We have a running joke around here. It usually starts with us talking to someone about adoption, and us trying to answer their questions. Inevitably, somewhere along the line, the person will ask, "Doesn't it take a long time to adopt?" to which Josh always replies, "Not if you are my wife."

Now I certainly do not have any magic powers to speed up the wheels of bureaucracy, however I do have quite a few tips on getting your adoption completed as quickly as is possible. I will share my tips as we go through this adoption process. I do also understand that not everyone is in a huge rush to complete their adoption, however most parents do seem to feel some urgency in getting things done as fast as they can. This is especially true for families like us, who identify a child before their paperwork is complete.

Here are a couple of general rules for the adoption process. These will hold true to whatever part of the process you are in.

- Get an understanding for which parts of the process you have control over and which parts you do not. For example, how long it takes to prepare the dossier is very much in the hands of the adoptive parents. Some take weeks. Some even takes months. We accomplished ours in a matter of hours (less than a weekend). That is a part of the process we could control. Other things, such as court closures and other nuances of the legal systems in our country and others, are completely out of our hands. Figure out which parts you have some control over and get them done as fast as possible.

- Follow directions. Read directions on forms, dossier instructions, messages from your agency, etc., very carefully. Mistakes cost time to be fixed. Read instructions carefully, even the fine print, and follow them. If it says to use black ink, use black ink. Double check everything you complete before sending it on. Do it right the first time around.

- If you don't understand the directions, ask for help. Ask your agency, ask another adoptive parent, ask on an email group, etc. It doesn't much matter (as long as you ask someone who knows), as long as you ask.]

- Send things to your agency all together when they are completed. While sometimes it is necessary to send a portion of your application or a portion of your dossier to your agency, whenever possible, send things together when they are completed. This makes less opportunities for things to get lost, misplaced or separated.

See my next post for more tips.