Mommy's been kinda busy with some work things this week, so she hasn't had a lot of time to read my mind. Hopefully this weekend, she'll get a few mintues. She told me that she loves to read my mind and put down all my thoughts, so I know she'll do it. Until then, here's a little update from the end of last week.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Since I already told you a lot about this day, I just thought I'd just say that I loved meeting my Uncle Phillip and Aunt Ellen. They told me they are going to teach me how to play hockey someday, but I need to grow a little first. From what Mommy and Daddy said about the dinner Aunt Ellen cooked, I know that if I get to eat her cooking a lot, the growing part won't be a problem.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Today I got to spend a lot of time with Daddy, as Mommy had to help the 4-H kids with their Interview Judging Day. Some day, I'll get to be in 4-H and find out what this was all about. Until then, I know that Mommy really seems to like those 4-H kids, so they must be good people. I know she wouldn't leave me for just anyone, so they must be really special.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
More time with Daddy today, as Mommy and the 4-H people went to put all the projects on display. The 4-H members did a really good job! They got lots of pretty colored ribbons, and 8 of the projects will get to compete at the State Fair. I hope I get to have a project go to the State Fair someday. Wouldn't that be cool?
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Today was just a lazy day around the house. Daddy had to make sure he had his mind and his clothes ready to go back to work tomorrow. I know Mommy will miss him, and having his help, but she and I will do just fine toghether. I don't even care if she takes a shower or not - I just want her to love me and feed me and change my diaper. That's all that really matters in life, right?
Friday, August 3, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Caden's Capers - Week 1
Well, today marks 1 week since I have been at my new home - my forever home. I really like it here. This week has been a little busy, but mostly just a lot of time spent with my Mommy & Daddy.
Thursday, July 19, 2012 - Gotcha Day!
Last Thursday was my Gotcha Day - you can read more about that in the post that my Mommy wrote last week.
Friday, July 20, 2012 - Just Chill
On Friday, Mommy and I just stayed home, but Daddy had to go in to his work for a little while to make sure I got added to something called insurance. Mommy & Daddy's friend, Mary came over and helped while Daddy was gone. But, since we are doing this thing called cocooning, Mary only got to meet me. She didn't get to hold me yet. Mommy & Daddy say cocooning is to help me learn to know them and know that they will always take care of me. We are trying to stay home a lot, we don't get to watch the TV (at least not with the sound on - Daddy has found the closed captioning) and our visitors are limited. This helps me to learn Mommy & Daddy's voices, and know that they will be there to meet all of my needs.
Saturday, July 21, 2012 - A little field trip
Today, we went for a little outing - at least that's what Mommy & Daddy said. I slept the whole time, so I don't even remember. We went to my favorite store, Babies 'R' Us to pick up a few things. I guess I'm a messy eater, so Mommy wanted to get some more burp clothes. And she also wanted to find a carrier for me, since I like to sleep close to her. I know this will help her when Daddy goes back to work in a week. She tried the Baby Bjorn - it was really bad. It had no back support for her, and my legs just hung there. She's going to take that thing back!
Sunday, July 22, 2012 - Nesting
Mommy was a crazy cleaning woman today. I had to hang out with Daddy most of the day - which was just fine with me - because she wanted to clean everything! I guess she just wants to make me feel welcome, and also make sure I don't get sick. That crazy dog Susie sure does have a lot of hair. But I like her anyway - she likes to lick my bare feet - that tickles! In the afternoon, Mommy & Daddy's friend Debbie came over to bring them some dinner. I guess sometimes when there's a new baby in the house, it is hard for Mommy and Daddy to find time to make food for themselves. I'm just glad that they make sure I have food, because I sure do like to eat.
Monday, July 23, 2012 - A BIG DAY!
