We PASSED! So now what...

July 28, 2015

Ok, so yesterday we got the official letter that we passed the homestudy!

So excited. We officially announced to everyone that we are in the process of adoption. Only a few people and immediate family knew.

Little scared about sharing it since we've no idea now how long it will take to get matched, and if the first match will even go through, etc. etc. Tried to mitigate expectations, but I'm also just so excited.

So... now what?

I know not to go nuts with buying things or setting up registries and all that yet, way too early. But I also want to be prepared and feel like I'm proactively doing something.

I've read that once you pass the homestudy start preparing like you're pregnant. But am also told that this could still last years.

I know the adoption placement fees, but have no clear cut answer on the legal costs, processing costs, lawyers fees, etc to save up for.

So many things, no idea where to start... thoughts? advice? sedatives might also be welcome. lol (jk).

3 Liked

Mrs. Critter, wcurry66 and 1 other person likes this.

wcurry66

July 29, 2015

Nesting is fun, so long as you understand the risks. When I adopted form foster care, painted the bed room, bought furniture, decorated MONTHS before placement was official. It was risky, but i enjoyed every minute of it. have fun - and congratulations!

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Jaya

September 17, 2015

We didn't make any preparations until we had been matched (which was just last week!). We didn't want to get our hopes up too soon before. Even now there is still risk as the bio mom could change her mind, of course, but we feel more comfortable getting things ready for baby. About your other question, legal fees vary widely depending on how "difficult" the situation is. A straightforward situation where the biodad is known and has come forward saying that he will sign papers can be as little as $5k (that is the type of situation we are in, but it is closer to $8k because of the area-- it depends on the part of the country and what lawyer your agency is networking with). If it is a situation where there are multiple potential biodads and the lawyer is needing to get paperwork from all of them (or one is contesting), it will go up. Basically, the more complicated the situation is, the more hours the lawyer has to put into the case, the more expensive your legal fees will be. I know someone whose legal fees ended up being close to $20k. There is just no way to know in advance.

We are blogging our way through our adoption process:

Mrs. Critter

September 24, 2015

Congrats on passing! I've hit the same nesting stage as you have, and I've been going crazy trying to figure out what I can/should buy right now. Most of it has been stuff like furniture, wipes, travel gear, bath stuff, grooming kits, etc.

One thing that helped me out is sitting down and making a list of the things you need vs. the things you can't get until you have the child (diapers, clothes, etc.). I used a normal pregnancy planner as my guide, and it worked out well!

Happy hunting! Smile