Our SW came over on, Tuesday 12.22. , to complete our final homestudy meeting. It went very well. She stayed for about 3 hours. The time seemed to fly by while we were talking, answering questions, and walking through the house.
The meeting started off with a short "Q & A" between G and our SW. K and I left the room so they could talk privately. When we returned, our SW recapped a few things for us. They discussed how Korea and America were on opposites ends of the ocean; how her little brother is going to look different than her; and how things around here may be a little a different when he comes home. G mentioned to SW that we've discussed this mostly through reading books...her favorite being Katie -Bo by Iris L. Fisher. I think she enjoys reading this one the most because it's very age appropriate. Our SW said the best thing G said to her was "I pray real hard every night for my baby brother to come home soon". ....smiling big smiles right now.
The rest of the meeting was fairly simple. We answered a good amount of basic questions (about our home and how we will provide basic care and needs for a new child) for DCFS licensing. We then went over the 'Child Acceptance List'.
We are so happy the homestudy is complete. I will be even more excited when it has been submitted and we are DCFS approved. Our SW told us she will start putting it together but, won’t submit anything until we are closer to #10 on the list.
We are guessing we are someone in the teens right now but, really can’t be sure. It will definitely be exciting to hear from her when we are at #10.
We did touch a little on timing with her. She mentioned most families have been getting referrals right around the 12 month of waiting mark. Although, I have been following other families on the Yahoo group and kind of already knew this, it was nice to hear her thoughts.
We think this was a great way to complete our adoption journey steps in 2009 and can’t wait for the changes, excitement, and blessings 2010 will bring!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Our Princess is 5!
G turned 5 on Sunday! I can't believe we have a 5 year old, sounds crazy to me. 5 years went way too fast! She had a great birthday weekend. Friday -- I brought cookies to her class and read a story while she wore the birthday crown. Saturday--- she had a party at gymnastics with her friends. Sunday --- we had some family over to sing and blow out candles. .
Happy Birthday, sweet princess!
Happy Birthday, sweet princess!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Quick Update
Once again, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving here at our house with family. K cooked a yummy turkey to go along with all the usual sides. We had 13 at our table this year and we really enjoyed ourselves. The star of the day was our new nephew little S. G was so intrigued by him. She followed M and A around and wanted to watch his every move. After dinner, a few of us played Yahtzee while the others watched a movie. It was a great day. So much to be thankful for!!! 
Some goings on with the adoption..... Our referral letters were sent out right after our last meeting with our SW. We've heard from all our friends that we choose to be referrals. We are so grateful and thankful to them for filling out the questionnaire and being a part of this journey with us! Thank you!
When we last met with our SW, she mentioned that LL was expecting a few more referrals before the end of the year. I am happy to say, she was correct. Since our last meeting, I know (through emails posted on a LL message board) that a few families have been matched with their children.
It brings such a feeling of joy when I read that another family has a received a referral. I can't help but smile and even tear up thinking about the excitement they must feel....such a blessing for each family.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Homestudy Meeting
We had our final combined interview for our Homestudy with our SW today. We started out the meeting with some questions we had.
Most specifically, we asked her what she thought about the number of EPs (travel documents) that are issued each year and how this will effect future waiting families. EPs or Emigration Permits are issued by the Korean Gov't and gives a child permission to leave the country. Once a family receives a referral they must complete a few other documents and wait for EP before bringing their child home. There are some LL families who received referrals in the first part of 2009 but, will not be able to bring their children home until after the new year. This is because the allotted number of EPs for this year have been given out. I asked her how she thought this "catch up" next year will effect other waiting families. She told me, although, this is unusual, she does think (of course, she can't be certain) that this will work itself out and not significantly increase wait times. I asked her if she thought this would push our time frame out; if it would be more realistic to expect to travel in 2011, rather than late 2010? She told us they are expecting more referrals this year and we shouldn't jump the gun and change our waiting expectations. She asked that we try and be patient and see how the "catch up" works out at the beginning of the year. I did like that answer, it made me feel a little more at ease ;-)....let the process just progress and work itself out.
After we got our questions answered, the meeting seemed to go really well. I think we are more comfortable with our SW and the whole process. The questions and answers seemed to flow easily. She asked about our marriage, our parenting style, our thoughts on birth parent searches, our feelings toward the birth mother, how we do/will discuss adoption in our home.
