courtney schnee personal blog

with the help of some amazing friends! Carrie, Maia, Maria! And all of the donations from a bunch of other friends! We were able to raise $800 for our adoption and the Dirks Adoption. It's amazing how much money is lying around our house in the form of clutter ans stuff we don't use....some really nice stuff too! Thank you to all who donated! We are inching our way closer to the total we need to bring home this China child! Pray for us!

He will be six soon.

They woke up with one mission this morning: dig a hole. The hole turned into a big puddle of water and then they decided to chop up the tree instead. Boys with time in nature. The best

Alex Parman, number 44 in the ENO hammock Giveaway won a new hammock! Thanks to all who donated!!!!!

The Cost of International Adoption: Many people ask us "Why does adoption cost so much when there are so many orphans?" "who is getting all of this money?" "why?" There is no clear answer to say except give the actual numbers breakdown. And explain that it is not as clear cut as writing a 40,000 check to one organization. It is many different payments to many different people. To adopt internationally in a morally sound way, the paperwork needed to be verified many, many, many times is needed, the governments approval and translation, all of the needs of the orphanage, the social worker fees to create a "picture" of our family to the country, the agencies work in all of this getting papers to the right people in a timely manner, the cost to travel to country and in the country and stay for 2 weeks to finalize the adoption....all of this adds up. So without further ramblings, here is our Agencies cost breakdown. We are at the "Referral and Travel" part. We have paid $14,000 so far. The end is in sight, but still a distance away. https://www.awaa.org/adopt/adoption-programs/china/cost CHINA APPLICATION & DOSSIER BUILDING Application Fee $250 1st Installment of Program Fee $2,475 Home Study (varies by state; this fee is paid to a third party if in a state where AWAA is not licensed) $1,200 - $2,500 Additional Home Study Documentation Prep. Fee (varies by process) $0 - $100 Home Study Visit Travel Fees (could include mileage, etc. based on current federal mileage rates) $0 - $200 Adoptive Parent Training (2 adults) $140 - $200 Documents/ Background Checks/ Passports (varies by state and number of states previously lived in) $100 - $500 USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting•• $945 Notarization, Certification & Authentication (varies by state) $300 - $500 DOSSIER SUBMISSION & WAITING 2nd Installment of Program Fee $2,475 Post Adoption Report Deposit (collected at dossier submission; fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time) $1,500 Dossier Translation Fee $1,450 China Liaison Fee $750 Wait Time Dependent Costs: (All wait time dependent costs vary by length of process and state regulations) Home Study Re-Evaluation Fee and Related Travel Costs $0 - $1,100 Home Study Document Addendum Fee and Potential Related Travel Costs $0 - $825 Document Update/Background Check Update $0 - $200 USCIS Update Fee (if wait is over 30 months) $0 - $945 REFERRAL & TRAVEL 3rd Installment of Program Fee $2,475 Referral Translation Fee $475 International Program Fee (1 child) ••• $7,300 Post Adoption Administrative Fee $950 Post Adoption Visits (families working with AWAA for home study & post adoption, reports are pre-paid at referral acceptance stage) $1050 - $1600 China Orphan Care Fee (This fee will be used to provide on-going support and care for orphans in China through direct projects AWAA will be involved in through our Waiting Children Program and orphanage partnerships.) $450 Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location) $2,400 - $4,400 Airfare (1 child; prices will vary by season, location and ticket - ie: lap pass or child seat) $200 - $1,800 Visas (2 adults) $390 Visa Filing & Processing Fee for Adopted Child (per child) $495 In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) •••• $4,200 - $6,500 POST ADOPTION Post Adoption Visit Travel Fees (paid at the time of visits) $0 - $600 Post Adoption Translation Fee $350 Post Adoption Report Refund (refunded in installments as, and only if, each report is returned on time) ($1,500) Other Costs (include doctor visits and related co-pays, social security card, passport cost, postage, long distance phone calls) $100 - $1,000 TOTAL • $29,655 - $43,315 OPTIONAL EXPENSES Re-Adoption (highly recommended; state-dependent) $300 - $1,000 Dossier Assistance Program (varies by level of service desired) $150 - $1,200 Second Child Adoption Processing Fee $3,475

Thank you ENO and Alex Parman for the donation of these items!