February 23rd.

An Update (finally)!

Hello friends,

February 23rd was the only date I could think about for the past month. I couldn't really think or plan past it. Everything was building up to it. Any favors that were asked, were answered with "After February 23rd." Because on Saturday, Feb. 23rd we finished our home visit! 

Saturday was the day that we sat down with a (vv great) social worker and went through the veritable mountain of paperwork that shows that we are reasonably financially, emotionally and domestically stable enough to be approved to adopt.

Even though we had been through this process before, I was a bit stressed (read:: REAL stressed) about the home visit... in part, I think, because it is a huge step toward actually moving forward and finding the baby that God has in mind for our family, in part because, as Tim would say, I have unreasonable expectations of cleanliness for such a thing, and in part because the last home study was a bit ... how shall I say it?...traumatic.

......a story.....
Once upon a time there was a couple who had been chosen by an expectant mother to adopt her baby girl and who wanted the couple to be at the hospital when the baby would be born. The couple goes through a successful (though, looking back, perhaps a bit awkward and unprofessional) home visit and receives a an email two months before the baby is to be born to check that the home study is correct. Hopeful Momma sends back corrections and waits for a notarized copy.

Then a month before the baby is due, the Hopeful Momma calls, emails and texts the social worker only to get no reply.

Two weeks later and every day for the next two weeks, she calls, emails and texts the social worker, only to get no reply.

Finally, this Hopeful Momma is on her way to meet her new daughter, sitting in a breakfast restaurant in the Phoenix airport and makes a call to her attorney.

"So what happens if she doesn't get the home study back to me?"

"Without a completed, signed home study, you cannot even go to the hospital."

Somewhat hopeless, Hopeful Momma proceeds to cry in the Phoenix airport. But as she sends yet another text to the social worker, she googles "patron Saint of social workers" and says a little intercession up to St. Louise de Merillac as she hits send.

And she immediately replied.

No excuse... just thought she had already sent it.

AND ALL THOSE EMAILS AND TEXTS AND PHONE MESSAGES??? 

Hopeful Momma was too elated to ask that, but she did do a little happy dance through her tears as the waiters tried to avoid staring at her awkward mood swings as they pour her coffee

Finally it was notarized and sent to the attorneys... FINALLY four days later on Katherine Hepburn's, and our lovely daughter's birthday.

Talk about cutting it close. Let us say that we didn't request her services a second time.

ANYWAY, this Home Visit went swimmingly! If you need a home study social worker, I know one to recommend :-)

So, what next? Now we just wait for the state to get our criminal background checks and for it to be written and we will be officially, officially READY TO ADOPT! We have been unofficially officially ready to adopt for some time, but now it is getting real.

Please keep us in your prayers as we make some difficult decisions and as we need to save and raise some more funds to help cover the agency costs that will go to help whatever expectant mother might choose us to be her baby's parents. More on that to come.

God bless you all!
+ Jessi