Today was a big day for me. We took a car trip to a lot of places. First, Mommy and Daddy had to get some pieces of papers signed by a special person so it made their signatures legal. Then, since we were at Mommy's work to do this, we had to go meet Mommy's office assistant. After we left there, we headed to the day care center to make sure they still had a spot for me when Mommy goes back to work, and also give them some money. They were so nice - they didn't make Mommy and Daddy give them any money, because of our special situation, and they also remembered us from when Mommy and Daddy had made arrangements for my big brother Luke to go there too. They were so understanding and happy for our family. Then, we went back to my favorite store - but I didn't get to go in this time. Daddy just ran in to take that silly carrier back. After that, we found an even better store to buy a new carrier for me. The ladies there were so nice, and they let Mommy try the carrier on with me in it. Mommy really likes it - as a matter of fact, I am in it right now sleeping away. I guess Mommy and I communicate by telepathy, since I'm sleeping :-) After that, I had seen and heard enough of the outside world for one day, and I just wanted to go home. This was a long day for me, and I slept for a long time when we got home.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - Bath Time & Doctor
Today was another big day for me, but not quite as busy as yesterday. Mommy and Daddy gave me my first bath at my new home. I really liked it. The water was warm and they held me so I felt really comfortable. I loved the little fishy sprinkler cup they used to help rinse me off. After my bath, Daddy fed me while Mommy tried to give me a mani/pedi. She was really nervous, and it took her longer to do my nails than it takes Twee to do her nails - and Twee puts on polish! After my bath, we had to go to the doctor. Mommy and Daddy just wanted to make sure I was doing ok, even though I had gotten my two month shots last week. I am doing ok. I weigh 9 pounds and 9 ounces already. I really like to eat my formula.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - Photo Shoot
All week, Mommy has been talking about taking my picture. Last night, she went to Target to get a few things, and she found a really cute little outfit that said "Worth the Wait" on the front. She thought this would be perfect for some pictures, so she dressed me up and we went to my room for my big photo shoot. I did not dissapoint Mommy & Daddy - I smiled and giggled and had all kinds of fun while that contraption Daddy was holding made these funny clicking noises. I smiled at that too. After the photo shoot, Mommy and Daddy decided this would be a great day to take me for another walk, since it rained last night, and the morning air was fresh and cool. . (We had gone for a walk on Friday too, but it was really hot then. I cried.) Today our walk was a lot better. We took Susie along with us, and she seems to like walking along side of "the Bob" (that's the nickname for my fancy stroller). I think she likes to protect me. Mommy says this will be good when Daddy goes back to work and can't go on walks with us. I know Mommy can handle both of us - I'll be good, but I'm not sure about Susie :-)
Thursday, July 26, 2012 - Just hangin' around
Today, we are just hangin' around the house again. Mommy and Daddy are taking turns holding me so that they each can get a few chores done. I get to meet my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Phillip tonight - I'm pretty excited. They are coming to meet me and cook dinner for Mommy and Daddy. I can't wait, and Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to it too. Oh, I should tell you about my boxing match. It was with a yellow duck with blue wings and a black & white tummy. I was giving it heck this morning while I was chillin' on the floor. I would take a swing at it, and every time I got it, Mommy and Daddy would cheer, so I just kept swinging. I think they had just as much fun watching me punch that thing as I did punching it.
Well, that's been my week... Stay tuned. I will try to write again - hopefully Mommy will have time to read my thoughts again soon.
Love to all my family & friends,
Caden
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Fast Forward & Full-Speed Ahead
Today was "Gotcha" Day!
Caden was born on May 17, 2012 and he weighed 5lbs. 1oz. He was 18" long. He dropped a few ounces before he left the hospital, but is up to 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21" long as of his doctor's appt. this past Monday. He had a good check-up on Monday, and besides the fact that he is a little small for his age, the doctor said he is doing just fine.
He is a good eater, and is very wide-eyed. He looks around all the time while he is awake. Today, we put a mirror in the pack-n-play, and he gazed at his own reflection for quite some time. We also discovered he likes to play peek-a-boo. He was all smiles. He has blue-gray eyes and the little bit of hair he has is actually quite red.
We have some photos taken by his cradle care dad somtime between Saturday and today. (Cradle care is a temporary home for the baby once birth mom makes up her mind that she wants to place baby for adoption, but adoptive parents are either not yet identified, and/or during the "paperwork" period.)
