Moving Papers, Moving Forward Posted about about 2 years ago

[3/10/22]Our international dossier has officially been sent off to and received by the adoption board in the Philippines (woot! woot!). We now await the approval of our papers overseas so that we can move on to referrals. In the meantime, we've been able to look through profiles of children on special listings who have been available for adoption longer than others. Some of the backgrounds we r...

Immigration Pre-Approval Posted about about 2 years ago

[2/18/22]This week we received and sent off our immigration approval letter. What a relief to finalize the last piece of paperwork to send our dossier to the Philippines. We’ve waited several months to get to this point. Another step closer in the process! In anticipation of this milestone, we revamped our adoption cards to give them a fresh look. We meet the randomest people who are in...

Holiday Hiccups and Happiness Posted about over 2 years ago

Last month we discovered one more milestone to reach before we can send our papers off to the Philippines. At the beginning of December, we travelled a couple hours to get fingerprinted for a Homeland Security background check. Once we receive approval for immigration status, we’ll have completed our final paperwork requirement. The waiting continues!  We’ve added a few more thousand do...

Our adoption just got updated to Paperwork Complete Posted about over 2 years ago

I woke up this morning knowing that we were overdue for an adoption update. Honestly, the process has been somewhat quiet lately. A few weeks ago, we gathered all our international dossier paperwork and sent it off to our adoption agency for review. This was a landmark step in our adoption process. At this milestone, we've completed all the paper that needs to be sent internationally, and ...

Dollars and Drafts Posted about over 2 years ago

We wanted to post a special thank you to those who have donated cash to our adoption. To date, cash donations are almost double what we've received through AdoptTogether donations! These dollars will be going toward our next expenses, which will wrap up our home study and pay for our international dossier going to the Philippines. Speaking of home study, we reviewed the initial report dr...

Filling the Toolbox Posted about almost 3 years ago

[6/25/2021]This week we had the second of our three home study visits. We are excited to have made it this far, and we are almost done with this stage! The thought of a home study was initially slightly stressful, mainly because it is an evaluation of us as individuals, as spouses, and as parents. Quite honestly, the holistic approach to evaluating ourselves in perspective of our past, ...

Papers and Progress Posted about almost 3 years ago

[6/13/21]We sent another stack of paperwork off to our home study agency this week. We’ve read countless papers and books, filled out several forms, and answered an astounding number of questions about every aspect of our lives and past. We have completed nearly all our home study paperwork, minus a few loose ends. I think we now know how to sign our signatures in our sleep! Our goal is ...

The Study Within Posted about almost 3 years ago

[5/16/21]This week we officially launched into the home study part of our adoption. Our home study agency is based in Bozeman a few hours away, but they happen to have a social worker lives only 20 minutes away. We enjoyed getting to know her and learning more about the home study process. More questions but a few steps closer! Introspection has been an interesting side to this adoption ...

Piecing It Together Posted about almost 3 years ago

We wanted a fun, meaningful way to remember those who’ve contributed to bringing our child home. Toward the end of the adoption process, we’ll be putting together a large puzzle that pictures beautiful landscape from El Nido in the Philippine province of Palawan. For every $20 donated, the donor's name will be written on the back of a puzzle piece.After putting the puzzle together, we can tu...

Expenses Overview Posted about about 3 years ago

We wanted to give our donors and followers some insight on our adoption process and how we will be keeping our donation page updated. We will be updating our page with the stages that Adopt Together provides: Paperwork in Process Paperwork Complete Child Identified Travel Planned Home at Last Right now we are at the Paperwork in Process stage. Along with finances, adoption requires a lot of pap...

Our adoption just got updated to Paperwork In Process Posted about about 3 years ago

We are currently in the Home Study stage and wading through all the paperwork involved. We are contracted through All God's Children International to help lead us through the adoption process. Home Study is performed by Sacred Portions.