Pre-Adoption Seminar, Day 2: Brian's Take

After wrapping up our last day of the pre-adoption seminar, everything is feeling a lot more real now that we've completed what is listed as the first major step of the adoption process with our agency.   We covered lots of important topics and met some adoptive parents which has been a great experience.

To start out the morning, we met a new member from OA&FS, Maria.  Depending on our counselor assignment, she could actually become our counselor which made it exciting to meet her in person.  For the last half of the day, another counselor (Courtney) took over.  In the end, we met two of our three possible counselors.  (We'll know which counselor gets assigned to us once we send in/they receive and process our application.)

So back to the seminar, we spent the morning talking about the back half of the adoption process that begins once adoptive parents are chosen by a birthmother/birthfamily.  In the afternoon, we had a discussion with an attorney, reviewed transracial adoption, and walked through the steps we have remaining until we can join the pool of waiting families!

Since it's been a rather busy day, I'll keep this post a short one as Andy has already posted his perspective on Day 2.  Over the next few days, we'll be posting some more exciting updates about our adoption journey.  Of course, I won't leave you hanging without any fun nuts and bolts-y details.  Here's a set of intriguing highlights that I scribbled down in my notes during the seminar.  I hope you find them interesting!

• Most people in the waiting family pool are in their 40's
• Birthparents have a lot less preparation about open adoption and the entire adoption process than adoptive parents (Ex: All adoptive parents take a pre-adoption seminar!)
• It's common for birthmoms not to find out/accept they're pregnant until later in the pregnancy.  I hadn't thought about this, but it makes sense as most adoption cases are not the result of planned pregnancies.
• Average ages of involved parties
• Birthmoms - 22 years
• Birthfathers - 24 years
• Adoptive parents - 40 years
• If we get a last minute placement (chosen from the maternity ward in the hospital), Andy and I would get a call and may only have 1 hour to decide if that is a good match for us.  Low stress!
• All adopted children technically have 2 birth certificates.  The birthmom/birthfamily name the baby and a birth certificate is created.  When placement goes through with the courts, a second birth certificate is created and the first birth certificate is sealed.  Depending on the preferences of the birth and adoptive parties, the birth certificates could have the same name or different names.