Home Study #4: Check

Well, folks. We're done with our home studies. This is great news. We're practically (not quite) done with two out of four steps of our adoption process, though the wait comes next.

We went though the normal home study process where our social worker came to our house, Nellie wiggled and squeaked with excitement, and we chatted.

Up until this point, Adam and I have been working on educational classes, 10 hours (each) had to be completed by the end of our home study:

• Adopting an Older Child
• Conspicuous Families
• Finding the Missing Pieces: Grief and Loss
• Medical Issues in International Adoption
• The Journey of Attachment 

This home study focused mostly on these classes. Lindsay asked us any concerns we had from those classes and ways we would address any problems that may arise. It seems like the most important thing she touched on was how to foster attachment with the child.

She also gave us a book to read, The Connected Child, which helps adoptive parents understand and face the challenges that come along with adoption. Have any of you read this? Any insights? 

So what happens next? 

Lindsay will need 2–3 weeks to finishing writing up the home study report and then it will get sent off for approvals. After the home study report is completely approved, we'll need to start gathering documents for our dossier (they need to be the most current documents, which is why we can't start now), and apply for our immigration approval (more money + fingerprints). 

Thank you for joining us on this journey, we'll be done before we know it...right?