This past Thursday, a representative from Gladney came to our house to conduct our home study. She was there for a little over 3 hours getting to know about us, our reasons for adopting, our family, our relationship, etc. She also had a quick tour of our home just to see the layout, what each room was used for, and to make sure that there wasn't a glaringly obvious risks associated with a child living in our home. Basically, she was looking to see if we had a swimming pool, and if we did, was there a safety fence around it or did we have plans to put in one. Or, you know, was there a wild tiger roaming free in the hallways or if we had it chained up in the garage like good pet owners.
The questions she asked were fairly simple. She interviewed both of us together and asked about we know one another is stressed, and what we loved about the other person. She also wanted to know about our hobbies and what we liked to do in our spare time. She then interviewed each one of us individually and asked about each of our parents, and wondered which one we would be more like. She also asked if there was something about our spouse that frustrated us (of course, Brandon had a hard time selecting just one.....kidding).
It was actually kind of cool because we were able to share our story of how we met, what brought us to this point in our lives, and what our goals were. The cool thing was that I realized that even if nothing about my life changed from here on out, that I am already a very blessed man to have a great wife, wonderful family, and terrific friends.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Meeting the Pediatrician
Brandon and I met with a pediatrician that has experience with adopted children from Russia. We went over the list of potential ailments that we would be accepting of in our child. The list included everything from asthma and allergies to spina bifida.
It was a bit overwhelming to review the list and think about the treatments that go along with each one. But the good news is that the pediatrician was great. She helped us to determine what we would be up for, and what we thought would be too much for us to handle.
This process seems a little strange - kind of like we are filling out an order form for a child. But I guess that's just one of the differences in this process vs. having a child on your own. But the great thing about doing all of these things is that while you are filling out paperwork, meeting with doctors, or determining the next step in the process, you think that this is one step closer to what this whole thing is about: getting a child. So I guess in that way, we count ourselves lucky.
It was a bit overwhelming to review the list and think about the treatments that go along with each one. But the good news is that the pediatrician was great. She helped us to determine what we would be up for, and what we thought would be too much for us to handle.
This process seems a little strange - kind of like we are filling out an order form for a child. But I guess that's just one of the differences in this process vs. having a child on your own. But the great thing about doing all of these things is that while you are filling out paperwork, meeting with doctors, or determining the next step in the process, you think that this is one step closer to what this whole thing is about: getting a child. So I guess in that way, we count ourselves lucky.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Referrals
Part of the application process is to get at least 4 written referrals from the following: a friend, a family member, an employer/co-worker, and a community member/neighbor. We were simply overwhelmed by the number of people who offered to write us a referral, even before we even considered who we wanted to do the official letters. For those of you who were willing to do this, we can only say thank you and that we are so very appreciative.
We did want to specifically thank the people that we did have write referrals for us. Of course, these are in no particular order.
Michael Campbell - Many of you who read this have met Michael at some point in time. For those of you who don't know him, he has been Phil's best friend for nearly 19 years. They met the week before they started college at UTA and have been inseparable ever since. He's always making us laugh with his quick wit and comebacks, but he really is a great listener as well. Thank you Michael for being such a great friend. We know that you will make a great uncle to our child.
Larry & Mollie Mims - Larry & Mollie are Brandon's aunt & uncle (specifically, Mollie is the sister of Brandon's Dad, Lonnie). We have always had such a great time when we hang out with them, especially when it comes to Texas Aggie football games. They have also become part of one of our favorite holiday traditions, which is to go to Cleburne for the Christmas Eve candlelight service at their church, and then head to their house for great food and fun. Guys, we cannot wait for the first Christmas Eve that we bring our new baby to your home.
Lisa Vasquez - Lisa was Brandon's first boss back at her days at the Dallas Chamber of Commerce starting in 2001. Since that time, she and Roger have become such close friends, and Lisa and Brandon still get to work with one another on occasional projects with their respective lines of work. We've been part of each other's weddings, and we have even been there to see them become parents to little Petey (who is a riot). It will be so cool to be able to bring home a playmate for Petey and to watch them go crazy in your swimming pool in the years to come.
Bob Yum - Bob is our neighbor from across the street and he is also our pharmacist. I can tell you that it is SO convenient to have him hand deliver our prescriptions, or for us to drive right up the street to his store to pick them up. But more than that, Bob is such a great neighbor and friend and we are blessed to have met him. We hope that our child doesn't need his services too often, just because that means the baby will be healthy, but it's good to know that if they do, Bob is on the case.
So that's our short tribute to just some of the support our friends and family have already given us. There are many more just like them that we could thank, but I am not sure the internet has enough space for us to lay out that many well wishes.
We did want to specifically thank the people that we did have write referrals for us. Of course, these are in no particular order.
Michael Campbell - Many of you who read this have met Michael at some point in time. For those of you who don't know him, he has been Phil's best friend for nearly 19 years. They met the week before they started college at UTA and have been inseparable ever since. He's always making us laugh with his quick wit and comebacks, but he really is a great listener as well. Thank you Michael for being such a great friend. We know that you will make a great uncle to our child.
Larry & Mollie Mims - Larry & Mollie are Brandon's aunt & uncle (specifically, Mollie is the sister of Brandon's Dad, Lonnie). We have always had such a great time when we hang out with them, especially when it comes to Texas Aggie football games. They have also become part of one of our favorite holiday traditions, which is to go to Cleburne for the Christmas Eve candlelight service at their church, and then head to their house for great food and fun. Guys, we cannot wait for the first Christmas Eve that we bring our new baby to your home.
