And the list begins!

Over the past several weeks I have been reading the book, Adoption for Dummies which has become a great resource.  I have been borrowing the copy from the library but I think I will actually just purchase my own copy!

Anyway, in reading through the book, I have come to realize all of the things we get to look forward doing over the next few months.  Here are just a few of the fun things we get to do:

  1.  Filling out TONS of paperwork!  First our application, then a more detailed list of personality questions.  From what I have been reading if we were doing an international adoption this would about triple in the amount of paperwork.

  2.  Creating our family profile.  This sounds like it should be fun as it is basically our life stories up to this point and we get to include pictures.  Hopefully our birthmother won't think we are a couple of goobers!  We have tons of camping/hiking pictures so hopefully they don't mind natural settings...

  3.  Getting the "prostate exam" equivalent masked as a home-study.  We will be scrutinized and evaluated pretty thoroughly.   This is to make sure that we can provide a safe, loving environment for the baby and to make sure that we are a stable family unit.  We will have to be clear that the crates are for the dogs and not our version of a "play yard".  :)   Thank goodness too we now have a functional kitchen with a sink and everything.  We probably would not have passed this time last year if we had tried!

  4.  Parenting training classes.  This will actually be great for both of us.  I think it will be good for us to figure out our parenting style before we have a kid but also classes like first aid, etc will be good for both of us.  Scott is so afraid of breaking a baby I want to make sure he is comfortable too as I will not be the only one holding our baby until the age of 12months!

  5.  Decorating the baby's room.  I have already started looking at the furniture and bedding options and trying to envision the room I want to create for our little one.  We have tossed the idea around of a Purdue Boilermaker room as it faces our neighbor's IU nursery...always a rivarly!

  6.  Waiting, waiting, and more waiting.  This will probably be the hardest part.  Once we have filled out all of the paperwork, created our profile, and become active we have to wait to be picked by our birthmother.  I have already been thinking and praying about the woman who will be making that amazing choice to allow us to parent her child.  What a gift she will be giving us and she doesn't even know it yet.  Be patient with me during that time, waiting is the hardest part!

I do find it pretty amazing, the process of adoption.  One line it the book basically said that all of the paperwork and the hoops you have to go through is kind of like our labor for our child.  It is painful, stretches you physically and emotionally and ultimately brings you the greatest gift possible.

So as of June 13th, we start our laboring process, wish us luck!