Time to Wait

It's that time. The home study is done, the family profile complete. We're officially in the waiting room, waiting to be chosen by a birth family.

The last time around, the 'waiting room' was undoubtedly the most challenging part of the process. We were incredibly anxious. In fact, I distinctly remember the day our wait began. We hung up the phone with Pact and held our breath... maybe 'the call' would come right away?! The wait seemed like forever (in reality it was 6 months, which is actually pretty good). 

We are of course extremely excited about this second adoption, but the anticipation is a bit different this time around. Not sure if this is because we are focused on parenting Ezra (who can be quite the handful) as opposed to anticipating what parenting might be like; or perhaps because we know a bit more of what to expect. The 'call' could happen in a matter of weeks, but this is not something we really anticipate happening. Much more likely will be a wait of at least a couple of months. It could be a year or more.

Because Pact does not typically work with families living overseas, it will be interesting to see how birth families respond to the idea that we live in Cambodia. Some may see it as exotic, others may see it as weird.

As of this moment, I feel prepared to wait. But then again, let's see how I feel in a couple of months. I'll keep you posted.

It's that time again.

It's that time again. Starting paperwork for adoption #2. More details to come.

Situation Update

So here's the latest. We're in a match (yay!). Baby boy was born here in Northern California on Sunday. We got "the call" from Pact yesterday evening and have since talked to birth mom on the phone. Mom (who I will call "M") and Baby are both doing well - healthy, resting, no complications. We're heading out of town and over to the hospital to spend some time with them this afternoon. They are expected to check out of the hospital Wednesday morning, and relinquishment will likely happen around that time as well.

SO... Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Nothing is final until after relinquishment and then finalization, so there are still some significant steps before this actually happens, and we of course want M to feel assured in her decision.

As you can imagine, we are a bit overwhelmed and anxious, but also SUPER excited.

Pray that everything goes well today with M - that we feel comfortable with one another, don't let our nerves overcome us, and that we are able to develop a relationship based on trust and understanding, which will be really important as Baby gets older.

I'll continue to give updates as we know more.

P.S. Several of you have left comments and somehow I've managed to delete them - I'm in a bit of a fog I guess, and didn't realize what I did until it was too late! If you can, leave them again! We love comments and would love encouragement! x

Babies

As Production Not Reproduction (another adoption blogger I follow) wisely put, the way we usually celebrate Mothers Day (and Fathers Day, Valentines Day, for that matter) distinctly divides people into two categories - either you're an insider, or you're an outsider. You're a mother (father/valentine), or you're not a mother (father/valentine). If you aren't necessarily desiring to be an insider, this may not be a big deal. If you are, it's a whole different story. Personally, as someone who is currently "in-between" (though sometimes feeling inadequately in-between since I don't have the "belly" to prove it) - not quite a mother yet, but hoping and praying to be one very soon - I wasn't sure what feelings and emotions to anticipate as Mothers Day came closer.

I decided early on that I didn't want to sulk. This was much easier said than done of course - Genilson and I did have several melancholy moments on our way to a Mothers Day lunch, asking God why it hasn't happened for us yet (why? oh why?) - but I knew and was determined that I did not want to be miserable all day. I wanted to celebrate motherhood, not feel depressed about it... after all, motherhood is what I've been yearning for throughout this entire process, not something I want to feel awful about.

As I contemplated what to get my own mother and grandmother for Mothers Day this year, I extended my decision not to be gloomy by making another decision. I knew the documentary film Babies was coming out Mothers Day weekend, I knew I wanted to see it, and I figured since my mom and grandma were perhaps the best people to see it with... why not see it on Mothers Day? Yes, of course I questioned whether watching a film about babies would just make me more depressed on an already difficult day. But I decided I wouldn't let it. Instead of watching the film through the perspective that motherhood is something I don't currently have, I decided to see it from the outlook that motherhood is a blessing still to come.