Sorry we can't post any photos, but we had to sign an agreement today saying that we will not post any photos or identifying information to any internet sites, and we would not want to jeaporadize the process by violating our agreement. Also, we can use his first name only on these sites, but it may just be safe to say "baby boy" or Holli and Chris' son. This is only until the adoption is finalized, which will be in about 6 months. Until that time, we can email you with pictures and we will do our best to do this as frequently as we are able to find time. Just let us know what address - most of my (Holli's) contacts are saved on my work computer, and I am not planning to go there for at least a little while.
So, you probably want to know a little bit about how yesterday and today "went down"...
Well, at 8:25 AM yesterday (Wednesday, July 18, 2012) (I looked at my phone for the exact time) the phone number for American Adoptions came up - on the other end was Jessica, a social worker who works with birth parents telling me that she had a potential "match" for us and would like to tell me the details. I couldn't believe what I was hearing - does this really happen? In only 2 weeks and 1 day? I asked her if she could conference Chris in, because I knew he was at his desk - I had just called him to find out if he wanted me to pull something out of the freezer for dinner. Jessica conferenced Chris in and she told us about birth mom and baby.
So after, we hung up from talking with Jessica, Chris came home immediately, and on his way we talked on the phone about this possibility. I think we had already both made up our minds, but we wanted to say it to each other in person. When Chris got home, we made a list of just a couple more questions to ask Jessica, and we called her back at about 9:11 - we had to leave a message, but she called us right back at 9:15. (gotta love the cell phone) We asked our questions and then we accepted the match. We had officially started the process! What a whirlwind! We each called our moms - of course both grandmas were overjoyed! Then the craziness really began - we had emails to receive with paperwork to be signed and notarized, funds to get wired and a whole bunch of other stuff to get in order. The phone was in constant use as we started to let everyone know, including bosses and some co-workers. I think I said Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh about 1,000 times throughout the day, and I know at one point I literally jumped up & down for joy!
We had been told that we would likely meet and pick up Caden on Thursday afternoon, but as we were running an errand for Holli's work (previously scheduled), we got a call from the placement agency here in Colorado stating that they wanted to meet with us today, as in now or as close to now as possible. (that would have been Wednesday) to do a "formal presentation" of the birth mom and baby. This was just going over the paperwork (which we had already seen from American Adoptions - it all gets a little crazy with so many agencies involved) and having us sign a few things. Quite honestly, I don't really remember what we signed yesterday. They also wanted us to go to the home of the cradle care providers to meet Caden - REALLY? Holy Cow! They suggested that we leave an item of ours with them so he could have it overnight to start to get used to our scent. We had nothing with us! So, we decided to give them the "shirts off our backs" (literally) and we headed to the nearest Target store to pick up new ones. Then we were on our way.
We arrived at the office to hear the presentation, then we headed not far away to meet Caden for the very first time. We just couldn't believe this was all happening. We got to spend about an hour and a half with him, just holding him and talking to him and beginning to fall in love. What a sweet baby he is. We are just so, so lucky and blessed. As reality set in of all the things we still had to accomplish, we decided we needed to leave and head home. We decided we would go out to dinner - probably the last time for a while - and then it really started to sink in - we had a lot left to do! We finished up, went to Walmart to gather a few supplies (can't imagine doing this if we didn't already have a nursery in place) and then headed home to pack & prepare. We finally hit the pillow around 11:00 PM - not too bad. Chris slept well (lucky him!) and thanks to some Tylenol PM, I got about 5 good hours.
Today, we got a pretty early start so we could be at the agency in Aurora by 9:00. We had one errand on the way and then we went to sign all the legal paperwork. After that was finished, we headed back over to the Cradle Care home to officially become parents. We held a short little ceremony where a candle was lit and some poems were read, and then we all shared wishes for Caden's life. It was sweet and emotional. Believe it or not, this was the first time I had cried in the whole process.
