What's going on. . .

We have finally finished the Adoption Parent Questionnaire (APQ).  Since it is a Sunday, our Adoptive Parent Specialist will probably call us tomorrow to schedule a time to go over it with us.  We got stuck on the budget.  I really don't even like the word budget, let alone thinking about the budget for a child who is/will be priceless in our eyes.

We also received our homestudy paperwork in the mail last week.  We have filled out what we can fill out and now we need to complete some other things.  Our Homestudy Coordinator already called us on Saturday to answer some questions.  Then she asked if I was ready to schedule the homestudy.  Ummm. . . No.  There is still some paper-chasing to be done and some "home"-work.  I've got a running list in my head and on post-its.  I guess I'll make an official list here:

Homework:

• Get pets to the vet for check-ups
• clean, clean and clean (I'm getting the urge to declutter more)
• Move our cleaning supplies to above the fridge (or put a lock on the door)
• Do we need a land-line telephone?
• Post Emergency Numbers - Fire, Police, Rescue, Poison Control (That seems like a good idea for everyone. I wonder why we don't already have those?)
• Buy 3 carbon monoxide detectors (Again, probably something we should have already done).
• Post an evacuation plan on every level of the house (Anyone who knows me, probably knows that I have a strong aversion to putting things on the walls.  I'm trying to think outside the box on how to post these without putting holes in my walls)
• Get new fire extenguishers on every level of the house (3)
• Get at least one safety ladder for the upper level of the house (probably 3-4)
• Clean out the garage (Is this really necessary for a baby?)

Paper-chasing:

• Get fingerprinted and send off to KBI
• Figure out if my sister also needs to be fingerprinted and sent to KBI
• Get physicals and physician's forms for everyone (my sister too?)
• Get 5 reference letters (4 friends and 1 family)
• Employment Verification Letters (I need to write my own and Matt needs one from his company)

We need to figure out if my sister should be included in all of this since she will be moving in with us sometime this Summer.  We are getting mixed answers from the agency right now.

I also have to have one family member and four friends fill out a reference form and get it back to us.  We haven't even chosen who we will ask.  I've asked my good friend Judi (I actually call her my best friend, but that sounds a little junior high ;) ).  I think we will ask my mom, my business partner, and a couple other good friends.  The questions on this form are serious though.  How do we handle anger?  Separation/loss? Crisis Situation? Stress?  They're not kidding around.  Our friends can't just say that they think we'll be good parents (because we already are) and leave it at that.

I also need to begin writing our Adoptive Parent Profile, because I know I will want to edit it several times. 

The paperwork is moving right along though.  While it's not my favorite thing ever, it's not so bad.  I heard horror stories about the amounts of paperwork, but I feel like it is all pretty reasonable.

Paperwork & God's Amazing Timing

We are deep in the paperwork right now.  We're still figuring out a few things to finish our Adoptive Parent Questionnaire and we're working on getting everything together for the homestudy.   It's not an optimal good time, but it's a means to an end.

One of the things I have been praying about is finding more friends with African American children.  My best friend has four biological biracial children, but I really want to create more of a community for our future child.

A couple weeks ago I put a prayer request in at church.  We have only been attending this church for about six months.  I really love the church, but I still don't feel like we've found our niche within the church.  Back to the prayer request:  "As we enter the process of adoption, we ask for prayers for the expectant mother who may already be pregnant with the child who will be a part of our family."  We put that it could be a public prayer request.

Yesterday, Matt got a call from a woman who saw the prayer request and wanted to get to know us.  After a little bit of phone tag, I finally talked to her tonight.  She adopted a biracial child ten years ago after struggling with infertility.  She has gone on to have two biological children and a failed adoption.  I am generally not a phone chatter, but I fought myself pouring out our story to someone I've never actually met.  I've probably seen her in the halls of the church, and I think I've met her husband and daughter.  It was exciting to hear about how well her open adoption has worked out.  I look forward to getting to know them better.  She also told me about a local group for families who have done transracial adoption.  God sure knows how to answer prayers.

Singing Sister

I overheard my daughter singing her own made-up song.

Jesus loves me.

He wants me to be a big sister.

It might take a while.

I won't fuss or muss though.

I'll be patient.

(and repeat)

I love this little girl so much and she is going to be an amazing big sister.

Baby Gear

Like many women, as I think about having a new baby in the house, I start thinking about all of the things we'll need to buy.  Of course there are the diapers, bottles, and burp rags.  If this baby is a girl, then we already have more clothes than she will ever need.  If this baby is a boy, I've got some shopping to do.  Then of course, I am thinking about all of the fun things, like decorating the room.  Again, if we get a girl, then she will use the same bedding that we already have.  However, a boy with purple flowered bedding won't be right. 

I love etsy.  I started searching there for adoption-related items and I love this vinyl lettering.  I can picture above the crib of a little boy or little girl.  I'll just have to decide what color to paint the walls first.

I've seen these types of necklaces before and I really like them.  I'm wondering how I could incorporate my birth child and my adopted child on one necklace.  Any ideas?

I'm pretty sure my comic-book-loving husband will want one of these.  I think it is pretty cute too.

I love this shirt too.  This is what adoption is all about.  More love!

I love this quote, but I would probably never wear a necklace that big.



After I finished perusing etsy, I broadened my search.  I found these customizable shirts that I think are hilarious.  I think I might be ordering one in the future.

I have to say that I ran across a lot of stuff that said things like, "We chose you."  There were onesies that said, "Chosen."  I don't think we will be buying any of those, because I don't feel like we are choosing a baby.  That's not even how it works anyway.  I feel like I need a shirt for myself that says, "Chosen."  We will be the family that is chosen to raise this incredible baby.  It's not the other way around. 

Birth Certificate

Since we are waiting on our homestudy packet, I was trying to make sure I had everything else ready. We looked in our safe and files and I couldn't find my birth certificate. So, I looked it up and you can order your birth certificate pretty easily through www.vitalchek.com. I filled out all of the information in a matter of minutes and they say I should have my birth certificate in 7-10 business days.

Signed with an agency!

It's official. We've signed with an agency. We chose American Adoptions for multiple reasons and I'm excited to get started in the process. I spoke with the agency today and they are sending out a packet for us to start working on. Let the homestudy process begin!

Moving Forward

After about two months of not doing much on the adoption front, my husband I decided on an agency tonight. It is a relief after all of the research I have done and he came to the decision rather easily after I presented the pros and cons of some of my top choices. I plan to mail the application tomorrow. It feels like such a big step after months of just thinking, praying, and hoping. We feel at peace with this choice and I will probably get into it a bit more in future posts.