And in the mail today is a bill for $4,600, due upon receipt. It’s for our processing/placement fee and nothing moves forward until we pay it. As if that $27,000+ number wasn’t scary enough, this bill is a nice little reminder that the money has to be paid sooner rather than later.

Reality just moved in.

This also represents the first adoption bill we won’t be able to pay just by writing a check and tightening the belt. We’ll probably be turning to a credit card (low interest balance transfers, nothing high interest thank you) or borrowing from my retirement savings. This is why we’re asking for donations. And why I have a list of 15+ organizations offering adoption loans and grants that we might possibly qualify for. And this is one reason why I hate having student loan debt.