I've decided to post our letter that we mailed out to everyone. This way some questions can be answered and I'm not constantly repeating myself. :)
I would love for anyone to ask questions if they have any about the process.
But hopefully this letter will cover a lot of it!
Here it is:
Greetings Family & Friends!
We are thrilled to announce that we are
expanding our family through domestic adoption!!
Our journey began August 2011, when we made the
decision to adopt; however, was briefly halted while Bubba deployed, but even
thousands of miles separating our little family couldn’t hinder our desire to
expand our family. In April, while Bubba was home on leave, we completed the
application forms and were accepted through Amara, a Seattle-based non-profit
adoption agency.
Throughout the deployment, we worked filling
out several mandatory forms, and within two months of Bubba’s return, we had
finished up all of our mandatory training and informational classes, classes
such as: open adoption, transracial adoption, and CPR/first aid. We’ve also
completed our interviews in Seattle with our case worker. We’ve completed our
fingerprinting for our background clearances and our final major step will be
our home inspection (expected to be completed in June) and of course MORE
PAPERWORK.
Those of you who are nearby will notice a lot
of changes around our house as we get ready to receive our new addition. As we prepare
our house for our new child, we must be flexible as the child may be as young
as a relinquished infant, to a 2 year old toddler from foster care. Along with
the age range, we are also welcoming to any race.
We are all very excited about this decision to
adopt, especially Rowan, who has been kept in the dark until recently, when we
told her she was going to be a big sister. She is a very smart girl and is very
understanding of the situation. She cannot wait to be a big sister and shares
our desire to expand our family. She too, is doing her own training in
preparation for becoming a big sister, such as, trying to feed us with the
‘airplane’ spoon.
We ask that you please pray for us, for
patience, understanding, guidance, and a healthy child. If you feel that you
are led to help us financially with our adoption we have set up an account with
Just Love Coffee where we get proceeds from every order: https://justlovecoffee.com/growingtheguerreros
We know that adoption may feel a little scary,
especially if you don’t know much about it, which is why we’ve enclosed a list
that explains some of the terminology that is now used. You can, of course,
find a lot of information about adoption on the Internet. Please feel free to
ask us any questions that you may have about how the process works.
Once our home study is completed, comes “the
waiting period”. The waiting period is a lot like a pregnancy, except that we
have no idea how long it will last. We could be chosen right away or it could
take several years for God to find us the right child. In the meantime, your
support will mean a lot to us. We’re excited about expanding our family, and
hope you’ll welcome our baby with open arms when he or she finally arrives!
Thanks for your support,
Bubba, Jessica & Rowan
“I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you” - John 14:18
FAQ &
Terminology:
Birthparents:
the people who made an adoption plan for their child because they are unable to
care for them, not because they don’t love them
Home study:
the process of paperwork, training, background checks, interviews, home
inspection and fingerprinting all compiled into a big file
Home Inspection:
when our caseworker inspects our house to certify it for our foster care home
license.
Transracial:
involving two or more races. We are open to being an expanding multicultural
family, being as we, of course, are already Mexican-Americans!
Relinquished:
a child whose birthparents arranged an
adoption plan.
Foster Care:
a system that is put into place for children to go when their parents aren’t
capable of caring for them, not because the child did anything wrong
Open adoption:
this can range from a letter and pictures once a year to visits and
relationships with the birth family. This is so the child has a better
understanding with their life story and any questions regarding their identity
and background.
Positive Adoption Language:
Positive
Language: Negative
Language:
Parent Adoptive
Parent
Birth
parent or Biological parent Real
or natural parent
My
child My
adopted child
Make
an adoption plan Gave
up their child
Search
for birth parents Track
down real parents
WAS
adopted Is adopted
“If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer.” –Mathew 21:22
