Since turning in our profile book two weeks ago, I've added plenty of extra hours to my work week. I'm watching a baby twice a week for a second family, and also doing a little freelance writing for a friend's website (she's an AMAZING baby photographer!) Check out her breath taking work at www.jenniferjayne.com. All of this is helping to keep my mind off of waiting.
My adoption counselor gave me an assignment of finding a new hobby...that isn't adoption related. Um, try telling a pregnant lady not to think about her enormous and ever growing tummy! So far, all I've come up with is work. Work more, make money-don't spend money. I'm sure this makes my husband smile, but the point was to do something fun and relaxing. Why is that so hard to do?
I talked to our agent today and we have the option of posting an abbreviated version of our profile book online. By doing this, we make ourselves visible to the public. A pregnant mother can view these profiles without necessarily being a client...whereas, the books are only available to those already in contact with LB. That being said, we sort of increase our chances, ever so slightly. I plan to get an online version of our profile ready for posting by the end of this month.
This waiting game sucks. I tried to filter the previous statement, but its my reality. I'm not dwelling on my urge for a baby day in and day out, but I'm finding myself thinking those "now what do I do with my life?", kind of thoughts. But, it's not like I need a career change...or any change for that matter. I love what Im doing with my life! I just want to be at home with my new Baby. I want to start a relationship with his or her Birth Family. I want to have endless visits with our own families, to introduce Baby Lewis to all the crazies we already love so much. ;)
That's all I have for today. I'm off to think of a project I can start before I go find a fourth job just for kicks....
Please keep us in your prayers. We know our Baby is going to show up when God is everyone ready. We need peace in our wait and we ask for peace for our Birth parents and their family. Prayers for a healthy, happy, baby are also requested. Thank you so so much for staying on this journey with us! I will try to keep everyone updated more often now that the holidays are over and things are settling down.
Blessings and Love from the Lewis house!
Showing posts with label Profile Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Profile Book. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Once Upon a Time...
Once Upon a Time...
There was a couple adopting a sweet baby who took a long break from their adoption blog to enjoy the holidays and to finish their profile book. After long days and nights of parties, gifts, lots of fancy food, and hours upon hours at the computer writing their book, the couple decided they needed to rest. And so they did. They rested after all the celebration and all the thinking. Then, the two love birds printed a sample copy of their book and kept if over the weekend to be sure they were ready to send it. After making a few changes and consulting their adoption agency, the couple ordered seven copies of their profile book! They can't wait to pick up these pages from the printer and send them to the magical baby land called Love Basket. Here they are, living their "Happily Ever After", just days away from waiting for one very special phone call.
to be continued...
There was a couple adopting a sweet baby who took a long break from their adoption blog to enjoy the holidays and to finish their profile book. After long days and nights of parties, gifts, lots of fancy food, and hours upon hours at the computer writing their book, the couple decided they needed to rest. And so they did. They rested after all the celebration and all the thinking. Then, the two love birds printed a sample copy of their book and kept if over the weekend to be sure they were ready to send it. After making a few changes and consulting their adoption agency, the couple ordered seven copies of their profile book! They can't wait to pick up these pages from the printer and send them to the magical baby land called Love Basket. Here they are, living their "Happily Ever After", just days away from waiting for one very special phone call.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner
Remember them? Someone was always running off a cliff or blowing up from an unseen dynamite trail.
That's how I feel after the weekend. The reality of our situation is that our first big fee is due when we turn in our profile book. And our profile book is ninja fighting me everytime I try to sit down with it...okay, not really. But, it's overwhelming to work on and knowing that once its finished I still have a lot of work to do to get our loan in place, is a little much. And you know what I do when I have "a little much" to deal with? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My body shuts down, I'm not hungry, and all I want to do is sleep. This is apparently my new found way of handling stress? So, I'm sitting down to work on my book and decided to blog first. I feel a tiny bit better now that everyone knows I'm overwhelmed. It's like having an online pity party, no?
After all that, I have a small update. Love Basket emailed this morning to set up our phone interview and the earliest availability is next week, with openings all the through the week before Christmas. Once we settle on a date, I will let everyone know!
Thank you, as always, for all of your support! The emails, phone calls, and text messages have been a huge blessing and fuel to keep us going! Please continue to pray for our birth parents. Unity in their decision to make an adoption plan is #1! A safe and healthy pregnancy, peace in our household as we wrap up this pre-adoption process, and patience for yours truly as we feel so close....yet so far away.
