"The check is in the mail"

As cheesy as that sounds, that is the reality! We sent off the retainer fee for the attorney this week and are busy gathering other supporting documents that will go along with our home study to send him. I should say, busy waiting for our SW to send us a release form so we can get him all the necessary forms. Waiting, waiting, waiting....a theme in our life right now.
Waiting for someone to buy our condo, waiting for a baby...God is teaching me patience everyday....not an easy lesson.

I just emailed the attorney our adoption portfolio, pictures of us, stories of us and our family...I updated our original one, and am not going to try to get real "fancy" with it. Simplicity. Honesty. Reality. Family. I pray that the birth mother that reads our profile and is seeking for an adoptive family will see those things in our lives. Here's a few of the photos in our profile:


Fun at the beach! showing how we cut up at dinner :)


One of my birthday celebrations...Walter with the bunny ears!


Mom and I at her 70th birthday party

Me and my brother Joe

Will post more later...need to get to bed. I can get consumed with reading blogs, looking at pictures, reading adoption sites and more!

Always Song Lyrics | Building 429

This song spoke to me today as I was driving to work, it reminded me that God is with us ALWAYS. We don't always acknowledge Him, but He is there by our side. I know that He is with us on this journey and that in this life we still have a lot to learn. I know that He will guide us and direct us if we stop long enough to listen to His still small voice.

chorus:
Cause I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
He will be with you always

Always Song Lyrics | Building 429 Lyrics | Christian Music Song Lyrics | NewReleaseTuesday.com

Update

I wish when I typed update, that it would be BIG news, but it's not the BIG news that Walter and I and the rest of our family and friends would like to hear. At least not yet anyway. We did meet with our SW for our 18 month home study update. As I type 18 months, I can hardly believe it. At times it seems like an eternity, other rare times it doesn't seem as long.

I do feel a little more hopeful now, at least like we are "doing something" rather than just waiting. Becky told us the plans CSS has to be more public and get information out to potential birthmothers using today's technology rather than relying on the yellow pages and brochures. Of course with anything that requires approval from someone else, this too will take time. But, I am at least happy to see that they do realize that they need to keep current and are taking steps to do so.

So, now we still need a few more pieces of documentation to finish up for the updated home study, but once that's done we can send those on to the attorney and proceed with him. Since he is an attorney and not another independent agency, we can still work with CSS, which is something we weren't sure we could do.

I know all things work together for the good according to God's will and things happen in HIS good time. He knows what is best for us, it is just hard for our human condition to be patient.

I am working on our profile (with photos, etc) again to update it and am getting caught up in the presentation, should I use this particular web site or that one, wanting to make it perfect...but perfection is not required, just sincerity and honesty.

New Direction, New Hope

It's been a while since we've posted to this blog. May 2008 is when we first started in our process of adoption with Catholic Social Services. At times we have been hopeful, but lately just mostly frustrated. Thankfully God knows what we need and has placed people in our lives when we needed it most. Walter has a co-worker who shared her adoption story with us recently and through that sharing, we feel we are being led in a different direction. We have decided to pursue a different avenue towards adoption. We had a conference call a few weeks ago with an adoption attorney from Greenville, SC. He has been working with adoptive families and birth parents for over 20 years. He and his wife also adopted their own children and are therefore very invested in helping couples. We have completed the initial intake form and the next steps are to send him our home study (which is due to be updated), a retainer fee, and our portfolio.
Please continue to hold us in your prayers, in the midst of all of this we are also trying to sell our house and buy a bigger one so we'll be ready when we finally bring home our daughter or son.

Here is a link to the attorney's website www.scadopt.net
Laura

Annual Adoption Picnic

Here we are again, we attended our 2nd Annual Adoption Picnic with CSS. Again, with no child of our own. Last year it did not seem to matter to me that much, it was soon after our home study had been approved, it was smaller and with only our local office. We had a chance to meet one couple who were also waiting and another who had just received their child a month before. We enjoyed talking with them and had a relatively good time.

This year CSS decided to open the picnic to all 3 offices and include domestic and international adoption families. It still wasn't as big of a crowd as I thought (graduation weekend, beach trips, etc) but there were quite a few international families there. That is a whole other story there. The adoption language and the whole process is just different. We met a couple who just had their "dossier registered" in Moscow. Still not sure what that exactly means, but they could have a child within the next six months and travel before then to see the child.
Another parent asked if we had our nursery "all ready"...wow. That kind of, no really, threw me off guard. When we first started this process, I did think for a moment that I would like to pick things out, get a crib, etc. But after talking with our social worker, and going through the adoption seminar, I knew that if we were waitng for 1-2 years or more, I couldn't bear to stare at an empty crib not knowing when it would happen. Lots of emotions for us both today. We felt awkward and out of place. We agreed we would not go back to one of the picnics until we had our child with us.

I've posted before about being patient and wating...it is hard, but I know it is what we must do.
We visited a church today that spoke on the Lord's prayer, HIS will be done. Also, about "living life over there", like living for when we have a child, when this or that happens and not really living for today. It is difficult but I realized sitting there listening to the sermon and the music that I have not fully trusted God with this. I haven't fully given it over to Him. That will be a daily struggle a daily discipline. I know there are many of you out there praying for us and that God has our best interests in His will and plan for our life. We appreciate ALL of the prayers and thoughts and know that you will rejoice with us when we finally bring our child home.

The following verses are both from the book of James that have brought me comfort today.

James 1: 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

James 4: 13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

God has a heart that beats for orphans

My hairdresser Debbie Jones and several women are going to Uganda soon to assess the needs and ministries of orphan care in that area. Caroline's Promise is an organization that supports orphan care and education. Below is a link of one of their posts that I thought was helpful to me and to our family and friends who support us.

While we are waiting for a newborn and not necessarily pursuing adoption of an orphan through foster care or internationally, I feel that we are still responding to the call to take care of orphans. This little baby could be an orphan if we (and all the other couples waiting) were not seeking to adopt and waiting on God's perfect time. We continue to pray for the right situation and timing for us and try to wait patiently.


http://carolinespromise.blogspot.com/2009/03/heart-that-beats-for-orphans.html

While We're Waiting

While I'm Waiting Lyrics
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord


I am usually a patient person...except when I want something badly...I am having a hard time during this waiting period. I know it really hasn't been that long, but if I were pregnant we would be expecting in June. There would be an endpoint. We started this whole process in May of 2008, we were approved in September of 2008. It is April 2009. I know in the adoption world, that is really not that long. But I am anxious to meet the child that God has planned for us. I know it will happen in His perfect time. I know there is a purpose and and a plan for us. So, while we are waiting...pray for us to focus on the message in this song...While I'm Waiting by John Waller. We need to remember to focus on our Creator and His perfect plan for us and be patient.

Laura