Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support and encouragement! Allie & I are super excited about this process and look forward to sharing it with you. As we had many conversations with family over Christmas, we realized we should put a post up to share with you how this whole thing works.
1. We signed a contract with Lifetime Adoption earlier this month which locks in our place in their program. They only accept so many couples into their program at a time. There were also some financial benefits to signing a contract to hold our place before the new year. We now have six months to raise the rest of the money.
2. To raise funds, we are sending out support letters to friends & family. We're also planning to apply for several adoption grants and host two fundraisers this Spring (garage sale & photo shoot).
3. Prior to being able to apply for grants and before being allowed to adopt, we must complete a home study. It's important to raise the $3,000 necessary to do the home study as soon as possible so that we can have as much time as possible to apply for adoption grants. Most grants require that the home study be done AND that the child NOT be placed yet. In other words, there's a very specific time frame in which we have to apply for these grants.
4. We have up to six months to raise the rest of the fees owed to Lifetime Adoption. Once those fees are paid in full, Lifetime will begin showing our profile to expecting birth mothers. This could happen sooner than 6 months if funds are raised quicker. Birth mothers typically have a few preferences about the family they'd like their child to be placed with. If we match the criteria, we'll be shown to them for consideration.
5. Once a birth mother selects Allie & I to parent their child, we're considered "matched" and we wait for the child to be born. This could be days or months depending on where the pregnancy is at.
6. Most adoptions through Lifetime involve the adoptive parents going to the hospital for the birth and being able to take the baby home from the hospital. We'll be waiting for that phone call and need to be able to leave at a moments notice.
7. After the baby is in the home, there are a few months of finalization for the adoption before it's 100% solidified. The birth mother has a certain time frame to change her mind and the state requires a followup by the home study organization to ensure everything is going well. Then the lawyers finalize the paperwork, a judge signs it, and THEN everything is set.
So those are most of the logistical details of how this works. Let us know if you have any questions!
Ryan & Allie
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