We love all of you! Thank you thank you for experiencing this journey with us!
That's how I feel after the weekend. The reality of our situation is that our first big fee is due when we turn in our profile book. And our profile book is ninja fighting me everytime I try to sit down with it...okay, not really. But, it's overwhelming to work on and knowing that once its finished I still have a lot of work to do to get our loan in place, is a little much. And you know what I do when I have "a little much" to deal with? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My body shuts down, I'm not hungry, and all I want to do is sleep. This is apparently my new found way of handling stress? So, I'm sitting down to work on my book and decided to blog first. I feel a tiny bit better now that everyone knows I'm overwhelmed. It's like having an online pity party, no?
After all that, I have a small update. Love Basket emailed this morning to set up our phone interview and the earliest availability is next week, with openings all the through the week before Christmas. Once we settle on a date, I will let everyone know!
Thank you, as always, for all of your support! The emails, phone calls, and text messages have been a huge blessing and fuel to keep us going! Please continue to pray for our birth parents. Unity in their decision to make an adoption plan is #1! A safe and healthy pregnancy, peace in our household as we wrap up this pre-adoption process, and patience for yours truly as we feel so close....yet so far away.
We love all of you! Thank you thank you for experiencing this journey with us!
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sneak Peek
No new information, but here is a sneek peak of our profile book. I like to think I'm finished with these two pages:
Friday, November 16, 2012
Step by Step....Inch by Inch....
Yesterday our Home Study was edited, signed by all necessary parties, and emailed to Love Basket. I talked with our Adoption agent today. Here is where we are:
Adoption agent prepares our file for the review committee
Review committee (one other agent, plus the agency's owner) review our file
After approval (which I was told to expect), we have a phone interview with one of the agents at Love Basket who meets with Birth Parents. Once the interview is complete, our profile book is reviewed by that same agent and sent back to us for revisions (if necessary). After the final copy is approved, we make six more copies of our profile and send them to Love Basket. From there, LB sends them out to all Birth Parent counselors. Once they are in the hands of counselors, all profile-ready Birth Parents begin to review our book. (Deeep breathe)
A few elaborations:
The owner of Love Basket has been out of the office since Tuesday. He will return Monday, but then leave again for the rest of the week. Our agent is doing her best to put what she can on his desk for Monday, but warned me that we may not hear back from her, regarding his approval, for two weeks. (!)
We were given our profile instructions early, so we can work on that early and have it reviewed even before we are officially approved. 'm working on that book now (finally!) and hope to complete it by the end of next week.
We are so freaking close to being available to birth mothers! I have goosebumps all over my body as I type this information.
Since I'm at a stopping point on the first page I'm working on for our profile book, I'm going to share it with you. This is a template. The only thing that won't change is the photo of the layout of our apartment. Also remember the photo is a screen shot, so the black border won't be on the printed page. I hope to knock out three of these pages before Little Man wakes up! Cross your fingers for me! I need this tightening in my chest to go away now.
P.S. if you click on the photos I upload, they will enlarge on your screen.
Adoption agent prepares our file for the review committee
Review committee (one other agent, plus the agency's owner) review our file
After approval (which I was told to expect), we have a phone interview with one of the agents at Love Basket who meets with Birth Parents. Once the interview is complete, our profile book is reviewed by that same agent and sent back to us for revisions (if necessary). After the final copy is approved, we make six more copies of our profile and send them to Love Basket. From there, LB sends them out to all Birth Parent counselors. Once they are in the hands of counselors, all profile-ready Birth Parents begin to review our book. (Deeep breathe)
A few elaborations:
The owner of Love Basket has been out of the office since Tuesday. He will return Monday, but then leave again for the rest of the week. Our agent is doing her best to put what she can on his desk for Monday, but warned me that we may not hear back from her, regarding his approval, for two weeks. (!)
We were given our profile instructions early, so we can work on that early and have it reviewed even before we are officially approved. 'm working on that book now (finally!) and hope to complete it by the end of next week.
We are so freaking close to being available to birth mothers! I have goosebumps all over my body as I type this information.
P.S. if you click on the photos I upload, they will enlarge on your screen.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
...If I Only Had a Brain....
