Mixed Emotions, again!

Wow, sometimes life is such a roller coaster. My good friend, Sue, is going through a really tough time as her mom had a massive heart attack and they are facing tough decisions. I so want to be there for her. Jake had a good day at school and golf. He will play Monday to see if he can move up to Varsity. Noelle apparently had a bad day after three "fabulous" days. She was very emotional and not able to really articulate why. And in the mail I find a letter from Homeland Security. I was not supposed to send a personal check but a cashier's check. Up and down, up and down. I need to head back up to the hospital but this is so therapeutic. God's plan is perfect: for Jake, Noelle, Maxine and our new baby. Who I cannot wait to hold!!

Getting excited!

Today we mailed our I600A, a petition to the US government for permission to adopt. I also called our social worker. She was actually working on our home study when I called. All of our referrals are in, and she expects our criminal checks any day. She will be emailing AoH and us a copy of our home study very soon. All of this moves us much closer to being ready for a referral. I am anxious to hear from AoH since they should have received our application on Friday. My understanding is that the office is pretty much empty right now as many are in Liberia. It is exciting to follow the stories as they get to meet their precious children. I am so excited to meet the child that God has set aside for our family.

Reality Check

Noelle and I have had fun searching through other blogs this morning and learning how to update ours. First reality check, we are way behind with family photos. Jake has grown at least four inches this summer and is taller than me, by about those same four plus inches. Noelle is growing up fast too, and looks much more like a middle schooler than a fifth grader. Second reality check, our adoption may be on a different time schedule than we originally thought. We were not aware of the issues with visas, etc. Jake may be relieved, as he has been the slowest to warm up to the idea.

Adoption quest

August 22nd. Our 20th anniversary and the day we entered the adoption process "for serious"! We mailed our application and most of our dossier to Acres of Hope. Now we have just a few things to finish up and then we wait for a referral. Now that I have done more research on AoH's Yahoo group I have many mixed emotions. This is so exciting with so many unknowns.