After picking Caden up, we had a little bit of time as our new family, so we picked up some lunch and went to find a nice, shady spot under a tree in a local park to just hang out together. Caden was sleeping at this time so we just got to enjoy watching him sleep. We had to be back to the agency offices by 12:30 to meet birth mom and birth dad. We fed Caden a little bit before we left the park, and then headed out. Shortly after we arrived at the agency offices, we were introduced to birth mom & birth dad. We had actually spoken to birth mom the night before for just a few minutes on the phone, but this was the first meeting in person. Of course, it was nerve-wracking and a bit awkward, but we were able to share some small token gifts with birth mom and birth dad and answer a few questions of one another. After about 30 or so minutes, we wrapped up the meeting and we were on our way shortly - but not until after a diaper change. Caden let us know he needed that! :-)
We were on our way home shortly and we got here around 2:30 and we've just been enjoying our new baby ever since. We just feel so lucky - he's sleeping soundly now (9:50 p.m. our time - I started this at about 5:00 and have had a few interruptions) and we are just preparing ourselves for the night ahead (getting formula measured into bottles and putting the cradle in our room, etc...) Chris is reading up in the "What to Expect" book, because much to his dismay, my maternal instincts and babysitter training ump-teen years ago did not include the encyclopedia / timeline of when a baby sits up, crawls, and starts to eat solid foods. Sorry honey!
Well, I hear someone stirring...
Love to all,
Holli & Chris
Caden was born on May 17, 2012 and he weighed 5lbs. 1oz. He was 18" long. He dropped a few ounces before he left the hospital, but is up to 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21" long as of his doctor's appt. this past Monday. He had a good check-up on Monday, and besides the fact that he is a little small for his age, the doctor said he is doing just fine.
He is a good eater, and is very wide-eyed. He looks around all the time while he is awake. Today, we put a mirror in the pack-n-play, and he gazed at his own reflection for quite some time. We also discovered he likes to play peek-a-boo. He was all smiles. He has blue-gray eyes and the little bit of hair he has is actually quite red.
We have some photos taken by his cradle care dad somtime between Saturday and today. (Cradle care is a temporary home for the baby once birth mom makes up her mind that she wants to place baby for adoption, but adoptive parents are either not yet identified, and/or during the "paperwork" period.)
Sorry we can't post any photos, but we had to sign an agreement today saying that we will not post any photos or identifying information to any internet sites, and we would not want to jeaporadize the process by violating our agreement. Also, we can use his first name only on these sites, but it may just be safe to say "baby boy" or Holli and Chris' son. This is only until the adoption is finalized, which will be in about 6 months. Until that time, we can email you with pictures and we will do our best to do this as frequently as we are able to find time. Just let us know what address - most of my (Holli's) contacts are saved on my work computer, and I am not planning to go there for at least a little while.
So, you probably want to know a little bit about how yesterday and today "went down"...
Well, at 8:25 AM yesterday (Wednesday, July 18, 2012) (I looked at my phone for the exact time) the phone number for American Adoptions came up - on the other end was Jessica, a social worker who works with birth parents telling me that she had a potential "match" for us and would like to tell me the details. I couldn't believe what I was hearing - does this really happen? In only 2 weeks and 1 day? I asked her if she could conference Chris in, because I knew he was at his desk - I had just called him to find out if he wanted me to pull something out of the freezer for dinner. Jessica conferenced Chris in and she told us about birth mom and baby.
So after, we hung up from talking with Jessica, Chris came home immediately, and on his way we talked on the phone about this possibility. I think we had already both made up our minds, but we wanted to say it to each other in person. When Chris got home, we made a list of just a couple more questions to ask Jessica, and we called her back at about 9:11 - we had to leave a message, but she called us right back at 9:15. (gotta love the cell phone) We asked our questions and then we accepted the match. We had officially started the process! What a whirlwind! We each called our moms - of course both grandmas were overjoyed! Then the craziness really began - we had emails to receive with paperwork to be signed and notarized, funds to get wired and a whole bunch of other stuff to get in order. The phone was in constant use as we started to let everyone know, including bosses and some co-workers. I think I said Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh, Oh My Gosh about 1,000 times throughout the day, and I know at one point I literally jumped up & down for joy!
