After our Saturday of chores, we took some time for fun on Sunday. We went to a matinee of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was great! Terrific special effects and sets, and lots of action with, of course, good winning out over evil.
After the movie, we drove through two areas in Avondale to look at houses. These areas have big lots--one of the areas has all new homes, and the other area has old homes with lots of mature landscaping and feels very secluded. There are lots for sale in the first area, and 2 homes for sale in the 2nd. We don't know if we're moving, but it's just something we're thinking about as we prepare for kids!
I made clam chowder for dinner, which we enjoyed with a delicious loaf of sourdough bread. And I baked a carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting. Chris was alarmed that it had actual carrots in it! He was happy though, when he was eating it.
Oh, and there's never a dull moment with our apartments. I got a call Friday night from Larry (one of the Sunnyslope residents), and he told me the people in number 2 were moving out. I called Brutus to see if he could get the details. Don was moving, with his dogs (a good thing), but we needed to know if Darryl was still there. Brutus got back to me with the word on the street--Darryl and Thomas, aka Rodney, who were the first two roommates to move in in June, had apparently committed armed robbery against a local Radio Shack. Needless to say, this was a violation of Darryl's parole, and he's back in the slammer. So, we now have a vacancy again. I'll try to do better next time in getting tenants!
Enjoy your week, everyone! j&c
Monday, July 30, 2007
Adoption update
Hello, and sorry it's been a while since my last update! We're moving along in finishing our additional requirements for our foster license. Chris and I went to Home Depot this weekend and got a couple of things we needed for the home safety requirements--a carbon monoxide detector and cabinet locks (we've got to lock up all alcohol and dangerous chemicals). Chris installed the carbon monoxide detector, and then he had some other stuff on his honey-do list--replace our doorbell (which has been broken for a year!), replace 3 lightbulbs that had burned out in the highest part of our ceiling, and replace the lightbult on the front porch. It's very nice to have all these things done!
We still need to get a locking box for all medicines and buy a shepherds crook and ring buoy for our pool area. We need to put fire extinguishers on each level, and we need to finish up the locking cabinets and move everything into them. I have two pool fence companies coming today to give us quotes on a pool fence, and we take our CPR/First Aid class this Saturday. Lastly, there are just a few things to finish up on the on-line application.
Once we feel like the house is almost ready, we'll schedule the home inspection--I'm going to try to time that so they come right after our monthly Molly Maid housecleaning!
That's the latest--I'll keep you posted!
We still need to get a locking box for all medicines and buy a shepherds crook and ring buoy for our pool area. We need to put fire extinguishers on each level, and we need to finish up the locking cabinets and move everything into them. I have two pool fence companies coming today to give us quotes on a pool fence, and we take our CPR/First Aid class this Saturday. Lastly, there are just a few things to finish up on the on-line application.
Once we feel like the house is almost ready, we'll schedule the home inspection--I'm going to try to time that so they come right after our monthly Molly Maid housecleaning!
That's the latest--I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The search for a business
As you know, we're growing our real estate investments, but right now we're supporting them, not the other way around! We'd like to own a business, so that Chris can run it, rather than working for someone else. Tonight, we have a meeting with the owner of a laundrymat. He is retiring and has built a very nice business that he is now selling. We have the prospectus, with all the financials, but it will be a matter of all the numbers working and being able to come up with about $70,000 down.
A laundrymat, you might ask?! Well, it makes sense in a few ways. It's a cash business, which is a good thing. It's not so quarter-intensive anymore (have you been in a laundrymat recently?), because they have a card system that allows people to add money to a card and then swipe it in the machines. It deducts the cost from the card, and then they can fill the card again when they need to. It also is appealing because it's self-serve. You can manage it without having to be there all the time. You can be creative with additional ways to increase income--for example, adding videogames, snack machines, soap vending machines, wash & fold service, etc. So, you can spend as much or as little time running the business as you'd like. Obviously, the more time and effort you put into it, the better off it will be financially. But, in the beginning, if Chris can't quit his job right away, then we'll still be able to run it until it makes enough money to replace Chris's salary.
