We Officially Start The Adoption Process!

We've talked about it before, but today marks our first official day of the adoption process. We researched all types of adoption and have decided to adopt a 'child in waiting' out of foster care. There are 123,000 children in foster care right now just hoping for a family, and well, Josh and I are just hoping for a child, so it seems to be the right fit for us. As much as we'd love a baby someday, and are still hoping for one, did you know that currently 98% of birth moms that give their baby up for adoption end up changing their mind?? And did you know that you pay ALL that money to adopt a baby, can actually get the baby for up to 30 days, and the birth mother (in NY state) has up to 30 days to change her mind and take the baby back, and you are then out ALL that money. And did you know that 20% of children in the foster care system never get adopted? That seems so sad to Josh and I. Not to mention that the cost of adopting a baby is ridiculous (I'll save that for another post), and the cost of adopting a child in waiting is basically free. However, this system takes a lot of work to get through. Not only is there the paperwork and homestudy, but there is a 10 week course of one-3 hour class per week. Plus visits with social workers and ongoing support during and after the transition of the child. Josh and I realized at the meeting tonight WHY they have to have such an extensive background done for people to be certified to adopt a child in waiting. Because...unfortunately there are stupid people in this world who think they can get through the process for stupid reasons. Take this one woman at our info meeting tonight. She was StUpId....she was a single mom on public assistance, in a rent-controlled (based on income) apartment with two kids of her own, has some sort of CPS past and thought she could come in and adopt an older girl to be a big sister to her toddler boys. Ummmm....yeah, we're pretty sure she just wants the county to pay her to have a constant babysitter...which is so sad. It's people like her that then force competent people like me and Josh to have to go through this extensive process. She's one of the types of people that will quickly get weeded out of the system (you should have seen the look on the social worker's face as this woman went on and on, and then talked about how she had to catch the bus...). Not to mention it was a slap in the face for all of us competent couples in the meeting just wanting a child and not having any children yet and having this lady blab on and on about how she's poor and already has two kids of her own! Okay, enough rambling about her....Josh and I are excited, yet quite overwhelmed, to start the adoption process. We've been getting support from friends of ours who are currently, or have already, gone through the adoption process and they've been a big help! Here's a pic of us tonight from before we went to the meeting. 

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  ~Elizabeth Stone