The folders you see are:
- World Partners Adoption Application - 6 page form
- Summit Adoption Home Studies Application - 5 page form + 1 page written description of our house, property, and neighborhood
- Agency forms (non-notarized) - This is stuff like when you close on a house. You initial in all the right places saying you understand what your responsibility is, what the agencies is, that you agree to abide by the rules, you understand the privacy laws, etc.
- Agency background forms (notarized) one set for Jim and one set for Jen- This includes signing that you're not a child molester, you've never been arrested, no record of sexual abuse, either giving or receiving, etc. These ones get notarized and then they start running background checks.
- I-600A - This is the gov't doc you fill out when you "plan to adopt a foreign-born orphan but [do] not have a specific child in mind." This one involves birth certificates and a marriage certificate.
- Lastly, the "fun" documents- Jim has the responsibility to call the police dept and get a police clearance letter and get us fingerprinted. Jen gets to work with the health insurance folks to get a letter proving our medical coverage will cover adopted children. We both have to go to the doctors and have them fill out and sign a form that we're not ill- either physically or mentally. Lots of fun things like that. Luckily we can send in the application forms and then send this stuff within 30 days or so after that.
Whew! Ain't this fun ya'll?! :-) Actually, it's not so bad. Once you start digging in, it's just a matter of having your checklist and checking it twice. That's what all those pink tabs are for actually. I started writing a checklist, but we quickly got confused with what the item referred to and with which form, etc. So I just went through everything and where there was an incomplete, I put a pink sticky and put who the action belonged to. Then when either Jim or I complete an action, we can pull off a sticky and throw it away. It's a good gauge for how complete we are, who has the most action items, and what folders are complete. Not to mention the feel good sensation of peeling off a sticky and throwing it away. Don't minimize the small pleasures in this process!
The other piece of paper in the picture is just our financial tracking document. If you can make out the dark blue line, that's how much money we have to have (y axis) at a particular date (x axis). There are other lines on there indicating how much we've saved up to date, and what we've spent so far, but you can't see those lines in the picture as they are light colored and the picture isn't that big.
Switching topics, one of the things that weighs on my mind is that once we start this process, we don't want to stop simply because the documents will expire. For instance, if we pay $900 for the I-600A form, and something happens and we can't use it within 18 months, we have to pay for it again. See, here's the dilemma. We've got a plan to get all the money we need. We think we can get there in time and reach the goal. But it will be tight. Really tight. And Jim and I are not good at long term planning. We just aren't. Why save up for the one thousand dollar item, when there's an affordable and fun one hundred dollar item in front of us. The satisfaction of the short term overpowers the desire to see the long term to completion. This is one of our downfalls as individuals, and most definitely as a couple.
So here we are at a cross-roads. We have half the money we need. We have plenty to start the process. Do we wait for the other half- which we know is NOT a strong point for either of us (waiting and saving), but is definitely the more conservative option. Or do we get the ball rolling and use the incentive of losing all the initial money if we don't buckle down and stick to "the plan?"
This brings on a serious philosophical discussion I've been having with myself lately. I often hear from people in many different situations say, "We don't know where the money will come from, but we're trusting in God." I understand this. I do. When God indicates a path to take and you don't know how to overcome the obstacles, listen to Him and go down the path and trust that He'll take care of you. But the cynical side of me says, "Isn't it poor financial management and fiscal responsibility to spend (or intend to spend) money that you don't have?" That is also true. Which is "truer?" Is it black and white? Definitely seems grey to me, but should it be? Oh sure, I realize there's a difference in intent. Adopting a child is different than buying a BMW. {Pause} Dang! That really puts things into perspective. I got a question once (and I admit, the thought has echoed around in my head when the going gets tight), "Why do you want to spend all that money for a kid, when you can simply make one for free?" Now that I think about it, a mid-line 330x BMW costs more than it does to travel around the world and bring home a child in need of love and a safe home. {Shaking my head with tears in my eyes} Can you imagine that?! I can get a child or a car for the same price. Pick one. Man! When put that way, I feel extremely blessed that I can get a child for so cheap. Imagine what I'd have to pay if I actually had to pay the full worth. Or maybe that comes later in the teenage years. :-)
Well that mini revelation just brightened my outlook significantly. A car or a baby.
I still struggle with "wait" or "go" and what is the "right" thing to do. I think we'll end up with the "go" as a little motivation never hurts anybody. Wait and see!
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