As I sit here in bed with my laptop (BIG no-no in this house), I can't help but feel overwhelmed....and a little scared. This profile book is intimidating. I know I need to put on my big girl panties and my Mom jeans (okay skip the mom jeans) and just pull it together already, but I'm experiencing writer's block...among other things.
We have so much going on this week, that I think I'm going to spend the next couple days praying and thinking about how to put this thing together. I wanted it finished by Sunday, but I think my new goal will be NEXT Sunday. That potentially takes us into December before being approved, but I'm not okay with rushing any of this or driving myself crazy over it. I want to enjoy as much of this process as I possibly can!
In Other News:
I've read over our Home Study review and found a few factual errors. I was going to let them slide, but Adam said absolutely not. I knew he would...which was why I asked him before just signing off on it. I wanted to just say, "Yep! This looks GREAT!" and move on, but I knew it would bug me to turn in a report that I knew needed corrections. So, I called our CSI agent today and will be dropping off the report tomorrow. She plants to edit tomorrow, sign the packet, get her supervisor's signature, and email the documents to Love Basket by the end of the day with hard copies in the mail by the end of the week!
Random Side Note:
In one of our sample Profile Books was a poem, on the last page, regarding a child's relationship to both his Birth Mother and Adoptive Mother. I'm not one for Chicken Soup books, cheesy lines and sayings, or cliche....anything (unless it's an 80s party, then I go all out...) However, this poem helps communicate the roles of each mother in the child's life and offers a great picture of what an open adoption looks like. I may put it in our Baby Book or in the nursery if it sticks with me. The details in here aren't an exact fit, but then again...I didn't write it. It's someone else's story, but it's one that leaves me with a calm.
We have so much going on this week, that I think I'm going to spend the next couple days praying and thinking about how to put this thing together. I wanted it finished by Sunday, but I think my new goal will be NEXT Sunday. That potentially takes us into December before being approved, but I'm not okay with rushing any of this or driving myself crazy over it. I want to enjoy as much of this process as I possibly can!
In Other News:
I've read over our Home Study review and found a few factual errors. I was going to let them slide, but Adam said absolutely not. I knew he would...which was why I asked him before just signing off on it. I wanted to just say, "Yep! This looks GREAT!" and move on, but I knew it would bug me to turn in a report that I knew needed corrections. So, I called our CSI agent today and will be dropping off the report tomorrow. She plants to edit tomorrow, sign the packet, get her supervisor's signature, and email the documents to Love Basket by the end of the day with hard copies in the mail by the end of the week!
Random Side Note:
In one of our sample Profile Books was a poem, on the last page, regarding a child's relationship to both his Birth Mother and Adoptive Mother. I'm not one for Chicken Soup books, cheesy lines and sayings, or cliche....anything (unless it's an 80s party, then I go all out...) However, this poem helps communicate the roles of each mother in the child's life and offers a great picture of what an open adoption looks like. I may put it in our Baby Book or in the nursery if it sticks with me. The details in here aren't an exact fit, but then again...I didn't write it. It's someone else's story, but it's one that leaves me with a calm.
Legacy of an Adopted Child
author unknown
Once there were two women,
Who never knew each other,
One is in your heart forever,
The other you call Mother.
Two different lives,
shaped to make yours one.
One became your star,
The other became your sun.
The first gave you life,
The second taught you how to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you an aim.
One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.
One gave you a family,
It was what God intended for her to do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.
And now you ask me through your tears,
The age old question through the years,
Heredity or environment...
Which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling, neighter,
Just two different kinds of love.
Monday, November 12, 2012
"You've Got Mail"
Our instructions for or Profile book have arrived! We also received two complete profiles from couples who have recently adopted through Love Basket. The profiles are packaged the same way, but designed differently. I've been contemplating how to do our own profile, and think I will stick with the look and style of our Pictorial Essay. I shared a page or two of our Pictorial Essay back when I was working on it. I'm going to include the whole presentation in this blog. I'm not sure how much time I will take to pause and upload profile pages as I create them, but I want to share what we've done so far!
