WE ARE OFFICIALLY A "WAITING FAMILY!!"
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| Special thanks to Kerri Cutting Photography for donating their time and talents to us and doing this awesome photo shoot! |
This is a VERY big deal for us! It means that all the paperwork, the training, the reading/homework, and the visits are all done and we have been APPROVED for adoption by our agency!
So, you're saying, "Hey, that's great! So how long are you going to have to "wait"? Well, that's not so easy to answer. There are many scenarios and factors that play into it. Generally, we're told that the average wait time is about 12-18 months. It could come sooner, or it could take much longer. We'll have to leave that in God's hands.
Here's how it tends to work: Typically, the agency will try to "match" expectant mothers/couples who are choosing adoption for their child with couples like Rachael and I who are "waiting families." If we fit the profile that the expectant parent(s) are looking for, our profile book (which is a book that tells all about us, our family, where we live, why we want to adopt, etc.) is shown to them along with a few others and they will choose which family they want for their child. Since only one family gets chosen per showing, most couples (including ourselves) choose not to know whenever their book is shown, thereby eliminating any heartbreak that may occur whenever you are "rejected."
For this reason, things tend to settle down quite a bit during this time and their is little communication with our agency until we get "the call." If we are chosen by an expectant parent(s), then, because we are willing to have an open or semi-open adoption, a time and place will be set to meet each other. Think of it like a blind date, only they've had a little bit of a chance to check you out first, but you know almost nothing about them. Anyway, maybe I can share more about that in another post.
So, bottom line for today is, we are very happy and excited to be where we are now. Again, this might be a long wait for us, but we are hopeful it will not be. We do ask that you all continue to pray for us during this time. Your prayers and encouragements and support of what we are doing gives us strength and hope and helps us in times when we are emotionally tapped out (it happens far more than we care to share.)
One other piece of good news about where we are now, is that we can start applying for grants! Most grants (if not all - because I haven't found one that stated otherwise) require as part of the application a copy of our home study report. So we can work on that to help with additional fundraising, which we still very much need. We're just a bit past the halfway mark in our fundraising, and most of it is gone now due to recent payments. Let's just say that our most recent payment was the largest check I've ever written! What's truly awesome and absolutely AMAZING about that is that we were able to cover the full cost of that payment because of the extreme generosity of others who have donated to our fund or purchased shirts or necklaces over the last few months. We are SO grateful to you and wish we knew how to thank you all properly! Every gift, big or small, helps bring our child home! I so wish we could express what it means to us.
I'll try to do posts more often, but honestly, our summer has been so extremely busy. Work has been crazy for both Rachael and I as we were preparing for the start of school and fall semester, not to mention the work we had to do for the adoption. Now our sites are on things leading up to and into the holidays. In addition, we have to start preparing for the reality that we could be called any time now about a possible match or "stork drop" and have to drop all we're doing. Our lives could change very quickly at this point, and that's a bit scary, but obviously exciting at the same time.
Keep us in your prayers! Love you all!
David & Rachael
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