[taywin]

HI -
My husband and I have decided to adopt a girl from China. We are close to picking an agency but I do not want to actual apply until May because we'd like to save a little bit more before the ball is officially rolling. Once that ball strats to roll I want to streamline the process as much as possible. SO--- my question is what can I being doing in advance?

We have our marriage certificate, birth certificates,...what else? When should we plan on submitting a I-600A? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

Taylor

[kiki's mum]

Get both of you to the doctor for physical forms they seem to take forever to get appointments and the required info needed by the agency!

[lucy2189]

Do you have your passports? That is one fairly simple thing you can take care of now.
Also, if you have chosen your homestudy agency, find out what the education requirements are. If they require you to read certain books, you could be gathering books and reading. Good idea to take notes.
If your state requires a fire inspection, find out what the requirements are. You can be getting everthing in order for that. Our state requires smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on every floor.
Are you hoping to adopt an infant or young toddler? Perhaps you could start childproofing your home. Cabinet door latches are good. It is also a good idea to have safe boxes for poisons. This would be a box that is out of reach and has a very secure lock. You can purchase or make them.
I realize these may not be the types of things you were thinking, but they do need to be taken care of and though not expensive, the costs all add up.
Best of luck.
Lucy