These pages won't be included in our profile, but some of the pictures will be used for sure! In addition to photos of ourselves, we need photos with of our parents, friends, cousins...our "social circle" and "support group". Photos of the apartment, vacation photos, and a brief overview of our income and lifestyle will also be included in our profile. The most important piece of our profile will be the very first page...our letter to Birth Mothers. I've read an entire book about how to write this letter. I've talked to my Adoption Counselor about how to write this letter. Our agent has given me advice on this letter. I've read multiple samples of this letter....and it has me the most anxious I've been since we started this whole process. I know I can write well. I can connect with others emotionally, both written and verbally. I'm an emotional person who wears my heart on my sleeve. So the advice I've been given will be easy to follow. But I can't help but feel "this is IT." Like I have one shot. That's not true, because our agency will proof our profile before we make copies of it to send out....but even once they approve it, we're done. Once the letter is signed, the profile composed, approved, duplicated, and distributed...we wait for God to place it in the right hands.
This is overwhelming. My excitement may be the equivalent of a blood test confirming the results of a home pregnancy test mixed with the feeling of actually looking pregnant, having a shower, and physically preparing for Baby's arrival. I can believe this is happening, but it's more surreal than anything I've experienced to date. Just before Adam was hired with MM, I told him I felt like we were just sitting in the water. I saw us in the still of the ocean....knowing the tide was about to come in, the waves would rise and we would not be overtaken by them. We would rise above them, and enjoy the ride. That time is here, and it is an amazing, AMAZING adventure.
Here are the pages of our Pictorial Essay:
The above pages* were created for Love Basket, in order for them to get to know us a little more. Our profile book will be similar, but more personal. It will be created for and addressed to Birth Mothers. Eventually, I may post sample pages, but I can't commit to it right now.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! Our biggest prayers are for the health and peace of our Birth Mother and her baby and the relationship between our Birth Mother and Birth Father. We pray they are unified in their decision to make an adoption plan for their baby, and we pray everyone goes through this process as healthy as possible and that we all come out stronger on the other side. Comfort for our Birth Mother is also a prayer. In addition, we pray for Peace in our household. Adam and I have some very big decisions coming up and we need to make them together, as a team. We need to be stronger now than ever before (and we believe we are)! Our family is growing, and our entire life is about to change. (!!!)
***This just in***
As I was concluding this post, my phone rang. Our Home Study agent has an approved copy of our report (from her supervisor) and is ready to meet me tomorrow morning so that I can pick it up from her. Adam and I will review the report for accuracy, sign off on the document, and then it will go straight to Love Basket! Between now and when I meet our agent in the morning, we need to send her one last piece of information that was forgotten during our visits. However, that should be completed already (note and a wink to husband: this is your assignment from Wednesday that I'm referring to...) so all we need to do is email it to her!
More to come soon!
*All graphics in this post were created by Nicole Koller.
Professional photos taken by Jennifer Jayne Photography
These pages won't be included in our profile, but some of the pictures will be used for sure! In addition to photos of ourselves, we need photos with of our parents, friends, cousins...our "social circle" and "support group". Photos of the apartment, vacation photos, and a brief overview of our income and lifestyle will also be included in our profile. The most important piece of our profile will be the very first page...our letter to Birth Mothers. I've read an entire book about how to write this letter. I've talked to my Adoption Counselor about how to write this letter. Our agent has given me advice on this letter. I've read multiple samples of this letter....and it has me the most anxious I've been since we started this whole process. I know I can write well. I can connect with others emotionally, both written and verbally. I'm an emotional person who wears my heart on my sleeve. So the advice I've been given will be easy to follow. But I can't help but feel "this is IT." Like I have one shot. That's not true, because our agency will proof our profile before we make copies of it to send out....but even once they approve it, we're done. Once the letter is signed, the profile composed, approved, duplicated, and distributed...we wait for God to place it in the right hands.
This is overwhelming. My excitement may be the equivalent of a blood test confirming the results of a home pregnancy test mixed with the feeling of actually looking pregnant, having a shower, and physically preparing for Baby's arrival. I can believe this is happening, but it's more surreal than anything I've experienced to date. Just before Adam was hired with MM, I told him I felt like we were just sitting in the water. I saw us in the still of the ocean....knowing the tide was about to come in, the waves would rise and we would not be overtaken by them. We would rise above them, and enjoy the ride. That time is here, and it is an amazing, AMAZING adventure.
