things around here

Tonight I sat with a friend in our nursery-hopeful. She and I talked about paint colors and how strange it will be for a baby to finally be there. It was a good time.

Hubband is currently working a stretch of night shifts (10pm-6am) and I am spliting the time between his schedule and a really late version of a normal schedule. You know, waking at lunch time? We've also been taking turns being sick. Or out of town. Good stuff. Anyway. If only we could get somewhat consistent or routine we could manage.

I really appreciate those of you who are still checking in on me. It's really encouraging and uplifting to hear from you. And I definately need it! I am making a pact, right now (at 3:21 am, and whenever you are reading this) to start the final two steps within 10 days. So please, if you read this, check in with me and keep me accountable to our little one who waits for us. I can't explain it, because for so long I have been so desperate, and yet lately I have felt almost cold towards our journey. I'm not sure if the Lord has been giving me a gracious vacation where other things occupy my mind or what, been it has been strangely far away. The rest has been good but I am ready to go on.

March on!

we're still here

Thanks to those of you who are constantly checking in on me/us. Hubband remains a calm and distracted man, unbothered by the state of our adoption. He's too busy loving his new job to deal with the downer of a crazy wife.

I, on the other hand, am taking my very last final ever this evening. Which means I'll have one fewer distraction to keep my mind off the state of our adoption.

I am feeling better though. I am encouraged to see some travel calls and some referrals. Those are always good news, great news.

I can feel it, we're about to move on.

halt on all progress

I've been in and out of town all this past week. It certainly did not help me feel any better and so I am still sick. When I returned back home, I had a visual stack of emails in my inbox from our new social worker. Let's just say that none of it was good news.

There are several things missing from the homestudy and we'll need to redo so many things. At this point, it's like we've lost the last four months. It's actually like we're starting completely over.

I know that we will have a baby.

It just seems so far away.
And to be honest, it's incredibly hard watching others continue to start after us and pass us, finish paperchasing, climb up waitlists, and accept referrals.
I may need to take a sabatical from the blog community for a while.

Learning to really lean on Him.

done and done

Our homestudy visit was great. She was on time! She was professional! She was personable!
It was great. She said the homestudy would be done hopefully by the end of next week.

In the meantime, our rep from AGCI said that we could send our dossier to be checked out. So yay.

Bummer is that I am miserably ill. So I have a dr appt in an hour. Then tomorrow I have to get another marriage certificate (luckily it's only ten minutes away and no lines!) and get another copy of J's physical health goodness.

I hate being sick.
But I love having progress on adoption!

good feelings

Ok, so referrals for a boy, a girl, and a sibling set.
This is awesome!
Since I found out about all this today, and since today is our new homestudy appointment, I am taking it as a good sign.

Now, if only I had enough time to clean my house like I did the first go around. Oh well. Since I've had a three year old around lately...I know there is no sense in cleaning it today (she is here) and that it really doesn't matter anyway.

But, I really am going to start cleaning now.
Think happy thoughts for us tonight!

resolution, part 1

We finally received some resolution today. Our homestudy cannot be accepted because one of the agencies refused to sign a cooperating agency agreement. The thing I don't understand is why it took a month to decide they wouldn't sign it. Sheesh.

Good news: Because AGCI is so great, they've already selected and contacted another Homestudy Agency to fix our problems. Luckily, I have all the documents needed for the HS from our dossier packet (which I still have all ready to go...minus the HS) so we only have to fill out new autobiographies. We're scheduled to meet next Wednesday. Our new social worker said they can have everything put together about a week after our meeting. I am excited about this because I'm pretty sure that means none of our forms are out of date yet.

I did realize today that we made our first contact with AGCI to get contracts 9 months ago. If you would have asked me then, I would have told you we'd at least have a referral by now, if not travel plans.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. And so far, instead of binge eating, I did some binge shopping. I was already out playing when we got the call from AGCI...and since there was no place to sit but a fitting room, well, I had to have some clothes to try on. The truly exceptional part of this story is that since the Lord already knew what was happening, he had me someplace really affordable. I was able to purchase this fabulous pair of shoes, as well as three (yes three) pairs of pants...all for $8.98 each.

