Pregnant on Paper

I guess I am pregnant...on paper.  I like being pregnant on paper, no morning sickness, no random cravings, no morning sickness. I think I have packed on a few pounds during this paper pregnancy, but that I can fix in 9 months..not wait 9 months to fix.  Pregnant on paper has different symptoms: writer's cramp for instance.  You would not believe the paperwork!  It is astounding.  If you've ever bought a house then you know how much paper gathering and signing that takes.  Well multiply that by 4!  We are nearing the end of our home study portion of our paperwork and then on the BIG stuff.  :o)

Here's what our process boils down to (in case you are wondering):
Adoption Application (done)
Home Study (getting there-this requires financial statements, adoption classes, fire inspection of our home, employment letters, referral letters, interviews, etc.)
Dossier (French for lots more paperwork which includes a psychological evaluation)
Dossier Translated into Spanish
Dossier sent to Colombia for referral
THEN Colombia will match us up with a child
We get referred a child and we will get to see his picture and medical records.
When we accept our referral then we buy 4 plane tickets to Colombia and get packed..we leave in one week.
We stay in Colombia for 4-5 weeks, BUT we get our child on day 5 and he'll stay with us the rest of our stay.
Then we fly home.  When the plane hits American soil our little one is ours forever.
Post Adoption paperwork to make him a US citizen, etc.
Post Adoption follow up for the next few years on our adopted child.

While all of that is going on we'll be having benefit dinners, auctions, garage sales, trying to learn Spanish, teaching our kids about Colombia, taking adoption classes, and so on.

This is an exciting time and I just want to thank you for being a part of it.
More to come.

Jeri

Stick Family

Today I got little stick people stuck to the back of my van.  Please notice the dad, mom, 2 boys, a baby and our two dogs.  I love that we have our new little guy as part of our happy stick family.  He IS part of our family.  I can't even describe to you the love I already have for this little boy.  It is absolutely amazing.

Can't wait to meet you little guy!!!

Funny

We have two dogs.  One little black dog, Mylo and one little white fireball, Levi.  During the winter we at times put little shirts on Levi mainly because he looks cute it little shirts.  I removed one of these shirts from Levi the other day so that I could do his laundry and my 3 year old, Jadon said "ha ha Levi is naked."  How funny it is to think that a dog looks silly without clothes on when it is perfectly normal for dogs to be "naked" all of the time.

I have for a while now, considered myself a mother of 3.  We talk about our new little one like he'll be here any day (which we know is not true).  Right now I feel "naked" I need to have my third little boy to "clothe" me and make me feel complete.  Boy, I can't wait till I can see him!

Decisions

Colombia or Honduras?

It came to our attention that the parent age requirement for adopting from Honduras is 25..not 30 as we previously thought.  So we again sat down and had to decide if we were going to stay with Colombia or adopt from Honduras where we actually have friends living and working in an orphanage.

Honduras requires 3 trips that are one week each.  After meeting your child you would have to leave him twice before finally bringing him home after the 3rd trip.  Rip my heart out...seriously.  With Colombia we would go once, get our child on day 5, and then have him for the entire time we stay in country and finalize paperwork.  Both countries would cost about the same, so truly this is our may reason for stay with Colombia.

Talking about this over dinner one night I said out loud "leaving our little boy in country would just break my heart." Jadon listening to our conversation piped up and said "oh, mamma, I don't want your heart to be broken."  Me neither buddy.  This process is going to be difficult the way it is.

Every country has hundreds of children sitting in lined cribs waiting for adoption.  If you have any aspirations about adopting or supporting an orphanage please do so.

While typing this Jadon came over and handed me some nickles and quarters.  He said "here mamma, this is for my new brother."  Be still my heart!

So, Colombia, you still have my little boy somewhere.....