Parenting class done!

Yey!  I finished my 10 hours of parenting classes this weekend.  They were required by the home study company.  Each little box I can check is one step closer! 

"Go get yourself a binder to keep everything together, there's going to be a lot of paperwork!"

Well my friend Tiffani was right.  There IS a lot of paperwork. 


Ever since I got the official instructions on how to complete the dossier I have been working non-stop to get my dossier pulled together.  Just when I thought I had it ALMOST ready... then I had my first homestudy visit and BAM another long list of things to do.  I feel like I'm in one of those Rube Goldberg contests where you have to go through so many steps to do the simplest things.  From dealing with government agencies to getting copies of paperwork, to taking online training classes, to petitioning several friends to pull reference letters together, to notaries and certifications, to making a guardianship plan in case anything happens to me (I don't even know the child yet and I'm planning for someone else to take her if I pass)... WOW.. I'm getting tired of paperwork!  I have a couple more things that I can do until I'm completely waiting on agencies.. doctors.. etc. to give me what I need. 


My mom has been helping me a lot.  She's been getting many documents pulled together.. writing letters for me and trying to get me necessary appointments.  Today we had a good time at Goodwill.  I told myself I wasn't going to buy very much.. at least until I know SOMETHING about my daughter.. Her age is an unknown factor, when I will get her, what season it will be..  I've never really looked at baby clothes.  Never made a point to stop in a baby section and see what I liked.  I figured, well since I know nothing, it wouldn't hurt to look at Goodwill.  Babies grow so quickly, the clothes can't be too destroyed.. or too expensive.  And it is Carmel, right?? so maybe there are nicer things there?  So we went through the first couple of racks at Goodwill.  BABY GIRL CLOTHES ARE REALLY CUTE!!  Lots of pink.. lots of butterflies.. lots of flowers.  My mom kept saying, "it's too early to buy clothes, I can tell you're going to be back here every week".. but then she'd say, "you take that side of the rack and I'll look at this side, isn't this cute?".  What the heck.  If the sizes are off, I'll donate them to Goodwill!  It was fun and we got a lot of really cute clothes at a good price.  My mom then offered to take them home and take all the tags off and wash them.  I have a great mom!   


I'm eager for my trip to Haiti to come.  I'm excited to see some of my Haitian friends again.  I'm also ready to look at several orphanages and see the conditions.  It's an odd feeling though.. after working on all the paperwork and hiring an agency.  I could at any point walk into any of those orphanages and pick a child to adopt.  Her life would change forever.  I already feel bad about the super cute toddlers I'm going to pass up or the multilingual older children who need homes too...They know what you are coming to the orphanage for...they'll do what it takes to get your attention and gain your interest.  However, I'll need to look past them and see the babies.  I really want to be a part of as much of her life as I can... so I need a newborn. 


Been thinking a lot about her name.. such a big decision...  Lots of different thoughts are going on in my mind.  Use a family name?  Use a Haitian name? (still haven't found the book for the 100 most popular Haitian baby names).  How about a name that's after a Catholic saint or the Virgin Mary?  What about the names I've always liked through the years?  I think I'll make my final decision when I learn of my daughter.  I'd like to know about the name that her birth parents gave her and possibly incorporate that somehow. 


More to come! 
Bonne nuit!

Paperwork is fun...isn't it?

Got the 33 page dossier packet from my agency yesterday. I had already done some of what is needed. My mom has helped a lot too- thanks mom! Today, I got a lot more done! My goal is to have most all done before I leave for Haiti. The biggest holdup that I can forsee is the psychological exam...I'm hoping I can get in to see one quickly....made lots of phone calls so far, I'm crossing my fingers.

Thanks to my friends who so quickly knocked out fantastic letters of recommendation. I'm blessed to have such great friends!

Home study visit #1 tomorrow..medical check and lab tests Monday.

Hopefully I'll be done soon and the ball will be in someone else's court...the agency rep told me that this will be a long process and I should have lots of patience. Um he doesn't know I'm an industrial engineer...constantly thinking about how I can reduce the lead time and optimize this process... Maybe patience will come later :).

I wish there were more people like you....

Wow! Such a nice compliment from the notary at the bank. She said her mother has gone to Haiti several times on medical missions! Small world!

So I went on my adventure to print paperwork off, find a notary, and express mail the documents so the agency has them Monday morning. Whew! The ball is back in their court. I got a list of things I'll need for my dossier, so I'll start pulling that info together. I'm ready to get through the paperwork process and learn about my Haitian Sensation!!

Approved!

I received an email saying CCAI has given me approval to adopt through them. Yey! Small step but at least I'm moving in the right direction!

Now I need to sign the paperwork and send some $$ their way. My goal is to not have the " ball in my court"... So I'll take care of all of that tonight / tomorrow and next day it to Colorado. Then they'll give me the dossier / home study instructions.

Trip to Haiti is coming soon. I need to go to the doctor to get malaria medication... And I think I'm missing my hep a shot too..fun stuff. It'll be a great trip. I'm sure I'll learn a lot about various orphanages...and maybe locate my Haitian sensation! Maybe- well see!

My agency, CCAI

CCAI is the agency I'm using. I originally wanted to do the adoption on my own, but recently the president of Haiti announced that he would put an end to independent adoptions. Although I doubt that the Haitian government would put this in place quickly, I decided to not risk it. So I went with CCAI. They should have received my paperwork today....waiting to hear back from them.

My Haitian Sensation

Who is my sensational Haitian?  I've yet to meet her, but she's about to make herself known in my life. 

I've made 6 trips to Haiti over the past several years.  Haiti and the Haitian people have always held a special place in my heart.  After my first trip to Haiti, I knew I would always be connected with Haiti.  How can anyone leave Haiti and not want to help more? 

Today is a special day in my life.  I submitted the application to adopt.  I'd love God to bless my life with a child that needs a mother.  I'd love the chance to give a child an opportunity in life.  I'd love the chance to make a difference in someone's life. 

The moment I submitted my paperwork, I felt a rush of excitement all over my body.  I knew then, from this moment on my life will change. 

I asked for a baby girl.  

In 3 weeks I'll make a trip to Haiti to go "orphanage shopping".  My agency uses two different orphanages, but I'd like to check out others in case a baby girl becomes available sooner.  I'd also like to go see the conditions and meet the people running the orphanages.  On this trip, I might be able to locate my Haitian sensation or I might be just investigating the possibilities of using other orphanages.  I'm ok with either outcome.  We'll see!  I'm so fortunate to have a good friend in Haiti who is willing to help me through this process.  Bertony Domond.  Thank you.  He hosted me last year and took me to a few orphanges where I volunteered.  He keeps me safe in a not so safe place, Port-au-Prince.  He will take me to several orphanages on my next trip.  He's going to be my eyes / ears in Haiti throughout this process.  I'm very fortunate to have a friend like him.  Who knew that on a mission trip 15 years ago I'd meet someone who would help me so much.     

Why a baby?!?  Well, the Haitian adoption process takes a LONG time.  It could take 1- 2 years.  By the time I find my daughter and wait for the paperwork to process, she could be 2 years old!  So, I'm requesting a baby.  I want the whole process to be the least traumatic for my daughter, so the younger the better. 

So, the waiting begins.