We had been told that we would likely meet and pick up Caden on Thursday afternoon, but as we were running an errand for Holli's work (previously scheduled), we got a call from the placement agency here in Colorado stating that they wanted to meet with us today, as in now or as close to now as possible. (that would have been Wednesday) to do a "formal presentation" of the birth mom and baby. This was just going over the paperwork (which we had already seen from American Adoptions - it all gets a little crazy with so many agencies involved) and having us sign a few things. Quite honestly, I don't really remember what we signed yesterday. They also wanted us to go to the home of the cradle care providers to meet Caden - REALLY? Holy Cow! They suggested that we leave an item of ours with them so he could have it overnight to start to get used to our scent. We had nothing with us! So, we decided to give them the "shirts off our backs" (literally) and we headed to the nearest Target store to pick up new ones. Then we were on our way.
We arrived at the office to hear the presentation, then we headed not far away to meet Caden for the very first time. We just couldn't believe this was all happening. We got to spend about an hour and a half with him, just holding him and talking to him and beginning to fall in love. What a sweet baby he is. We are just so, so lucky and blessed. As reality set in of all the things we still had to accomplish, we decided we needed to leave and head home. We decided we would go out to dinner - probably the last time for a while - and then it really started to sink in - we had a lot left to do! We finished up, went to Walmart to gather a few supplies (can't imagine doing this if we didn't already have a nursery in place) and then headed home to pack & prepare. We finally hit the pillow around 11:00 PM - not too bad. Chris slept well (lucky him!) and thanks to some Tylenol PM, I got about 5 good hours.
Today, we got a pretty early start so we could be at the agency in Aurora by 9:00. We had one errand on the way and then we went to sign all the legal paperwork. After that was finished, we headed back over to the Cradle Care home to officially become parents. We held a short little ceremony where a candle was lit and some poems were read, and then we all shared wishes for Caden's life. It was sweet and emotional. Believe it or not, this was the first time I had cried in the whole process.
After picking Caden up, we had a little bit of time as our new family, so we picked up some lunch and went to find a nice, shady spot under a tree in a local park to just hang out together. Caden was sleeping at this time so we just got to enjoy watching him sleep. We had to be back to the agency offices by 12:30 to meet birth mom and birth dad. We fed Caden a little bit before we left the park, and then headed out. Shortly after we arrived at the agency offices, we were introduced to birth mom & birth dad. We had actually spoken to birth mom the night before for just a few minutes on the phone, but this was the first meeting in person. Of course, it was nerve-wracking and a bit awkward, but we were able to share some small token gifts with birth mom and birth dad and answer a few questions of one another. After about 30 or so minutes, we wrapped up the meeting and we were on our way shortly - but not until after a diaper change. Caden let us know he needed that! :-)
We were on our way home shortly and we got here around 2:30 and we've just been enjoying our new baby ever since. We just feel so lucky - he's sleeping soundly now (9:50 p.m. our time - I started this at about 5:00 and have had a few interruptions) and we are just preparing ourselves for the night ahead (getting formula measured into bottles and putting the cradle in our room, etc...) Chris is reading up in the "What to Expect" book, because much to his dismay, my maternal instincts and babysitter training ump-teen years ago did not include the encyclopedia / timeline of when a baby sits up, crawls, and starts to eat solid foods. Sorry honey!
Well, I hear someone stirring...
Love to all,
Holli & Chris
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Interviews Complete
We just finished the last of our home study interviews this morning. We've been meeting with the social worker pretty much every week for about the last 3 1/2 weeks, and now were done. So here's the most embarassing moment of them all. So, our social worker got to the house this morning a few minutes before our appointment, so she sat in her car waiting - as she was sitting there, our neighbor across the street decided it would be a good time to stand in front of his sliding glass door to talk on the phone - IN HIS UNDERWEAR! (Imagine a red-neck Santa Clause looking guy - white beard and belly - standing there in his whitie-tighties - but they were blue.) Yes, we all got a pretty good laugh over it - but oh my goodness - how embarassing! Why today? Oh well - it was pretty funny.