I'll let you know how it goes! j&c
A laundrymat, you might ask?! Well, it makes sense in a few ways. It's a cash business, which is a good thing. It's not so quarter-intensive anymore (have you been in a laundrymat recently?), because they have a card system that allows people to add money to a card and then swipe it in the machines. It deducts the cost from the card, and then they can fill the card again when they need to. It also is appealing because it's self-serve. You can manage it without having to be there all the time. You can be creative with additional ways to increase income--for example, adding videogames, snack machines, soap vending machines, wash & fold service, etc. So, you can spend as much or as little time running the business as you'd like. Obviously, the more time and effort you put into it, the better off it will be financially. But, in the beginning, if Chris can't quit his job right away, then we'll still be able to run it until it makes enough money to replace Chris's salary.
I'll let you know how it goes! j&c
Update on our embryos
I met with Lynn at my doctor's office on Monday, and we now have a plan with a schedule! I have started on some medications, but they will really start up in full-force on August 7. I hope I can remember to take them all! Luckily, the shots don't start until August 18 because Chris is going to have to do those. My next doctor's appointment is August 17 for a blood test and an ultrasound. If everything is OK, then they'll transfer two embryos on August 23. Then, it's two days of complete rest. On September 3, we'll know if I'm pregnant. We'll keep you posted! j&c
Adoption process update
We met with Elizabeth, our caseworker at Arizona's Children Association, last evening. She is required to visit us quarterly. An update on our adoption certification: On Friday, the whole home study packaging (including my approved fingerprints!) went to the commissioner. So, we're hoping this week or next we'll have our certification! Thank you, everyone, for your prayers in moving this forward!
For the rest of the visit, she asked us some questions about the adoption process, and we had to think about any strengths/needs we have. We need to get a pool fence, and we talked a lot about how we're going to manage our time and finances with both of us working and then bringing children into our lives. We discussed the resources that will be available to us through different state and city programs, and those will definitely help. I'm sure we'll figure it out once the children are here; a lot will depend on their ages.
The other big item that came up is that we now also need to be licensed for foster care. From the beginning they told us if we were only interested in adoption, to only get certified to adopt, rather than both. But, CDS has changed a certain policy that makes it now more advantageous for us to have both. Here are the details: Some children are "legally free," meaning all parental rights have been severed, and they may be adopted. By having our adoption certification, we are eligible to adopt them. Then, there are some children who are not yet legally free, but will most likely become free for adoption. The caseworker for the children in these cases likes to try to get them adopted before they are completely free--it's very hard for children not to be connected to anyone. And, the longer they're in the system, the slimmer the chances are of them ever being adopted. Anyway, long story short, is that if we're not licensed for foster care, then we aren't even eligible to try to adopt kids in this siuation. So, there will be far fewer children available for us to adopt. We now are working on meeting the additional requirements to become licensed for foster care.
Luckily, our home study is complete for adoption, so it won't take too much extra work to get our foster license. Elizabeth thinks it will only take 2-4 weeks. With adoption, WE are certified, but with foster care, our HOME is licensed. So, we need to do some safety things in our house, such as installing the pool fence, putting fire extinguishers on each floor, adding a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen, locking up all medications and chemicals, etc. Then, an inspector will visit and make sure our home meets all the requirements.
We're still very eager to adopt kids, so we are happy it seems to be progressing. It's been discouraging to wait so long for our certification, and it was good to meet with Elizabeth to get us thinking about it again. It's a balancing act between getting your hopes up and having to be patient! We'll keep you posted! j&c
For the rest of the visit, she asked us some questions about the adoption process, and we had to think about any strengths/needs we have. We need to get a pool fence, and we talked a lot about how we're going to manage our time and finances with both of us working and then bringing children into our lives. We discussed the resources that will be available to us through different state and city programs, and those will definitely help. I'm sure we'll figure it out once the children are here; a lot will depend on their ages.
