Paperwork and Financing

Paperwork. That’s the stage of the process we’re in. Things that we need: tax statement, birth certificates, physicals for all family members, CPS check, background check, DMV record, references, shot records for our dogs, an emergency preparedness plan, and a questionnaire with some very personal questions (like how would you describe your first sexual experience…) among others. All of this paperwork is required for our home study and after we complete it we will be able to schedule the interviews and home visits where our social worker will get to know us. I’m looking forward to this part because she will be helping match us with the right expectant mother.

We’ve been working on this paperwork for a while, and I’m hopeful that we will finish it in the next couple of weeks. It’s been difficult to get all of our paperwork done because we have both been really busy. I’m looking forward to Christmas and slowing things down so that we can just enjoy each other and our family. For once we are not traveling during the holidays and I’m excited to spend time in our own home and making our own traditions. Steak and eggs for Christmas morning breakfast will obviously be on our menu, that’s a tradition from my side of the family that we can’t let go. It’s crazy to remember that this time last year Batman was a tiny little baby, only 5 weeks old. Now he’s over a year and starting to walk around, and we are working to add another member to our family. I know it’s a lot to hope, but I can’t help wishing that this time next year we’ll have another member of our family! I know, I’m a dreamer 🙂

We started our GoFundMe Page and have already received our first two donations! We have also received donations from some of our friends in person and we are so thankful and humbled by the love and support of our friends and family. Thank you Brandy, Sadie, Stacey, and Valerie for your donations!

Many of our friends and family have been so supportive and excited for us in this process. I am thankful for all of the love and encouragement we have received. In my next couple of posts I’ll I share some general facts about the adoption process. Many of our friends have been asking questions , and I love to answer them; hopefully this will be a good read for people who are curious and haven’t asked, or will fill in the gaps from all of the many conversations I’ve had.

Finances:

The whole experience should cost between $27,000-30,000. The agency we have chosen (Bethany Christian Services) totals their fees at $26,700. This does not include lawyer fees (which average around $1000-3000 and any interstate fees if we happen to adopt outside of Virginia).

Why??!! That’s usually the follow up, there is some sticker shock that comes with adopting. Those fees will be broken up into different chunks to be paid at different times. To begin the process we paid $1200 and once we officially begin the interview portion of our home study we will pay another $2000 (hopefully this month or next depending on that paperwork we’re still trying to finish). At the completion of our home study we will pay $9000 (this is the point where we are officially approved to bring a child into our home). Once a baby has been placed with us there is a fee of $13,600 and there’s extra few hundred here and there during the process for background checks, DMV/CPS reports, etc..

The $2000 fee covers our home study; this is standard and unless you do your home study through state foster care, most will cost between $2000-5000. The $9000 fee goes toward many things. An expectant mother will receive counseling as well as financial compensation for some of her medical fees and other needs. Our state is fairly strict on how much money a mother may receive. Our agency will not charge us this fee again in the case that a match of ours falls through. I very much appreciate this safety net because it will prevent us from additional fees if a match falls through for any reason.

The $13,600 fee is due when a baby is placed in your home. Much of this fee goes toward the agency (a non-profit organization) and the large amount of work they put in. Unlike a private adoption where we would be paying a lawyer by the hour to fill out and file the paperwork, our agency will do all of the leg work for us and we will only pay a lawyer to process the final papers. Other things that the agency will do: find out if there is a father and take care of any necessary steps to ensure that he is aware of his child and is comfortable with the adoption plan. Another important job the agency does is to make sure that a mother we are matched with is a good fit for us. This will be an extremely important relationship for the rest of our lives so it is paramount that the mother and our family are a good fit. There are many scary adoption stories of families being taken advantage of and suffering heartache and losing lots of money in the process. We chose our agency because we feel that they are a great protection for us and will ultimately help us find our child and cultivate what we hope will be a wonderful relationship with his/her mother.

How are we paying for all of this? The first payment we made was with Jamberry money. God has had this planned for a long time, and I’m thankful he brought Jamberry into my life when he did so that the first payment was covered. The second payment ($2000) we are saving up for and are hoping that we’ll have the money between our savings and donations. Our $9000 payment at the completion of the home study is the one we’re ‘sweating’ the most. There is a credit union that offers interest free loans for adoption, but we are hoping and praying that we don’t have to go into anymore debt during this adoption. On top of our GoFundMe page we are also planning on doing some fundraisers in our community and are counting on the generosity of our friends and the provision of God to help us make the payments. Once our home study is approved we can start applying for grants. This is how we are hoping to pay for the majority of the $13,600 payment. After the adoption is finalized the Army will reimburse $2000 in fees and we can get a tax credit that will prevent us from owing any taxes.

Looking at this incredibly daunting task I am reminded that God is our provider. You will probably hear me say this a lot in my posts, and I hope so! I need to constantly remind myself that this is God’s plan and it will happen in a way that only He can do.

To donate through GoFundMe click our link. You can also mail a donation or host your own fundraiser, please send me a message if you are interested in helping! Thanks for keeping up with us and supporting us with your encouragement and prayers.

https://www.gofundme.com/z2cjnu78