Now, we wait. Again. Our social worker said it will take her about 4 weeks to write up the report. (She works part time.) Then, we will have the chance to read it over and sign off on it. In the mean-time, we will be gathering photos and writing answers to a bunch of questions so that our profile (both print and on-line) can be created. These need to be submitted soon, so as soon as our home study is approved, we can be activated and our profile can start to be shown to potential birth parents. We will also be attending a training in early June.
So, that's it right now - more waiting! That seems to be the constant in this whole process.
Now, we wait. Again. Our social worker said it will take her about 4 weeks to write up the report. (She works part time.) Then, we will have the chance to read it over and sign off on it. In the mean-time, we will be gathering photos and writing answers to a bunch of questions so that our profile (both print and on-line) can be created. These need to be submitted soon, so as soon as our home study is approved, we can be activated and our profile can start to be shown to potential birth parents. We will also be attending a training in early June.
So, that's it right now - more waiting! That seems to be the constant in this whole process.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Paperwork complete... for now...
Today was a good day - I put the packet in the mail today - the one with all the documents that the home study agency wanted (well, except for the ones they forgot to send us and the one our insurance company needs to fill out). All total, it was a list of 30+ things that we sent them, of which several had to be notarized or witnessed. (Thank goodness for the list!) Many of the items were 1 for each of us and we each had to have our fingerprints done too. But I feel really good. I worked on paperwork all day Saturday. I filled out most of the forms and Chris read and signed the ones he needed to. We did a few other things too (fixed the fence, went to church, visited Luke) the usual weekend stuff, but we devoted most of the weekend to getting through all of the paperwork.
We both went to the doctor on Tuesday for physicals. In my mind, I was thinking, "Really?" Haven't I been to the doctor enough over the past 2 years? But the doctor was great about it - just looking over all my recent visits, and not torturing me with any of the "you should exercise" lectures. He just filled out the form for me. He basically did the same for Chris.
We had a call with American Adoptions yesterday to go over all of the information we submitted in our questionnaire - the Adoption Family Specialist was very positive about the information we had provided. She felt we seemed very open in our preferences, which is good. Now, we just have to get started on providing them with all of the stuff they are asking for... a bizillion photos (if you have any goods ones of us - together or individually or with you - please send them!) and answering about 1000 questions so they can start to create our profile that will be shown to birth parents. And all of this while working on our home study too. Hopefully we will get a call early next week to get our home study appointments set up. I know we will likely have 3 or 4 appointments with the Social Worker. At least one of those will be here at the house. Guess we better get to cleaning. There goes any fun plans for the weekend.
We both went to the doctor on Tuesday for physicals. In my mind, I was thinking, "Really?" Haven't I been to the doctor enough over the past 2 years? But the doctor was great about it - just looking over all my recent visits, and not torturing me with any of the "you should exercise" lectures. He just filled out the form for me. He basically did the same for Chris.
We had a call with American Adoptions yesterday to go over all of the information we submitted in our questionnaire - the Adoption Family Specialist was very positive about the information we had provided. She felt we seemed very open in our preferences, which is good. Now, we just have to get started on providing them with all of the stuff they are asking for... a bizillion photos (if you have any goods ones of us - together or individually or with you - please send them!) and answering about 1000 questions so they can start to create our profile that will be shown to birth parents. And all of this while working on our home study too. Hopefully we will get a call early next week to get our home study appointments set up. I know we will likely have 3 or 4 appointments with the Social Worker. At least one of those will be here at the house. Guess we better get to cleaning. There goes any fun plans for the weekend.
Friday, March 9, 2012
EHS - a medical (or maybe mental) condition
Ever heard of it? You might have had it at one point or another - symptoms include inability to sleep because you can't stop thinking about things (hence the reason I am writing this at 5:00 AM!), what seems like hundreds of things to do, a feeling that you can't possibly get it all done, etc... The official name is "Exploding Head Syndrome" and I know I must have it right now!
We chose our home study provider this week, and their "packet" arrived in the mail on Wednesday. Of course I opened it - what was I thinking? I should have waited until the weekend to do that - when I would have more time. But I don't want to wait. I want to get everything done ASAP. I have been waiting all my life for a baby! If I wait, it just takes longer.
