Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Our Home Study Has Begun!

Well, everyone said the paperwork is overwhelming.
That it makes mortgage paperwork look like a piece of cake.
That you'll be "blown away" by the stacks of forms and "to-do lists."

Guess what? They were right.

So, after our first meeting today with our caseworker, Margie, you'd think I wouldn't have walked away feeling like I got hit over the head with a giant, painful anvil (as if having this blasted ear infection that won't go away isn't "anvil" enough!).

Am I happy that our "home study process" has officially begun? Of course! Was I prepared for the paperwork, even with the warnings of sage friends and experienced adoptive parents? No way! But I guess that's part of this whole journey, huh? Trying to keep a positive spin on things. Help me, please, people!

Yikes, I'm getting ahead of myself. Rewinding a little bit: We met Margie for the first time today at the Catholic Charities office in downtown Baltimore (after endless emails and a couple of phone conversations, it's good to put a face to the name!). She's SO nice--an adoptive mom to 6 adult kids, 4 from Korea and 2 from India. This preliminary meeting marked the official "beginning" of our home study process. Hooray!

I just finished my initial read-through of the pile of paperwork and forms we need to gather and prepare for Catholic Charities over the next couple of weeks. I'm trying very hard not to be surprised at the amount of work that goes into this whole home study deal. Trying to just continue taking it step by step, but I have a feeling it will be difficult.

Interested in knowing more about what's involved with this home study? Read my next blog. (I had to break this one up--blogger guidelines tell the writer to keep his or her blogs short, punchy, to the point. As usual, I continue to break all the rules.)

Later, gators.

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