Here are the pages of our Pictorial Essay:
The above pages* were created for Love Basket, in order for them to get to know us a little more. Our profile book will be similar, but more personal. It will be created for and addressed to Birth Mothers. Eventually, I may post sample pages, but I can't commit to it right now.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! Our biggest prayers are for the health and peace of our Birth Mother and her baby and the relationship between our Birth Mother and Birth Father. We pray they are unified in their decision to make an adoption plan for their baby, and we pray everyone goes through this process as healthy as possible and that we all come out stronger on the other side. Comfort for our Birth Mother is also a prayer. In addition, we pray for Peace in our household. Adam and I have some very big decisions coming up and we need to make them together, as a team. We need to be stronger now than ever before (and we believe we are)! Our family is growing, and our entire life is about to change. (!!!)
***This just in***
As I was concluding this post, my phone rang. Our Home Study agent has an approved copy of our report (from her supervisor) and is ready to meet me tomorrow morning so that I can pick it up from her. Adam and I will review the report for accuracy, sign off on the document, and then it will go straight to Love Basket! Between now and when I meet our agent in the morning, we need to send her one last piece of information that was forgotten during our visits. However, that should be completed already (note and a wink to husband: this is your assignment from Wednesday that I'm referring to...) so all we need to do is email it to her!
More to come soon!
*All graphics in this post were created by Nicole Koller.
Professional photos taken by Jennifer Jayne Photography
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Do Not be Consumed
Do Not be Consumed
This has been the soft whisper of my inner voice, my conscience, the Holy Spirit. There are a million things to do, learn, read, and act on regarding our adoption process. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and at one point, decided, "I don't want to be the Mom who spends so much time reading and preaching about parenting....that I forget to actually parent." You know who I'm talking about, the Mom with five blogs about budgeting, child entertainment, cooking, and so on. She's always preaching on Facebook about what not to do with your toddler, or she's tweeting pro-(pick-a-mom-rant)s. And....her baby is the one who fell out of the Bumbo...that was on the edge of the counter... My baby isn't with me, yet. But I have consumed myself with adoption everything. I needed to take as step back. While being a Mom is the most important job in the world, next to being a Daddy....I don't want "Mom" to be all that I am. I don't want my husband to wonder where his wife went, because I only ever call him "Daddy" and talk in that annoying, high-pitched "Baby Voice." (Because we all know how sexy that sounds....) I want to have hobbies aside from finger painting with yogurt and corn on the cob. I love to do these things, but I realized at one point that ALL I was doing, was adoption paperwork, adoption phone calls, adoption counseling, and baby shopping, baby planning, etc. And I don't want to be that way.
So, I went to Target. I bought Ellen's new book, which has nothing to do with adoption. I made a Halloween pumpkin full of chocolate and I drove to Denver to visit my best friend for a day and a half, and drove back. I went shopping for random things I don't need (not baby stuff). I called my Grandma, and we didn't talk about adoption. I cancelled a counseling session, and didn't blog for awhile. I spent a weekend in yoga pants, on the couch with my husband. I made new recipes, and got dressed up for dinner out (that didn't involve adoption talk or baby shopping after eating). A lot of thoughts have made their way in and out of my head, and I wanted to blog about them....but then I just wanted to "be". So I did.
This week, I touched base with all necessary adoption folk, made myself a to-do list and am happy to say that the sky did not start falling when I took time to just be me. Not me expecting a baby....but just me. Here's where we are with things:
-Our Home Study Agent is about a day away from finishing our report. (WOOO!) She will call when it is finished and then Adam and I will review for accuracy before she sends it to Love Basket.
-Love Basket is waiting on our Home Study report and a letter from one of my doctors.
-Our adoption agent at LB has been approving our documents as I've been sending them in (another Wooo!) She told me yesterday that she doesn't see any red flags and doesn't anticipate anything keeping us from being approved to proceed with adoption. That being said, she asked if I wanted our profile packet early. Um....ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY YES, PLEASE!!!!! After laughing at my enthusiasm, she dropped our packet in the mail so I should have it in a couple days.
-Our Profile packet includes instructions for creating our Profile Book as well as a couple sample books from couples who have adopted through LB. Once we create our book, it is sent to the agency as a draft. We will be notified of any changes that need to be made and then make them. Once our final version is complete, we make six more copies and out they go!
-Back to the approval of Packet II. While our agent has been approving things as we go, the rest of the committee won't review our file until all documentation has been received. This way our file stays in tact, nothing is removed or lost, etc.