The other big item that came up is that we now also need to be licensed for foster care. From the beginning they told us if we were only interested in adoption, to only get certified to adopt, rather than both. But, CDS has changed a certain policy that makes it now more advantageous for us to have both. Here are the details: Some children are "legally free," meaning all parental rights have been severed, and they may be adopted. By having our adoption certification, we are eligible to adopt them. Then, there are some children who are not yet legally free, but will most likely become free for adoption. The caseworker for the children in these cases likes to try to get them adopted before they are completely free--it's very hard for children not to be connected to anyone. And, the longer they're in the system, the slimmer the chances are of them ever being adopted. Anyway, long story short, is that if we're not licensed for foster care, then we aren't even eligible to try to adopt kids in this siuation. So, there will be far fewer children available for us to adopt. We now are working on meeting the additional requirements to become licensed for foster care.
Luckily, our home study is complete for adoption, so it won't take too much extra work to get our foster license. Elizabeth thinks it will only take 2-4 weeks. With adoption, WE are certified, but with foster care, our HOME is licensed. So, we need to do some safety things in our house, such as installing the pool fence, putting fire extinguishers on each floor, adding a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen, locking up all medications and chemicals, etc. Then, an inspector will visit and make sure our home meets all the requirements.
We're still very eager to adopt kids, so we are happy it seems to be progressing. It's been discouraging to wait so long for our certification, and it was good to meet with Elizabeth to get us thinking about it again. It's a balancing act between getting your hopes up and having to be patient! We'll keep you posted! j&c
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Our summer vacation
We're looking forward to getting out of the 116-degree heat and heading to Hawaii! Our trip is planned for September 15-22, and we're going to the Big Island. We'll be staying with Dad and Shari in their beautiful ocean-front condo in Kona. Likely we'll be spending most of our time on the lanai looking out over the water and relaxing with a glass of wine.
We'll also go snorkeling, hiking, and sight-seeing around the island.
We'll also go snorkeling, hiking, and sight-seeing around the island.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Jill's blog
I just added Jill's blog link to my site. Here's where I keep up with my brother, Michael, his wife, Jill, and their new sweet, darling, baby girl, Olivia.
I also just added a link to librarything.com, where I have cataloged a lot of my books. It's kind of fun, if you're a nerdy book-lover like me. Believe me, Chris gets a lot of mileage out of this!
I also just added a link to librarything.com, where I have cataloged a lot of my books. It's kind of fun, if you're a nerdy book-lover like me. Believe me, Chris gets a lot of mileage out of this!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Our Arizona Life
Since I just let a bunch of folks know about my blog, I thought I should try to catch everyone up to this point--well, at least the major stuff that's happening with us.
Chris and I got married on January 1, 2003, and we moved from San Diego to Arizona (Avondale, just west of Phoenix) in December 2003. We wanted to be able to afford a home, and it seemed pretty prohibitive in the San Diego housing market. So, we sold our condo, and we bought a a brand-new 2,400 square-foot home with a pool and spa for much less than we had sold the condo. It was a great financial decision for us, though we are sad to be so far from family and friends. Luckily, Alicia moved to Arizona shortly afterwards, so we get to see her quite a lot!
The move made sense for my job with Baker & Taylor--it's in the middle of my territory, which has now grown from just parts of Southern California and Arizona, to more parts of Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Utah.
Chris has had several jobs; he gets bored staying with one job too long. But, he is fairly happy at his current job as rental coordinator for Cummins Rocky Mountain. The best part is that it is only 5 minutes from home. This leaves him plenty of time to do the things he really enjoys--biking, working out with weights, watching TV, and taking care of our home and animals. It also makes sense for our other major responsibilities--our apartments/condos.
Thanks to Stefanie and Francisco who recommended I read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," Chris and I now own a bunch of apartments and condos. We do all the management ourselves, and we each do what we can when we're not at our regular jobs--maintenance, rent-collecting, financial stuff, getting new residents, etc. It is a lot of work, but when they're all rented, they run fairly smoothly. Right now, they're 100% occuppied, but knock on wood. We've got one problem unit--money issues, so we'll see what happens there. We really enjoy building our own business and saving for our retirement. And, we have lots of stories that I won't bore you with here!
