Progress Update

Some of you may be wondering where we are in the adoption process, and I am pleased to report that we are homestudy approved! Tomorrow we have our "exit interview" with our agency director. We have not met with the her since February, so I think she wants to meet just to talk about how the process will run from here on out. At the meeting, we will also turn in our adoption scrapbook.

The homestudy has been quite extensive. We officially signed on with our agency at the end of March, and the first step for the homestudy was getting background checks. We had to be approved by the FBI, ABI (Alabama Bureau of Investigation), DHR in Mississippi, and DHR in Alabama. So it's official, we are NOT criminals! It took 8 weeks for all of the background checks to come back to us. In the meantime, we gathered the rest of our paperwork together. We got copies of our birth certificates, marriage license, social security cards, tax returns, etc. We had to have references from pastors, bosses, lifelong friends, and family (which could not include parents "because they have to love us"). We wrote our autobiographies and had to get physicals. We even had to turn in vet records for Sadler, our golden retriever.

We turned all that paperwork in, and once the background checks came back, we had our home visit with our social worker. The visit went really well! Our social worker is so nice and laid back. It took about three weeks to schedule the home visit. So during that time, we worked on our adoption scrapbook. The scrapbook is what the agency shows the birth mothers and is basically how they pick us. Yes, in domestic adoption the birth mother chooses the adoptive parents. The book consists of a letter to the birth mother and lots of pictures of us, family, friends, Sadler, our house, vacations, holidays, etc.

So, that brings us to the present. After our meeting tomorrow, we will officially be a "waiting family." The wait will definitely be the hardest part of this whole process. Although the homestudy has been pretty crazy, it has been nice to have something to do. It made me feel like I was somewhat in control, which brings me back to God's sovereignty. What a comfort that God knows exactly when our little Bunnykins will be in our arms. I can't wait to look back and see how each step of this journey happened in His perfect timing. I know life always does.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Tommy and I have thought of this verse throughout our journey, and I hope that if our precious child ever wonders why he/she was adopted instead of born into our family, that it will be a comfort to him/her as well.