We started the actual process on November 12, 2015. After talking with Ms. Pat Lee, the director at Children of the World, we filled out the Pre-Application and put it and our first check in the mail...
After that we had background checks and fingerprinting to do. We had to fill out a Child Abuse/Neglect Clearance form for each state we have lived in (Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida) and mail those to Children of the World.
Then we had to list 6 references to fill out information about us. Thank you so much to those 6 families!! We also had to do 10 hours of online adoption education.
In January we started all the paperwork for our India Dossier ( däsēˌā). The dossier is documents that are required by the government of India and CARA (Central Adoption Resource Agency). Most of it has to be done twice so that our adoption agency has copies also. Here is a list of all the paperwork we have to do (just a little overwhelming)...
Registration Form for Prospective Adoptive Parents
Motivation for Adoption (only 200 characters, not words, but characters)
Proof of Identity for both parents (drivers license, passport, and birth certificate)
Marriage Certificate
Photographs (parents, family, front of house, backyard, living room, dining room, kitchen, parents' bedroom, adopted child's bedroom)
Medical Examinations (for both parents, and a TB skin test and proof of vaccinations on all 3 boys)
Proof of Health Insurance
Employment Verification letter
Bank letter
Financial statement
Federal income tax returns for the past 3 years
Proof of Home Ownership
Police Clearance
Children's Consent (Caleb and Eli both have to fill this out)
Medical Care Agreement
Proof of vaccinations for pet
List of Special Needs we are willing to take
Final Application
There are also some online forms on the adoption portal that we have to fill out and sign. Most of these are short, except for the autobiography that Britt and I both have to fill out on ourselves.
My medical examination is at the end of February, so that should be the last paperwork to be done. Hopefully all of it can be mailed to our agency by the first part of March. Of course there is money that has to be paid with all of that also. And then our home study should be set up (more on that in a later post).
Some encouragement I saw last week...I am in a Children of the World Facebook group of other families that have or are in the process of adopting from India. One of the women in the group has a blog like I do to update people. Someone shared her blog with a woman who works as a house mom in India. She shared a very encouraging post from the house mom...
That's all for now...but wanted to share this cutie! We celebrated our middle son's birthday in January! He keeps us laughing!
Please continue to pray for us through this journey!