-During our wait for approval of Packet II, we will have a phone interview with an agent from Love Basket. This is for them to get to know us a little more before representing us when speaking to Birth Parents. Because they didn't do our Home Study, they only have our paperwork and a couple photographs to go on. That's really not much when you're talking to someone about finding a home and wonderful parents for her child. So, I fully understand this interview and am actually looking forward to. (Possibly because it's a final step??)
-HOLY TOLEDO, BATMAN! Shit just go real. Pardon my "french". But this is all happening! It's really really happening! I know there's a wait period after all the paperwork, but I don't even care! If we don't get matched for a year....that's okay! We're waiting! And we're official! And we're "on the market". We are actually an OPTION for Birth Parents! Aaaahhhhh!!!!!
-Okay, I'm good now. From the sound of things with "all our people", we should be available for Birth Parents by the end of the year. Which puts a very very happy light on 2013!!!
-That's all I have for now. It's BIG and it's wonderful and overwhelmingly exciting! I will share profile details as soon as my packet arrives!
Please continue to pray for our Birth Parents. Pray that God places an obvious peace on all our hearts, that He brings us together in a way that only He can. Pray for unity with our Birth Parents in their decision to make an adoption plan. And continue to pray for Baby's big big family: Birth family, Adopted family. More people to love you also means more relationships to foster. We need God's grace and guidance to do this well.
I hope to post on a few topics in the middle of updates. However, they may not happen with the holidays approaching... at the least, I will share profile pages as I create them!
Thank you! Thank you! For your continued prayer and support!
This has been the soft whisper of my inner voice, my conscience, the Holy Spirit. There are a million things to do, learn, read, and act on regarding our adoption process. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed, and at one point, decided, "I don't want to be the Mom who spends so much time reading and preaching about parenting....that I forget to actually parent." You know who I'm talking about, the Mom with five blogs about budgeting, child entertainment, cooking, and so on. She's always preaching on Facebook about what not to do with your toddler, or she's tweeting pro-(pick-a-mom-rant)s. And....her baby is the one who fell out of the Bumbo...that was on the edge of the counter... My baby isn't with me, yet. But I have consumed myself with adoption everything. I needed to take as step back. While being a Mom is the most important job in the world, next to being a Daddy....I don't want "Mom" to be all that I am. I don't want my husband to wonder where his wife went, because I only ever call him "Daddy" and talk in that annoying, high-pitched "Baby Voice." (Because we all know how sexy that sounds....) I want to have hobbies aside from finger painting with yogurt and corn on the cob. I love to do these things, but I realized at one point that ALL I was doing, was adoption paperwork, adoption phone calls, adoption counseling, and baby shopping, baby planning, etc. And I don't want to be that way.
So, I went to Target. I bought Ellen's new book, which has nothing to do with adoption. I made a Halloween pumpkin full of chocolate and I drove to Denver to visit my best friend for a day and a half, and drove back. I went shopping for random things I don't need (not baby stuff). I called my Grandma, and we didn't talk about adoption. I cancelled a counseling session, and didn't blog for awhile. I spent a weekend in yoga pants, on the couch with my husband. I made new recipes, and got dressed up for dinner out (that didn't involve adoption talk or baby shopping after eating). A lot of thoughts have made their way in and out of my head, and I wanted to blog about them....but then I just wanted to "be". So I did.
This week, I touched base with all necessary adoption folk, made myself a to-do list and am happy to say that the sky did not start falling when I took time to just be me. Not me expecting a baby....but just me. Here's where we are with things:
-Our Home Study Agent is about a day away from finishing our report. (WOOO!) She will call when it is finished and then Adam and I will review for accuracy before she sends it to Love Basket.
-Love Basket is waiting on our Home Study report and a letter from one of my doctors.
-Our adoption agent at LB has been approving our documents as I've been sending them in (another Wooo!) She told me yesterday that she doesn't see any red flags and doesn't anticipate anything keeping us from being approved to proceed with adoption. That being said, she asked if I wanted our profile packet early. Um....ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY YES, PLEASE!!!!! After laughing at my enthusiasm, she dropped our packet in the mail so I should have it in a couple days.
-Our Profile packet includes instructions for creating our Profile Book as well as a couple sample books from couples who have adopted through LB. Once we create our book, it is sent to the agency as a draft. We will be notified of any changes that need to be made and then make them. Once our final version is complete, we make six more copies and out they go!
-Back to the approval of Packet II. While our agent has been approving things as we go, the rest of the committee won't review our file until all documentation has been received. This way our file stays in tact, nothing is removed or lost, etc.