I'm so thankful I did. I got to spend the afternoon enjoying and laughing at the sweetness, simplicity and hilarity that is babies with the two mothers who had a direct hand in my own upbringing. Babies is beautifully done; it celebrates motherhood in ways that no other film could, and though I maybe walked away wanting to join the community of motherhood even more than I did before (not sure that's possible, but maybe), I'm glad I chose to celebrate the beauty and mystery of motherhood on such an appropriate day to do so. x

{For those of you who haven't heard about it, Babies is a new documentary by French filmmaker Thomas Balmès who simultaneously follows four babies around the world - Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, US - starting at birth up until their first steps. It shows us that while cultures have distinctly different ways of caring for their children, "babyhood" still looks strikingly similar no matter where or who you are. Highly recommended.}

{trailer}

{120}

One hundred twenty days since we started to wait... sometimes it feels "the call" will never come, other days I tell myself it hasn't been that long. Waiting is one of those things that's all relative, but it's difficult no matter what... no matter how "short" or how "long"... it doesn't matter because when patience is required, an hour can seem just as long as a week, month, year.

It's tempting at times to want to "jump in" and "do something about it" - as if I could just do some Google searches, make some calls, gain control of the situation and "make" something happen. Sign on with more agencies? Pay more agencies to search? Pay higher fees? (As if we have more money to spend... ha). But deep down I know throwing money at it won't give me anymore control anyway. How can it? This isn't a "thing" we can (or should) just "pay for". That's not what we want. We are confident we are with the right agency. We are confident God knows what he is doing. {We just need to wait, trust God, and accept it's out of our control.}

I've scoured the Internet, chat groups, adoption sites, etc. seeking "answers" on how to wait... how to manage my impatience... how not to lose hope. Unfortunately, there aren't really any secret answers out there - only what I already know in my gut. {We just have to wait, trust God, and accept it's out of our control.}

Sometimes I read other adoption blogs. I like to gain perspective by reading posts before and then after an adoptive family is matched. The before post usually goes a lot like this one: patience is difficult, and "when is it ever going to happen??!?" But then there's the after post... when a child joins their new forever family... and it's clear all the waiting was totally, 100% worth it.

One day... hopefully one day soon, I hope to look back at this post, smile, and truly understand how much all this waiting was worth it. It's difficult to imagine today, but it will happen. {We just need to wait, trust God and accept it's out of our control.} x

April Showers

Some very generous ladies from Sunrise (church) blessed us last Saturday with a lovely baby shower in preparation for our little one (no, no word yet... still waiting). Some snapshots...








{a good friend's little one... our youngest guest}



Such nice gifts (lots of yellow + green!)... hopefully baby will come along soon. x

Still Waiting

Waiting, waiting. I look at my little Lilypie ticker on the right of the page, and it states so far we've been on our adoption journey for exactly 5 mos, 1 wk and 4 days... officially "waiting" for 1 month and 3 weeks.

1 month and 3 weeks... somehow, it seems like each day has moved really slowly, while at the same time all together quickly... it doesn't make logical sense, but somehow it's true. Some days it feels like I'm going absolutely crazy with anticipation (not to mention impatience), and other days it doesn't seem "so bad" - though the moment I start thinking about it, fears about it "never" happening begin to creep in and I have to push them away and keep moving. The 3-6 months "average" time frame presented at the beginning of the adoption process doesn't seem so bad until you're actually living it.

Working on our owl inspired nursery every now and then has been one way of keeping myself occupied and hopeful outside of work. Mom and I have gone on a couple trips to local fabric/craft shops to seek out owl fabrics and fun patterns for some homemade projects (boppy pillow cover, shopping cart cover, diaper caddy to name a few...). Of course, I also have my eye on a couple super cute things on Etsy.

In the meantime we continue to wait as patiently as we can with hopes that we will have something more to report soon! x

Romans 8:25

The waiting room of adoption consists of a lot less "doing" and a lot more faith. Faith in adoption professionals. Faith in the system. And of course, faith in God's goodness and perfect timing.