Lisa Vasquez - Lisa was Brandon's first boss back at her days at the Dallas Chamber of Commerce starting in 2001. Since that time, she and Roger have become such close friends, and Lisa and Brandon still get to work with one another on occasional projects with their respective lines of work. We've been part of each other's weddings, and we have even been there to see them become parents to little Petey (who is a riot). It will be so cool to be able to bring home a playmate for Petey and to watch them go crazy in your swimming pool in the years to come.
Bob Yum - Bob is our neighbor from across the street and he is also our pharmacist. I can tell you that it is SO convenient to have him hand deliver our prescriptions, or for us to drive right up the street to his store to pick them up. But more than that, Bob is such a great neighbor and friend and we are blessed to have met him. We hope that our child doesn't need his services too often, just because that means the baby will be healthy, but it's good to know that if they do, Bob is on the case.
So that's our short tribute to just some of the support our friends and family have already given us. There are many more just like them that we could thank, but I am not sure the internet has enough space for us to lay out that many well wishes.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
2 More Pieces of Great News
1) Brandon and I do NOT have Tuberculosis! Yep, that's right. We are living TB free! For those of you wanting the details, it's quite simple: we have to be checked out by a doctor, and then he submits a report on our health with our application. One of the tests was to see if we had TB, and I am glad to say that we are good to go.
2) Apparently, I was in the military! Another piece of info we have to submit with our application is the medical report for our pets. Not sure exactly why they need this, but I guess it's part of being thorough. So when Brandon got the reports today, I was copying them and glanced down at the names listed as owner. It has a place for Title, you know like Mr or Mrs. Well, my title was Captain. So I will now start signing my name as Captain Phil Rice, and I will expect people to salute me. Or, I may just go by Cap'n, dress up like a sailor and start posing for cereal boxes (Cap'n Crunch, for those who can't figure out who I am talking about).
2) Apparently, I was in the military! Another piece of info we have to submit with our application is the medical report for our pets. Not sure exactly why they need this, but I guess it's part of being thorough. So when Brandon got the reports today, I was copying them and glanced down at the names listed as owner. It has a place for Title, you know like Mr or Mrs. Well, my title was Captain. So I will now start signing my name as Captain Phil Rice, and I will expect people to salute me. Or, I may just go by Cap'n, dress up like a sailor and start posing for cereal boxes (Cap'n Crunch, for those who can't figure out who I am talking about).
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Things are Clicking Along
Lots of things to report this week:
1) We finally got a response from Homeland Security/Immigration Services and our case is in the pending file! We had been waiting to get word from them and finally they responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent last week to let us know that it is pending our Home Study (which will be scheduled very soon). So this lifts one concern we have had for the last 2 months or so - see previous posts for reasons why.
2) We are putting together more documents for our application, which includes a letter from my employer, a letter from our CPA (since Brandon is self-employed), reference letters, pictures of our home as well as a sketch of the layout, and copies of our birth and marriage certificates.
3) We went to the doctor yesterday to get our medical exam done. Basically they pulled 6 small tubes of blood from each of us in order to test for everything known to man, including STDs. Just in case you are wondering, I think we are both A-OK on that front. They also had to give us a shot to check for TB and we have to go back tomorrow for them to check our reaction to it. I felt so bad for Brandon because they had to stick her in 2 different places to get enough blood to test (which took a total of 20 minutes or so for her compared to 5 minutes for me - I'm a good bleeder I guess). Later that day, she had bruises on her arm and hand from the injections, and she wasn't feeling well (possibly due to the combination of a TB injection, them taking blood, and her allergies acting up). But she was a real trooper. I, on the other hand, had no problems. Funny how that works sometimes.
Next up, we have to meet with a pediatrician to find out what ailments we are willing to accept for our kiddo. We also have to determine whether we want to request a specific gender or leave it up in the air. I'll be back with details soon and let you know what we decide. I think we may already know, but I have to leave you with a cliffhanger or you may not come back to read the blog!
1) We finally got a response from Homeland Security/Immigration Services and our case is in the pending file! We had been waiting to get word from them and finally they responded back to an e-mail Brandon sent last week to let us know that it is pending our Home Study (which will be scheduled very soon). So this lifts one concern we have had for the last 2 months or so - see previous posts for reasons why.
2) We are putting together more documents for our application, which includes a letter from my employer, a letter from our CPA (since Brandon is self-employed), reference letters, pictures of our home as well as a sketch of the layout, and copies of our birth and marriage certificates.
3) We went to the doctor yesterday to get our medical exam done. Basically they pulled 6 small tubes of blood from each of us in order to test for everything known to man, including STDs. Just in case you are wondering, I think we are both A-OK on that front. They also had to give us a shot to check for TB and we have to go back tomorrow for them to check our reaction to it. I felt so bad for Brandon because they had to stick her in 2 different places to get enough blood to test (which took a total of 20 minutes or so for her compared to 5 minutes for me - I'm a good bleeder I guess). Later that day, she had bruises on her arm and hand from the injections, and she wasn't feeling well (possibly due to the combination of a TB injection, them taking blood, and her allergies acting up). But she was a real trooper. I, on the other hand, had no problems. Funny how that works sometimes.
Next up, we have to meet with a pediatrician to find out what ailments we are willing to accept for our kiddo. We also have to determine whether we want to request a specific gender or leave it up in the air. I'll be back with details soon and let you know what we decide. I think we may already know, but I have to leave you with a cliffhanger or you may not come back to read the blog!
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