We also did a quick paperwork review and she thinks we have ALL of our paperwork complete and turned in. Yeah! Next, our SW will come to our home for the final step in the Homestudy process. At this time, she will talk with G and take a look at our home. We are looking forward to completing this final step.
G seems to be doing a great job of understanding adoption (as much as a 4 year old can). The hardest thing for her to understand is the WHEN. WHEN is my little brother coming home? Will it be when I'm in Kindergarten? How come you don't know? It's so interesting to watch a 4 year old try to conceptualize how he is going to get here and where he is coming from. She doesn't seem the least bit concerned with this. She just wants to have her baby brother here to play with, now! I do think she understands more than most people would expect.....and her excitement is just PRICELESS.
Most specifically, we asked her what she thought about the number of EPs (travel documents) that are issued each year and how this will effect future waiting families. EPs or Emigration Permits are issued by the Korean Gov't and gives a child permission to leave the country. Once a family receives a referral they must complete a few other documents and wait for EP before bringing their child home. There are some LL families who received referrals in the first part of 2009 but, will not be able to bring their children home until after the new year. This is because the allotted number of EPs for this year have been given out. I asked her how she thought this "catch up" next year will effect other waiting families. She told me, although, this is unusual, she does think (of course, she can't be certain) that this will work itself out and not significantly increase wait times. I asked her if she thought this would push our time frame out; if it would be more realistic to expect to travel in 2011, rather than late 2010? She told us they are expecting more referrals this year and we shouldn't jump the gun and change our waiting expectations. She asked that we try and be patient and see how the "catch up" works out at the beginning of the year. I did like that answer, it made me feel a little more at ease ;-)....let the process just progress and work itself out.
After we got our questions answered, the meeting seemed to go really well. I think we are more comfortable with our SW and the whole process. The questions and answers seemed to flow easily. She asked about our marriage, our parenting style, our thoughts on birth parent searches, our feelings toward the birth mother, how we do/will discuss adoption in our home.
We also did a quick paperwork review and she thinks we have ALL of our paperwork complete and turned in. Yeah! Next, our SW will come to our home for the final step in the Homestudy process. At this time, she will talk with G and take a look at our home. We are looking forward to completing this final step.
G seems to be doing a great job of understanding adoption (as much as a 4 year old can). The hardest thing for her to understand is the WHEN. WHEN is my little brother coming home? Will it be when I'm in Kindergarten? How come you don't know? It's so interesting to watch a 4 year old try to conceptualize how he is going to get here and where he is coming from. She doesn't seem the least bit concerned with this. She just wants to have her baby brother here to play with, now! I do think she understands more than most people would expect.....and her excitement is just PRICELESS.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Some Answers
Why did we decide to Adopt?
It's where we were lead and it just feels right. Long before we were certain we had IF issues, we researched International programs and countries, and the option of going this route to expand our family. I was always fascinated with the process and loved to hear from families we knew or were acquainted with to see how the process went, how they were adjusting, etc.
Why did we choose Korea?
Like I said, before we made the decision that International adoption was the route we would go; we did a great deal of research on countries and their programs. The Korean program was appealing to us for a number of reasons. In comparison to many other country's programs, the waiting time is quite short. Babies are expected to come home before their first birthday. Babies are cared for in foster homes until they are placed with their forever families. Korea's Health care is excellent and similar to that of the US. Babies are usually referred with good background information and well documented medical records. Korea does not require a lengthy stay in country. Many families make the trip in about 1 week. Families may choose to travel to pick up their child or choose an escort.
More on the questions later. This post might get too long and wordy if I answer them all at once.
Since my last post, we've been quite busy. My first nephew was born on November 4th. Congrats to my brother and his wife! He is so beautiful and precious!
We took our annual, week long, trip to Siesta Key, FL with K's family. We had a wonderful time, as always. Tropical Storm, Ida, got in the way of our sun on a few of the days but, we were still in warm FL and enjoyed spending time with the family.
