Since we first started dating, Lindsay and I have been talking about adopting at some point. Over the last 6 years we have thought, talked, and prayed about it a lot and we feel now is the time to take the first steps in this process. We feel there are plenty of children out there that are in desperate need of a loving, nurturing homes, and we feel that we can provide that for at least one at this time. Obviously, the process to adopt is a long one, so let me backtrack to get y'all caught up to where we are now in the process. Here is what we have done so far:
1. Google/research
For the last 2-3 months (May-ish - July-ish), Lindsay and I have been hitting the web trying to learn all we could about the process and what we could expect. We eventually learned about a general adoption information meeting put on by Harris County and felt that attending that meeting would be a good first step.
2) Informed family of our intention
Before attending the meeting, we felt it was important to let our families know that we were "looking into" adoption. The response we got from everyone was overwhelmingly supportive. This is very encouraging, especially since we feel that God is leading us to adopt a child with a disability. We feel that children with disabilities are the most likely to be overlooked by individuals adopting, since they don't match the "perfect image" that they always envisioned for their child. However, considering that Lindsay and I met working at a camp for kids with disabilities and we have gone on to have careers related to that, we feel that God has blessed us with experience and a heart for kids of all types. Obviously, when talking about children with disabilities, there is a very large spectrum in terms of the children in the system. I feel that Lindsay and I are going into this with very realistic expectations as we seek out a child with a disability, that could scare some people away, but yet still shows potential of living a long and productive live with the correct love and guidance from their parents. However, just like with biological children, we understand that there are no guarantees in life and any child might end up developing issues that might make them dependant on someone else's care for the rest of their life (i.e. my 26 year old schizophrenic sister) and if that was to happen to our child, adopted or biological, we will do all that is in our power for the child.
3) Attended County adoption info meeting & and kept searching for info
We attended the Harris county adoption information meeting on July 9th and learned a lot about the general process as well as some interesting facts. One interesting fact we learned was that, since we are looking to adopt a child with a disability, we are going to have to go through an agency...not that we wanted to go through the county, but it is interesting that it is not an option. The reason for this is that the county will only license families for "basic care" adoptions. From my understanding, this means that if the kid requires anything more than 3 meals and a roof over their head, you must go through an agency in order to be trained and licensed to provide the additional care needed for the kid. With this in mind, we really started looking into various agencies and reaching out to friends that have adopted. Following the county info meeting, we started a little trend of inviting couples/individuals over for dinner to learn about the process from someone who has gone through it. It was through these dinners that we learned about the adoption agency "Pathways Youth and Family Services". After hearing about them, and comparing notes on various other agencies we interviewed, we truly feel that Pathways is the agency for us.
4) Started gathering paperwork
We signed up to attend the required orientation meeting that Pathways was holding on August 5th and quickly got a email from them containing their adoption/foster application packet. No other agency that we checked into had sent us their packet. We did receive the packet from Depelchin; however, that was only after attending an orientation meeting with them. As part of the application, we have to gather quite a bit of paperwork about our background and finances. It truly reminds me of gathering the required documents in order to buy our house.
Where we are now:
We have attended the orientation meeting, as well as the first training session, and the more we interact with the Pathways staff, the more we feel God has lead us exactly where He wants us to be. The biggest difference in the staff is that they truly give an impression of being genuine and true people, who are in this to help the kids, and not just putting on a show of some sort like we got from some other agencies. We are still gathering some of the paperwork needed in order to turn in the completed application but it looks like we should be good to turn it in this Saturday when we attend a day-long training session.
Random thoughts:
Those that know me will understand, and most likely appreciate the fact, that my mind is always in a million places. Lindsay and I plan on blogging throughout the process not only for our sake but also for the sake of anyone else that might be looking into adoption. We feel that learning from a person's experience first-hand is the best way to prepare yourself for the future. With that said, I will undoubtedly have some thoughts that don't quite fit in anywhere but I still feel like sharing them. Hence the "random thoughts". Today's random thought... Since Lindsay and I made the decision to officially look into adoption not a day goes by that I don't hear about adoption in one way or another and, believe it or not, a lot of those situations are without me seeking out the topic. Some may say that it is kinda the same feeling you get after you buy a new car. You know, how all of the sudden you start seeing the same make/model/color all over the place, and it is not that there are more of them out there, it is just that you are more aware of them? However, I choose to believe that in this situation this is God's way of reassuring us that we are heading in the right direction.
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