I'm going to go and wear my shoes now because I truly believe they'll help me feel better.

Oh, and about the job. Well, they said I should hear "at the end of next week". Well, that week is now this week...and I think that Thursday should serve as the end...but it's not. Hopefully I'll have some news tomorrow. Pray hard though, because I am realizing just how much I want this job!

until 3p.m. to grow up (links fixed)

Courtesy Michelle's blog (www.mfamilyblog.blogspot.com)
"But these things I plan won't happen right away.
Slowly,
steadily,
surely,
the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow, be patient!
For it will surely take place.
It will not be late by a single day."
Habakkuk 2:3

While it's sometimes hard to agree with God's word, at least you know He's good for it. I'm choosing to take hold of these promises. I'm also trying to choose not to focus on adoption so much. There are plenty of talents I've been given and I need to do something with them.

Today at 3pm (central) I will be at a big girl job interview. That's right. A real, grown-up job*. I'm very excited about the prospects this job brings. You can check out the organization here (www.arrow.org).

Did I mention that I'm excited? Think happy thoughts, big girl thoughts, and send up a little prayer for me if you would please!

*This is such a big girl job that I had to go and get a business suit -- a fancy one -- just for the interview. No regular suits here. I even had it tailored. See. This is serious business. I'm still excited though. Yay!

three weeks of bumps...and a bruised heart

Hi blog families. Just a little warning, but my heart is really aching tonight.

I received our biweekly update from AGCI. Since they put into effect the new wait list stuff, there are now
31 families waiting for a little girl
25 families waiting for a little boy
10 families waiting for a sibling set

There have been zero referrals in the last four weeks.

We're not even waiting yet. It's been three weeks with no word about what to do to fix our issue.
I am totally bummed.
: (

bigger bump...ugh!

Well. Today was a day of weird news. So we've been waiting for our social worker to get the paperwork from our agency for a while now. She got it. And read it. And realized that she can't fill it out because she's not a 501c3 (non-profit).

I called AGCI and they said to forward it on to Little Flower Adoption Agency. (Backstory: our SW can operate as a satellite SW of that agency, even though they are based four hours away and she is like ten minutes. She did all of our visits and such, we just filled out extra paperwork, etc. for the other agency, too. Sounds more confusing than it is.)

We notified our SW of the plan and asked her if she would go ahead and forward it to Little Flower. Turns out they are not a 501c3 either, according to her, because in the state of Texas, placing agencies do not have to be.

AGCI says this is not good.

I tried to get ahold of Little Flower today without luck.

An interesting opportunity presented itself yesterday to work with The Arrow Project. They are one of the main agencies dealing with the Eldorado Mess. I am starting to wonder if all of our adoption stuff is not working out because I should take this opportunity with The Arrow to work with those kids. I'm feeling a little lost and confused lately, so am praying for some answers from either our adoption front or The Arrow front so that I can move in the direction that is actually going to take us somewhere!

Thanks for all the encouragement. Lately I just don't know how to feel about much of anything.

did you hear the good news?!

Yay! So things are feeling better today. I got this amazing email today from our case manager at AGCI. From now on, families do not have to wait for their FDL to get on the list. That's right. I know, there's hope for us yet!

Someone reminded me just the other day that while this is all in God's hands and His perfect timing, there is no reason that I can't (or shouldn't!) tell the Lord how I feel and ask for a miracle. Then again, isn't it already a miracle that He's located our missing family all the way in Africa? Wow. God is so good. And today, so is AGCI.

Dear Wait List,
Hi. We'd really like to meet you and be part of what you're doing. We've been having some issues lately but are working to resolve all of that. We are excited to learn that your club is not as exclusive as it once was...so we're hoping to rush right out and pledge as soon as we can. Get ready and make some room for us, please!