As far as pets, sadly I had to put my cat Dusty down about a month ago. I adopted her when she was 3, and she was 17 when she was terribly debilitated by diabetes. She's seen me through a lot, and it was hard to let her go. We still have Chris's two cats--Chico and Moonie. We also have a pound dog, Brady; we adopted him when he was 5 months. And, we found a dog out on a walk with Brady one day, so we kept her, too. Brady is a Black Lab mix and Jessie is a German Shepard mix. We love these animals beyond reason!
I think that is all for now! Love, from Jane & Chris
Chris and I got married on January 1, 2003, and we moved from San Diego to Arizona (Avondale, just west of Phoenix) in December 2003. We wanted to be able to afford a home, and it seemed pretty prohibitive in the San Diego housing market. So, we sold our condo, and we bought a a brand-new 2,400 square-foot home with a pool and spa for much less than we had sold the condo. It was a great financial decision for us, though we are sad to be so far from family and friends. Luckily, Alicia moved to Arizona shortly afterwards, so we get to see her quite a lot!
The move made sense for my job with Baker & Taylor--it's in the middle of my territory, which has now grown from just parts of Southern California and Arizona, to more parts of Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Utah.
Chris has had several jobs; he gets bored staying with one job too long. But, he is fairly happy at his current job as rental coordinator for Cummins Rocky Mountain. The best part is that it is only 5 minutes from home. This leaves him plenty of time to do the things he really enjoys--biking, working out with weights, watching TV, and taking care of our home and animals. It also makes sense for our other major responsibilities--our apartments/condos.
Thanks to Stefanie and Francisco who recommended I read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," Chris and I now own a bunch of apartments and condos. We do all the management ourselves, and we each do what we can when we're not at our regular jobs--maintenance, rent-collecting, financial stuff, getting new residents, etc. It is a lot of work, but when they're all rented, they run fairly smoothly. Right now, they're 100% occuppied, but knock on wood. We've got one problem unit--money issues, so we'll see what happens there. We really enjoy building our own business and saving for our retirement. And, we have lots of stories that I won't bore you with here!
As far as pets, sadly I had to put my cat Dusty down about a month ago. I adopted her when she was 3, and she was 17 when she was terribly debilitated by diabetes. She's seen me through a lot, and it was hard to let her go. We still have Chris's two cats--Chico and Moonie. We also have a pound dog, Brady; we adopted him when he was 5 months. And, we found a dog out on a walk with Brady one day, so we kept her, too. Brady is a Black Lab mix and Jessie is a German Shepard mix. We love these animals beyond reason!
I think that is all for now! Love, from Jane & Chris
Stem-cell research . . . or a life?
Have you ever heard of adopting an embryo?! Well, I hadn't either, until my doctor brought up the idea to me. At first I didn't think it would be something I would want to do, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became.
Here is the concept. There are many, many people these days who have trouble conceiving for one reason or another. Or, for no identifiable reason, as in our case! Except that we're older. Anyway, when people decide to do IVF (in-vitro fertilization), the doctor harvests eggs and sperm, combines them in a lab, and (hopefully!) the eggs become fertilized. There are usually drugs involved that make a woman generate more than the typical one egg in a cycle. So, in many cases, there are several embryos created, and 2-3 are implanted back into the uterus. If there are remaining embryos, they are frozen for later use if needed. In a happy ending, a baby (or two or sometimes more!) is born on the first go-round.
The question then becomes, what should be done with the frozen embryos? The parents need to decide. Donate them to research? Destroy them? Or, perhaps give them to someone else who is hoping to have children? Luckily for us, there are people out there who choose the latter.
Our story is that we've tried some fairly non-invasive fertility treatments, but nothing has worked. Our next step would be to go the IVF route. I think Chris wouldn't mind doing this, but for me, the money ($15,000 +), the intense effort and time, coupled with the extremely low odds of success (15-20%), have made up my mind--no. On the other hand, adopting an embryo has many advantages--I would get to carry the baby and therefore would be responsible for all pre-natal care, health, etc. The cost is much less ($3,500 or so). And, the odds of success are about 60-70%.