Faith can be difficult, even for the most seasoned of believers. I know it is for me. Many of us are just so control-obsessed. We want to control, or at least pretend to control, practically everything in our lives. Relinquishing control and having to depend on faith alone often makes us antsy and uncomfortable. Of course, the two of us have had to maintain faith in God in other areas of our lives - in our marriage, at work, for financial support, for ministry direction, etc. But this is a different area of our lives, and we know it's only the beginning of the patience and faith we will have to learn as parents.

Since officially entering the waiting room - only 10 days ago - I feel we've been walking around in a kind of a daze. We certainly have lots of responsibilities, lots to do. Work, house projects, errands, bills to pay. We have friends, family. But regardless of what my hands are doing, what my brain is thinking, or what my lips are saying, at least 10% of my mind (maybe more) is aware of the fact that our lives are about to change, causing me to wonder when it's all going to happen, where our baby is at that very moment, and whether anyone is currently considering us as parents for their child.

It's difficult. It's difficult because I want things to happen now. I want to know. I want to open my heart and believe that all of this is actually going to happen. I want parenthood to stop being a romantic dream, and for it to become reality in front of my very eyes.

But this isn't where the difficulty ends. It only complicates more when I realize that I need, I want to allow God to maintain control over this situation - not me. I don't know best. God knows better. I don't just want any baby, I want to be chosen by birth parents whose baby is a right match for us. And because God knows this baby intimately already, I want to trust His timing more than my own.

So there it is. The difficult balance of waiting and faith. It's overwhelming, it's exhausting, it's challenging. It's only the beginning. But it's part of the ride, and we know it's worth it. x

Profile... Step 2

Here's a taste of our profile (or "Dear Birthmother letter") in all it's glory. We've finally put on the final touches, have received all our feedback from Pact, and the next step is sending it to print.










{BTW, I realize these screenshots are unreadable, I've done that for privacy's sake. Just wanted everyone to get the general "feel" for what it looks like}

Next week we will sit down with Pact one last time before they begin sending our profile to potential birth parents. The "wait" is almost here...

Thanks for following.

Diversity at BOSS

This morning we visited Bayside Church of South Sacramento (BOSS). There are several multicultural/diverse churches in the area that we know of, but this is one we've actually been curious about anyway - I've come across some of their ministries to the homeless and families in need through work at Chab Dai, Genilson heard Bishop Sherwood speak at a recent men's retreat - so we thought we'd check it out.

Boy were we impressed. It was such a tremendous blessing to visit a church so abundantly full of life, so multicultural, diverse and on fire for God, the surrounding community, and their communal journey of faith. Of course, this is not to say that other churches we have visited, attended or receive support from are not devoted, on fire or doing great things :), we absolutely LOVE our current faith community - it's more to say that we could truly appreciate BOSS, its people, its multiculturalism, and its particular strengths. It certainly reminded us of church culture in Brazil, and it was a joy for me to watch Genilson as he joined in on the dancing during worship and 'Amen, Hallelujahs' during the message - something very common at his own home church in Aracaju.

Bishop Sherwood's message this morning focused on forgiveness. True forgiveness. Serious forgiveness. Having a forgiving attitude and lifestyle. Realizing that as God's children we are expected to forgive others because we are forgiven ourselves, and that the lack of forgiving others in our lives sends a message to our community - and to God - that we think we are "above" it, that we think we are better or that we don't need forgiveness ourselves. It was powerful, convicting and very real. We loved it.

We loved our visit, we loved the message, we loved the diverse community. We think it will be a great place to build relationships and possibly offer our child access to their racial and cultural heritage. We may visit some other options, but this will be hard to beat. A definite positive is that BOSS has a Saturday evening service, so we can easily attend without having to sacrifice the relationships and/or commitment we have already built at Sunrise and other faith communities. We're excited. :)

Thanks for reading.