DON'T MESS WITH THAT PAPERWORK!

Home Study Preparation: Our background check required we send our fingerprints to the FBI & GBI

Hi Friends and Family,

      The Pon Family hopes you are well!  Kristen and I have been hard at work getting the adoption process started and feel like we are starting to gain some traction.  We have chosen to adopt through Adoptions Advocates International based on their ability to meet our top five adoption priorities and many informal recommendations whom speak very highly of their integrity and hard work.  This past week we started the home study process.  The home study is one of the many adoption requirements that determines the suitability of the parents physical, psychological, and emotional state to raise children.  So literally, they want to know if you are a couple of crazies living in a shack, or regular folk who have a safe home.  Here are a few of the requirements that are needed to complete the home study:

-Autobiography:  We had to write our answers to questions about who we are, and the quality of the relationships we have.  Questions such as: What is your parenting style?  How will you teach coping skills to your child?  How would you like to improve your marital relationship?  All great questions that require reflection.

-Meetings:  We have to meet with with a social worker a total of three times.  One of the three meetings is in the home, which we have scheduled for May 1st.  This past Tuesday and Wednesday, we all drove to Savannah, Ga to meet with our social worker.  These meetings fulfilled two of the three requirements.  The first day included detailed information about the home study and adoption process.  The second, was a meeting where Kristen and I had to sit down individually with our social worker, Tricia.  She spent about an hour with each of us as we expanded on the details we covered in our autobiography.  Overall, Kristen and I found the experience to be great.  We both feel that this process is becoming more real now that we have taken the leap and started the home study.

-FBI Fingerprints:  This is a criminal background check at the national level.  The processing time takes about 8-10 weeks to get a response back from the FBI.  An interesting note is that most of us in the military have pretty extensive background checks....I guess they've got to do it again!

-Georgia Bureau of Investigations Fingerprints:  Another set of fingerprints to have checked within the state of Georgia.

-Local Background Check: No worries everyone.  Everything came back clean!  We used this as a fun little trip to let Nate see some local Sheriff's cars.  

Quick Story:  It has been amazing to observe Nate (3 years old on May 2nd) as he begins to understand that he will eventually have another brother.  Just the other day, Kristen had been answering autobiography questions while Nate was taking his afternoon nap.  As Nate woke up from his nap, he scrambled to Kristen's papers, probably to make a small mess.  Kristen advised Nate, "Hey Nate, don't touch that paperwork, it's really important!"  Nate responded with, "Why Mamma?  So I can get my other brother?"  He gets it, and we're excited to see Nate, CJ and our third future child grow together!

Here are some pictures from our trip to beautiful Savannah:

After lunch, we found the Savannah Candy Kitchen.  The sweet smell of candy as we walked in was fantastic!

Nate enjoying the ice cream he picked out.

C.J. is just happy to be loved!

  

The boys with Ninny and Papa!

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