All Hallow's Eve

Happy Halloween! I can't wait to dress our baby up in this:

with this being a close second:But seriously folks, tomorrow is our first meeting with our social worker. I hope it goes smoothly. I'm doing my best to keep the stress level low as I'm sure it will be increasing in the next several months.

Next Up, Forms

They got back to us! We received a package in the mail with information on the next step. We have an appointment with our caseworker next week for our first interview.


Apparently our immediate future consists of filling out a bunch of forms. Examples include but are not limited to:

- Child Placement form
- Adoption Expenses form
- Financial Statement
- Personal References
- Medical form
- Employment Verification form
- Criminal Record Statements
- Grievance Procedure form

Forms, shmorms! Sounds like a lot of work but I secretly like filling things out. Plus I gots to keep my eyes on the prize. This weekend we went to our friends' baby's first birthday party. She seduced me with her cuteness.


like this?

Accountability

Still patiently awaiting news from Adoption Connection to see if they'll take us on as clients. I know they said a couple weeks until we'd be assigned a case worker but it would nice to get this thing rolling!

In semi-adoption news, David and I have decided to start a joint bank account for all things baby. It was easy to get David to agree to this since the Cleveland Indians are steadily trekking towards the World Series. (note to self: when he's happy, he'll say yes to anything)


hmm... might be time to rethink that logo


Why don't we already have a joint account you ask? We currently are not Domestic Partners but we've been solid for a miraculous 6 years. Who needs that paper anyway right? Actually, we're still deciding on the best path to take in cementing our relationship. According to California Law, if we become domestic partners, we can adopt together as a single unit instead of having to each do an individual adoption. Sweet!

Wait a Second

I called Adoption Connection today to see if they received our application and they have! The woman on the phone broke it down to me thusly:

7-10 days to process the application
2 weeks until a case worker is assigned to it

So I guess this is just the first in what will probably be a long string of wait periods.

Nurse, I need stats, STAT!

Since announcing our intention to adopt, we have gotten a huge outpouring of support from our friends and family. Thanks everyone!

I've also been getting a lot of similar questions so I thought I'd share some of the statistics our agency has given us. These numbers are specifically from 2006 and for Adoption Connection only.

- Average time to complete an adoption was 12 months. They said to expect anywhere from 6-18 months.

- Ethnicity of babies placed breaks down like this:
African American - 7
Asian/Pacific islander - 2 (but keep your fingers crossed mom and dad)
Caucasian - 29 (I know, right?)
Mixed - 12
Hispanic - 1
East Indian - 0
Native American - 0

- Average of 9 families per year leave the program due to various circumstances. Reasons include getting pregnant, moving out of the area, or just changing their minds.

- LGBT couples make up 14% of families who adopted. Singles were at 6%. Convicted criminals and children tied at 0%

- 60% birthmoms reside in California.

- Cost varies but ranges from $10,000-$25, 000. It depends on the mother's situation.

This one is not a stat, but I got asked a lot... No, we don't get to choose the sex of the child but that's ok with us. Either is fine. Although, David wants an athlete so it has to be really strong. We do get to specify ethnicity, medical condition, etc. Obviously the more open you are, the easier it will be to make a match.

Ain't Just Whistlin' Miscellany

Just a quick note... I realized I had locked the comments from people unless you had a blogspot account. I just opened it up to anyone so feel free to comment without having to sign up.

Applying Ourselves

OK, here it is! After getting our toes wet with orientations, we are now fully diving in by sending in our home study application. Up until now, the whole idea of adoption has been somewhat theoretical. With this application, it's going to be real.
this is how it went down...


$250 non-refundable application fee



Forms include the Contract, Live-scan, and lengthy, deep-delving questionnaire.



Note steady, resolved hand



gulp!