Home visit complete!

Ok I'll admit, I was totally wrong about the home study, I should've just asked! It's not three visits to your home with a month in between each (I was guesstimating).  It's three contacts with us...one joint interview, and an individual interview with each of us.  One of these visits must be in the home.  So on Thursday, our social worker (who also works for Holt) came to the house and interviewed me (Chris was TDY at Ft Knox).  We started off with coffee and bagels with homemade pumpkin cream cheese. -I love hosting- Remember that sixteen page questionnaire that we each had to fill out??  Well because we did it so thoroughly, she barely had any questions for me! We talked a lot about other things, she gave advise for fundraising, about the dossier, she was great.  Then we did a quick tour of the home where she just wrote down how many bedrooms/bathrooms, if we had gas or electric, smoke detectors, that kind of stuff.  Then just like that she had to go! It was barely two hours and she didn't even ask me very many questions.  She lives in St Louis so she had to leave in time to get her kids off the bus. 
So for the other two interviews.....We have parenting classes through Holt that we have to take and they're in St Louis next weekend.  Guess who's teaching them? So we'll do our joint interview maybe over lunch on Saturday and Chris can have his individual Sunday before or after classes start (only 1-5).  And just like that our home study is done! She'll write what she needs to and she thinks that it will be complete and approved by mid-October! Woo Hoo!!
We should have our dossier completed by the end of October but there's a customs form that we have to send in (along with a chunk of change) that takes six weeks to be completed.  Once that is approved, then we can officially turn in the dossier.  After the dossier is turned in, translated and reviewed by the Ethiopian government, it will be "approved"...then, we're on the waiting list!!!

Could we really be parents by my next birthday?

On a slightly different note...we get a newsletter from Holt each month about what's going on with the Ethiopian program.  This month they mentioned that there was rumored that a family was denied -by the Ethiopian government- because they didn't think they could afford children. The reason? The family was actively blogging about fundraising for the adoption. How heartbreaking! So here's my statement to the Ethiopian government if this rumor is true....We can afford to raise children. 
For the rest of you, the only reason why we may need to fund raise or ask for an adoption loan is because we were unwise in not having a savings plan.  Sure we have enough money in the paycheck but we don't put that much away into savings, until now.  Once Chris deploys, we'll be making about $1,000 extra a month....all of that will go straight to the adoption (and a little to someone to mow the lawn for me :P).  The thing with needing a loan or grant is that it will take a while to get enough money for the adoption, for the upfront costs.  If we wait until we have the cash to move forward with anything, it may be a few years. $25,000-$30,000 is a lot of money to have upfront.  People get four-five year car loans for that amount.  All of the tax cuts/grants that are given for kids and adoption are always after the fact. So, the money will be there but not until after we have brought the kids home.  (fyi, we'll get over $13,000 just for adopting).  So, Ethiopian government official, please do not deny us from adopting just because we had a Pampered Chef fundraiser, or because we're going to apply for grants and loans to help us with the adoption.  We just don't want to wait another five years to have children.  But believe me, after this, we'll have an adoption savings account!  Even if we are satisfied with two children (if we get two), we will continue to save until we know for sure, and if we don't need it, we'll give it to someone who does. 

Well that's all for now, I need to shower and make a card! Birthday party next door, Puerto Rican style! They started roasting the pig this morning, all this for a two year old, gotta love it!! Adios!

Home Study Mailed Off!

Ok so I know it's been forever since I've posted anything on here and it seems like it's been forever since we actually mailed off our home study but I need to blog on here!  We mailed off all of our paperwork along with a big fat check of $2,500 on August 17th.  It was thrilling to finally be mailing that off. Thrilling and exciting and then nothing....

Usually our contact at the agency will notify us whenever anything happens but I guess she was on vacation.  I tracked the package, it got there the next day....a week later the check was cashed, still no word from her...grrrrrr.  I knew we still needed one more reference letter to be turned in so I made sure it got done.  I called our contact and asked for the contact info for our actual case worker for our home study. 

I really am frustrated that it's taking sooooooo long to get anything done.  First it was us raising the money, now it's trying to get the visits scheduled.  We have to take these classes that the agency sets up and they're having some the first weekend in October. Finally! The last ones they told us about were a mere two days after they received our application and we had something going on already. That was....April? May?  From the way they described it, there are five separate sessions and it looks like there are only four that weekend in October.  We have to take the first two before the home study is complete and the last three before we bring our kids home.  SO that means we have to get them all done by Thanksgiving.  After Thanksgiving, Chris goes off to training, then block leave then deployment not long after that.  

I emailed our case worker and expressed the urgency needed to get these home visits started.  I also asked why there needed to be three separate visits when apparently everything else has to be done before we can even have the first one! I said the only thing that could happen is my husband going "over there".  I hope she caught my slight annoyance with the situation. 

I've been SO busy lately.  I got a little job working the aftercare at the preschool at church. Only two hours a day, super easy.....until you add subbing to the mix!  I've subbed in the three year old room seven days so far, and again tomorrow.  The first time and tomorrow I go in an hour or two later but five days in a row of 8-3:30 in the three yr old room 3:30-5:30 with three and four year old starting with about 27 and dwindling down to none.  And on Wednesdays I don't even get home until after 8pm because I help with the kids musical from 6-8! OY!!! At least I'm getting paid decently ;)
There are  some well behaved kids that make it worth it though....

This little guy loves to cross his eyes for you. 

Ok well it's waaay past my bedtime. I'd love to tell ya'll some more but I gotta get to bed so I can nurture little minds in the morning. ;)