The Home Study

Finally! Our home study was completed this past Friday. 

There had been so many reschedules and conflicts but it is finally complete.

I have a lot of people ask, "What is involved in a home study?" We wondered the same thing. On Friday, we opened the door for Kevin, our agency rep and so many things crossed my mind... Will he notice the glue that exploded when I was modge podging that I never sanded off, our cabinets really need repainted, there is a bottle of wine on the table will you think we drink too much??? I would have went really crazy but Jason settled me down and said be realistic he is not going to care, we just have to have a good home to raise a child. So here is the breakdown of how the home study played out then I will share more ooey gooey feelings about the process!
1. Called Kevin to remind him that our town is weird and driveways are in the back of the house so now he has to navigate the swamp from the melted snow at the front of the house when he comes.
2. Knock Knock! Kevin is here which we already knew because we had been staring slyly out the window for the last 20 minutes like we were waiting for Santa Clause

3. Kevin comes in and makes himself at home and lays out his paperwork and starts talking to us. It was really casual; we actually talked about sports, health care act but also day care plans, health insurance for the baby, square footage of our home, how many children we want overall, a few basic questions that showed we understand what is required for a baby such as diapers, feeding schedule, etc.
4. Tour of the house. We showed Kevin all of the rooms and closets. For the first child, you need 40 sq feet in Illinois for every child after that you need 30 sq feet of living space. So the idea that I was worried our house was not large enough was kinda erroneous.
5. Then Kevin asked Jason and I to split up and answer questions separately. This is the part I was dreading but honestly if you feel comfortable with your agency it really is no big deal. Jason and I do not need each other every conversation we have to talk about adoption or our life goals so I do not know why I thought we did then? Comfort I guess. I do not know if the questions change for people but we were asked
       a. Who was your role model growing up?
       b. Who is driving the adoption; you, your spouse, or both?
       c. What is the most important thing you have done in your life?
       d. What is the most important quality you possess?
I feel like there was a couple more but you know how you get nervous in interviews and poof you forget what happened.
6. Talked a little bit more about specific questions that we have about adoption, the process, the agency, really whatever you wanted to ask. The home study is a lot of time focused on being one on one and getting your questions answered so you feel comfortable once you are selected.

Overall, the home study was EASY! I know that different agencies differ but overall it is not a white glove test. It really is whether or not your home is ready for a child. You should ask your agency beforehand about the requirements. For example, our agency requires your home be child proofed for the age of child you are receiving. Jason and I are doing an infant adoption therefore we did not need baby gate, cabinet locks ,etc because the infant will not be able to get into those items until later in life. Our agency checked carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, water heater, and electrical outlets to make sure everything was up to code. Overall, we passed. We have completed all of the preliminary steps for adoption now. All of this paperwork will be good for 4 years except the fingerprints have to be re taken every 2 years.
The home studies overall are a costly expense and really ours took about an hour. The cost comes from the paperwork that is completed later. There is a lot of time spent by the agency getting state, DCFS, and FBI clearances. The document they submit is about 50+ pages ( I think is what the agency explained). They really gather a lot of information about you in a short amount of time that is then put into writing. In the state of Illinois, a home study does not have to be completed until before an adoption is finalized so really you can have a child placed with you without having yet completed your home study. But ours is done now so NO FEAR!


The holidays are upon us. Remember the reason for the season and share love for and with your neighbor. You never know who needs help or a little extra hug this time of year!