myeena

Baby Update:

I haven’t written in quite some time. I appreciate the interest many have shown in our little adoption story and I apologize for not keeping you more up-to-date. Many have drifted off from boredom due to my slacking on updates, but I have good reason:

I haven’t had time.

It sounds so lame when I say it "aloud". I used to say that as an excuse for things and believe it to be true…but it turns out that I was dead wrong. Since delving into this little journey of ours-NOW I really have learned what not having time is all about.

We have officially decided to adopt from the foster care system. (DFCS) *GASP* I know. It was a scary thought to us at first, I have to admit. But once you really learn about the process and start looking into it, it seems a shame to go any other way.

There are SO many bi-racial and African American children in foster care awaiting homes. Any child over 12 months who is in any way African American by bloodline is considered special needs. (sad as that is) We are 100% open and willing to take a child in regardless of their race and for some reason...not many are. (Which doesn't make sense to me considering how many people think nothing of going to other countries to adopt a child of another race. BUT that's another blog for another day.) Special needs adoptions are much easier to come by and there is no agency expense to do so. The waiting list for a non-special needs child is 4-7 years. We can adopt a special needs child / family in as soon as six months from the date of the home study completion. Ya.

We are about halfway through our IMPACT training for our home study (week 4 of 7). If you know anything about foster care and / or adoption from foster care, you know why I’ve been gone for so long. It is SO involved (understandably so) and it has literally consumed every spare moment we have had. From filling out 50 pages of paperwork to converting our office to a bedroom…we no longer have what we used to refer to as “down time”.

Not that I’m complaining. I completely understand why things have to be so involved...so detailed. I’m glad those things are put into place for the child’s benefit. I’m just tired. So if you feel that we have been ignoring you…that we have been antisocial…please don’t take it personally. We are either painting, baby-proofing, at an appointment, in a class, being fingerprinted, scheduling, filling out paperwork, looking through photo listings, or doing research. I suppose you could compare it with 9.5 months of pregnancy all crammed into one lovely month. :)

I’ve decided to start a blog JUST for the adoption. I have realized that it’s completely consumed this blog and some people don’t come here for that. Some readers stop by only for that. SO…I’m working on it. WHEN? I don’t know. I have heard that there is someone that will set up the site for free as long as it is adoption-related. I just may take her up on it. I COULD set it up myself and make it all wonderful and pretty…but why not let her do it and I’ll give her a little donation for her time? She does a wonderful job--and I wouldn't have the hassle. The donations go to an adoption fund for her and her husband and I think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s so crazy expensive to adopt. No matter how you go about adoption…it’s costly in one way or another.

I’ll keep this blog posted of the move if anyone wants to follow along they may. If not…it can be our little journal this crazy roller coaster ride to our newest addition. :) Perhaps someday she may want to read all about this experience. Or maybe when she is a teenager, I’ll make her read it from start to finish. I’ll then point out what we had to go through to get her here and she owe us one big time. You know, nothin’ like a good 'ole guilt trip.

Mwahaha.

To top things off--we are also pondering a move as well. We have heard about this house in a subdivision about 5 minutes from Corey’s job that is coming available in December. If it is still open in January we may be walking through. It’s a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath and the neighborhood is great. It has an open layout and a great room so that would be very nice. The biggest complaint I have about the house we are in now is that the rooms are so split up. Well that and the Cracker Jack box bathroom. Ugh. I will definitely not miss that. We can manage in our 2 bedroom but we really do need that third one for an office (or perhaps a daycare room?). We’ll see…

In the meantime…we’ll just keep plugging away filling our tiny brains with all kinds of “handling techniques”, rules and regulations.

If only we could truly learn by osmosis…