Adoption Education Day

As I've mentioned several times, we had our adoption education day on Saturday. We really didn't know what to expect going into the day, but it went SO well! There were four couples in the class, and it was fun to meet other couples who are in the same process as us. The day started off with just some general information on domestic adoption, and we watched several videos. We talked about different levels of openness in regards to the relationship with the birthmother, and it was very helpful to have that explained. The beginning of the day was good and enjoyable, but our favorite part was the second half of the day.

We got a lunch break, and when we got back, there was a panel that was going to talk to us. It consisted of several families who have adopted, an adult adoptee, and two birthmothers. It was just SO awesome to hear each of their stories. I wish I could share some of the stuff they told us, but their stories are not mine to tell, and we were asked to respect their privacy. The biggest takeaway for me was that even though they all faced different challenges to get to where they are now, it was all worth it and they've all had very positive adoption experiences.

David and I both left the meeting just feeling very encouraged. Sometimes those kinds of things can be overwhelming and just a major reality check. I think that is necessary sometimes, and it's always good to have realistic expectations, but it was so wonderful to leave with a total peace and excitement about this journey. We love that the agency we're using is so respectful of birthmothers and doesn't try to coerce them into relinquishing their babies. Of course that is very important to us (as I trust it is with most couples who adopt -- I feel like that should go without saying). David and I also want to be very respectful of our child's birthmother, and I felt like this whole day helped us understand where birthmothers are coming from better than we did. Of course every birthmother's situation is different, and we'll definitely take our unique situation into consideration when deciding what the best level of openness will be for everyone involved in our adoption.

I talked to our caseworker today, and she's almost done writing up our home study! She said she is planning on submitting it for approval next week, and we should be approved and officially a "waiting family" later this month! That's so surreal to think about. On one hand, it feels like it's been a long time coming (we started this home study in January), but on the other hand, I feel like this has all gone by so quickly and I can't believe we're really to this point! We have NO way of knowing when our baby will come along (I feel like we have even less of an idea about the time frame than your typical waiting family since we'll be waiting specifically for a child with special needs), but it's just crazy to think that we're at the point where it could potentially be any day. I'm not allowing myself to think like that, though. I feel like for my sanity, the adoption is going to kind of need to live on the back burner of my mind. I think it would just be incredibly hard on me emotionally to wonder everyday if this could be the day that we get "THE CALL." The reality is that this could take years. We just don't know. What I do know is that right now, I have a peace about the time frame. I know that our future and our our baby's future is in the hands of my wonderful, sovereign, good, wise God. He WILL bring our baby to us in the perfect time. I'm not saying that the wait won't be hard -- I'm sure there will be days when I want more than anything to have my baby in my arms. But I pray that because we have such an assurance that this is the right path for our family, we can maintain this sense of peace and calm about the timing.

We are praying for our baby and his or her birth family, and we cannot wait until God brings our paths together.