Another Step Done!

We have both been fingerprinted and are now in the system!
I almost cried last night when we got to the Henry County Jail, which I was told did fingerprints 24 hours everyday, and they looked totally closed down! But Andrew went and found a guy to open it up and do my fingerprints. We had Holly with us and it was her first trip to the jail (and her last!) The guy who did my fingerprints was pretty funny. I thought it was really exciting to actually be doing something to move the process forward.
So today Andrew will go drop them off at the DFCS office and we will wait for our letter inviting us to attend the IMPACT classes.
We are going to Flordia this weekend to see my Dad! I haven't talked to him about the adoption yet, but I can't wait to tell him. I like talking about stuff like this with him in person. I am SO ready for the beach and the pool at Dad's house! This may be our last trip without kids. How crazy is that!?!?

Fingerprints

Well, Andrew did his job on Friday. He went to the Henry County jail and walked right in, got his fingerprints done, and was back on the road in a matter of minutes. I, however, was not quite so lucky. My whole family was in town for the weekend. On Friday, we all loaded into the truck and drove into Griffin so I could get mine done. First we drove to the wrong place. Then we had to fly to the correct place so we could get there before they closed. When we got to the Spaulding County jail, we had about 10 minutes left until they closed the fingerprint machine down for the weekend! I made Pearl come in with me because I was scared of the jail. I was not expecting to go to the jail, I thought I was going to the police station. I was definately not dressed for a jail house visit. When Pearl and I walked in, the little waiting room was pretty full and there were 4 other girls in there to get their fingerprints done. We went up to the window and the lady told me to go wash my hands and have a seat. Well, let me tell you, I think my hands were a whole lot cleaner before I went into that bathroom to wash my hands then they were after I touched the sink in the "bathroom". So I "washed" my hands without soap, since the dispenser was out. We waited for about 20 minutes before the first girl came out. We asked her how long the whole process took for her and she said she had been there for at least 1/2 an hour. So I gave up. I didn't think it would be fair to ask my Minnesota family to sit in the truck for another hour and a half in the 110 degree heat. So me, the queen of organization was beat by Andrew, the king of procrastination. Dang. I was so frustrated. I want to be on the ball every step of the way and now I am behind! So I am going to for sure get them done today and Andrew will bring them back to DFCS tomorrow morning.
We had an amazing weekend with my family. It was so much fun to have them here and to show them a little piece of our life. They loved the house. They all got a chance to write in the baby journal too, so I was excited about that. The visit went by WAY to fast. I hate living so far from them, but someday I'll be able to visit a lot more then I can now. I can't wait for that.
On a side note, Andrew's mom had lunch with an old friend on Saturday. She just retired from Spaulding County DFCS. So Darlene told her our story and about how we are about to start the Foster-Adopt program. She was excited and said she would put in a good word for us with her old friends from DFCS. YEA!!

