Sorry for the break in posts but we've had some big developments and I wanted to take some time to process all the information we got and make a well thought out decision about what our next step would be before sharing... That being said, we finally got to go meet with the adoption agency last month!!!
In Calgary there are three main adoption agencies; Adoptions by Choice (ABC), Christian Adoptions and Adoption Options. We were recommended to Adoption Options by a family we met through work who have four beautiful children, three of which are from Haiti. I have to admit with the busy schedules Kyle and I have it took a lot of shuffling and lots of phone tag for us to find a meeting time that worked for both of us within the agency's office hours. Once we finally were able to book a meeting I was really excited to take this next step!
When we got to our meeting everyone there was very nice and welcoming. They really made us feel at ease. Our meeting started with an overview of the program and the process. Let me say, by the end of it my head was spinning with all the information I had stuffed into my brain. It was really nice to have all our questions answered and get a better idea of what the process looks like.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATE:
So we've decided to put the international side of the adoption on hold. From the information we got it looks like you have to be legally married for at least 2 years before you can begin the process (except for American adoption). This was a little discouraging for us but we know its an option later down the road once we meet all the requirements. Through speaking with different people we've come to the conclusion that this minimum 2 year requirement (in some countries its as high as 10 years of marriage!) is because many of these countries don't recognize common law as a legitimate long term relationship. We respect this view and plan on looking into it again in a few years.
DOMESTIC UPDATE:
With that being said... we are going domestic!! The requirements to apply for domestic adoption are a better fit for where we are in life right now and so we've decided to go this route. This direction involves many steps.
Step 1/2: Apply and take a seminar.
The application includes things like our background, medical forms, T4s, household budget/net worth, police checks, child well fare checks, and a questionnaire for each of us regarding our relationship with our families. They also require three references. The biggest part is a letter to the birth parents. This is where we get to tell them about us, our lifestyle and our values in a nutshell. We are hoping to have this part of the process complete by Christmas.
We've decided to take the seminar portion second but at our agency you can take it in either order. The seminar is a weekend that explains the process in further detail. We will also get more forms at the seminar to be added to our application package.
Step 3: Home study
The home study takes 3 months and involves 3-4 interviews, one of which is in our home. The interviews add up to 9-12 hours. After the home study is complete they let us know if we are approved or not.
Step 4: Wait...
This is supposed to be the second hardest part of the process. We start at the bottom of the list and as people slowly get matched with children we move up the list. When we are a potential match with a birth mother and high enough on the list she will be given our letter. Then if she picks us we get to meet her.
We aren't going to gloss things over.... this process is pretty overwhelming and takes a lot of time and effort. We are so happy to have this opportunity though that we feel like we will/can do whatever it takes.
We will keep you all posted as we start checking things off the to do list!!
Has anyone else out there gone through this process?? Do you have any tips/suggestions/words of encouragement?
Love,
Taya and Kyle
Thank you for all your love and support!!
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