Application approved!

78 pages of instructions, specifications and forms.

Most of you know that we submitted our application to Children’s Hope International (CHI) and that our application was approved on July 24th!  I held off writing this blog update because I was anxiously awaiting our approval packet and adoption guide to arrive in the mail.  The application said it would take two weeks for approval, so I figured I’d give it at least two weeks to arrive.  Finally after 3 weeks and a week-long vacation later, it arrived!  Via email! 

After a brief exchange of emails, I discovered that it had been sent to me (turns out the day after we had been approved), but for whatever reason I didn’t receive it in my inbox.  Our adoption coordinator, Nichole (whom will be mentioned a lot throughout this entire several-year process), was kind enough to straighten things out.  And voila!  A 78-page PDF file later, we are back in business!

Our first step (according to page 2) is to complete our home study.  I’ve been asked about twenty times (fifteen from Sam alone) what happens at a home study and what does it include?  Good question; I’m still learning that myself.  From what I gather, the initial meeting is an in-home visit by the agency conducting the home study, interviewing the adoptive parents for about 4-5 hours.  K 

One of the pics we had to submit with our application.

Some of the information they are interested in would be our adoption expectations, reasons why we want to adopt, our attitude and experience regarding child rearing, personal characteristics, physical aspects of the home, and one I found particularly amusing, courtship and marriage history.  Courtship history??  Our social worker is going to get two completely different stories on this.  Can I scratch Sam’s testimony from the record?  I’m sure his version will be something along the lines of, “She stalked me.”  Mine will be, “He was completely clueless.”  But apparently we did something right as we’ll be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary this September.

I’ve only made it to page 17 so far of the Adoption Guide, but I’m amazed at the exacting specifications that are required by both CHI and ICBF (Colombian Institute of Family Welfare – I can only assume the acronym stands for something in Spanish).  For example, if something is stapled, Do NOT remove any staples.  Exact words.  They will not accept anything where a staple has been removed and then restapled.  They even tell you what size of paper to make photocopies on of certain documents so it can be notarized and/or apostilled.  Those seem pretty minor at the moment, but if you read what I’ve been reading…  I get a nervous twitch thinking that a stupid staple will be our undoing. 

I can understand where they are coming from though.  To say that the documentation is extensive would be an understatement; they want to make sure everything is in its place and that something doesn’t accidently get restapled to something else.  ICBF wants to ensure that their children are going to the most prepared and qualified families they can find.  The paperwork is meant to see that the children are safe and provided for and that all legal requirements are met in both countries.

Also with the home study comes our first fee installment.  The home study itself may cost around $1500 depending on the agency we use, along w/ other fees for documentation (like $890 for USCIS and fingerprinting!!).  We will also be submitting $1200 for the Adoption Agreement, basically stating we are ready and serious.  I would like to express a very heartfelt thank you to all who have donated to our adoption fund already!  You are truly amazing and you are helping bring Baby Schmitz home!

If you are interested in helping in our fund-raising efforts, please visit www.gofundme.com/schmitzfamily.   And please feel free to ask any questions you may have about the whole process; we’re pretty open about it!