The Adoption Process

The length of the adoption process varies according to the circumstances of the child, but can take as few as six to ten months. By providing extensive training and support, the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) ensures that you and your family are ready when the time to adopt arrives. The steps in the process are outlined below.

Step 1: Inquiry

You can begin the adoption process by making initial contact with DHS by phone. After answering some basic questions, you will be scheduled for an individual or group inquiry interview with an adoption case manager. Call 1-877-210-KIDS or click here to complete this step.

(https://dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/adoption-process)

I have just completed step 1. This step went smoothly, and was relatively pain free. The only pain came when she said "financially stable". I asked her to elaborate. She said "you know, not close to being evicted, able to provide for a child". That made me feel a little better, I was thinking they wanted people with bursting savings accounts and a vacation home. A far cry from where we are now, with this being my senior year in college as a 30 year old.

We were told they would call us in one to two weeks to set up an appointment for the orientation (Step 2). 

The journey has begun, in this very moment, we are starting the adoption process. From this date, until the moment our new child is in our arms, we will have ups and downs, heartache and happiness, moments that we probably feel absolutely hopeless... but it will all be worth it. 

My husband has two children now. They are 6 and 9, and are amazing kids. I love them to the moon and would do anything for them... but I want us to have our own as well. I want a child to raise, parent teacher meetings, true involvement in decisions to be made for them. It's different. I love being a step-mom, and I wouldn't change that for the world. We are not adding to our family because the kids we have aren't enough, we are adding to our family because we love kids so much, and our kids are so awesome, that we have to have more. :) 

So, here we go.