Homestudy Monday, wish us luck!

Robin, It's so refreshing to see a Panama adoption "newbie" and the excitement you bring to the forum! ...I remember the days (more than a year ago) when I first began shopping for a few clothes (at consignment shops) and stuffed animals. In early Fall (Sep/October), once we knew the abandonment investigation was nearing an end and that the social worker was definitely going to recommend that the 2 siblings (whom a missionary friend of ours had located at an orphanage) be declared "inhabilitado" (abandoned), we went out and bought two twin beds (big mattress sale!), bedding, etc., and painted their bedroom!!! (The girl is almost 5 years old and the boy just turned 3. We're going to keep them together in the same room until they get a little older and are comfortable in the home and with us.) Well, long story short, the kids have surely grown out of the few items of clothing we bought them (That's OK---we'll donate them to the orphanage), we've had to walk past that finished bedroom for 3 months now (and boy, is THAT depressing), and we even had a scare in the last week that we might not be able to adopt these two particular kids. (Ugh, long story.) It's great that you are so enthusiastic. Please try to remember, though, that this is NOT a quick or smooth process. Try to keep yourself busy with activities that will distract you from thinking about the children you hope to someday bring home. But also keep that excitement and energy for your children! In a few months, you may really need to advocate for your child and not give up when all hope seems lost and nothing is happening with your case. :D If money is an issue (and it really is for MOST of us), you might want to hold off on any major purchases or buying things that are age-specific (like a crib and/or changing table). You might find that you have to widen your age/sex criteria to be able to adopt from Panama. ;) But, then again, this is just my .02 based on my own 16 month experience...so far. And we went in open on the ages (infant to 8 years). If you push for an infant, I'm sure you will eventually find one. :) Rebecca (formerly Reb621) --Adopting independently (w/o an agency, just a Panamanian attorney), but we are also supposed to get a referral from the DNA (just like agency families)...or find the children ourselves through Panamanian contacts (which is what we ended up doing) --FYI: We sent our dossier (original docs in English) to the Panama Consulate in D.C. for aunthentication stamps ($30/document) in Dec., 2002, then onto our first lawyer in Panama in Jan., 2003. Lawyer then submitted the dossier to the Direccion Nacional de Adopciones (DNA). ....But a while back there was some talk of Panama no longer requiring authentication stamps, as long as you had a state apostille on your documents. Would whoever originally posted that please update us?

Sorry, Robin! I forgot what your question was! As for having a 2 bedroom home and getting approved for 2, you should be OK if adopting children of the same sex. The ONLY reason we are currently allowed to have a boy and girl in the same room is because we have another bedroom to move the boy into (with my youngest stepson) when he's a little older). Depending on the social worker, this COULD be an issue if you're looking to adopt one of each sex. ??? And as long as each child will have adequate (each state defines this) closet space, drawer space, and a bed of his or her own (this isn't even required in all states!), you'll be fine! One more tip...make sure you have a smoke detector on each floor, and it wouldn't hurt to have a fire extinguisher on each floor (in a closet). We had to add these before we were approved. Other than that, just be open, honest, and try to relax. The homestudy really isn't as awful as we dream it up to be! ;) Rebecca

Hi Robin, Don't sweat it out too much, but I know that's hard. I was having nightmares that we did not get approved. But it really is not that bad. Each state has their own specifications. I'm in WI and children can share a room as long as they have their own bed and the room is a certain size. We also need a smoke alarm in EVERY bedroom (new ruling for our state). We had 2 homestudy appointments before she came for the home visit and she told us during the first appointment what we needed. We showed her the room of the future nursery which had nothing in it (and still has nothing in it!) I agree with Rebecca about not buying everything right away. I'm going to use the waiting period to do the nursery but may even wait on some things until we have an actual referral. It's all so exciting to think about! Rebecca, Oh my goodness...I hope the scare is all taken care of and everything goes smoothly for you! Julie

Good Luck Robin, My husband and I are also trying to adopt two children at the same time. We have a referral for one child and are waiting for the second. We are at the point that if we get to great if we don't than that is what is meant to be. We are leaving it all in God's hands now:) You guys will do great, TanyaB