Not too much to report on the adoption. Yesterday we received applications to 4 different agencies. We are very busy filling them out and gathering all the paperwork needed to complete them......certified this and notarized that. Our home study should be done by August 10 and our adoption consultant is busy building our family profile. So, within 4 weeks, we should be able to mail everything to the agencies and then we begin the most difficult part of this whole thing....waiting.

I'm Not Pregnant But I'm Expecting!

I'm expecting to fall completely in love with a sweet baby girl that is not going to be born of my body but of my heart. I'm expecting to fill an empty spot in our family. I'm expecting her to have her daddy wrapped around her finger. I'm expecting her to be the twinkle in her big brother's eye. I may not be pregnant but I am definitely expecting!!!

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Home Study Meeting

We made it through our first meeting. It went really well. Hopefully we will have our home study completed no later than August 10. Yah!! Normally it takes about 6 weeks to complete a study but we were prepared and had all our paperwork ready. Just a few months from now, it is possible that we could be matched with our baby girl!!

Home Study

We have our first home study appointment this afternoon. In case anyone is not sure exactly what a home study is....

A home study is a document to verify that you qualify to adopt a child. A home study professional meets with you in your home to ask you various questions about your background, your values, the strengths of your marriage, your finances, and your reasons for adopting - in addition to other questions. It is not a white-glove inspection. In South Carolina this professional is called a certified adoption investigator.

I am not nervous about it because we are who we are. I am anxious to meet the "investigator". Here is a picture of the paperwork for our home study.... so far!

The Road Less Traveled

Brett and I are just beginning this adoption journey. I have no doubt that we are going to find our baby girl. I know that God has chosen her for us already. We just have to go through a lot of red tape to get to her. I tell people that we are paper pregnant. The forms that we have already had to fill out and photo copy could most certainly fill my shirt and I would look very pregnant. For months we have talked about this big decision. We have gone back and forth discussing all the pros and cons. We have educated ourselves on adoption and feel very confident in our decision. We wish that everyone could take a peek into our hearts. As it is, that can't happen but I still wish that everyone was happy about this decision. This is our family. Our lives. Our daughter. She will be a granddaughter, a neice and a cousin. She will be daddy's little girl and mommy's princess. She will be the apple of her big brother's eye. She will complete our family.

Criminal Background Check....Check!

Today Brett and I went for our criminal background checks. On the way there, I asked Brett, "Honey, you haven't done anything that I don't know about that may come up on this check, have you?" He said, "Nah." Well, when the lady brought them out to us I said, "Everything was okay, right?" She said, "All except for the one DUI that Brett got." Half a second later she started laughing...she was totally kidding. Shooooo! What a relief! Next step.....home study meeting on Wednesday.

Mason has been talking about his baby sister all weekend. He has big plans for her. He knows exactly what he wants to teach her first.... where mom keeps the best snacks! Even mom's not sure were that hiding spot is!

For a long time, I have prayed about this adoption. I knew that in God's time.... not mine.... He would reveal what our futures would hold. Slowly He is allowing me to see bits of what is to come. I am amazed at His patience with me because I have begged Him for this. I have on countless occassion prayed that if adoption was not in our future that He would remove the desire from my heart. But instead the desire just grew. Now as we are just beginning I am prayng for patience because I know that at the end of this journey, a new one will begin.... and it will have been worth the wait!

We have scheduled our first home study appointment for this coming Wednesday. The social worker sounded really nice on the phone. Hopefully she likes us!

Ready! Set! Go!

We have decided that we are going to adopt a baby girl. We are very excited but anxious, too. This has been on my heart for years and now that things are rolling.... Yikes! There is a lot of paperwork involved but I am trying my best to stay ahead of it..... although it beginning to pile up all over the house....and in my truck. We are open to ideas about raising money so if anyone has any great ideas, let me know. So, please pray for us as we begin this journey!!