WOO HOO!
So. . . what's next, you ask?
Well, once our Home Study Agency receives
our application, they'll contact us to schedule our first of two Home Study Interviews. The first interview will be conducted in our home. We're told it will last about two hours. We'll have another interview later on in Waco at the agency's office.
In the meantime. . . we've got MORE PAPERWORK to complete for our actual Adoption Agency. This is the BIG stack! We've also got to start working on getting our passports, do 8 hours (yes, you read that right) of online adoptive parenting training (2 more hours will be done at our Home Study Agency at the 2nd appointment), and read two books on adoption/parenting. We'll have to squeeze Ben's 3rd semester of seminary, Abby's business, youth ministry, and life in as well. ;)
So, there's still a lot more process left to go through, but we're really excited to have STEP 1 Complete! Keep checking back for more updates!
Congratulations! The home studies aren't that bad....they are long, very personal and tiring but not as bad as we thought it would be. We had to complete 30-40+ hours of adoption classes and read a few books too. Here are some books that Jonathan and I read and liked if your interested:
ReplyDelete*Adoption is a Family Affair by Patricia Irwin Johnston
*Twenty Things Adoptd Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge.
*The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis.
Good Luck with everything, we're praying for you!
Thank you so much, Laurie! We're super excited for you guys as well and have been praying for you. I saw pictures of the nursery on your blog - LOVE it! I think the 2 books we have to read are already pre-determined by the agency, but I'm going to keep your list as I'm sure I'll need to do a lot of prep reading beforehand!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing such a great job! Love the blog - what a wonderful way to keep everyone updated! :)
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