Quick Adoption Update

We received a call yesterday that our Home study has been moved up! We will have a one day home study because our case worker is retiring soon and wants all her open cases done. So next Tuesday she will spend the day with us looking at our house, doing all the interviews with us etc. Then she will write up our home study and after that we will be certified to adopt! The greatest thing about this is that we literally could have a baby any time after that. It could be 2 days it could be 2 years. with Foster care adoptions its not a hop on the list and wait, its pretty much when a child meets your guidelines that's legal for adoption...you have a few meetings/visits, then the overnights start, then home visits, then court.

Our guidelines are Newborn-Two years old. We didn't specify a gender or a race. This has been a HUGE discussion amongst our families and Todd and I really prayed hard about this decision.

When God called us to adopt, we both knew it. It was if he was standing in front of us giving us clear directions. Neither of us heard "international" although we did pray for it. We, on our own, thought agency infant adoption. But that wasn't His plan. His plan was a foster care adoption and that was made clear to us during our Adoption classes. So, after much prayer we felt that we couldn't put a limit on a gender (although Todd and Madyson really want a boy and Aubrie wants a girl...I just want a healthy one!) nor race. We are all children of God. We teach our children to love others regardless of skin color.
And whatever child God chooses for us, He chose for a reason. And we will love that child forever.

So why did we choose an age range? Simple. We wanted to stay in birth order. Madyson is a very, very good "Big Sister" she takes that role very seriously. Aubrie Kate is now use to the idea (after 2 years of talking about it) about becoming a big sister. She knows our baby isn't growing in Mommy's belly, but in someone elses and that it might come to us and big a little bigger than a tiny baby or it might have brown skin, or yellow skin, or pink skin (she says she has pink skin) but it was created just for us.

So, after months of prayer we felt that staying in birth order was the best choice for our family.

Now the fun begins! With the knowledge that we could have a baby anytime we have to prepare somewhat. But since we can't buy clothes, diapers, or such..we are just gathering the basics (bed, a few outfits...etc)