On Saturday, November 14th, we attended a Parent Education Training at LL. As part of our Homestudy and to be licensed by DCFS to bring an adopted child into our home, we must complete a certain number of training hours. Saturday's training, along with 5 online courses, will complete our hours. During the first part of the training on Saturday, a Pediatric Psychologist gave a presentation. It addressed a wide variety of topics including, child development and behavior management. It was very informative. Our SW gave a brief presentation on how to discuss adoption, the word adoption, and the meaning of adoption with your child as he grows up. My favorite part of the day was hearing from two families who have already brought their children home. K and I loved to watch the two little guys run around and hear about the families' journeys and experiences.
It's where we were lead and it just feels right. Long before we were certain we had IF issues, we researched International programs and countries, and the option of going this route to expand our family. I was always fascinated with the process and loved to hear from families we knew or were acquainted with to see how the process went, how they were adjusting, etc.
Why did we choose Korea?
Like I said, before we made the decision that International adoption was the route we would go; we did a great deal of research on countries and their programs. The Korean program was appealing to us for a number of reasons. In comparison to many other country's programs, the waiting time is quite short. Babies are expected to come home before their first birthday. Babies are cared for in foster homes until they are placed with their forever families. Korea's Health care is excellent and similar to that of the US. Babies are usually referred with good background information and well documented medical records. Korea does not require a lengthy stay in country. Many families make the trip in about 1 week. Families may choose to travel to pick up their child or choose an escort.
More on the questions later. This post might get too long and wordy if I answer them all at once.
Since my last post, we've been quite busy. My first nephew was born on November 4th. Congrats to my brother and his wife! He is so beautiful and precious!
We took our annual, week long, trip to Siesta Key, FL with K's family. We had a wonderful time, as always. Tropical Storm, Ida, got in the way of our sun on a few of the days but, we were still in warm FL and enjoyed spending time with the family.
On Saturday, November 14th, we attended a Parent Education Training at LL. As part of our Homestudy and to be licensed by DCFS to bring an adopted child into our home, we must complete a certain number of training hours. Saturday's training, along with 5 online courses, will complete our hours. During the first part of the training on Saturday, a Pediatric Psychologist gave a presentation. It addressed a wide variety of topics including, child development and behavior management. It was very informative. Our SW gave a brief presentation on how to discuss adoption, the word adoption, and the meaning of adoption with your child as he grows up. My favorite part of the day was hearing from two families who have already brought their children home. K and I loved to watch the two little guys run around and hear about the families' journeys and experiences.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Happy Halloween
What a wonderful Weekend! The constant rain we have been having finally let up a bit on Saturday so the kiddies could get out and trick and treat. You may recall from my post last year that G was anti-"trick or treating". She's a little cautious of masks. Last year she would have nothing do with them. This year she is not so much scared but, likes to keep her distance. She dressed up for school on Friday and had a good time at the classroom party. I was lucky to be a room mom again this year. I just love seeing all the kids dressed up with those big happy smiles on their faces. This year G told us she doesn't like masks but was going to just go with it and "be brave". As you can tell from the pictures, she thoroughly enjoyed filling up that little bucket with candy.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
LL Korean Reception
We were invited by LL (our agency) to attend a Korean Reception this past weekend. It was a great experience for all of us. . They had Korean food, a Tae Kwon Do performance, Arts and Crafts that G loved, and games for the kids. The best part of the reception for us was meeting other families. There were families there who have already brought their children home and waiting families, like us, who are in the midst of the process. We were lucky to be introduced by our SW to a family who is at the same point in the process as us. We are looking forward to staying in touch with them and following their journey.
We finished off that great day for our family with the annual bonfire at Mom and E's. I think every year gets better and better. What could be more fun than eating, drinking and spending time with family?
Many of you asked me that night, what the timelines are looking like. I recently asked our SW if 18 months is still the general timeline and she continues to give me the same answer..."We are hoping to get a few more referrals this year". The reason she gives me this answer is there is a "waiting list" and once other families are given their referrals, we move up in the list.
We finished off that great day for our family with the annual bonfire at Mom and E's. I think every year gets better and better. What could be more fun than eating, drinking and spending time with family?
Many of you asked me that night, what the timelines are looking like. I recently asked our SW if 18 months is still the general timeline and she continues to give me the same answer..."We are hoping to get a few more referrals this year". The reason she gives me this answer is there is a "waiting list" and once other families are given their referrals, we move up in the list.
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