Counting the Days

Ok, so I've been VERY patient.  I haven't followed up on a calendar, haven't followed other blogs, haven't contacted Homeland Security, and haven't been emailing our agency every day saying, "when do we get our referral"...but I MUST admit, I am getting a little anxious these last few days and now I just want to see her little face and know all about her!  We are currently waiting for our I800-A pre-approval from Homeland Security... and also the agency to call us to discuss referrals.  We know we are not really "entitled" to the referral discussion just yet - until the I800-A letter comes back....but our agency contact suggested the referral person would be calling us last week....and I know she's really busy...and we didn't hear from her... so now the anticipation is starting to set in!  :)  It's like she's already a part of us and we don't even know her!  So we wait....... (I think putting the timeline together for the blog last night also was not the greatest idea)... out of sight out of mind... now seeing it on paper...puts into reality that we are nearing some really amazing milestones!  Up until this point, I've been too hesitant to focus on the waiting too much, because I knew we were just going to have to settle down into a long time of wait and didn't want to make myself too crazy...but I think the time is here... Crazy for you Miss Lauren, already. 

Walking through the journey

I nearly tear up when thinking about bringing Lauren home. We've researched and dismissed several countries, waded through mountains of paperwork, had enough background checks to be accepted by the CIA, and been on an emotional roller coaster. We're so close now. In only a few short weeks we'll know who God has matched us with, our newly beloved daughter. Many prayers have gone through on her behalf. Now we wait. And I can't wait to hold her in my arms. I dream of that often--what that moment will be like. It shall be more magnificient than anything I could imagine or conceive. Lauren, we're coming for you...

Certainly time for an update

Well, it's been months and a lot has happened - here's the 30 second version -- moved from Nepal program to the India program... have home study done.... adoption education done (that was interesting, challenging, and eye-opening)... have home study and I800A mailed off to Homeland Security....and now waiting for fingerprints.

What's yet to come: - prints, referral, medical evaluation, and travel.... agency says it's not too much to hope for that she will be home before Christmas 2011.

What have we been doing in the meantime? Joshua entered a new school -- he LOVES it. Brad and Renae still working. Brad and Renae JUST returned this last Sunday from a mission trip in Kenya, Africa. Amazing time with Kenyan children and friends of ours. Planning for this trip has been a great way to take our minds off of the adoption. Joshua is 5 now...tall as ever...and waiting anxiously for his little sister....oh, and I forgot to mention, during our home study, Brad springs on the idea of getting qualified for siblings! So if that is in God's plan, we'll have two children from India...but in order for us to accept them the law would require they be younger than Joshua -- giving the India program..this is unlikely, but with God anything is possible... we'll be totally happy either way.... but just hoping that by the end of 2011 we are a family of 4 or 5 :) Joshua has already got bids on holding "Lauren" for our Christmas card this upcoming year. Waiting with great anticipation.

Beginning the Paper chase - the beginning of finding Lauren

We have the first visit with the home study social worker this upcoming weekend. We are meeting at our new house... boxes and all. She was ok with this... and this is who we are at the moment. We've unpacked many boxes (but not all)... but we've also taken a small break in "moving" activities to celebrate Joshua's birthday and spend time with Brad's parents - they came down for the weekend and we don't see them much - so this was a very special time together. One exciting event, we got Lauren's crib upstairs!! The movers said it was too wide... which is was, so Brad's dad and Brad took it apart and moved it up and put it all back together. It looks wonderful up there just waiting for someone special. We don't know for sure if she will be too old for a crib, but we're thinking she might be 12-24 months... and in a new environment, a crib is safest if she's on the higher end of the range...or even older.

I'm nervous about our first meeting with the social worker. I feel we are ready to officially begin this journey and we have nothing to hide... but it's still a little scary thinking about all the questions we may be asked and the idea that we always wonder if we are worthy. The level of detail is so great... for example, one item on the home study is whether or not our medicines are behind a locked door... or in a locked box... yikes. We've always had medicines well above reaching range for Joshua, but also... he's never been a child to "get into" things and he wasn't a climber... so this didn't even occur to me that medicine should be "locked".... of course all our cleaning products were behind a child safety lock when Joshua was a baby... so we'll probably need to revert back to some of those days. I guess it comes down to this... we've been blessed with a child that wants to be close to us... even when playing, so we've always been right there with Joshua and he's never even shown interest in getting into cabinets, etc. So I will need to work on child safety for sure before our visit. These are the types of things I pray we will have acceptable for our home study evaluation.... we have some time, but I know it will be here before we know it. This weekend is our initial meeting, educational visit... and the begin of completing paperwork.

Lord Jesus, give me great discernment to consider all that I need to be ready for this journey. We know there is a tiny baby right now growing... or even just born that you have picked out for our family. Even Joshua is calling her by name. We can't wait to add her to our family.

It's a time of change

Well today we celebrated Joshua's 4th birthday. We had a great time at the Mad Potter painting - the funny thing is all Joshua's friends from his old class came and just one from his new class. He dearly misses his old friends from school, so this was a very special time together all these 4 year olds enjoying each other's company. We've moved to our new house... and we are so blessed... it's very spacious, so much we don't know what to do with. Adapting is challenging going from a ranch to a two story style + a basement. And now we're getting ready to meet with our social worker for the adoption and officially get the paperwork going. Our life right now is a time of change...of adapting..and adjusting. We are such a creature of habit, I feel my compass is a bit off right now with all this change.... I'm looking forward to a new normal, established routines, and being settled. This brings to mind the change that will come with Lauren... and the change she will experience too! It seems this time in our lives is quite exciting -- almost so full I don't know how to react!