Our Experience

Just to give you a sense of what the early stages of the process have been like for us, here’s the basic rundown so far. And according to our resource worker, this is moving pretty quickly!

June 5 - Called DHS and expressed an interest in adoption

June 12 - Received a call from our caseworker

June 13 - Background check requested

June 15 - Fingerprints were taken, application and other forms emailed to me

June 19 - I delivered forms to pediatrician and employers to be completed; pet vaccinations updated

June 20 - House Assessment and our first run through all of the paperwork

So far, paperwork includes:

• Application (21 pages long)
• Proof of auto insurance
• Immunization records for our biological kids
• Copies of Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, and marriage license
• Disaster and Emergency Plan Information Sheet
• Consent to release driver’s records
• Parent health history forms for both David and me
• Background check request forms
• Verification of DHS rules
• Child Needs Information List ( a 5-page document describing what kinds of children we are willing to parent, with regards to family history, past trauma, behavior and emotional issues, disabilities, and special conditions, etc.)
• Family reference forms from both David’s employer and mine
• Medical Examination forms from our doctor - separate forms for both David and me
• Statement of good health from the pediatrician for our biological kids
• Authorization for disclosure of information from the military (for David)

June 21-23 - Resource Family Training -- This is 9 separate 3-hour workshops (27 hours total) that we will complete in three days, beginning at 8:30 in the morning and finishing at 7:15 each evening.

June 26 - Checkups with the doctor to verify that David and I are in good health

So we have been really busy gathering information, completing forms, running forms here and there to be signed, updating medical records, and preparing our home! I sure am glad the Lord worked this out during the summer break because if I were trying to do all of this during the school year while teaching, I would be super stressed out! As it is, I’m thankful that I have time each day to devote to whatever is next on our list.

Our next step is the home study. According to our resource worker, an outside agency will contact us to schedule three separate visits during which they will ask us a zillion questions and dig into our past and our brains as much as possible. Sounds fun, right?