Some of you have expressed interest in knowing more about our adoption process so I thought I would take some time to sit down today and write out as much as I know. The process is huge and there is still a lot we don’t know about it, but I will do my best. Before we started any of this, I researched the process a lot so actually most of what I know, I learned from that research. Feel free to send any more questions you have later.

We are working with two agencies. Christian World Adoption (CWA) is the main agency we will be working with. They are based out of North Carolina. We found them through Steven Curtis Chapman’s adoption foundation. We also have to work with a local agency to do our Home Study. The Home Study is a series of interviews, including one visit to our home. At this time, they also help you gather and finish all the necessary paperwork. We will be working with International Adoption Net (IAN) in Centennial. CWA will be helping us mostly with the international side of things. We have to take two online adoption classes with them on issues like attachment, being a multicultural family, adoption laws, etc. We are also required to read a book that covers all of the important issues and take a quiz. So far, all of it has been very helpful and interesting though it is a lot. Other than these studies, we will not be working on anything with CWA until after our Home Study is finished.

With IAN we have started a lot of paperwork. This paperwork includes but is definitely not limited to: a criminal background check, fingerprints, contract with the agency, copies of our marriage license and birth certificates, questionnaires about our childhoods and family life, health physicals, passports, etc. I am sure there will be more of that to come. We hope to start the Home Study in the next week. Our caseworker has been out of town. The Home Study will take 6-8 weeks as long as we are on top of things. We also are in the process of taking classes for this agency. We must have 24 hours of these classes to complete the adoption. We went to one 2 weeks ago. These classes cover a range of topics as well. Last week we discussed possible mental or physical problems an adopted child may have or develop and the process of loss and grief for an adopted child. It was very informative and also great because we got to meet other couples from Colorado adopting from Ethiopia and other countries. One couple in particular was about our age and had a daughter about Isaiah’s age. They have invited us to join their support group of couples in Colorado all of whom have adopted from Ethiopia. We are eager to look into this and try it out.

During the process of the Home Study, we will start working on immigration forms. This will take about 6-10 weeks but can be done at the same time as the Home Study. When we finish the Home Study, we send it to the agency in North Carolina. Then we will begin working with them on our Dossier. The Dossier is a packet of forms for the international side of adoption. I am not sure what all it includes. The Dossier takes between 2-4 weeks. We will then send the Home Study and Dossier to the Ethiopian orphanage we will be working with and await their approval. This can take anywhere from 1-4 months. In Ethiopia they have only one judge for 57 orphanages. The courts also take August and September off for their New Year. Therefore, it can be a long, arduous process. After they approve us, we will receive a referral. This is the paperwork on a potential child. It will include photos, a biography (as much as is known), and health information. We will then have ten days to talk to each other and a doctor, and pray. If we decide to take adopt that child, we then will wait probably about a month to travel and pick him or her up. We will only have to be in Ethiopia for 3 days if everything goes as planned. However, we may go earlier to do some sight-seeing. When we return to the states there will be a few more forms and possibly a court hearing to finalize the adoption. We will have at least 3 post-placements visits by our caseworker in Denver after the adoption to make sure we are all doing well. And that is that. Simple, right?