Random thought of the night, it took us 9 months to get ourselves finally on the waiting list to our children. It's like we "birthed" the waiting list! Ok, so that sounds kind of corny! But it is exactly what I thought!
Years ago adoptions happened within 9-12 months, from start to finish. Not so anymore. First I had thought the paperwork part would take only 3-4 months, I was very wrong, and most of that time this length was due to waiting for others to finish things. 9 months later we were more than relieved that the homestudy/dossier paperwork was done, and more than a little frustrated too that it had taken so long. When you read others stories, a "wait" for a child is typically measured from the time the couple is officially on the waiting list; therefore, we have been waiting 2 days now. When you put it like that, it sounds like we are just beginning this process! But no, we have 9 months already under our belts, plus the months of praying before that point trying to decide if this was where God was leading us.
The paperwork is now over, well, for the most part. We hope to start looking into Grants soon, and of course once we are referred to a child there is more paperwork. But now is a time to "relish in the waiting." This is our time to pray, read, think, talk, gather, live, and over all - try not to go crazy!
I have been sitting at my sewing machine tonight, making some really fun looking Owie Owls (still playing catch-up which is much easier now that the paperwork is done!), and my mind has been thinking about "The Wait": How long will it be? Will we be referred siblings? What age and gender will they be? How will Caleb take this wait? Am I going to be on an emotional roller coaster or can I stay strong? This is just the beginning of my numerous wandering thoughts.
I spent time reading a blog tonight of a couple that are also adopting from Ethiopia. They have recently met their baby girl and are eagerly waiting their second visit when they can bring their little girl home. They have been on the wait list for 33 months. whoa. 33 months?! I went back to one of their first blog posts and they said it was predicted their wait would be 12-18 months... can you even imagine the rollercoaster of emotions they have been on? That would be really rough. I know that our wait could be up to 3 years - not that I'm excited about this prospect - but knowing this sure does help me keep my feet grounded. I can't imagine waiting yet another 1.5 years on top of that. (http://lovinmuch.blogspot.com/ - they have a beautiful blog, check it out!)
This couple did know from the start that they wanted a baby girl, which is part of the reason their wait took longer. We have a higher chance of bringing our children home sooner because we are willing to take older kids and have slightly wider parameters on the health of the child, so hopefully that holds true and we bring them home much sooner than three years. That being said though, I started feeling jealous reading their blog. They KNEW that they would bring home a baby girl, so they started buying gear and setting up a bedroom long before they even had a referral. I'm so very anxious to learn the ages and genders of our children! When I garage sale, I am already tempted to look at girl's clothing and new toys, and the baby/toddler clothes at stores look oh so tempting lately - but then I quickly knock myself back to reality and realize that for us, this will be part of our wait. The wait of complete unknown. Something I doubt I'll every feel completely comfortable with, but know that the Lord will give me strength to cope with.
Alright - two posts in one day - craziness. I just peaked in on Caleb and didn't recognize him laying there with his buzzed hair. oy! Not sure how long it's going to take me to adjust to his new look! Speaking of a sleeping kid, that's probably what I should be doing too!
Years ago adoptions happened within 9-12 months, from start to finish. Not so anymore. First I had thought the paperwork part would take only 3-4 months, I was very wrong, and most of that time this length was due to waiting for others to finish things. 9 months later we were more than relieved that the homestudy/dossier paperwork was done, and more than a little frustrated too that it had taken so long. When you read others stories, a "wait" for a child is typically measured from the time the couple is officially on the waiting list; therefore, we have been waiting 2 days now. When you put it like that, it sounds like we are just beginning this process! But no, we have 9 months already under our belts, plus the months of praying before that point trying to decide if this was where God was leading us.
The paperwork is now over, well, for the most part. We hope to start looking into Grants soon, and of course once we are referred to a child there is more paperwork. But now is a time to "relish in the waiting." This is our time to pray, read, think, talk, gather, live, and over all - try not to go crazy!
I spent time reading a blog tonight of a couple that are also adopting from Ethiopia. They have recently met their baby girl and are eagerly waiting their second visit when they can bring their little girl home. They have been on the wait list for 33 months. whoa. 33 months?! I went back to one of their first blog posts and they said it was predicted their wait would be 12-18 months... can you even imagine the rollercoaster of emotions they have been on? That would be really rough. I know that our wait could be up to 3 years - not that I'm excited about this prospect - but knowing this sure does help me keep my feet grounded. I can't imagine waiting yet another 1.5 years on top of that. (http://lovinmuch.blogspot.com/ - they have a beautiful blog, check it out!)
This couple did know from the start that they wanted a baby girl, which is part of the reason their wait took longer. We have a higher chance of bringing our children home sooner because we are willing to take older kids and have slightly wider parameters on the health of the child, so hopefully that holds true and we bring them home much sooner than three years. That being said though, I started feeling jealous reading their blog. They KNEW that they would bring home a baby girl, so they started buying gear and setting up a bedroom long before they even had a referral. I'm so very anxious to learn the ages and genders of our children! When I garage sale, I am already tempted to look at girl's clothing and new toys, and the baby/toddler clothes at stores look oh so tempting lately - but then I quickly knock myself back to reality and realize that for us, this will be part of our wait. The wait of complete unknown. Something I doubt I'll every feel completely comfortable with, but know that the Lord will give me strength to cope with.
Alright - two posts in one day - craziness. I just peaked in on Caleb and didn't recognize him laying there with his buzzed hair. oy! Not sure how long it's going to take me to adjust to his new look! Speaking of a sleeping kid, that's probably what I should be doing too!
Goodnight Friends & Family!
Thanks for helping us get through our 9-month paper birth. Now onto the delivery!...
In Christ,
Mara
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