Paperwork

This picture was taken over Thanksgiving. We went back to California to visit family. This is us at the Zoo. Ever since we got back we have been doing paperwork every chance we get. There are so many questionaires to complete that it can be overwhelming but we are trying to take it one step at a time. This week I plan on getting our police clearances done and making our doctor's appointments. If I have a chance I may look into getting myself a passport.
Kurt and I are also spending a lot of time learning everything we can about Ethiopia and adoption. We both feel like we are on the tip of the iceberg as far as collecting information. We are working towards finishing our online course through CHSFS. The course has really helped me to think about aspects of adoption that I haven't thought of yet. We feel like we are walking around the world just a little bit more aware. I am almost done reading "There is no me without you." It is a heartbreaking and amazing story of Ethiopians orphans. I am going to recommend it to our family and friends. I keep wondering where our child is, if they are even alive yet, only God knows.

The Start

Kurt and I began looking into international adoption in June 2006. We atttended several meetings and did a little research. At this point we were still trying to get pregnant. It wasn't until October of 2006 that we got some hard news about a genetic abnormality we had. This was the point that we decided to move ahead with international adoption, specifically Ethiopia. So we went forward with a lot of prayer and hope that we would be able to adopt a baby soon. We also ordered lots of great books. We are both reading through the books. It is amazing how much we have already learned. All of this occurred as we moved across country. Patience set in again when we had to wait to get to our new home state, Tennessee, to get started with the home study. Thankfully all worked out well and we made it here quicker than originally expected. One week ago we had our first meeting with our social worker. We've spent the last week completing the applications for the local agency and placing agency. Those were sent out two days ago! Our next goal is to get all the Home Study paperwork completed.