Priceless!

Adoption isn't cheap! But, then again, having a baby by birth isn't that cheap either. One of the scariest parts of international adoption and the decision to move forward as been the financial aspect. The cost of international, well adoption in general, is staggering! It almost seems ridiculous for it to be as costly as it is. But every dollar spent has a purpose.

We have dedicated ourselves to full transperency during this process and this includes the cost of our adoption. For this reason, we would like to share with you the estimated costs we are anticipating in the next year or so. Most of these numbers are estimates and may change, but it will give you a general idea of the cost.

Right now we are in the paperchase stage of the process. The fees needed during this phase are:
AWAA Application fee $250
1st Installment of Program Fee $1500
Home Study $1640 + $900 for 3 post placement visits
Hague Training $175
Documents/Background Checks/Passports $100-$500
USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting $830
Notarization, Certification, and Authentication of Dossier documents $400
Total: $5795-$6095

When our dossier is ready to send (hopefully by the end of July) we will need to send it along with the following:
Dossier Courier Service $150
2nd Installment of Program Fee $2000
Post-Adoption Report Deposit $1000 (fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time)
Dossier Service and Translation $800
Half international Program Fee $3750
Total: $7700

When we recieve our referral, which should be 4-6 months after completing our dossier, we will need to have the following:
International Specialist Consultation $100-$400
3rd Installment of Program Fee $1500
1/2 International Program Fee $3750
Total: $5350-$5650

After recieving our referral, our court date determines when we will travel. Since the two trip policy is brand new, we really do not know exactly how much more taking two seperate trips will cost. No one with our agency has been assigned a court date after May 9th, which is when attendence at court is required. Matt & I will travel alone the first time and then we will bring the girls with us on the second trip. The following numbers for travel costs are our own estimates:
Airfare (both trips) $6000-$10000
Visas $80
Visa/Embassy Fee (1 child) $400
In-Country Travel Package $2800-$4000
Post Placement visits--these will already be paid to the Home Study agency
Post Adoption Administrative Fee $385
Re-Adoption (this is so the child will have a US birth certificate) $300-$1000
Other Costs (doctor visit, related co-pays, social security card, passport cost, postage, phone calls, etc.) $100-$1000
Total:$10,065-$16,785

Which brings the Grand Total anywhere from $28,910 to $36,230. Yikes, right! Our agency's current estimate is a little less than this, but does not include estimates for two trips or taking our girls with us. We know taking Maggie & Violet will add to our expense, but the benefit of them going far outweighes the cost!

So, how are we going to do it, you ask?? By Faith. God has called us to this. By Faith, we will obey. We have already seen God work and cannot wait to see what He has planned!

No, we do not have $30,000 just lying around. That would be awesome, wouldn't it? No, we do not expect $30,000 to just appear out of nowhere, although God can do that if he so chooses! Yes, we do have a plan, but it is not set in stone, either. We do have some savings already set aside for the adoption. Using our past two tax returns we have been able to pay some things off, including our van and a student loan! This has freed up some extra money that we will be putting aside each month specifically for adoption cost and then later for baby costs.

We will also be doing some fundraising. We realize that not everyone may be comfortable with this idea. We completely understand and ask that no matter how you feel, just keep praying for us. We covet your prayers more than any money you could give. We have several fundraising ideas spinning in our heads. We'll save all that for another post.

If it comes down to it, we will get an adoption loan (sorry, Dave Ramsey) to pay the rest of our expenses. There is a great Christian credit union that gives adoption loans for a great rate. We would love to be able to not have to do this, but it is comforting to know that we have the option.

Well, this post has become a long one! Have a great week!

Rubeinna