the beginning

So, I am new to the blogging thing, but I decided I wanted a record of this experience so I had to go retroactive.  Right now (March 2012) we're headed to Taiwan in just over a week, but I wanted the story from the beginning.  It was so informative and inspiring to read others' experiences.  

July 12 2011

This is the detailed step by step of adoption.  Yesterday I spoke with our case worker finally and was able to ask lots of questions.  My two main ones were re: us already having 2 kids in the home which she said should work fine because if we adopted 3 there would be 5 total.  Seems a little random…whether we would have 5 total or 6 total, but I respect that she has been doing this for a long time and probably knows what she is about.

The second question was about how many young siblings she has placed, or was it just siblings generally?  She said that in 10 years, she has placed 2 or 3 sets of siblings although she is seeing more now.  We have always talked about adopting siblings because we have 2 bio kids and I would want an adoptive child to not be outnumbered.  I don’t want to do paperwork and all that over and over.  We wanted a larger family; why not find siblings and keep them together?

So the social worker came last night and stayed for almost 3 hours.  She basically asks questions and types as we answer so that it appears she is writing the home study as we go along.  I think Tom was a bit overwhelmed by how much one must put out there…how you were raised, disciplined, present relationships with siblings. 

When we said our family prayer last night, I asked Heavenly Father for an eternal perspective on these decisions and I immediately felt peace and an overwhelming feeling of ‘it is okay’…I tried to communicate all of those feelings to Tom.  It feels big and concerning, but I realized with these few episodes of praying and immediately seeing changes of heart that Heavenly Father can literally overnight help us see more clearly-his will, his perspective, a grander more glorious vision of this process and its end results.  We can do and feel whatever He helps us to feel and that can carry us through.

July 8, 2011

So I have been researching and praying re: adoption and health questions.  It all started with the two sibling groups, and I’ve had my eye on the 3 young siblings from the original email in June.  Lots of general adoption reading, sibling reading, international reading, health concerns reading.  I want to do what’s right…what Heavenly Father wants for us.  And I’ve been praying…praying for me to see clearly, to be able to let go of these little guys if that’s right, to be able to discuss openly and able to pinpoint where we are.

July 3,2011

Just about a month ago, I opened the adoption agency family finders email which had information on their new Taiwan program and listed 2 sets of young siblings.  We had started with this agency when we first moved to AK a few years ago, but the process was stalled for various reasons.  I forwarded it to Tom and all of a sudden, he was interested…very interested.  Interested enough to say, “go and get it done in 2 weeks” interested.  So this month I have been tracking down information, restarting this process, making phone calls, gathering documents, getting physicals and in all ways researching what to do.  He’s on board!  Maybe a month or two ago, I had asked Heavenly Father, Is this really going to happen or should I just let go of it?  Is it time to move on?   Maybe this isn’t what’s right for us, and if so, I can deal with that.  If I know, I can just move on.  And shortly thereafter, this is what happened. 

At present, I have most of the documents for a home study done.  Since I’ve done it all before, it’s been relatively easy.  When I started in the fall of ’08, I was definitely overwhelmed trying to find a new doctor, get an appointment, just tracking stuff down.  But this time, it’s been easy (so far).  I’m not naïve enough to think that it will remain easy, but I am grateful that it has been thus far. 

Once a home study is done, we are on better ground to state interest in particular children, so I am trying to be patient to see what the landscape looks like at that point.

I joined a few yahoo groups and have read millions of blogs and stuff and that has been inspiring.  Right now, I am just trying to look at the big picture—who will be available, what our chances are.  I don’t want it to sound like some kind of lottery…what will happen will be in Heavenly Father’s hands.  I need to remember that and trust in it.  I just received more information about additional waiting children, and the new 2 sets of siblings that were listed are older than the previous 2 sets that were in the agency’s original information.