Paperwork Is In

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas at the Robertson household was a blast. For only the 2nd time in our 10 Christmases together we did not travel to see family. As much as we’ve loved going home and on family vacations in the past, we decided that this year it was best to stay in our own home and establish our own traditions. I will admit to being homesick, especially in the days that led up to Christmas, but once the time came it was perfect. It was also a blessing that we were home for the holidays because it allowed us to finish up our paperwork and get settled into the next step of our adoption process.

The paperwork is in! On Christmas Eve we drove down to the agency with our large stack of papers and kids in tow and turned in all of the paperwork for our home study! I’m not trying to brag, but out of that ginormous stack of papers, we only missed a few signatures/initials and one or two blanks, plus one form that needs to be signed by our insurance company. We fixed everything there except for the insurance form, which we will be able to turn in later. It was important to get our paperwork turned in because there are currently 3 other families also at the same point of the process. Turning in the paperwork and paying the home study fee ($2000) put us on the waiting list for the interview portion of the home study. Currently our paperwork is being processed and they will be able to check our CPS records in multiple states, do our background checks, and look at all of the records we submitted. In mid January we will complete the two day training that is necessary for approval, and then by mid February we should begin the interviews where we meet with the social worker and she gets to know us and determine what mother/child relationship is the best fit for us. She’ll look at our house too, not with the ‘white glove’ treatment, just making sure everything is safe, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be obsessing about the cleanliness of my house.

It felt so wonderful to finally have all of the paperwork done and turned in. I was frustrated that it took us so long to get things together, but I also am trusting that this is God’s timing and that the slight delay (which is pushing our approval date about 4-6 weeks behind what I initially hoped) is there for a reason. The delay is also good because it gives us more time to fundraise the Program Fee 1 due at the time of approval. That fee is $9000 and seems insurmountable. We’ve spent the majority of our savings on the application and home study fees, and even though we have a small amount of money to put toward the next fee, it almost feels like a drop in the bucket. God has assured us from the beginning that this is His plan. It is my prayer that He provides the money through donations, but if His provision is through a loan then I will trust that He is going to help us pay that off too.

I look forward to finally being approved and past this portion of the process because I hate being stuck on the side of adoption that is so money oriented. These fees are important and they are going to help the mother, the agency, our baby, and our family. But these fees can also be a stress and they tempt you to take your eyes off of the whole reason we are doing this and the trust we have in God.

When you give birth the experience is long and painful; 9 months of crazy symptoms like nausea, heartburn, back pain, and waddling are capped off with the most intense pain of your life and a labor that takes hours (24+ for my first). Then someone puts your tiny baby in your arms and you look at them in all their perfection, a child ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ a ‘perfect gift from above’ and you know that every moment throwing up in the toilet, every sleepless night (behind you and ahead of you), every ounce of pain was worth it. The adoption process is vastly different from pregnancy, but it will still end with a tiny baby in my arms and the overwhelming knowledge that every dollar spent and every moment waited is worth it.

So I welcome 2016 and everything it has in store. I am praying that this is the year we will meet our child, but if it is not, then this is the year that will bring us one step closer, the year we will grow together as a family and in our relationship with God as we continue to pursue the child He has for us in adoption.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17