24 Hours & Counting!!!

And thus begins the countdown for my social worker's visit. Tomorrow morning at this time we will be in mid-home visit. So today I am rushing around making sure the house is clean, but not too clean. (I got this from an actual web site that says social workers would worry if the house was too neat, because they would be concerned that the owner wouldn't be able to handle a child's clutter.) Talk about a delicate balance. LOL!!!
I keep looking at Jacinda's room and thinking...have I removed enough stuff to make it look like I am getting ready for her, but not too much stuff so it looks like I am too eager for her arrival... You see her room for the past year and a half has served as a dressing area for me and a storage room for some of my totes. It also is the catch all room when I am having folks over. But this morning I took all of the totes that aren't VBS or Jacinda-related to the storage unit. Out of sight, out of mind.
Actually everything I have read states that most social workers only look around the last five or 10 minutes of the visit and adoptive parents seem disappointed they spent so much time cleaning. So my approach is pretty simple. I am going to clean and straighten like I was having a party with my girlfriends. I think a little clutter is good for the soul because it keeps you grounded.
So with that being said I am off to...do some laundry, dust the living room, buy fresh flowers, vacum and shine up the bathrooms. Then I will tackle the kitchen, take a deep breath and relax!
For some reason deep in my heart, I know this is all going to go JUST FINE!

Update on Fire Inspection

So I just got off the phone with the fire marshal's office...and here is the story on that piece of the adoption puzzle. They have had my request since April 11...there is just one man who does it and he works 19 hours each week. He is responsible for daycare inspections, inspections for foster homes and adoption inspections. The lady who answered the phone said that there is a lot of people adopting in Frederick and he has been inundated with requests. She said sometimes the fire safety inspection takes two hours, so at times he only gets 10 done a week and they are getting 10 requests a day. I told her that it was really the only thing I was waiting for and she said she would put a little highlight on it and try to get me moved up the list. Luckily my social worker had already put the due date as ASAP, so hopefully that means he will move quickly to get the home study written up after Thursday's appointment. So if you would, just say a little prayer that Bud the fire guy, will heed the highlighting and give me a call SOON!

Mission Possible!!

Two Fridays ago, Ethiopia felt like it was galaxies away. There was so much to do and so many things that felt like they were just out of reach. I was almost paralyzed with the have-tos that I couldn't even begin to think about the should-dos.
But I am excited and a little proud to say that almost all of my paperwork is done! So far I have completed the following:

1. Adoption Agency Application
2. Home Study Agency Application
3. Information Release
4. Immigration paperwork and fingerprinting
5. Signed Home Study Agreement
6. FBI Fingerprinting
7. Maryland State Police Fingerprinting for Gold Seal Letter - Adoption
8. Child Abuse & Neglect Registry Clearance
9. Medical report for Home Study
10. Income Tax Returns
11. Financial Statement
12. Copy of birth certificate
13. An environmental inspection
14. Autobiography
15. Employment Verification
16. Four reference letters
17. Family Profile
18. Maryland Driving Record
19. Guardianship Plan
20. Child Support Enforcement Clearance
21. 10-hours of pre-adoption training
22. Adoption Agency Employer Reference
23. Adoption Agency Medical Health Verification
24. Written statement of agreement with post-placement requirements

Which leaves the following:

1. Home Visit - which is on Thursday
2. Fire Safety Inspection (Hope the fireman calls me soon!)
3. Statement of why an Ethiopian Child is preferred
4. Home study agency's commitment for post-placement requirements (should get on Thursday)
5. Banker's Statement (getting on Thursday - thanks MOM!)

Five more things and all I will have to do is wait, oh and...dream about my daughter, finish her room, register her for the right daycare class and about a million other fun things that I have waited my whole entire adult life to do!

My point is that just when I thought I would never be done, it turns out this is all actually, really, truly, going to HAPPEN!!!!

In the beginning there was a dream...

I find it hard to believe that it has only been two months since I started my adoption journey. So much has changed and I've come so far. Here is the e-mail I sent out to family and friends announcing my decision at the end of February...it just seemed an appropriate way to begin this blog!


Well it seems like I have spent a lifetime of waiting to send this announcement and yet as I start it, I am really at a loss for words. I have some amazing news to share with you dear friends and family. For some this will come as no surprise and for others it may seem out of the blue, but I wanted to let you know that I have made the decision to begin the adoption process for a little girl in Ethiopia. Amaye means mom in the Ethiopian language, Amharic. Although I don't know her name and haven't seen her face, the seed of love has already been planted as I begin the process.

Being a mother has long been one of my heart's deepest desires and I have celebrated with each of my friends who have traveled the road before and now it is my turn. I was going to wait until next year, but the time is now right for me and I am sending in my initial paperwork to the agency I have selected at the end of this week.

Just as a pregnancy takes time to develop, so will the adoption process. There will be paperwork, fingerprinting, a home study, the wait for a referral, court dates, waiting for approval and finally travel. My agency currently list the wait time as six to nine months, which means my daughter could be home before the end of the year. However, depending on which way the wind blows things could change and it could take longer. I am aware and ready for the journey.

I am hoping to adopt a little girl between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. I am asking you to pray that the Lord would protect my daughter until our hearts can be joined in the bond of love and family. And my hope is that you will welcome her into your life as you once welcomed me.

Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions about my decision and the process.

Thank you again for sharing in this journey!