Phone Orientation

Well, I just got off the phone with Gladney! I read the 53 pages of information and still came up with a list of about 30 questions. We were on the phone for close to an hour and let me tell you, I feel well-informed! LOL But seriously, adoption is not for the faint of heart. I say that just looking at all the forms and documents required and I haven't even started the process yet!! I was told that my paperwork for Gladney, home study, paperwork for immigration and the foreign dossier will take about 4 months to complete. Once all that is in, it takes 2-4 months for a referral. Then 4-6 weeks after that you travel to pick up your baby. So, let's see... If I start tomorrow, the paperwork should be done by November. Then referral will be between in December, January or February and I will pick up my baby either Jan, Feb, or March.

I was just talking today with my pregnant co-teacher about maternity leave. She is due Sept. 4 and plans to come back to work in December or January. She said that we get 6 weeks of partially paid leave and then an additional 6 weeks unpaid from FMLA. That does not sound like enough. 12 weeks? That's it?! And if I really think about it, I might not have the luxury of doing the additional six. :( Will my little one be adjusted enough to then be dropped off at day care during the day? Fortunately, my job has on-site day care starting at 6 weeks for employees (up to 18 months) and the school starts at 18 months. Which brings me to another question I hadn't thought of... depending on the age of the child I am adopting, she might be older than 18 months when I go back to work. That would mean putting her right into a class as well. I hadn't budgeted for that! OK, I haven't budgeted anything yet, but I know that tuition is wa-a-a-a-ay higher than daycare. Tuition at my school for 18-24 months old kiddos for 2 days a week half day is $9,420 (!!) and I'd have to pay for daycare for the afternoons. Teachers get a tuition discount of 40% but that's still a lot of cash. (especially after an international adoption!!) And that means, my little babe is going to have to adjust to me and then a 6 weeks later adjust to a class and a daycare. That sounds like too much. I may have to plan to do FMLA or figure out another daycare alternative--one that's cheaper and with only one caregiver. The beauty of her being at my job though, of course, is that she will be right there in the building and my job is child-friendly. (It would want to be--being a school and all-- LOL!!!) But if she needed me during the day, they could come find me in my classroom and have the roving sub cover my class. That can't be beat. I guess finding the money for that is now something else I will just need to figure out!

Now, if I an plan this properly, I can work in more time with my baby if I can travel around a school vacation. I don't know if this can be orchestrated, but if the referral comes in Feb/Mar I would get an additional two weeks if I could figure it around our Spring Break or maybe it'd be better for her to arrive around my Summer Break next year. I don't know if the leave would begin during the break or if vacation isn't counted as part of maternity leave. And maybe the rules are different if you adopt? Oh no! I just thought of something else-- will my child even get accepted to my school? I don't know if teacher children get in automatically. What if there's no space? And the financial aid deadline will have passed!! Many questions to ask this week before we go on summer break this Friday! Man, this is suddenly becoming very real and very complicated!