New and questions rule my brain

The time frame really depends on where you live and who is licensing you. I remeber having a million questions and found most of them were answered in our training classes. Here you need the basic furniture for the homestudy, bed, dressor, etc. For us the looks the process will be about 5-6 months and placements come within hours or days of licensing. In the other forum above there is a section with abbreviations and their meanings, yes it can get confusing. Sometimes I wonder if people are just making it up as they go lol. Good luck its a time consuming but exciting process.

Yeah we are in Indiana, Indianapolis to be exact. I am already getting excited, I think once we start training we will by the cribs :banana: and got from there and yes I said cribs. I am also reading Instant mom the book is awesome. But thank you for your help, I guess I should calm down now and ask more questions although I want to probably wait for Orientation.....

See I knew I had more questions 1. Can we keep journals of our FK if so how detailed can or can't they be. 2. Can we take pictures with the FK or is that not allowed. 3. How do I approach a question by a stranger or someone else "Is that your kid?" More to come I think :grr:

Your agency will let you know how ready for kids you need to be. Some people go from 0-6 and so obviously, they'll have to go shopping when kids are on their way (or right after they get there). Other people are taking one or two so can pick up a likely set of furniture. From the moment I called the agency the very first time to the time I was licensed was two months exactly (Jan 3 to March 3). Just happened to be perfect timing and I was determined to get it going. As it turned out:***we got our first kids the following Monday, ***a bigger house fell in our laps a couple weeks later and we moved in April 3***we got the call for our (now) adopted kids April 6thMuch of the process is how fast you and your agency move on things.

Your orientation will answer many of your questions. Just don't be afraid to ask. We are w/ a FFA so it took us 3 months to become licensed. We had our first placement less than 30 days after being licensed. In our state you can become a foster/adopt family or foster only family. Since we are foster/adopt, we were matched w/ our placements. For our homestudy, we did have to have beds and dressers for our "children's room" as well as have the home child proofed, our dogs licensed and shots up to date, and a host of other requirements. fyi- Don't go crazy w/ buying furniture, clothing, et. I borrowed or purchased all our furniture 2nd hand, which I'm glad I did. Our room originially consisted of a baby bed and a trundle twin bed since we expecte sibling set btwn 1-4. Our placement actually requires two baby beds so the trundle now is only used when I need to sleep in their room. I also purchased the bare minimum in clothing and purchased everything when they arrived. Thankfully I have some wonderful 2nd hand shops in my area so I've been able to purchase everything needed for a fraction of their retain cost.