aunt ellen says...

that i've been neglecting my blog and i need to let people know what's been happening....she's tired of reading about pots and pans! we've started our adoption classes. this is a four week process that we have to complete that consists of a two hour class each tuesday night. one of the best things about these classes is meeting other couples on the same journey as us. they're all there for different reasons, with different goals, and very different family backgrounds but the conversations are encouraging and so eye-opening to this amazing thing that is adoption.

our social worker indicated that we'd also be starting our home study in the next week or so! all of our official application paper-work has cleared, letters of reference are all in, and they have started our profile that will be viewed by potential birth moms. the home study process consists of four visits all with a different purpose, sometimes with both of us and sometimes individually. this can take about a month and half. in the mean time we're working on our 'life book.' this is what our social worker will show to birth moms that she thinks will be a good match for us and it's kind of like an advertisement for our lives. so, stay tuned....you might just end up in there!

again, thanks for all the amazing support! it's so validating to hear from each and every one of you. not that we need the validation, but it's encouraging and supportive and reconfirms this very big decision, and lets us know how loved this little kiddo will be...........

a little like the pots and pans cupboard.....

so, i think that in every home in america (minus ms. stewart's) there is this one cupboard...often where the pots and pans are stored...that brings on tirades insane enough that if anyone was watching they'd for sure never speak to you again. just opening this cupboard and having a stray lid fall on your toe or carefully selecting the pan you want to use only to have the whole pile of them come crashing down at once is enough to make you change your mind about what to make for dinner. i know that the thought of digging out the crock pot often changes my mind, "i'll have cereal, thanks." on occasion i've watched chris shove the pans in with his foot and then quickly close the door, and he's never really smiling when he does this or saying anything that glorifying.

so, last night we discovered what will become our second "pots and pans cupboard." a stroller. i haven't really laughed that hard in a while. watching chris try to fold up various strollers, while taking out the car seat portion, and then trying to unfold them was like watching a lid roll out onto the floor--hilarious. i've always loved the words contrived and convoluted....strollers are a perfect match! could there be more, let's be honest, CRAP, attached to strollers? i know, i know--all you moms will tell me how great it is to have a cup holder big enough for your big gulp sized cup of coffee and a cavern large enough to hold a small adult in the bottom of the stroller but i'm really just looking for something simple to shuttle a baby in from a to b without having to take a xanax and work up a sweat trying to unfold the thing. a few pictures that don't really capture the hilarity of the evening.....as one of the salesmen said...."you really just need to find a stroller that you don't feel like breaking when you use it."

they still exist.....

who? doctor's who actually have more than five minutes to talk to you. last night (yes a friday night) we met with our family doctor, who will also be our pediatrician for a 5:20 p.m. appointment. at 6:30 p.m. he finally stopped giving us information about babies so we could make our dinner plans and told us he couldn't wait to meet our little one soon, in his words, "bring me the baby!" what an incredible man....if anyone is looking for a doctor please ask me for a referral. he was able to put so many fears to rest about the health of a baby when i'm not the one carrying it and what people should really worry about and what they shouldn't. it was so cool to be able to sit with him and have him be open and honest about what is a big deal and what isn't...i've been getting a little freaked out with some of the things i hear! chris has been telling me for a long time now how much he loves this guy and i can safely say now that he's been right! so, i can't wait to be that over-protective, crazy, first time mom who has a great doctor to brag about! we're off to look at cribs!

a little adoption humor....

so, as we wait to hear what everyone has to say about us now that we know our reference letters have gone out, just thought we'd share a little clip from our favorite couple and their adoption journey.....

timing....

today i was feeling discouraged (chris is always a lot more positive than i am).....no particular reason to feel discouraged really.....just little things.....little comments people would make that i, in my ultra-sensitivity interpreted as irritating, insensitive, presuming, unwarranted, etc. it was also friday in a middle school so that could be half the battle! i've been checking my on-line bank statement like an insane person to see if the adoption agency had cashed our check from our application and they hadn't, and they hadn't, and they still haven't. so....i of course jumped to, "something must be wrong, they cashed our first check right away; why not this one, it's probably lost in the mail, we're going to have to re-do the whole thing, chris will tell me 'i told you we should have made copies of the whole thing', on and on......i called our social worker-she wasn't in (that's strange to write....i have a social worker) so in my frustration i went to marshall's--a good remedy. and then, i came home to my poor husband who was sick on the couch and he told me....mandy called.....she said she got her letter today to fill out as one of our references....a letter she would never have gotten if our application hadn't been received. so.....timing....it's an amazing thing....and so is god....too bad my patience isn't.

going postal....

we went to get fingerprinted tonight...the final errand we had to complete for our big application....and now it's in the mail.....we have no idea how many more things we'll have to do but we're sure there will be plenty......thirty essay questions was surely not enough. we've been so encouraged by the comments you've all left on the blog so far. it's been incredible to feel so supported and loved by our family and friends. thanks to all for the prayers you've said on our behalf and on behalf of the new baby we hope to bring home soon.

and so it begins...

this week it will be five years. five years since we decided that we wanted to add a third person to our family. however, we've found that adding that third person doesn't always go as planned and sometimes plans require adjustments. so, after five years with no answers to the question "why not?" we finally have one and we feel fortunate. all marriages have those testing and trying issues that really refine you as a husband or a wife and this has been one for us. it's made us stronger, more in love, more sure of each other, and now more confident in our decision and for that we feel fortunate. not everyone gets to have those moments in their marriage and some are unwilling to acknowledge them. we know that the last five years have prepared us just a bit more for the unknown that is parenting. and soon, we'll get to experience that first hand. soon, we hope, we'll adopt a baby. so, we're in the middle of applications, finger-printing, credit checks, doctor's referrals, home inspections, pet vaccinations (yes. you read that right), classes, and essay questions--you know-- just the normal stuff that all expectant parents and FBI hopefuls go through. we are thrilled to share this journey with all of you and are so thankful you're willing to take it with us! exciting things are in store