Agency #1 has been our first choice based on the information meeting we attended last summer. They seemed very professional and recently we felt good about moving forward with them. This is the agency that informed me of their VERY long waiting list and suggested we look at other agencies around the country. It will cost about $3500 to get homestudy approved by them. This includes the application fee, the homestudy fees and the "parenting" classes that we would have to take.
We were not as impressed with Agency #2 when we attended their meeting last summer. But I decided to call them last week to get some information about their individual services (doing homestudy only.) Not only are their prices about half the cost, but the woman was surprised to hear that Agency #1 was experiencing such long wait times for the domestic program. She said that nothing has changed with their programs recently and if we used the individual services we could easily move into their domestic program if we wanted. One big difference is that they don't require us to participate in the "parenting" classes if we are only using their individual services.
I spoke with Agency #1 and bluntly asked what she thought the reasons were for the price difference. She mentioned how great their supportive services are and how much they would help us through the process, even if we were getting the placement through another agency. That was about it.
I don't know what to think about it all! I don't want to make our decision solely based on price, but on the other hand I don't want to spend an extra $1,000 or more if it's unnecessary. One other interesting thing she mentioned was that many families list with multiple agencies across the country. It all comes down to money and how many fees we're willing (and able) to pay. Grrr.
In other news, I had a great weekend. My all-day rehearsal on Friday was great, but of course I came home exhausted. Saturday I had spiritual direction with Fr. T and it was probably my last session with him. He is moving to Austria for a year, so I will be in search of a new one. Hopefully that won't be too difficult. Afterwards I sang for two First Communion Masses. I was pretty tired by the time I got home. Although I ended up going to 5:00pm Mass with my hubby because we hadn't spent any time together! Also I miss attending Mass together when I end up singing every weekend.
Sunday I was on for two more Masses in the morning and then I spent the day with one of my college friends. We had such a wonderful time together! I hadn't seen her since my wedding day almost four years ago. She was in town with her husband and their three kids. The weather was really yucky, so we went to the mall so that her kids could run around in the play area and we could chat. It was great to catch up with her and spend time with her darling kids! (I'll post a few pics later.) She has really been through a lot these past couple of years. Her youngest daughter has been battling cancer. Thankfully things are looking good, she is all done with treatment and her scans look like she is "clear." Please pray that the cancer stays away!
**Updated with Pics**
Just an FYI - we chose an agency (very quickly for our situation) based on who called us back first and the price. One christian agency was like $3,500 for the Home Study and the agency we chose was $1,900. Finances do play a huge part in the decision! If the first agency has that long of a waiting list, it makes you wonder if they will have time to communicate with you? Just wanted to share....
ReplyDeleteI think it is okay to go with the cheaper one. We switched from Catholic Charities to a cheaper agency and the cheaper agency has provided better service, so you never know... With big decisions, I always pray that I will know what to do. You are probably already doing that, so I'm sure you'll have your answer soon! ;) Your friend's little girl is in my prayers, that is so sad! Glad you had a great weekend with her!
ReplyDeleteseriously, I don't think you could be cuter. I really don't! You have the biggest smile and I just love it :)
ReplyDeletePrayers for you.
What a difficult decision.
ReplyDeleteI will pray that you get a definite nudge to the right one.
I can certainly understand the finances playing a part. Every penny counts in this economy!
Love the pics!
I don't really know how to shop around for an agency... which is probably why I went with the first one that we "found" and I took as a sign from above :) Luckily, their prices work with our budget (even though THEY don't seem to think so, but that's a different story).
ReplyDeleteWhat cute kids! OMG, I love that last picture :)
I hope that the right direction is provided to you. I posted last week at the very end of my blog about some friends who are in the process of adopting their second infant in 13 months. They used this group. http://www.adoptionadviceandguidance.com/index.html Don't know much about them other than what is on their website and the fact that my friends have had great success with them. But I know they are another fee to pay - just thought I'd throw it out there. Good luck getting through this crazy month - sounds like you are going non-stop!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a big price difference. I think I'd be inclined to go with the less expensive one (there will be lots of places to spend that money!) but I wouldn't even know where to start, comparison-shopping agencies. I mean, I comparison-shop everything; it takes me six months to buy a car (but I'm always happy with the result). But an adoption agency is more intimidating than a car! Are there only two that are feasible, or could you collect information on others and see whether #1 or #2 is sounding like the outlier?
ReplyDeleteThat is a huge price difference!
ReplyDeleteYour smile is infectious!