Steven&Melissa

We sent in our application on Friday, March 12! I went ahead and filled out the orientation paperwork and sent in payment with the application, just out of wishful thinking that we could possibly get in for the April 30-May 1 orientation! I know adoption is a leap of faith in many ways, but we're trying to be as budget-conscious as possible. I wanted to have our currently approved TN home study updated for TX standards so that we were "good to go" when we went to orientation. We're working with a local social worker and she can squeeze us in on the afternoon of March 29 (my hubby's b'day!)... I'm just wondering if it's too presumptive for us to go forward with this - knowing we might not get into the April/May orientation - and knowing the home study has to be updated every 6 months. Advice? Thanks! Melissa

Thanks for bumping this up, Susan! It gives some great ideas about how to appropriately go about saving a little extra money to put toward the adoption costs.

We made a lot of progress last week! Met with the wonderful suebee for dinner Thursday and then mailed off our completed application Friday. USPS.com shows that the package should arrive at the Abrazo offices today! I also contacted a local social worker to update our TN home study for TX standards and should hear back from her tomorrow about scheduling and cost. We worked on draft 1 of our profile over the weekend and it's coming together so well! Fingers crossed that an orientation invitation comes and that we'll have a chance to get feedback on this profile and use that TX-updated home study!

Erin - I'm so glad you got your application, too! Hope your time at jury duty is passing quickly with essay questions to answer during downtime!

Wahoo! We received our application in the mail today and are climbing this mountain of paperwork tonight. So excited to move on to the next step toward growing our family!

Thanks, Susan! I ended up zoning out for the 5-hour car trip, so I doubt I would have successfully read (and retained) anything anyway! My folks live in OB, too, so I'll PM you when I get back home and meet up with you whenever it's convenient for you. I REALLY appreciate you letting me borrow these books! Excited to meet you as well.

We have a road trip coming up to celebrate my niece's 1st birthday and I want to make the most of my time in the car (and my time waiting to hear back about our inquiry!) by downloading a book about open adoptions to read. Does anyone have any suggestions for what book helped them the most?

Did anyone begin learning how to speak Spanish after choosing Hispanic or Hispanic/other racial/cultural backgrounds as one of your preferences? I spoke nearly fluent Spanish in high school and although I can still communicate somewhat, there's a lot of room for improvement. Now would be a good time to start learning, before the whirlwind of everything else starts. I know this is a benefit in teaching a child as they're growing up, but has it also proven beneficial in speaking with expectant parents during the match phase and beyond? Thanks for your insight!

This question is one of the reasons reading the forum is beneficial to me during the stage of our adoption journey that we're in right now. To be honest, my initial response is different than my response after thinking about this question. I knew there were things we were open to in terms of alcohol, drugs, and minor challenges, but when I think about this question, those things almost seem like I've been asked "what is your preference?" or "what is optimal?" in an adoptive situation, not what could we "handle." It's a tough question all-around to know how anyone might handle the situation if presented with it... because most times in life, what we think we want most definitely isn't always what God urges our heart to do.

Everleigh - I'm definitely not an expert on this, but I can tell you that our church hosts classes for prospective foster families and I remember hearing that foster families are not required to be home owners - they are just expected to have sufficient space for a baby (when it comes to rent vs. own). I would have to assume this also applies to most (if not all) adoptions. I can also tell you many agencies allow families who rent to adopt, but I can't be sure Abrazo is on that list. You could definitely call the Abrazo offices and just ask - then you'd know for sure!

Hi, everyone! My husband Steven and I live in Memphis, TN and mailed in our inquiry on 2/18, so we're just waiting patiently to see if we can move on to the next step! We're learning so much from the forum in the meantime and are so thankful that everyone is so open so that we have the opportunity to learn while we wait.