I started going through the stuff - OMG! Why do they need to know that?! I know that every person who has ever adopted or fosterd a child has had to answer all of these same questions - but sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. We just want to love and care for a sweet child. We didn't have to do this when we were pregnant with our own - why now? But Chris, the logical, rational one in the family put it into perspective for me. I know we don't think the same way, and that's a good thing. (I think the EHS is blocking any logical thinking in my head right now.) That's why we are good together - balance.
So, let's get on with it! Make a list - that's logical right? Start checking things off the list - another logical step. EHS - you won't keep me down! I'm sure that I will have recurring bouts of EHS at times. (I can already imagine what the week before the Social Worker comes to the house will look like.) But I can deal with this. I have just one more day of work to get through and then I can start to concentrate on making the list.
If you'd like to delve into some of this information with us, I would recommend a website for adoption books called Tapestry Books. (www.tapestrybook.com) They have all sorts of books on all topics surrounding adoption. Of course you don't have to purchase them - just head to the library or get on Book Mooch - an online "library" located at www.bookmooch.com - thanks Sue Stuever Battel for introducing me!
All I can say is TGIF! And we have no major plans for the weekend - well, except all the paperwork. :-) But we will get through it - one piece at a time. Happy Friday everyone!
We chose our home study provider this week, and their "packet" arrived in the mail on Wednesday. Of course I opened it - what was I thinking? I should have waited until the weekend to do that - when I would have more time. But I don't want to wait. I want to get everything done ASAP. I have been waiting all my life for a baby! If I wait, it just takes longer.
I started going through the stuff - OMG! Why do they need to know that?! I know that every person who has ever adopted or fosterd a child has had to answer all of these same questions - but sometimes it just doesn't seem fair. We just want to love and care for a sweet child. We didn't have to do this when we were pregnant with our own - why now? But Chris, the logical, rational one in the family put it into perspective for me. I know we don't think the same way, and that's a good thing. (I think the EHS is blocking any logical thinking in my head right now.) That's why we are good together - balance.
So, let's get on with it! Make a list - that's logical right? Start checking things off the list - another logical step. EHS - you won't keep me down! I'm sure that I will have recurring bouts of EHS at times. (I can already imagine what the week before the Social Worker comes to the house will look like.) But I can deal with this. I have just one more day of work to get through and then I can start to concentrate on making the list.
If you'd like to delve into some of this information with us, I would recommend a website for adoption books called Tapestry Books. (www.tapestrybook.com) They have all sorts of books on all topics surrounding adoption. Of course you don't have to purchase them - just head to the library or get on Book Mooch - an online "library" located at www.bookmooch.com - thanks Sue Stuever Battel for introducing me!
All I can say is TGIF! And we have no major plans for the weekend - well, except all the paperwork. :-) But we will get through it - one piece at a time. Happy Friday everyone!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A Bittersweet Day - A New Journey Begins
Week 1 - Information Overload
Last Tuesday, we applied to American Adoptions (AA) - a national adoption agency located in Kansas that specializes in Domestic Infant Adoption. Our initial application was accepted, and now we are in the INFORMATION OVERLOAD stage of adoption. Who knew how much stuff there is to learn! It is CRAZY! Because AA (no that is not Alcoholics Anonymous - but we may need that by time we are done with all of this!) is not licensed in Colorado, we need to find a Colorado agency to do our Home Study - which will likely take 6-8 weeks - maybe longer. This digs into our history, finances, our house itself (better find our cleaning supplies and rubber gloves!), requires background and fingerprint checks, etc... In addition, we have to complete a very extensive Adoption Planning Questionnaire (APQ) with our preferences for our future child. (ie: race of baby, our acceptance of smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use of mother during pregnancy, etc...) We also have to complete information so that the agency can put together our print & on-line profiles. This includes gathering lots of photos, and also working on our video profile. All of these steps have to be taken before we are even officially activated with American Adoptions and our profile can begin to be shown to potential birthmothers. If we seem a little out of touch and overwhelmed over the next couple of months, WE ARE! Pray for us - we will need it as we travel this path.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
