Adoption Session

We went to the adoption information session with IAC on Marh 6. We learned so much! It was a wonderful experience! We met with other prospective adoptive parents and also an adoptive mom. We are hoping to schedule the weekend intensive workshop for May. We of course would like to go sooner, but our schedules won't allow it! The weekend intensive is a more detailed workshop than the information session. At the weekend intensive we actually become clients of IAC. There, we will learn all about the adoption process from homestudy to post placement, reviewing all forms, guidance to create our "Dear Birthmother" letter and adoption website, resolve any questions we may have, a successful adoption parenting class, and preparation for our first "match meeting". We hope to start the homestudy process before we actually go to the workshop. We are very excited to start this journey, every day is one more day closer to our goal.



I talked with Aunt Sherry and she is teaching me all about "couponing" . I'm so excited to learn all about that! I am all about saving money! Nick calls me frugal, and I certainly take that as a compliment, because I believe if it weren't for my "frugalness" we wouldn't be going down the path we are! All the money we save by couponing will of course go to our adoption fund. We are also paying off two bills (with our tax money) that we have and will be rolling all that money into the fund. Slowly but surely.



I'm going to apoligize now for my all overness! Blogging isn't something I'm very good at, because I write all over the place.... my brain goes way too fast for my fingers, so I jump all over the place!



On that note, I want to explain a little more about OPEN adoption and IAC. IAC specializes in newborn open adoptions. Alot of times the adoptive parents will witness the birth of the child. IAC is among the very first agencies to offer open adoptions. Open adoption is where contact with the birthmother remains after the child is placed. It is a positive experience and the birthmother and adoptive families receive counseling. After a birthmother matches, counseling is then focused on dealing with loss and grief. Although the child is still healthy and alive, there is still a sense of loss and grief. Birthmothers that place their children for adoption LOVE and WANT their babies... they place for adoption out of love for that child. At that time in life they realize that they cannot give to their child as the child needs. They are very strong, I can only imagine that that decision would be the hardest one to make in life.



After starting this I decided to look up the definition of open adoption, of course there are tons of views. Ask 5 people what the definition is and you're likely to get 5 different answers! I found this definition, and in my opinion, it explains it to a t!



"The primary difference between a truly open adoption and a semi-open adoption is that the adopted child has the potential of developing a one-on-one relationship with his or her birthfamily. It is not about the adoptive parents bestowing birthparents with the privilege of contact, nor is it about birthparents merely being available to provide information over the years. Direct contact, in the form of letters, phone calls and visits between the birthfamily and the adopted child, along with his adoptive family, is essential if they are to establish their own relationship. After all, how can we honestly call an adoption open if the child is not involved?"



I know alot of people probably think open adoption is a little weird. I have to say when I first started researching adoption, I wasn't so sure about it. The more I learned, the more I understood that it is the healthiest way. A child can grow up knowing his birthmother, knowing where they came from, and having any questions answered they may have.