Orientation

Orientation went great last night. It had a differnt effect on Andrew then it did on me. We went to DFCS at 4:30 for our meeting. Ms. Moore was sick so we met with the other case worker. She was so nice! I really liked her. She was honest but still encouraging. She went over the basics of the adoption process and told us what steps we will need to take. It is going to be an intense month for us! The first thing we have to do is go get our fingerprints at the police station and then bring the cards back to the DFCS office. This is so they can run a background check and make sure we are who we say we are. So we will be doing that this week. I am also going to set up our doctor appointments. We have to have a physical done and have the doctor sign a form stating that he feels we are capible of raising a child. How funny is it that we are having to do all of this while other people can just have children whenever they want?!? But I totally understand. They are choosing to place a child with us and the primary concern is the child's wellbeing. So I am totally ok with jumping through any hoops required.
Once we turn in our fingerprint cards we will get a letter inviting us to attend the IMPACT classes which start on September 8th. The first class will go over the detail of why children come into care and other parts of the foster and adoption process. We will get a HUGE packet of forms that we will have to fill out. And when I say huge, I really mean huge! We will basically be writing our life story along with answering every imaginable question about our relationship with eachother as well as with the other people in our life. There will also be many forms that we need to obtain to turn in; birth certificates, marriage license, septic and well certificates, etc. So I am going to start working on rounding all of that up this week and early next week so we will be ready to turn it all in. I plan on filling out that HUGE packet as soon as we get it.
There are two caseworkers for our class and so far, they have both been so nice. One of them has been working there for over 36 years. That's amazing considering the turn-over rate for case workers. They told us last night that the first ones to turn in their green sheet in the packet are the first ones to get their homestudy started, we want that to be us! So the night of September 8th will consist of Andrew and I sitting at our dining room table writing our life out on a green sheet of paper! Lucky Andrew!
We asked about how long the process would take. She really couldn't tell us for sure. A lot of it will depend on how quickly we move. It will take about 3 weeks for our homestudy to be completed and then it will need to be approved. She said that would bring us to December. They don't really move any children during the holidays unless it is an emergency so we are probably looking at the new year before we get a placement call. That's ok with us. We will just enjoy this holiday season with the hopes that it will be our last one without children.
She told us that there are not many babies that are placed for adoption. Faith Hope told us that they would say this so it didn't really phase me. Plus, I'm ok with the child being a toddler. We won't know until we get a call. When we start getting placement calls, it will still be up to us if we feel led to that child or if we want to keep waiting for a younger child. She said that chances are that someone in our class will be placed with a baby, she just didn't know if it would be us or not. I hope it is!
The reason that it is difficult to get a baby is that we are only going to do "foster to adopt" placements. This means that the children that we will get calls for will have over an 80% chance that they will be available for adoption. It usually takes about a year for them to determine weither or not they are going to terminate the parents rights. It makes it harder to place a child with us, but it also will help cut down on the heartbreak of getting attached to a child and then having it returned to it's parents. We have to remember that DFCS primary goal is the child's best interest, and sometimes that means going home to their birthparents. But I am fully confident that God will lead us to the child we are meant to parent.
We are hoping that I will be able to stay home at some point with the child. I feel that this is the calling that I have on my life. We will just have to see what God has in store and keep our eyes open for opportunity.
After the meeting, Andrew was a little unsure if this was the route we want to take. They were very honest that they are looking for families for their children, not children for our family. The child comes first. He just doesn't want me to get hurt. But we talk a lot last night and decided that we know what we are getting into and we are ready.
I know it would be difficult to have to return a child after it lives with us, but I have the mindset that I want to help the kids. I want what's best for them.
I am ready and going into this with my eyes WIDE open. I am ready!

A Story Of Two Mothers

Once there were two women
Who never knew each other
One you do not remember
The other you call Mother

Two different lives
Shaped to make yours one
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun

The first gave you life
And the second taught you to
Live in 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 up
It was all that she could 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 the product of
Neither, my darling - neither
Just two different kinds of love
-Author unknown

A Mother's Love Is Peace

It need not be earned, it need not be deserved.

Andrew and I had an excited weekend. I went to a consignment sale to try to get a few baby things. It was harder then I thought it would be since we really have no idea what age or sex the baby we are matched with will be. I got a couple little sleepers and some books. I also got a few things from Target to start babyproofing the house. We'll have to have a few basic things done before October when our case worker comes to see our house. In October we will also have to go ahead and get a carseat and a crib.
My Mom, Grandma, Pearl, Suzy, and Robbin are all coming to spend the weekend with us. I am so excited! I'm sure we will have a blast. The next weekend we are going to Flordia to stay with my Dad and then we will be starting the IMPACT classes. Time seems to be dragging by now that we have decided to go with adoption, so I am glad we will be busy these next couple of weeks.
Tomorrow we go in to the DFCS office to have our orientation with Ms. Moore. I am praying that it goes smoothly and that we get some of our questions answered. We are only interested in adopting at this time and not in becoming foster parents. I know that the state really pushes foster parenting because they are in such need. Eventually, Andrew and I do want to be foster parents, just not right now.
So I'll let you all know how the orientation goes tomorrow. We have our appointment at 4:30. Be praying!

Orientation Is Scheduled!

Well, we are on our way. We are having an orientation at DFCS on August 21st at 4:30. We will be meeting with Ms.Moore about the IMPACT program and foster/adoption. I am not exactly sure what all will be covered in that meeting. Ms.Moore seems so nice on the phone. She has been very efficient calling me back and getting me information. I wonder if she will be our case worker. I am going to a consignment sale tomorrow night to get some basic baby supplies. With any luck, we could be placed with a baby by Christmas. I know that it will most likely be a bit longer then that, but you never know. And I want to be ready when we get the call!
I told my mom last night that we are proceeding with the adoption. She was supportive (like always!) I know she will love that baby just the same as if I gave birth to it. I can't wait to watch all of our parents spoil the baby!
I will keep you all updated on how the orientation goes!

