We are adopting again from China! We want to keep Mia as the baby in the family, and we are requesting a boy or a girl between the ages of 3-5.
We had to switch to a different home study
agency because the one we used for Mia’s adoption was not Hague Accredited. We
also decided to switch placing agencies. I made a list of 24 agencies and
researched them all. Many agencies are now only referring children from a
specific orphanage in one province. We didn’t like this idea. The list was
quickly narrowed down to 8. I then looked at cost. For our first adoption, I
assumed all agencies charged the same fees.
This is not the case; they can vary by $3,000. We also wanted an agency
that sponsored trips back to China as well as other activities for the adopted
children and their families. The list was narrowed down to 2, and we finally
decided on China Adoption with Love, Inc. They offer the lowest fees that I saw,
and they sponsor trips back to China and a yearly get together for adoptive families
on Chinese New Year. They are smaller than some agencies out there, but I feel
they are the right fit for us. I do wish their website was better and more up
to date, however. So far they have made
a good impression on me; they answer my emails very promptly. This seems to be
a problem with some of the larger agencies.
We’ve applied and have already had our home study
visit to update our previous home study. We are quickly gathering papers for
the dossier. It isn't near as overwhelming the second time around. Once our physicals are all out of the way in
November, our home study can be submitted. This
time doesn’t feel like a giant leap of faith that our first adoption felt like, because we have witnessed firsthand
the miracle of adoption. We have to believe that God will take care of all the
details and provisions as He did with Mia’s adoption.
LORI
