march update!

i truly cannot believe it's march 2nd! moreso, i truly cannot believe we are in month four of our adoption journey! it seems like we just went to our initial meeting last week! it's been a busy four months, and we're thankful that they've gone by so quickly. this is the perfect time to give you a BIG update with everything that's been going on...

we were able to start our home study two months earlier than we anticipated. this had been our prayer since our training on december 12th. we were thrilled when the lord said yes and opened the door for our home study to start in february. we got the email on january 29th that we would have our first visit on february 3rd...five days later!! needless to say, the next five days were an absolute blur getting all of the little house projects done that we thought we'd have several more months to take care of. we planned our three meetings for the first three tuesdays in february. they all went beautifully. we were so encouraged throughout the whole process. our case worker is WONDERFUL. seriously. we love her. we miss seeing her once a week! she has walked with us every step of the way, educated us, listened to our questions and fears, and prayed with us. there are not enough words to describe how thankful we are for our case worker and the entire bethany staff. we knocked out our three meetings, including our one-on-one interviews (we made one trip, but i guess that's technically four meetings), and as of last thursday WE ARE APPROVED!!

what does that mean? it means we were approved to adopt a baby. our case worker wrote up every piece of information we had given her - and let me tell you, she now knows us better than WE know us. once the home study was written up in document form, our case worker passed it on the the state director for approval. she signed it on thursday morning, and we found out thursday afternoon that we were officially a waiting family! we could literally get a call tomorrow.

where do we go from here? well, the answer is not very exciting. basically, we wait. there are a few difference scenarios for how our adoption will play out:

1. we could be chosen through a recruitment email: the director (not our case worker) could email all of the waiting families in the state (28 of us) with a situation. those of us interested would reply. the birth mother would choose from the interested families.

2. we could be chosen through an office visit: an expectant mother could go to any bethany office in south carolina, flip through the waiting families' profile books, and choose that way. our case worker would call us and tell us we had been chosen.

3. we could be chosen through the internet: all bethany families are on their website. an expectant mother from anywhere in the US could see us and choose us.

4. we could get a call about a baby already born: should a birth mother decide in the hospital (after birth) to make an adoption plan, she would be given profile books to choose from. if she chose us, we would literally get a call to tell us our baby is waiting for us at the hospital.

in any of these situations, the most important thing to remember is that any of them could end with us leaving the hospital with a baby or with an empty car seat. mothers cannot sign relinquishment papers until at least 24 hours after birth. during that time, she can change her mind - even if she has promised us we will parent her baby. i don't even want to think about that.

for now, we're keeping ourselves busy. even though we've only been official for four days, i have to fight the urge to refresh my email and check my phone every three seconds. if i think too much about it, i really could make myself crazy. anyway. so far, we have done a little bit of baby shopping. we want to have some things ready should we get a call on a random wednesday morning! friday night my unbelievable 1st grade team surprised me with a little baby shower! talk about crying buckets! i was so shocked and could not be more thankful. they made me feel like a mama, and if you've ever adopted you know just how precious that feeling is. they surprised me with an baby bathtub FULL of onesies, the most adorable hand-sewn burpees i've ever seen, toys, and all kinds of goodness! it's so surreal to walk into the nursery and see baby clothes hanging in the closet! we finished painting the nursery last night, have picked out all of our colors/bedding, and ordered our travel system. it feels good to be doing things for the baby. we've also picked out a girl name and boy name. we know that this process could still be extremely long and difficult, but we trust that god knows where our baby is and will take care of her until we meet her.

we are so appreciative for so many people who have become partners in this adoption with us. thank you!

keep praying for...
-our wait (that it would be short and productive)
-our birth mother (that she is healthy and taking care of herself and the baby)
-our baby (that she is healthy and developing normally)
-our finances (there were some expenses we didn't account for, and we still need to cover a few thousand dollars. we are sending out grant applications this week. pray that the lord would bring in this last little bit of money.)