The Paperwork Begins

It feels good, now that we are adoption class graduates, to get a thick manila envelope full of paperwork to fill out. Its heft makes me feel like we're doing something substantial and productive.

There's a long questionnaire that Steve and I are supposed to fill out separately. It was all stuff like what activities we like to do together and apart, our views on religion, what we will do for childcare, etc. There was also what we like best about our spouse, what we dislike, how we complement each other and a few other things that feel like we're playing The Newlywed Game. Some other questions will require some thought, like what behaviors you couldn't accept from your child and what you expect from a child. I guess I want a child who is well adjusted and will not murder anybody.

I don't mind paperwork and I'll write essays until the cows come home. We also have to write an autobiography. I already have about 2,800 words since I had some time to kill on the plane and then Steve was away so I just started writing. The people at the agency said they wanted more than a paragraph but I hope I haven't written too much because I'd feel like a pompous jackass, droning on about a life that isn't all that interesting. I tried to make the autobiography entertaining because I'm sure they're a slog for the agency to read through so I might as well give them a laugh.

There's some other info they need, like our income and debt. I just hope our credit card debt isn't too shameful. Maybe they'll get a laugh out of the extra sheet we attach to list all our cards.

We'll also have to take a few field trips. They need us to get a clean bill of health from a doctor and we also have to get fingerprinted at the police station for a background check, so that will be fun.

I don't mind all this paperwork but I can't wait until it's over and the real fun can begin.