A little news

We did finally hear back from the agency today. It was just a quick note to tell us they had everything they needed and were showing our profile to a birthmother today along with three other adoptive families! I don't have many details, and we probably won't hear any feed back or news until next week sometime, but wanted to update everyone so that you could be praying. We are content in whatever happens...but we are a little anxious!

Pick us!

So here it is...the first draft of our Profile.

Finishing up

So we've just about finished up our paper work. I officially completed the Profile last night, and Jordan finished writing his essays on the three books we had to read. I am almost done with the last book and essay myself, and I am so relieved! We also finished a few other forms that have to be turned in before the home study. One form notes what illnesses, genetic histories, and pre-natal situations we are open to. We made an appointment with my Dr. last week and were able to get his medical explanation of a lot of these things. Some looked pretty scary on paper, but were not a big deal. Others really were scary. There is so much to consider and really think about that you might never have to face having a biological child. I am trying to look at it in a positive way, and know that it is making me more aware of things outside my happy little bubble. I also know that it is all part of HIS plan, and we are depending a lot on faith.

We also got the privilege this weekend of sitting down to talk with a really sweet couple that Jordan's parents knew from Greenville about their experience with open adoption. They were nice enough to share with us what it was like to adopt and raise 2 boys from infancy (one biracial) after having three biological children. Their stories were pretty amazing, and they were honest with us about the struggles and joys they had along the way. We really took a lot from what they had to say, and at the end, we were able to meet the two boys too!

Profile Overload

We are now in what I will label, Profile Overload. The next big step is turning in the rough draft of our one page (front and back) profile that the birthmother's will look at. I have to admit that at the seminar, we were shown several examples...and to be honest...I was less than impressed with their creativity. I basically told Jordan that we had this part "in the bag". However, I quickly learned, that what went on the page (besides the cute paper and embellishments) was a lot harder than what I had anticipated, and it got me thinking that it might be why the actual aesthetics weren't exactly perfect on those examples.

Imagine this...you need to acknowledge the sacrifice and unselfishness of the birthmother without seeming like a creepy stalker couple who wants to take her baby, describe who each spouse is...personality, likes, education, job, family history....how the two of you met, what you like to do together, if you have any pets (their personality...ha! not really), how you got to adoption, what you want for the future, how a child fits into that...and did I mention, fit it in no smaller than 12pt type on one page! My brain has run out of places to put all of that information so how will I fit it on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper?!! THEN, you need to fill the back of the page with pictures and captions that are a reflection of who you are (the good parts). Ahhh! After sorting through the mountains of jpgs on my computer hard drive and Shutterfly, I about had a nervous breakdown.

"That one Jordan looks mad"

"That one my hair is messed up"

"That one looks too old""That one we look too young"

"That one could be misconstrued"

....and the personal critiques never end!

So I may have the graphics looking like a brochure for a Mercedes Benz, but I still have a lot of work to do on the important stuff. I'm beginning to feel like we're filling out our eHarmony profile!

BTW...if you have any great pictures of Jordan and I...preferably doing something that portrays our personality(scary)...send them my way!