You may have seen in my Instagram updates that my family has completed the application/home study steps of the adoption process.✨
2023 was BUSY completing this process. Background checks, recommendations, essays, and biographies are a few of the many things that we had to do. We had our home walk through and interview in July, which were our final two steps and we have now been in the active "waiting" stage since August.
From here, it will be anywhere from 4-12+ months of waiting. We are feeling ready to welcome a new member. GG can't wait to give the new baby lots of snuggles, and I can't wait to treasure all of the newborn moments one last time. We've learned a lot through the process so far, and I wanted to share a few reflections below:
▫️A semi-open or open adoption is often the best option for an adopted child. Having an open adoption was something that once scared me, but we have read many stories and seen a lot of research on how children who know where they come from and have ties to their biological family tend to struggle less with identity issues later in life. Our priority is the well being of the child, so we now actually prefer a semi-open or open adoption.
▫️It's vital to be secure in who you are before starting the adoption process. If you are uncertain in who you are, what you believe, or what you stand for, it will be really hard to go through this process. Having a good sense of identity allows you to confidently and authentically move through the essays and put your best foot forward.
▫️There are a LOT of good people out there. I know some days it's easy to focus on the stupidity in the world, but I've been blown away by the messages I've been receiving from others who have also adopted, or were adopted, sharing their experiences. People have been so thoughtful and generous with their words. It has truly meant the world and has given me such a great boost of faith in humanity. 🤍
