Merry Christmas Y'all

Nathan and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

I thought you all might enjoy this link to where I made a total elf out of my parents and my nieces. If you need a good laugh, you will love it.

Enjoy!

Home Study Part 1, Completed!

Yesterday, Nathan and I completed part of our home study. We had an interview as a couple and then I had my individual interview. From what I can tell, everything went well. It is very interesting to have someone (a total stranger) come to inspect your home for safety (which is the next visit) and to ask you very personal questions. We felt very comfortable and had no problem opening up to the social worker. Of course, it is rare to find Nathan or myself at a loss for words!

The next step is for Nathan to complete an individual interview and for the social worker to do a safety inspection of our home. She was very careful to call it a "safety inspection" so that she didn't give the idea it was a "cleanliness" inspection. There are certain safety requirements the state has for anyone who wants to adopt, such as a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, smoke detectors and a first aid kit, to name a few. We hope that this interview can take place in the next two to three weeks.

Several people asked me about this interview and most commented that they knew a few parents that they wished had to go through this process before they were "allowed" to have a "homemade" baby. The way I look at it is that everyone should have smoke detectors, first aid kits and a fire escape plan for their home and it is probably a good idea to force us to do it because we might not have thought about it other wise. As far as the questions go, that is good for us too. The social worker gave us a lot of things to think about and study up on. We love to do this, so we were happy for the suggestions.

One funny thing...she asked how we would cope with the wait. I assured her I was a pro, after all I waited 7 years to marry this guy! Nathan was worth the wait and this baby will be too. Could someone please remind me of this in about 8 months?

Guess What?

Our social worker called last Monday and has scheduled our first home study interview for next Monday afternoon! Isn't that exciting? It is for us...this feels like progress.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the process, this is a huge step in bringing our baby home. Of course the states, countries and agencies involved want to make sure that we are suitable parents and that our home is safe for children. After this step is complete, we are able to start with other necessary steps such as immigration paperwork, grant and / or loan paperwork and required reading and studying.

A social worker will come to our home for two visits. She will do a couple's interview, individual interviews and a home safety inspection. Each of the three interviews will take 1.5 - 2 hours (I am counting on 2 hours given our propensity to chat). On Monday we will complete our couple's interview and my individual interview. I should be exhausted!

I have asked around for advice and everyone says, "Just relax!" Sure, no problem! I will say that over the phone our social worker seemed to be very easy to talk to and I am sure she will be even easier to speak with in person.

This weekend will be spent sprucing up our home and making sure there is nothing here that could harm a child. If you need us, we will be here at home.

Please pray for us to be able to exactly speak what our heart feels when we are asked all the probing questions!

Have a great week!

More Showers of Blessings

Sometimes in this adoption journey, I find my self thinking, "God did we hear you right? You want us to adopt a baby who lives a world away? You know what a big effort that is? Do You know what enormous cost that is?" Like He doesn't know...but don't you love the fact that we can ask God questions? Each time I think this, I feel like God says yes, this is what He wants us to do. Of course, there is no verse in the Bible that tells me so, there is no billboard (wouldn't that be handy), there is no burning bush, but I can say there is the still small voice. I could tell you many examples of how, when we have stepped out on faith, God has shown us what He intends for us to do. A lot of people told us that this journey would be one of faith and that there would be a lot of ups and downs and from what I understand, our "roller coaster" ride is only beginning.

When we look at the size of this in many ways, we are overwhelmed. This last week was one of needless worry about all the details. We don't know how this will all work out, but we seem to sense God saying "I will supply all your needs." Last week we received several amazing phone calls of support. One that touched both of hearts is a benefit that a local salon wants to do for us at the end of January. We were so touched that these friends would be willing to give up their time and money to help us - we are so humbled. As we know more of the details, I will share them. For now, to the organizers of this day, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you! You are all so kind to want to help us. I don't know if words could adequately express our gratitude.

Thank you also to our family who is very supportive, we could not do this without you!