First Check of Many

We did it!  We handed over our first check of many to the agency.  We have another meeting with our case worker next Wednesday to go ahead and start the home study process.  This meeting will just be getting paperwork situated and get details so we know what we need to do on our end.  We are excited and nervous!  The process has officially begun!

Here we go...

After talking with several families who have used AFTH for their adoptions...all had positive experiences with the agency, we have decided to go with AFTH!  We have filled out the application and are ready to submit it to the agency, along with the nonrefundable $500 application fee!    It is exciting and scary, but we are ready.  Final decision.  Our DD will make an awesome big sister when the time comes. We didn't go through all we've been through to not have a second child, so this is the right decision for us.  Thank you, God, for the clarification.  Here we go!!!!

ETA:  We have an appointment with a case worker at AFTH tomorrow morning to turn in our application, some other forms, the fee, and hopefully talk about when we'll do our adoption counseling.  I believe that's what comes next.  :-)

Fundraising

We are going to start delving in to fundraising for the adoption since we (obviously) don't have $35,000 lying around...I wish! LOL.  A few things we are going to do...and PLEASE let me know if you have any other ideas.  I am planning on becoming a 31 consultant and all of the income will go towards the adoption.  If you don't know what 31 is, it is a collection of awesome "products with a purpose" such as totes, organizers, rolling totes, utility totes, purses, iron cases, wallets, thermal totes, thermal lunch bags, cosmetic bags, you name it!  I have been interested in the products and the company ever since one of my friends who is a consultant, introduced me to it and I had a party.  Unfortunately, 31 isn't accepting new enrollments at the moment, but hopefully by the fall, I can get set up.  Something exciting to look forward to!
I also have a "Donate" button on this blog set up to go into my PayPal account just for the adoption.  If anyone is so inclined, we appreciate any and every cent anyone can spare.
We are also looking into fundraising online, maybe doing a yard sale a little later, possibly a baby bottle drive.  We probably won't get into those (and some other ideas I have brewing) until either the home study is complete or we're in the midst of it.
If anyone has any ideas or would like to donate, we would be forever grateful.

Met with AFTH

After emailing Shore Adoption on June 1st and getting a response that although they had hired a new case worker, there wasn't much progress and they don't anticipate much progress any time soon, we made an appointment with Adoptions from the Heart.  We met with one of their case workers who would most likely be assigned to us if we chose that agency, along with one of their student interns and the office manager.  We immediately felt like Adoptions from the Heart was more organized than Shore.  It seems like they have it together, although they are significantly more expensive than Shore.  The case worker invited us to their annual picnic which will be held this Saturday.  The picnic is for adoptive families to meet up with the birthparents to have a more "informal" meeting that is in a comfortable setting for all.  The case worker invited us so that we could directly talk to some adoptive families that used AFTH.  This is something we were not offered with Shore.  They wouldn't even give us names of adoptive families that recommended Shore, as it was a "privacy policy."
We are happy with AFTH so far, but we still have some homework to do.  If we don't get to the picnic tomorrow, as we have SO much to do tomorrow, we will definitely be emailing some of the adoptive families on the list.  The case worker recommended that we ask what their most difficult experience was in the adoption process.  Looking forward to doing our homework and hopefully get the ball rolling.  One of the major hang-ups, however, is the finances.  I can not stress how expensive it is to adopt!  I know that if it is meant to be, God will provide the finances in one way or another.  Time will tell...