paperwork

and more paper work.  I sent the I600A in and it was returned to me because I sent the wrong amount of money. so I have to send that again. I picked up our marriage certs. planning to get the medical tomorrow, try and get the home owner page too. Tuesday we will sign a boatload of papers in front of a notary. Eventually we will be fingerprinted by the government to be sure we have no background in crime. When all our papers are signed notarized and apostilled(state seal) it will finally cross the sea to the far away country where the child we hope to call our own resides.  Adoption is an expensive venture. Raising a child is expensive but you have the cost spread out. Adoption requires a large sum in a short time. I thought I would write down some of the costs involved in international adoption so people can get a better idea why adopters fundraise. Most people don't have the kind of money necessary to adopt just laying around the house. It runs into the tens of thousands.  so here is the breakdown of some of the costs.

I600A  $720
fingerprinting for each adult over 18 in the home(even if not the adopting parent, we have a 19 year old in college still living at home. he will have to be printed also) $85 per person
Homestudy $2000
translation and facilitation in country (not including travel and cab fees or a place to stay) $9500
airfare $4000
Passport for adopted child varies but can be several hundred dollars.

this is just a partial list of costs. there is postage, each document needs to be apostilled by the state and some states charge several dollars PER DOCUMENT! it adds up fast! We are thankful for every penny donation we have gotten or may get in the future. We are already raising kids with special needs so it isn't easy to throw around that kind of money.