After a 24 hour clean-a-thon, the home study is complete. Our social worker, Earlene, did not peer into our closets, rifle through our drawers, or even conduct a white-glove test of general good housekeeping. In fact, I am now certain that the 24 hour clean-a-thon was completely unnecessary.
Earlene did spend just over two hours talking with both Rebecca and me about our perceived strengths and weaknesses, our thoughts on discipline, our own childhoods, and our motives for adopting from Ethiopia. We truly had a positively delightful visit. Earlene will take about three weeks to type a draft of our home study for us to review and for AAI to review as well. Once we have signed-off on any minor corrections, she will send us four official copies. One copy will go to the USCIS along with other documents where Visas will be issued for the adopted child or children. An additional copy will go with our Dossier to Ethiopia for each child being adopted.
Earlene also explained the mysterious re-adoption process to us during our visit. Through this process our child will gain U.S. Citizenship. Under Federal Law, if a child is seen by the parents prior to the legal completion of the adoption, they can be granted citizenship once they are physically on American soil. Since the entire legal adoption process will be completed before Rebecca and I ever travel to Ethiopia (and since we will not have actually seen the child in person), our child will not be granted citizenship until we have been home six months and have completed several post-placement home studies (which are already required by our agency), and filed a petition with an Oklahoma Court to re-adopt the child. Once re-adoption is completed, the child will be issued a Certificate of Foreign Birth that is virtually identical to any other domestically issued Birth Certificate. If we choose to make any changes to our child's name, that will be done as part of the re-adoption process as well.
We are excited to complete yet another step in the journey to become parents.
Ryan
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