Let the Paper Cuts Begin!!!

We completed our 1st Home Study!!!  1 down and 3 to go!!!  That's right. While many folks were dreading tax day this past Thursday night, Tony and I ventured to Virginia to attend our agency's home study orientation.  It took us 2 1/2 hours to get there in this ridiculous rush hour traffic (in non-rush hour, it takes us 40 minutes).  There were 3 families attending, including us.  We were warmly greeted by Ms. H and one of the sweetest interns who assisted Ms. H for the night.  We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the office talking about the home study process and what to expect out of the adoption.  To be totally honest, a lot of the information I knew because of all the great sharing that takes place on the blogs of other families and within our Yahoo! group.  Yet, it was just soooo wonderful going over the information with Ms. H, the intern, and the other families.

Honestly, I know others like their adoption agencies, but I am SUPER partial to ours.  Whenever I have visited, I feel like I'm going to someone's home to visit.  I guess it doesn't hurt that the founder of the agency is an architect by trade and is often doodling around in the office changing the design.  It really is beautiful.

So.....we are off with the horses in this paper chase!  With this heap of paper, I'm expecting lots of paper cuts and boo boos (smile)!  (Okay, maybe not as bad as the damage I did when I sliced my finger with a glass in this photo from last year but paper cuts still hurt too!  lol) To give you an idea of what we'll be up to, here are the documents we must compile before we can really get going with our other 3 home study visits - 2 of which will be at our home.  If I can get the majority of these forms notarized and turned in, we'll be able to schedule our remaining visits:

• Autobiography (2-4 typewritten pages for each of us)
• Birth certificates for everyone in our house
• Marriage Certficiate
• Verification of Employment
• Income Tax Return
• Three Reference Letters/Forms
• Signed & Notarized Guardianship Statement (who will take care of our kids if something happens to us)
• Financial Statement
• Recent Pay Stubs
• International Disclaimer
• Complete Driving Records for me & Tony
• Home Fire Safety Inspection
• Full Medical Reports for everyone in our home
• State Police Gold Seal Letter/State & Child Care clearance 
• Child Abuse Clearances
• Child Support clearances
• FBI Clearances
• Reading Agreement (we each have 5 books to read)

Many of these documents will also be a waiting game as we wait for state and federal agencies to sign-off on them and send them back to us.  (HMMM....hey my DC folks....anybody have connections in these offices????  Just thought I'd ask!)  Okay...I digressed...Along with these documents, we must also get started on and complete our  Hague Training.  This is an on-line 8 hour course that each of us will take....and this is just the beginning.  Surely, our little girl will have to know that we CLEARLY want her in our life.  Little girl, wherever you are tonight...know mama loves you dearly, prays for you and will go to the ends of the earth to make sure you know that.  You are being created with purpose and both of your mommies have been forever changed by you.