Friday, April 28, 2006

First Homestudy Meeting

I just got done with my first homestudy meeting! My social worker Jeannie is very nice and knowledgeable. She has adopted from both Korea and China herself so she has great insight and experience. I feel like I told her my whole life story in the span of two hours. Mike's up next! I feel closer to Mia already!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Home Study begins!



We are finally starting our home study tomorrow! I'm so excited. I am doing the first visit alone with our social worker because her first available meeting time was in the morning and Mike can't take off of work tomorrow but I was able to. Now I have to get home early from work today and clean house! I know they say the house doesn't have to be spotless but it definitely needs a little attention. Our dog Harman, who I LOVE, creates quite a mess. He is all boy! He love dirt and doesn't think twice about trotting into the house without wiping his feet. Nor have I been able to teach him to put his toys away! But he's the only baby we have right now and he has us wrapped around his paw, so to speak! He's not spoiled at all! I can't imagine what we'll be like with a baby!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Our Cookbook

One of the things I'm working on during this time period is a cookbook. My mother and I have collected almost 300 recipes from friends and family member to publish a cookbook. Once we publish it, we're going to sell them to help with the adoption finances. After two invitros, our savings are gone and we have some unwanted debt. We hope to pay for the adoption as we go instead of going into more debt. It's been a fun project already. Hopefully we'll get it to the publisher by the end of May. If your are reading this and may be interested, please let me know. The books will be for sale probably in June or July and will most likely be between $12 - $15. It has main dishes, appetizer, cookies, sides, desserts and much more!

Few more things to do

We got the okay to start our home study last week but unfortunately both Mike and our social worker have been sick all week! I guess it's better than one being sick this week and another next week. I actually took Mike to the doctor because he had been coughing for a few days and we figured he could get his physical paperwork done at the same time. They wouldn't do his physical! I was so bummed. It was one of these "doc in a box" places where you just walk in. They told me you can only get a physical for adoption at the health department. I told them they were wrong, that I just did mine at my annual gyn appointment. Anyway, I have to find another doctor and actually get Mike there! He's not one for doctor visits. Hopefully we'll get started with our homestudy soon. It's weird because the first few weeks of this process, I felt there was so much to do getting paperwork and seeing the doctor and writing autobiographies and now this week I hardly did anything toward our adoption. Just a sneak peek at what it will be like after the dossier has been mailed and we start "the wait". The latest news is that the wait period has extended to 10-14 months! I go to sleep at night wondering if Mia is still in her mom's womb, when her birth date is, how old she will be. Now I wonder if she even exists yet! All in God's time. I have so much faith in that. Hopefully we'll start our home study this week and can send off our I-600A with our completed home study by the end of May.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Checking things off of our To Do List

Mike applied for his passport yesterday and when I got home, mine was in the mail - my picture doesn't look as bad as I remember! We also got a bunch of stuff notarized. I love checking things off of our "to do" list. And we got the okay from our agency that we can start our home study. I'm so excited. I have been in contact with a local social worker that we have requested to work with. We have mutual friends, live near each other and she also has adopted from China. I also have joined the local Families with Children from China. I've gotten a lot of very nice, supportive email already. Things are happening!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Moving along

We are moving along with our "paperwork pregnacy". Mike is applying for his passport tomorrow, we have received our dossier guide and started putting all of the papers that need to be notarized, certified, authenticated together. Sounds like medical testing! We have spoken to our social worker but have not started our home study yet. Hopefully that will start next week. I'm so bummed because of the new info coming out of the agencies that referral times have slowed down to as long as 10 months. I must continue to believe that Mia Jade will enter our lives at the time of God's planning. I pray for her every night. I feel so sad when I think of all of the orphans of the world going to sleep each night without a family. I did not choose this road because of deep sense of providing a home for an orphan but for my own selfish desire to be a mother. But the longer this road is, the greater sense of responsibility I feel to provide a home for a child that may not otherwise have one. I guess that's part of being a parent.