Homestudy meeting #1
This afternoon was our first homestudy meeting with our social worker at the agency. I was pretty nervous going into it but after talking to her just a little bit I could tell she was really nice and not at all "out to get us" so I relaxed. This meeting was mostly her talking to us about things we need to take into consideration before we adopt and things we need to be aware of as far as possible problems that could arise such as developmental delays, attachment disorders, etc. It was mostly things we had already thought about but she is required to go through this big long scary checklist of stuff and she did have some good advice on how to deal with certain situations that could arise.
Then there was more paperwork to sign and we had to take this really odd personality test which asked things like "Can you be friendly to a person who does really bad things?" (huh?) and a questionnaire regarding alcohol and drug use. Honestly I don't get those tests because if you are truly an alcoholic drug addict are you going to be truthful about it? It just seems kinda useless to me but whatever.
So next up is our individual meetings which are set up for Sunday afternoon, back to back. Then our in home visit is scheduled for next Tuesday so we'll be done before Thanksgiving! Wow! Then this Friday we meet with our international coordinator to hand in our initial application for the Guatemala program and get our dossier packet. Oh goodie, more paperwork!! Somebody please tell me that the dossier isn't too terrible, I just want to get that done as fast as possible and then maybe we can get a little breathing room to enjoy the holidays! If we get a referral by Christmas as predicted it will all be so worthwhile!
posted by Kristin at 6:46 PM
5 Comments:
That is fast for a homestudy. Hooray!
I promise, the dossier is not that bad. We decided which docs we would tackle each week and who would get them so it wouldn't be too overwhelming. My advice...make physical appointments with your doctor today for both of you. We waited the longest for that. Also, make sure you take the piece of paper with you everywhere that lists what a notary must do. You will be shocked at how many notaries are clueless and even more shocked at how many will argue with you about what is necessary. We had a ton of trouble with this.
Good luck!
Glad to hear it went well and glad to hear it will be OVER so soon! Booya!
HA, that test sounds like a hoot!
Hi! I had to find out what was going on in your life, you need to email me! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. I think it's going so fast! How thrilling, exciting and wonderful. So psyched!!
Kerri
It's not terrible but a pain in the tush :) Make sure the notary has at least a year left on their commission (very important). I have a list of what you need for you dossier if you want it (it does vary from state to state but it will allow you to get started).
It can be overwhelming - just make up a list of everything that has to be done and put a check mark next to each thing as you finish it. It definately makes it a little less scary.
I'm so pleased things seem to be really moving along for you in the adoption process. I'm amazed at the stuff they ask prospective adoptive parents....mind you it would be a good idea to do some of the same checks on ANYBODY thinking of giving birth too! I agree with you about the questions...but I guess they have to be seen to be finding out all the appropriate stuff. I'm hoping the dossier is managable, and everything goes smoothly toward a referral before Christmas.
Post a Comment
<< Home