I feel very called towards the aid of orphans, and I've been waiting patiently for the right time to begin. I can't explain how excited I am to finally be acting upon this lifelong desire!
- Where? - Ethiopia. We really feel like our daughter is in Ethiopia, and we can't wait to meet her and know her story. Each country has their own guidelines for adoptive families, and our family meets their "rules" the best.
- Who? - A baby girl! Because we already have two boys, we have the option of specifying a gender preference. I never realized how much I wanted a girl until I allowed myself to fantasize about the possibilities of a shopping buddy.
- When? - I don't know. A year? A year and a half? Two? I have a real peace about this part of the adoption, for now :-)
That's a good place to start. I'll leave you with some facts about Ethiopia. This should answer any more questions pertaining to "Why Ethiopia?".
The median age in Ethiopia is 17.8 years
44% of the population is under 15 years old
There are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia, and 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone.
88% will never attend secondary school
Ethiopia's doctor to child ratio is 1 to 24,000
Half of the children in Ethiopia will never attend school
One in six children die before their 5th birthday
One in ten children die before their 1st birthday
1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)
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