-During our wait for approval of Packet II, we will have a phone interview with an agent from Love Basket. This is for them to get to know us a little more before representing us when speaking to Birth Parents. Because they didn't do our Home Study, they only have our paperwork and a couple photographs to go on. That's really not much when you're talking to someone about finding a home and wonderful parents for her child. So, I fully understand this interview and am actually looking forward to. (Possibly because it's a final step??)
-HOLY TOLEDO, BATMAN! Shit just go real. Pardon my "french". But this is all happening! It's really really happening! I know there's a wait period after all the paperwork, but I don't even care! If we don't get matched for a year....that's okay! We're waiting! And we're official! And we're "on the market". We are actually an OPTION for Birth Parents! Aaaahhhhh!!!!!
-Okay, I'm good now. From the sound of things with "all our people", we should be available for Birth Parents by the end of the year. Which puts a very very happy light on 2013!!!
-That's all I have for now. It's BIG and it's wonderful and overwhelmingly exciting! I will share profile details as soon as my packet arrives!
Please continue to pray for our Birth Parents. Pray that God places an obvious peace on all our hearts, that He brings us together in a way that only He can. Pray for unity with our Birth Parents in their decision to make an adoption plan. And continue to pray for Baby's big big family: Birth family, Adopted family. More people to love you also means more relationships to foster. We need God's grace and guidance to do this well.
I hope to post on a few topics in the middle of updates. However, they may not happen with the holidays approaching... at the least, I will share profile pages as I create them!
Thank you! Thank you! For your continued prayer and support!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Home Study Meeting Tomorrow!
It's been a week since my last post, and that's not exactly how I would like this to go. However, I've been avoiding blogging about my feelings because...well, sometimes our feeling can consume us and because there isn't really anything tactile left to do, I'm just thinking about a gazillion things like our relationship with our birth parents, bonding with Baby, options for breastfeeding (or possibly not breastfeeding) Baby, My husband's work hours and how our family life might look, the fact that our contract fell through on our house, so now we're paying for two homes....something we didn't plan on doing until.....um....probably never, what our baby's name might be, Baby's gender, different ideas about parenting a boy as opposed to a girl, and (Adam, don't read this one) what if we have surprise twins? Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for reading the world's longest sentence. That's what's been going on in my head.
Out in the real world, I've been building a baby registry, which IS SO MUCH STINKIN' FUN!!!! I found a site that hosts your registry regardless of where you like to shop. This means that my quilt I've wanted (for the last five years) from Land of Nod can go on the same registry as our car seat from BabysRus, along with essentials I found at Target and our cloth diapers from a couple different websites! Woo hoo! I guess the downside is that it makes shopping in store a little more difficult, but I'm working on a way to help with that. The registry has been a huge time filler and I'm only doing it because I keep being told that we have to have one, even though we will be so excited to just to have our baby, and introduce him or her, that gifts will surely be over the top. I have to admit though, the request is one I'm fulfilling with glee. ;) Who doesn't love making a wish list??
Our final reference letter has arrived at its destination, and tomorrow is our last Home Study meeting. Our social worker will be at our house at 9am and should be finished at Noon. We have a lot to cover, so hopefully she's a quick worker tomorrow! Items on the meeting agenda:
-Adam's family tree and family history
-Our family values
-What it means to each of us to be a Lewis
-What is means to be a family
-What are our ideas of parenting, what is important and how will we handle specific issues
-What are our existing traditions and what new traditions do we hope to start with our own family?
-How will we plan to celebrate holidays
-What are the rules in our house?
-How do we think things will change once a baby arrives?
-And a million other related questions
I feel like the answer to a lot of those questions will depend on our child's temperament and personality. All children thrive in different ways, express themselves differently, and some need discipline methods that may not be so mainstream. We will have to deal with issues as they come. But, I do know this. Adam and I are a team. And adding a baby, is adding a team mate...a "Lewis in training." Whatever comes our way (temper tantrums, karate trophies, volleyball state championships, lost soccer games, new family members, and spilled milk...)we will handle as a team. And when someone needs a "time out". We'll allow it. Foul play....will come with penalties, and home runs will be celebrated together. Our friends and family will be our cheer leaders and we'll make it through all of life with our spirits high and our eye on the ball. I'm getting a little cheesy with the metaphor, but the point is getting across, no?