So, about a year ago, we put our names on the waiting list of people hoping to adopt an embryo at our fertility clinic. They told us it would be about an 18-month wait. In the meantime, as you know, we began our journey through the State adoption process. Well, as these things go, just as we had finished up all the classes and paperwork for the adoption certification and were waiting (and are still waiting!) for it to be finalized, we came to the top of the waiting list for an embryo!
I called Chris to tell him this news and ask if he still wanted to do this. He said yes! So, we evaluated 5 different profiles of available embryos. The profiles describe the characteristics of the mother and father--age, race, health history, physical description, etc. We chose one, and have started the process!
Our next step is to get some blood tests to make sure we don't have any infectious diseases, etc. Then, I will start on some medications, and by the end of August, they will transfer 2 embryos. I have to be down for about 48 hours--Princess time on the couch. I remember when Jill went through this. It sounds wonderful now, but I'm sure it gets boring! Then, in a week or two (?) we'll find out if the embryos attached. I'll have to find out more about the timing, because I'm not quite sure about that part.
Sorry to keep asking, but we'd love your prayers and thoughts for this as well! I'll keep you posted!
Here is the concept. There are many, many people these days who have trouble conceiving for one reason or another. Or, for no identifiable reason, as in our case! Except that we're older. Anyway, when people decide to do IVF (in-vitro fertilization), the doctor harvests eggs and sperm, combines them in a lab, and (hopefully!) the eggs become fertilized. There are usually drugs involved that make a woman generate more than the typical one egg in a cycle. So, in many cases, there are several embryos created, and 2-3 are implanted back into the uterus. If there are remaining embryos, they are frozen for later use if needed. In a happy ending, a baby (or two or sometimes more!) is born on the first go-round.
The question then becomes, what should be done with the frozen embryos? The parents need to decide. Donate them to research? Destroy them? Or, perhaps give them to someone else who is hoping to have children? Luckily for us, there are people out there who choose the latter.
Our story is that we've tried some fairly non-invasive fertility treatments, but nothing has worked. Our next step would be to go the IVF route. I think Chris wouldn't mind doing this, but for me, the money ($15,000 +), the intense effort and time, coupled with the extremely low odds of success (15-20%), have made up my mind--no. On the other hand, adopting an embryo has many advantages--I would get to carry the baby and therefore would be responsible for all pre-natal care, health, etc. The cost is much less ($3,500 or so). And, the odds of success are about 60-70%.
So, about a year ago, we put our names on the waiting list of people hoping to adopt an embryo at our fertility clinic. They told us it would be about an 18-month wait. In the meantime, as you know, we began our journey through the State adoption process. Well, as these things go, just as we had finished up all the classes and paperwork for the adoption certification and were waiting (and are still waiting!) for it to be finalized, we came to the top of the waiting list for an embryo!
I called Chris to tell him this news and ask if he still wanted to do this. He said yes! So, we evaluated 5 different profiles of available embryos. The profiles describe the characteristics of the mother and father--age, race, health history, physical description, etc. We chose one, and have started the process!
Our next step is to get some blood tests to make sure we don't have any infectious diseases, etc. Then, I will start on some medications, and by the end of August, they will transfer 2 embryos. I have to be down for about 48 hours--Princess time on the couch. I remember when Jill went through this. It sounds wonderful now, but I'm sure it gets boring! Then, in a week or two (?) we'll find out if the embryos attached. I'll have to find out more about the timing, because I'm not quite sure about that part.
Sorry to keep asking, but we'd love your prayers and thoughts for this as well! I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Our adoption process--the beginnings
Hello everyone! Chris and I have a lot going on in our lives, so I thought it would be fun to start a blog.
Most of you know about our desire to have children and that we've been going through the adoption-certification process in the state of Arizona. Since this is my first blog, I'd like to chronicle our journey thus far. I promise my posts will be shorter after this!
