At the request of one of my sisters, I am starting a blog to update family and friends on our adoption timeline. :) I'm going to keep this first post very simple... too much to say, so I'm not going to say it yet! Will update later (I hope... I am not very good at this blogging thing. I either say too much or too little.) Here goes...
The next steps in the process we are very excited about!!
- We (okay, I...) thought it would be fun to go to this thing called the Baby & Toddler Expo this Saturday. It is mainly for new parents. I feel like I'm dragging Chad there... but I think he's realizing more and more the reality of parenthood, and I've never felt more like a team! He thinks we don't need to go to all this stuff, though, but I just want to at least FEEL prepared or like I'm being productive/getting things done, even if we aren't. Yikes. :/ The expo just has speakers on certain parenting topics, and that's one reason I want to go, but also they will have community resources there, like fun places to take your kids (because it seems there's not much around here?)
- Right now we are finishing up our paperwork... It's a blast, let me tell you...
- April 9th we start our training. I think total it is 27 hours. We will go to a local church for the training every Saturday for several weeks. I'm not sure when it ends... will have to look at the paper. We are excited but nervous because we have no idea what we will be doing. Is it lectures, hands-on, both? I think we will have a lot to talk about when we get home, to process through it all, and I'm nervous that we won't have enough time until it's time to go back again the next week. I think they will be addressing the emotional and physical trauma and hopefully how to deal with specific issues and discipline.
- 2nd Home Study is April 20th (the first one was actually a "Home Assessment" to make sure we live in an actual residency and not in some office building or under a bridge... They said you'd be surprised... People apply for adoption and don't actually have a residency... Hmm...) This Home Study will be the interview... the revealing questions that make you feel violated because you just shared your whole life story, thoughts, and emotions with a complete stranger. Sounds fun. :) We are THRILLED beyond belief that the lady who is doing our study has a sister who is moving to Africa to be a missionary! So, we already have something in "common" with her - since Dawn adopted from Ethiopia and Chad has been to Swaziland. Definitely a God-thing if you ask me!
See, I said too much! It was supposed to be a simple timeline. Well, there you go! Lots more to say but maybe next post!
~ M
