Hi Y’all,

I am going to be a single mom when my baby girl comes home from Haiti. I am just in the middle of getting my dossier completed. I had my home study visit from my social worker and that went well. He recommended getting the workbook “With Eyes Wide Open”. I got it and have started and was just wondering if anyone else had and would like to discuss some of the questions in it. It is very thoughtful but some of it is a little hard to think through from a single parent perspective. It is easy to feel alone in the process, even though I have wonderful family and friends sharing my joy and nervousness. So if anyone wants to chat about this, I’d love to hear from you!

Take care,
Julie

Hi Julie-

Are you adopting from through Chances for Children? We are going to Haiti next week to visit our little boy!! I have not heard of Eyes Wide Open but it would be interesting for you to share some of the information!!

I think that we have almost completed the Eyes Wide Open course. Our agency sends a chapter to us every so often to complete, but I think we may be done.

Juli Ann-
My name is Laura Drake.  I’m also a single mom adopting from Haiti.  I like to make sure other single mothers out there know that they are not alone in this process.  I’m adopting a little girl named Shawana.  She has been at the Creche for almost a year now.  I hope to have her home by the end of the year.  Is this your first child or do you have other children? 
I have not read the book that you are referring to.  I had to watch videos and answer questions from the “While they waited” series.  I also had to read “Raising adopted children” as part of my homestudy process.  I would be interested in hearing some of the questions they ask.  Post them, and we can all discuss them.
If you would be interested in personally emailing me feel free.  My email address is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Take care!
Laura

Hi again,

I am adopting through Chances 4 Children. This is my first child. I am 45 and could not have children. Is this the right forum? Is there one that is for adopting parents?

I am almost done with my homestudy and preparing my dossier. I feel inundated with paperwork! Just trying to make sure I have everything and its done right is a bit stressful.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. One of my questions from Eyes Wide Open is how different it is when you’re pregnant vs adopting. Everyone can see your pregnant and they ask questions, etc. But when you’re adopting there isn’t the social recognition. It just made me think about how I would feel. My niece said she would make a sign for me to wear!

I am just so excited. I have wanted a baby for as long as I can remember. I read about there being at least 200 families waiting to take their children home form Haiti. Is that true?

Thanks again and it is very comforting to be able to talk with others who are in similar circumstances.
Take care,
Julie

Julie- I know how you feel - I have been waiting to be a mom since I was born I swear!! We were cautioned against telling everyone in the world we were adopting and then cautioned against telling everyone in the world we were matched with a gorgeous boy - because once you tell people they ask constantly. For me, personally, I say tell the whole world - I love being asked about our adoption. You will be surprised at how much you are really asked, not a day goes by that someone doesn’t bring it up and usually it’s a lot of someones.

There are shirts somewhere online that say “Expecting From Haiti” which I thought were so cute, you might want to invest in a wardrobe full of them - one for each day!! For now tell everyone you want that you are expecting a baby from Haiti and you will be surprised at how quickly the word spreads and people will start asking you all about it.

One last thing, I thought I was going to drown in paperwork but just get your list out and start checking things off - it feels so good to be done with it!!

Congratulations on expecting your first baby - adoption is an amazing experience!!

Hi Julie Ann-
I have never been pregnant, but I have co-workers at work that are and I get asked about my adoption just as much as they get asked about how their pregnancies are going.  It hasn’t bothered me at all to talk about the adoption.  I love talking about it.  I’m thinking about my little girl most of the time anyway, so I certainly don’t mind talking about her!  I agree with Kristi when she said tell the world about adopting.  I did, and I have received so much heart felt support from family, friends and co-workers alike. 
Right now you are posting comments on the General forum, but there is a Adoptive Family forum where a lot more families participate.  I’m sure you can find out from your caseworker how to or when you will get the opportunity to log in to that forum.  You may already be able to. 
I don’t know how many families total are in the process of adopting, but there are around 65-68 children at the Creche and all of them or nearly all of them are matched at this time. 
Good luck on getting your paperwork done.  Turning in your dossier is a weight lifted off your mind!

Kristi and Nate,
I’m so excited for you! Loudince is so cute! I hope you enjoy your time with him and that all goes smoothly. Thanks again for the post replies, everyone!
Julie

JulieAnn
Congratulations!  My husband and I just brought our baby boy home in April.  It is a long process but it is absolutely worth it.  He is our first child after many years of trying and an absolute blessing!  The forum is a great source of information and support.  I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from you soon!  Welcome!

Julie,
Hang in there. You’ll get that paperwork finished after all, and then you’ll get some down time to sit and breathe.
I’m with Kristi. I love talking about our adoption. I live in a little town, so most everyone knows about it anyways, but I"ve practically worn out my pictures in my purse by wipping them out to show everyone. I absolutely love saying that I"m heading to Haiti this weekend. It makes me feel cool
Best wishes, and we look forward to seeing you on both forums

congratulation!

dossier de surendettement

hi, it’s great. I will try my best to become a good mother
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