On November 4, 2006, we attended the Orientation seminar. This is the first step of going through the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to adopt children who are in the foster care system. We learned there are nearly 10,000 children of all ages in Arizona who are out of their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. After the session, we went out to lunch at one of our favorite spots--Richardson's (at 16th St and Bethany Home)--to talk about whether we'd like to adopt children through this process. We decided we would take the next step.
Anyone wanting to adopt in this method needs to have an agency. So, I called one of the local agencies and discovered that the 30 hours of training we needed would be given 2 evenings per week. Given my job travel responsibilities, I knew this agency wouldn't work for us. The woman I was speaking with recommended another agency that offers their sessions on weekends. So, our agency is Arizona's Children Association, and the first step was to meet Erin. She came to our house to interview us. We liked her very much and have relied on her to help guide us through the process so far.
Next, we started our training sessions. Our first class was Saturday, January 27, 2007. At first, it was just going to be 5 Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Then, there was an issue with the state, and they had to extend them for 7 weeks, with several half-days, instead of full. This caused the first bit of frustration for me in that if that hadn't been changed, Chris and I would have both completed the course by March 10. But, because of my Baker & Taylor sales meeting on March 3, I had to miss a Saturday (2 sessions); it was required that I make up both of them. Unfortunately, the make-up classes weren't until April 24 and May 1, so it added nearly an extra 2 months to our process. Meanwhile, we'd been completing and submitting reams of paperwork, as well as "roadwork" from the courses. As you can imagine, Chris was not a big fan of the classes or, well, any of it.
Another requirement was that our caseworker visit our house to take a tour and interview both of us. Our caseworker is Elizabeth, so she came to visit sometime in April. It was quite a long evening--she interviewed us together, as well as each of us individually.
Oh, and we had to have 5 reference letters, so we volunteered many of you, and 5 people were sent a form to complete. Thank you to those of you who vouched for us!
A Life-Book was also required, so I had fun putting together a Creative Memories scrapbook of our home, family, and life.
We also had to be fingerprinted and submit them to both DES and DPS (the Department of Public Safety). Chris had to have his fingerprints re-done once, and I've now done mine 3 times. This is a big source of frustration. We didn't know my fingerprints were rejected until the end of May (it takes 6-8 weeks to process them at DES!!!). The police departments only offer the service once a week, so they were finally submitted again on 5/29. I have no idea why two departments need our fingerprints. We have no criminal record and are responsible people--all this finger-printing seems excessive while there are children out there who need homes.
So, anyway, our nearly-completed Home Study (which is the term for all of our paperwork, the interviews, the course-work, etc, that Elizabeth compiled for us), is in the court system. We're waiting for my approved fingerprints to get to the judge, and then, (keeping our ink-stained-fingers crossed) we'll be certified to adopt children!
You may all be wondering what happens next? Well, after we are certified, if Chris and I seem to be a match for any children who become available for adoption, we will get a call to see if we are interested. We'll get a brief description of the children, and if we would like to adopt them, our names get thrown into a pool of other interested people. The caseworker for the children (CPS), our caseworker (Elizabeth), and several other folks, then have a meeting to discuss the family that would make the best home for the particular children. They review everyone's Home Study and look at our Life-Books. If we are chosen, and if we are very, very serious about adopting them, we can meet the children and possibly move ahead with bringing them into our home.
You may also wonder how the children are chosen for us? Well, we have submitted a lengthy list of the kinds of things that we feel we want/can handle. For example, we've chosen the ages of 0-7, no severe physical or mental handicaps, and we'd like 2 siblings. Most of the children in the foster care system have had a rough time of it in their lives, as you can imagine, so we need to be willing to accept some emotional and behavioral issues. We learned a lot about working with children with these special needs, and you know me, I've also been doing a lot of reading. It's scary to imagine some of the possibilities, but on the other hand, by providing a stable, loving home, we hope we can help our kids grow up into healthy, responsible, happy people.
We're hoping we'll be certified by the end of July. Please keep us and our future children in your thoughts and prayers! I'll keep you posted.
Most of you know about our desire to have children and that we've been going through the adoption-certification process in the state of Arizona. Since this is my first blog, I'd like to chronicle our journey thus far. I promise my posts will be shorter after this!
