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!