So, we regrouped and reconsidered our options. There were a few other agencies that LDS Family Services recommended but both were out of the state and after what happened with Bethany, we wanted something that would be really different. So we recontacted Holt International which had been our first choice before starting this whole process. We really liked the idea of adopting internationally because it would be just a unique experience to travel to a completely different land and culture to get our new baby. We decided we would go with the China Special Needs program because we could get an infant, the wait times were shorter and we already felt connected to that program because of the success our friends, Ric and Stevie, had with adopting their girl Marissa from a similar program.
Once that was decided, we contacted Holt to go over some initial questions we had and we also sat through a couple of webinars about adopting from China and how to finance an adoption. Both of these made us feel better about the process and made us really excited to make it happen. We had to get all of our finances in order which meant cutting out a few of our more expensive bills, paying off our credit card, and secure a rather large loan from my 401k plan to get us started. Once this was done, on March 26, 2012 we filled out our application online and submitted it to officially start our adoption! It was actually kind of stressful getting it filled out because we had to put a lot of information on there especially about what types of special needs we thought that we could handle. But we were so relieved to get that major part done.
Now we are waiting to begin the home study portion of our process. We will be working with a local agency in Delaware for that part. We know it will take about 3 months and will be intense with paperwork and interviews that they must complete to get us ready. One day at a time!
