adoption update

Just a little update about our adoption:

Today we received our "dossier packet" from All God's Children. Our next step is to complete the dossier, and it can take months. A lot of the dossier is not just filling out forms, but getting information from other people, like records, fingerprints & background checks, Immigration info, medical information, financial forms, etc. So it is not just sitting down one day and filling out forms. I have to go to these other people and get information from them, which is why it can take a while.

Meanwhile, next Tuesday we have our first homestudy meeting in Encinitas, which is about 1 hr drive from us. For the homestudy meeting, we have to compile a bunch of paperwork as well. I'm not nervous yet about it, but I'm curious if I will be on Tuesday.

C and I have talked a lot about how extensive this process is. And we understand that in order to protect the rights of the child, you have to be thorough in paperwork. I don't mean to complain, but really, you have to be extremely motivated not to get discouraged as you are jumping through these loopholes. They seem, at the time and when I'm not approaching it from a rational perspective, excessive, beaurocratic, and unfair. I have to keep reminding myself that these people don't know me. They only know me on paper. So paper is the ONLY way they will get to know me--the testimony of finances and medical history and references and the homestudy socialworker, etc., that is their way to 'know' us.

But it seems a shame that you have to be SO motivated, that it has to cost SO much money, that it has to be SO complex. Especially when there are SO many families that want to help and so many children that need a home.

Even though it is extensive, everything I do makes me feel one step closer to our baby. When we were at Westmont it was so strange to tell old friends, "We have 2 children, one is 4, the other is 2, and um . . . i guess we're 'expecting from Ethiopia.' I just loved spitting out those words!! :) very exciting. it made it seem real.

also, this is the first "pregnancy" for me where i haven't had to worry about pricks from needles, where I'm not so overwhelmed with worry about 'how will my body do?' It is a different sort of excitement because of that--I was constantly in fear and anxiety when pregnant with Zach and Reagan. And this time I don't carry that, and it is FANTASTIC to have released it.

Stay tuned!