Waiting for the next step....

It's been a long time since I've posted and mainly because we are at the boring part of this process- waiting for all of the paperwork to go through! 

We have completed our home inspection, filled out tons of paperwork, had physicals, written autobiographies and are attending parenting classes ever other week. We still need to get fingerprinted and have our three interviews with our caseworker, who will then write a family profile about us and will be sent out to the county. Then it's a matter of waiting for our child (so crazy to say!). 

Just wanted to give a quick update, best time I will tell you about these classes....they are quite interesting if you know what I mean ;)

Tangible Evidence

I just can't believe this is actually going to happen.....

Oops!  Let me start at the beginning.  Yesterday morning, our "Permanency Specialist" from our agency paid us our first visit.  She came bearing a boatload of paperwork and a ton of information (We are so into this that we even think the paperwork is fun :)  Good news: neither of us have a criminal record and our home passed the safety inspection so we are able to move forward, lol.

The thing I like about our Permanency Specialist (Stephany) is that she is very real and down to earth.  She reminded me again that this is a process and although we wish it would happen over night, it just can't.  I told her in all honesty, I am surprised that this has been moving along as fast as it has.  It's like my cousin Katy said, Phil and I have had to be patient about many many things in our lives- patience is a virtue we have! But don't get me wrong, I still wish the process would move faster :) 

Stephany also mentioned that we shouldn't feel bad if the first child doesn't work out.  She said that we need to find the right fit for our family.  Basically, don't feel like you must adopt the first child that comes along.  Really make sure that he or she is a good fit.  My mom and dad have been telling Phil and I this, however it was interesting to hear it from someone within the agency.  I know that this is the thing I really must pray about- the wisdom to be able to look inside myself and be honest about how the relationship with the child is going.  I am a "fixer" and a "pleaser" and I know this is going to be a big challenge for me. Definitely praying on this one!

Finally, the most exciting part (to me anyway). Before leaving she mentioned that within the next three months or so we should really consider getting a crib, a small pack of diapers, and a small tub of formula.  She said that we could get an emergency placement anytime after we are certified foster parents and we will want to be prepared.  This is the part that is making my heart skip a beat!  You see, we can talk about the child all we want, can think about certain scenarios, be told when he or she might be coming, but this is TANGIBLE EVIDENCE!!!  Proof, right in front of my eyeballs, that we are getting ready to welcome a child into our home.  My heart races and swells just thinking about it :)

So, where do we go from here?  Phil and I must each write an autobiography based on a list of questions we were given.  Once Stephany has read our autobiographies, we will set up interviews with her (a separate interview for each of us and one with the two of us together) with questions based on our autobiographies.  After that is completed, she will write a "family profile" and give it to her supervisor to be approved.  In the meantime, Phil and I still need our child abuse and FBI clearances.  Also, questionnaires will be sent out to four references.  So, we are moving along but still have a ways to go.  We are so over the moon- I picked the brain of a car seat/stroller specialist at Buy Buy Baby yesterday for about an hour trying to soak up information, lol.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support, we can feel the love all around us.  Can't wait to see what happens next.....

Where the journey begins...

Who I am:  A wife, daughter, sister, cousin, friend, christian, Godmother, college graduate, homeowner, avid deal hunter, cat lover, Muppet fan, reader, small business owner, music lover, Disney princess (in my head), Lyme disease patient, painter, decorator, and so much more.

What I want to be:  A MOTHER!!!!

It's funny how sometimes all of the other things you are don't add up to the one thing you want to be.  You see, Phil and I have always talked about wanting to become parents,  it's only in the last year that it became our top priority...

We were overjoyed, surprised and amazed when we found out in January that we were pregnant. Six weeks later we were devastated, crestfallen and numb when we suffered a miscarriage.  It's amazing how quickly you can grow to love someone you haven't even met yet.  Now that it's been a few months, we no longer feel those heartbreaking emotions, and with the overwhelming support of friends and family (and people we never met, Tara) we feel blessed to have gotten pregnant and to have had that experience (if only for a short time) and confident in the fact that we will meet our little baby in heaven :)

So this brings us to present day.  After talking about it and praying on it for awhile, Phil and I have decided to embark on the road to adoption!  Everything feels so new, exciting and scary and we are beyond anxious to see where all of this leads.  I am hoping that this blog will help be my sounding board through this process as I am sure there will be lots of heartbreak and frustration, but God-willing, there will be much more joy.  May God grant us more faith than fear on this journey ahead.  Thank you for joining us, away we go!!!!!