Blaschke Family Adoption Journey

While we are working back and forth to get our home study completely finalized (so, so close!) we have received information from our Adoption Service Provider about what happens next. I want to share with you all. Here is what I know, in big broad steps and with estimated timelines: 1)   Dossier Preparation - Erica and I have another set of forms to fill out and documents to gather up. The dossier process includes Preparation, Submission, Apostilles (authentication), Translation into Portuguese, and Submission to the Brazilian Central Authority. Usually this will take 3+ months. 2)   Approval - the approval process usually takes 4-6 months. This is the process of the Brazilian Central Authority reviewing our Dossier, asking questions, and ultimately approving our request to adopt from Brazil. 3)   Matching - once we have been approved by the Brazilian Central Authority, the orphanages in Brazil will review our Dossier and try to match us with a group ...

Fun fact about February: it has 28 days. 28 is divisible evenly by 7, which is the number of days in a week. Consequently, the days of each week of February correspond quite symmetrically with same in the month of March. It was this odd coincidence which caused the simple sentence ... "Yes, Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th will work great for us!" to lead to a month-sooner-than-expected visit from our Home Study Agent. Surprise!!!!! So, here we are on February 20, and I am proud, humbled, pleased, delighted, and a bit overwhelmed to report to you all that our home study visit was a success and we are being recommended for a sibling group from Brazil of up to 3 siblings from ages 0 to 10. What was it like? How did it go? What happens next? Whoa, there. One question at a time. I'm still processing. I thought she would put our home under a microscope - but it was really very encouraging instead. So ... what was it like? In a word: encouraging. Our home stud...

Both Erica and I completed our homestudy self-assessment paperwork and we got it mailed in last week. Lots of questions about family of origin, communication and conflict resolution, parenting styles, disciplinary preferences, and the like. Erica wrapped her answers up in 15 pages. I took 26. No surprises there. :) Next up is financial information and medicals. Both Erica and I got labs drawn last week for medical reports, as well as a standard annual physical. It is really remarkable how thoroughly everything is reviewed when you apply for adoption. No one asked me about how I was disciplined as a child during pregnancy classes! Great news! Our Puzzle Fundraiser was successful beyond our wildest dreams. Thanks to your support we raised the full $5,000 goal for our puzzle, and a generous donor contributing a matching gift as well. These funds will be vital in 1) completing our homestudy, and 2) making a significant start towards our Dossier. The Dossier is the Brazilian version of ...