We've Been Approved

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

America World has accepted us as clients! Not that it was a shocker, I helped to write the current eligibilty critieria they use. Still, it's one more step forward.

I sat down to call some local home study agencies today and fell in love with the first and only one I called. Child and Family Adoption in Highland, NY. I just had a really good conversation with the owner and felt totally comfortable with her. Very encouraging. I guess I expected it to be tougher to locate an agency close by since I live in the woods, let alone an agency that I liked. God is good and I'm beginning to feel like this could really happen.

For those of you that don't know, a home study is required by the state for anyone adopting. Basically you fill out a bunch of forms and describe your entire life, a worker is assigned to you, you have 3 to 5 visits with this worker, and then they write a 10 page report on your family. At the end you are either approved or denied. An approval is necessary to move forward with INS and is an important piece in your dossier that you send to China in order to be approved by their government.

It's kinda crazy that a family that wants to adopt overseas has to be approved by the agency, the state, US immigration, AND the foreign government. But most couples just have sex and don't need anyones approval to do so. Not sure what I feel about this exactly...just pointing out the difference.