On November 4, 2006, we attended the Orientation seminar. This is the first step of going through the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to adopt children who are in the foster care system. We learned there are nearly 10,000 children of all ages in Arizona who are out of their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. After the session, we went out to lunch at one of our favorite spots--Richardson's (at 16th St and Bethany Home)--to talk about whether we'd like to adopt children through this process. We decided we would take the next step.
Anyone wanting to adopt in this method needs to have an agency. So, I called one of the local agencies and discovered that the 30 hours of training we needed would be given 2 evenings per week. Given my job travel responsibilities, I knew this agency wouldn't work for us. The woman I was speaking with recommended another agency that offers their sessions on weekends. So, our agency is Arizona's Children Association, and the first step was to meet Erin. She came to our house to interview us. We liked her very much and have relied on her to help guide us through the process so far.
Next, we started our training sessions. Our first class was Saturday, January 27, 2007. At first, it was just going to be 5 Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Then, there was an issue with the state, and they had to extend them for 7 weeks, with several half-days, instead of full. This caused the first bit of frustration for me in that if that hadn't been changed, Chris and I would have both completed the course by March 10. But, because of my Baker & Taylor sales meeting on March 3, I had to miss a Saturday (2 sessions); it was required that I make up both of them. Unfortunately, the make-up classes weren't until April 24 and May 1, so it added nearly an extra 2 months to our process. Meanwhile, we'd been completing and submitting reams of paperwork, as well as "roadwork" from the courses. As you can imagine, Chris was not a big fan of the classes or, well, any of it.
Another requirement was that our caseworker visit our house to take a tour and interview both of us. Our caseworker is Elizabeth, so she came to visit sometime in April. It was quite a long evening--she interviewed us together, as well as each of us individually.
Oh, and we had to have 5 reference letters, so we volunteered many of you, and 5 people were sent a form to complete. Thank you to those of you who vouched for us!
A Life-Book was also required, so I had fun putting together a Creative Memories scrapbook of our home, family, and life.
We also had to be fingerprinted and submit them to both DES and DPS (the Department of Public Safety). Chris had to have his fingerprints re-done once, and I've now done mine 3 times. This is a big source of frustration. We didn't know my fingerprints were rejected until the end of May (it takes 6-8 weeks to process them at DES!!!). The police departments only offer the service once a week, so they were finally submitted again on 5/29. I have no idea why two departments need our fingerprints. We have no criminal record and are responsible people--all this finger-printing seems excessive while there are children out there who need homes.
So, anyway, our nearly-completed Home Study (which is the term for all of our paperwork, the interviews, the course-work, etc, that Elizabeth compiled for us), is in the court system. We're waiting for my approved fingerprints to get to the judge, and then, (keeping our ink-stained-fingers crossed) we'll be certified to adopt children!
You may all be wondering what happens next? Well, after we are certified, if Chris and I seem to be a match for any children who become available for adoption, we will get a call to see if we are interested. We'll get a brief description of the children, and if we would like to adopt them, our names get thrown into a pool of other interested people. The caseworker for the children (CPS), our caseworker (Elizabeth), and several other folks, then have a meeting to discuss the family that would make the best home for the particular children. They review everyone's Home Study and look at our Life-Books. If we are chosen, and if we are very, very serious about adopting them, we can meet the children and possibly move ahead with bringing them into our home.
You may also wonder how the children are chosen for us? Well, we have submitted a lengthy list of the kinds of things that we feel we want/can handle. For example, we've chosen the ages of 0-7, no severe physical or mental handicaps, and we'd like 2 siblings. Most of the children in the foster care system have had a rough time of it in their lives, as you can imagine, so we need to be willing to accept some emotional and behavioral issues. We learned a lot about working with children with these special needs, and you know me, I've also been doing a lot of reading. It's scary to imagine some of the possibilities, but on the other hand, by providing a stable, loving home, we hope we can help our kids grow up into healthy, responsible, happy people.
We're hoping we'll be certified by the end of July. Please keep us and our future children in your thoughts and prayers! I'll keep you posted.
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