After the Home Study meeting, we wait for our social worker to type up her report on us. She will send it to Love Basket, and then we wait for LB to approve Packet II. Hopefully this goes as quickly as our approval of Packet I (24 hours)!!! We shall see...
Once we're approved, we receive guidelines for our profile book along with samples of books from matched families. I'll share details from that point once we get there. We're still moving quickly, just don't have as much to do so there's a little less to write about.
Another thing I am thinking about this week is a letter to our Birth Mother. Every profile books requires this letter, and my adoption counselor is helping me think of what and how to write one. I have a book to read that's full of advice and samples, a DVD to watch, and then a little online reading to further educate myself. I'm hoping to have my letter drafted by the time our profile book guidelines come in. Then, I can get to work on the picture stuff. That's going to be a lot of fun! (Grandmas are currently working on gathering past photos and sending this way. If you have any of your own pictures we've taken together, feel free to send them....you know, for proof we have friends. You can email them to me or take a field trip to the post office if you like!)
I will be back after tomorrow's meeting with an update. Hopefully, before next Tuesday!
Keep praying! And thanks for keeping up with the details. We love our friends and family, and feel the support every day!
Out in the real world, I've been building a baby registry, which IS SO MUCH STINKIN' FUN!!!! I found a site that hosts your registry regardless of where you like to shop. This means that my quilt I've wanted (for the last five years) from Land of Nod can go on the same registry as our car seat from BabysRus, along with essentials I found at Target and our cloth diapers from a couple different websites! Woo hoo! I guess the downside is that it makes shopping in store a little more difficult, but I'm working on a way to help with that. The registry has been a huge time filler and I'm only doing it because I keep being told that we have to have one, even though we will be so excited to just to have our baby, and introduce him or her, that gifts will surely be over the top. I have to admit though, the request is one I'm fulfilling with glee. ;) Who doesn't love making a wish list??
Our final reference letter has arrived at its destination, and tomorrow is our last Home Study meeting. Our social worker will be at our house at 9am and should be finished at Noon. We have a lot to cover, so hopefully she's a quick worker tomorrow! Items on the meeting agenda:
-Adam's family tree and family history
-Our family values
-What it means to each of us to be a Lewis
-What is means to be a family
-What are our ideas of parenting, what is important and how will we handle specific issues
-What are our existing traditions and what new traditions do we hope to start with our own family?
-How will we plan to celebrate holidays
-What are the rules in our house?
-How do we think things will change once a baby arrives?
-And a million other related questions
I feel like the answer to a lot of those questions will depend on our child's temperament and personality. All children thrive in different ways, express themselves differently, and some need discipline methods that may not be so mainstream. We will have to deal with issues as they come. But, I do know this. Adam and I are a team. And adding a baby, is adding a team mate...a "Lewis in training." Whatever comes our way (temper tantrums, karate trophies, volleyball state championships, lost soccer games, new family members, and spilled milk...)we will handle as a team. And when someone needs a "time out". We'll allow it. Foul play....will come with penalties, and home runs will be celebrated together. Our friends and family will be our cheer leaders and we'll make it through all of life with our spirits high and our eye on the ball. I'm getting a little cheesy with the metaphor, but the point is getting across, no?
After the Home Study meeting, we wait for our social worker to type up her report on us. She will send it to Love Basket, and then we wait for LB to approve Packet II. Hopefully this goes as quickly as our approval of Packet I (24 hours)!!! We shall see...
Once we're approved, we receive guidelines for our profile book along with samples of books from matched families. I'll share details from that point once we get there. We're still moving quickly, just don't have as much to do so there's a little less to write about.
Another thing I am thinking about this week is a letter to our Birth Mother. Every profile books requires this letter, and my adoption counselor is helping me think of what and how to write one. I have a book to read that's full of advice and samples, a DVD to watch, and then a little online reading to further educate myself. I'm hoping to have my letter drafted by the time our profile book guidelines come in. Then, I can get to work on the picture stuff. That's going to be a lot of fun! (Grandmas are currently working on gathering past photos and sending this way. If you have any of your own pictures we've taken together, feel free to send them....you know, for proof we have friends. You can email them to me or take a field trip to the post office if you like!)
I will be back after tomorrow's meeting with an update. Hopefully, before next Tuesday!
Keep praying! And thanks for keeping up with the details. We love our friends and family, and feel the support every day!
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