IMPACT

Andrew and I are getting ready to start the IMPACT classes. I called and spoke to a woman at DFCS this morning. She was pretty nice, so that took some of the stress away. I guess we'll see how they act once we are trying to adopt. We are going to the classes in Spaulding County. We know a couple of families that have adopted through Spaulding. The classes start on September 8th. We'll be there from 9-2! Geez! I'm interested to see if Andrew can sit still for that long! We will go every Saturday for a month. At the end of the month we will have our case worker come to our house to make sure we don't live in a box, and then we will be put on the adoption registry so that we can be matched with a child. We are getting excited!
We decided last night that we are not going to be picky about gender or race for the baby. When a child is presented to us as needing a home, those things won't matter. So I guess I may end up having to change the name of this blog if we end up getting a little boy!
I am going to contact Andrew's aunt so I can talk to her about thier adoptions and get some pointers.
Well, that is all the info we will really have until we start the classes. I'll keep you all updated about what we are learning once we start.

A Journey of a Million Miles...

begins with a single step.

On Saturday I attended a class put on by Faith Hope Adoptions at the church. It was great. Faith Hope Adoptions is an organization that helps people weave their way through all the steps involved in adopting a child. When Andrew and I first talked about adopting, we always thought it would be through an agency and that we would adopt a newborn. However, some recent events have brought us to a new place. We're now planning on adopting through DFCS (department of family and child services). We may still get a newborn, but we will most likely adopt a baby around 4-24 months old. Of course we won't know exactly until we are matched with a child. We really feel lead to help one of the children in foster care. To give one of them a permanant home. The adoption will be almost free since we are going through DFCS. It will also require more patience since we will be dealing with the state government. That's one reason I am so greatful to be linking up with Faith Hope Adoption since they will be able to answer any questions we may run into. From what I learned in the class, the state definatly doesn't make it easy. Which is insane to me considering the number of children that need homes today. So the class was great. We are going to the second part on September 15th. We are also going to start IMPACT classes as soon as our county has one open. These are required in order to adopt through the state. They are basically parenting classes, so that should be good! I need to call them today to see when the classes are available. During the class, they will also be compiling our homestudy. We have to prove ourselves to the state before we can be matched. The entire process, from starting IMPACT to bringing Josie home should take around 14 months. It could be as little as 4 though. We will just have to be ready for anything. Good thing I've been compiling baby supplies for the past 5 years! I will keep you all updated as we travel this road. I can't wait for everyone to meet her!

A little background.

I want to give a little background about our decision to adopt. As some of you may know, five and a half years ago Andrew and I were told that we wouldn't be able to get pregnant because my fallopian tubes were blocked. This was the worst news EVER for me. I have never wanted anything as bad as I wanted a baby. I was only 18 at the time, so while I was distraught about it, it wasn't an immediate emergency for us. A couple years later we decided that we wanted to start a family. I researched every possible option that we had that would let us get pregnant. While I was looking for an answer, Andrew was always calm and sure that we would be parents some day. He was all for adoption since we got married. He always knew it was something that he was going to do at some point of his life. I didn't really have much knowledge about it so I wasn't so sure about it. Well, God totally changed my heart one day when I was watching Andrew's aunt with her 3 little girls, all of whom were adopted. There was something so wonderful about the way that they loved eachother. It was so obvious that Jenna, Jesse, and Gracie were HER daughters. No questions asked. So from that day forward I was 100% sure that I wanted to adopt a baby. Fast forward another year, Andrew and I began attending a new church, Turning Point. Within a few months Andrew was on staff full time and I was learning more and more about what my faith actually meant as well as how to live it out. Pastor Mike and Charla began to encourage us to claim healing over my fallopian tubes. So we did. We prayed and sought God like I never had before. We were so busy with the new youth group though, we had decided that it would be best if we waited a couple more years before trying to get pregnant. Which brings us to this year. In January we decided to go back to the doctor to have a test done where they push dye through your uterus and into your fallopian tubes to see if they were still blocked. We went in and I was so nervous. I believed that God could heal. I had seen other people healed of sickness and disease that was supposed to take their life. But I wasn't sure if God was concerned with healing me. So when the doctor said, "totally clear. Nothing blocking either side," I was in awe! I couldn't believe it. He told us that there was no physical reason for me to not be getting pregnant.
So Andrew and I decided to start trying to get pregnant. But the desire to adopt, to give a child a life that it wouldn't otherwise have a chance at, never left my heart.
I know that adoption is something new for my family. I know that it's not the typical plan to grow a family. But what I do know, is that I have never been more clear about anything in my life. I know that it will be hard. That it will be a lot of work and different. But I also know that if I sit back and do nothing about the plan God is laying out for me, I will never be satisfied. So here we go.