A Little More Time

The construction guys gave us a new date. They aren't ready. Permits or some such. The new start date is April 14th. Don't tell them we are secretly very happy because we aren't ready either! Digging out a garden and moving the contents of three rooms is, well, time consuming.

That gives me a chance to tell you about the riveting, page turning, process of adopting overseas. Lucky you!
Yes, I am being sarcastic. If you give up and skip this post and any other that refer to "the process," I won't be offended. I will try and not go into too much detail. It is interesting to me because (duh) I'm deeply involved . . .

Anyway, it begins in interviewing and carefully researching adoption agencies. It is different in different states. The state of Colorado insists that you use an in-state agency for your homestudy and background checks because they provide someone to come and visit after the children come. We already filled out mule-choking amounts of paperwork, including a homestudy, with Boulder County Social Services but for some reason (that no one seems to be able to explain), we have to do it again. Sigh, okay.

The painful part for this frugal woman is that it is so darn expensive. I shopped around. It didn't help. I groused about it for several weeks before I actually went with the recommended agency. To make matters worse, last month the local newspaper reported there was a Boulder agency that bilked people out of bunches of money without producing the desired children. If you do this, please do your homework and look for references. Our local agency is Adoption Alliance.

So along with the local agency, you need an agency who can connect you with people overseas, check your paperwork, fix you up with a translator, doc or many other services depending on the country and other requirements. This agency wants dough too but the amounts can vary widely. The person we have chosen has a great track record and hasn't asked for our firstborn in exchange so we have gone with her.

So there is the cast. Next time let me fill you in on the actual process. (You won't believe it.)