The homestudy continues...

The pre-adoption education seminar was very informative, and our first homestudy appointment went much easier than I expected.  Our social worker is awesome!  We already have our next two scheduled for the next two Fridays, and then we wait until all the paperwork is done to have the last at our house.  That's my gentle nudge to get moving on the more complicated packet.  We also got a list of more pre-adoption education we have to do, as well as a book we have to read. 

And for those who don't know, here's a link to our T-shirt Fundraiser:
http://www.adoptionbug.com/babystoddard/

Packet B!

    We have our first appointment for the homestudy on the 20th!  I'm excited, but nervous.  Everything is happening a bit quicker than expected.  We also managed to squeeze in on a pre-adoption education seminar for this Saturday, as the next one isn't until August.  It is a requirement for our homestudy, so nice to not have to hold things up for that.  Packet B includes medical statements (we both have to get physicals), proof of health insurance coverage, birth certificates, marriage license, 5 reference letters, and criminal background checks. 
    Yesterday I spent hours digging up grass and planting flowers, and now have a new appreciation for my Mom's garden.  Wow, am I sore!  I just hope the flowers survive.  Thanks to Sam's Dad lending me a projector, I spent Saturday sketching out Dr. Seuss all over the baby room walls.  It took about 12 hours with a break for lunch, but I got it done.  Now I have to go over it with a Sharpie, and then paint it all!  Pictures to come.  :)

Mother's Day

    Another Mother's Day survived.  That's a terrible way to speak of Mother's Day, I know.  We spent the day celebrating Grammy's birthday, which helped me forget about it in a way.  But it's hard to truly forget when everybody is discussing their kids, grand kids, and great grand kids.  I'm pretty sure everybody at the celebration was either a mother or a father but us.  Yes we are working on adopting a child, but it's still hard to forget the long road we have taken.  Not many people realize just how much we've gone through, which I realize is our own fault.  It's not something that is easily discussed in everyday conversation.
    I've heard a number of times in passing that now that we are trying to adopt I will get pregnant.  In our case, this is physically impossible.  Yes, I've managed to get pregnant once before (resulting in an early miscarriage), but that was after surgeries and much medical intervention for both of us.  We've now depleted our medical insurance coverage and then some, and we are out of frozen "supplies".  So no, I won't be getting pregnant.
    Are we really sure we want to go through all this?  Heck yes!  Five long years of trying, getting ill for long periods of time from fertility drugs, numerous surgeries, and watching our family age around us with the feeling that we are one day going to be alone and never know what it's like...  Just imagine your life, if you are a parent, without your kids.  Wouldn't you give up eating out, stop buying "stuff" you really don't need, sell your collectibles, eat PB&J for lunch every day, give up trips, make your food from scratch, craft handmade gifts for holidays, and goodness knows what else for your kids?  I'm tired about crying about that which can't happen, I'm ready to move on and forward to that which can!  It may be a long road, but the outcome is definitely worth the money and effort.

In other news... we should be hearing from the agency tomorrow to move forward with the home-study!  Hopefully it will be speedy process.  More to come as soon as we know more.  Our T-shirt fundraiser should be up by the end of the week!

Thanks Mom (& Dad!) for setting such great examples for us!  Love you all!