It Won't Be Long!

Our social worker called me just a little while ago.  She told me that our meeting on January 8th will actually be our first class.  We will be going through the DT (Deciding Together) class, rather than the MAPP class and it will only take about seven weeks.  If everything goes according to plan, we should be finished around February 19-20!  Then, we will be ready for background checks and a home visit.

Anxious

Now that school is over for me for the semester, I have a lot more thinking time.  I'm starting to feel anxious to get our adoption journey started.  January 8th is 20 days away and it doesn't seem like it can get here fast enough.  Thankfully, Christmas is nearly upon us, my little brother is coming "home", my dear friend is coming to visit, and we will be heading to Arizona for a week vacation.  I'm shopping tomorrow with a friend and then will do some work around the house.  I also still need to wrap all of our gifts.  Time will fly, but the few days before everything starts up will crawl by.  I hope I can get some sleep!

A Meeting Set!

On January 8th, we will be meeting with a social worker to get things started for fostering to adopt!  I'm so excited!

I still haven't heard about the private adoption situation, so I'm fairly confident that the opportunity has passed and that it isn't meant to be.

No News and Good News

No news:
We have yet to hear anything on the potential private adoption situation, so I'm not holding my breath that anything will come of it.

Good news:
The recruitment officer from the foster/adopt agency we have visited with called me today.  It sounds like she wants to get things moving for us as soon as possible.  She plans to take a day soon to do a walk-through in our house to give us a head's up on what will need to be taken care of prior to our home study.  She wants to do our fingerprinting and background check on the same day.  It also sounds like they want to put is through the more accelerated class, which will take less than seven weeks to complete.

We'll plan to continue on with our plan to foster/adopt.  If anything changes, we'll do what is best for us.  I need to leave this in God's hands and trust He has a plan for us and the child who is waiting to come into our family.

Feeling Cautiously Optimistic

Today, I heard about a potential match for us for a private adoption.  We had all but given up on private adoption because of the costs involved, but this situation is different.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, because I know the possibility of the adoption not happening.  However, I am being cautiously optimistic.  Hopefully we will be parents to a new baby boy this coming May!

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and it is a time to count our blessings.  I always try to write out what I am thankful for so that I can look at it when I am feeling down and discouraged.

I am thankful for my beautiful, funny, smart daughter.
I am thankful for my handsome, hardworking, husband who keeps me laughing.
I am thankful for our marriage and that it feels like it gets better and better with time.
I am thankful for our health and that we three are not sick today.  (Both my husband and daughter were in the last few days).
I am thankful for our modest, fixer-upper home.  I love it and don't plan on moving ever again.
I am thankful for my husband's job.  He worked so long and hard to get it and we will never forget that.  It isn't a high paying job, but it is his dream and he excels at it.
I am thankful to have (nearly) one semester behind me as a full-time college student (for the second time).
I am thankful that I do not have to work while I am going to school.  Things are tight, but not so much so that I have to spend even more time away from my family.
I am thankful for the little town in which we live and also our church.
I am thankful for my musical ability.  I may not be a professional, but I throughly enjoy making music in several different ways.
I am thankful for our decision to adopt.  It has been a long, painful road to get to this point, but I know we are closer to child #2 every day.

...I could go on and on!  I am truly blessed.

Gut Feelings

My friend showed me a neat DIY craft blog and it gave me some ideas on how to decorate our third bedroom.  I went to Hobby Lobby to browse supplies and thought, "I wonder what my second child will like."  At that thought, I had the strongest, most visceral feeling come over me.  It was as if I was being told that we absolutely have another child soon, and that we are finally on the right path to them.  I had the same feeling last night when Undercover Boss was talking about adopting children from foster care.  The feeling is so powerful it almost brings tears to my eyes every time I hear or think about it.

I cannot wait to get this process started!