Adopting in Ashburn

We drove past OneLoudoun today and the carnival was all set up again. This week in our adoption journey feels like riding the Zipper. If you've never been on this most fabulous of carnival rides, each car goes around a central point (like a Ferris wheel, but elliptical), and the central point mechanism rotates, and each car is on its own axle so it can flip forwards and backwards as well. It's basically awesome, except when using it as a metaphor for a journey. We put an inquiry in for a pair of siblings. They accepted the initial application and said they'd be back in touch within 15 business days. Three weeks doesn't seem like that long when you are waiting for your children - if you actually get selected. If not, then you just lost a month of summer waiting to be rejected; stealing time away from us actually getting matched. Now, before you go all crazy telling me to trust in God's time, thanks. The thing is, that sometimes you are waiting 15 days and nothing...

I am such a fan of Netflix original series. The number one reason is, of course, strong content. The second reason is that when the new seasons come out, they come out all at once and I can watch as much of them as I please. When I saw they were re-making the Anne series, I knew I found a treat. Seeing the movie Annie  (the good one, with Carol Burnett) is what first made me want to adopt kids (at some ripe, single-digit age). It just seemed terrible to grow up in an orphanage. Reading the Anne of Green Gables  books and seeing the Canadian television series as a kid made me convinced it was a good idea. I loved the Avonlea stories so much, that for years we watched the Disney (?) series and my parents got me lots of Avonlea-themed books. Anyway. I was watching Anne with an "E" on  Netflix tonight and it made me "longful." The hardest part about this part of the process so far (because at two weeks into the matching phase, I'm sure there are plenty more pa...

We are still waiting to be approved, but with all of the paperwork finished, my mind has moved on to getting our home ready for future children. Number one on the list is working with our dog, Beckett, so he won't be aggressive to people who try to come in the door. He is a lover, but we really want him to get along with our future children (and any guests they try to bring over). Number two is a massive garage sale. There is so much stuff stored in the playroom and guest room closets that absolutely cannot stay there should we bring a child home. Part of the process is just packing up things we don't need and organizing them so I can find them again if they go into a crate (like all of my crafting supplies, sheet music, quilting fabric, VHS tapes I still haven't converted to digital, and a small library worth of books). It isn't that the games and age-appropriate books can't stay in their rooms, but all of the training says things will be destroyed or broken. If ...

I recently got to meet with our case-worker for the next step in our home study; the individual interview. Step 1: Write an auto-biography. This part came a bit more naturally to me as I (obviously) have some experience writing about my life for others. It was a bit weird though because I was supposed to frame the piece around 13 questions my case-worker was particularly interested in. My tip for those going through the process : be as thorough as possible and don't worry about anyone besides your case manager seeing it. This is just a tool to help them know what to ask you. Step 2: Try not to freak out as the date approaches. Wildly, epic-ly failed at this. My advice:  Find someone else to tell you how to not get nervous for things that have a big impact but are seriously not that big of a deal, because my husband will confirm that I suck at this. :) Step 3: Arrive freakishly early. Stopping for lunch included, there will potentially be absolutely NO  traffic the day...

There are a LOT of scary things happening in the world right now (particularly if your world is America and you appreciate science and using facts as a method of logical argument). I could focus on that. I am focused on that. But at some point, to have a life I enjoy, I have to talk about the good things happening in my world too. The best thing happening in OUR world right now is that our family is about to get larger by at least one small person. That's right, we are planning g to adopt through U. S. foster care. We're hoping to adopt a child between four and eleven years old. So far we have taken classes through Northern Virginia Family Services about how to be a good parent to children coming from the foster system. We gave a large check to Catholic Charities to begin our home study, and we filled out piles of paperwork. The home study is going to a new level this week as I have my first one-on-one interview. I'm anxious and excited to get started. My motivation f...