Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Of Paperwork, Nurseries and Fall

FALL!! This is my FAVORITE season. I love the change of colors and weather. I love being able to get cozy with a throw blanket and slippers. There is more changing than the seasons around our house though! Here are some updates for you all!

Adoption - Well, things are progressing quite nicely! We completed our required all day training session and it was AMAZING! We are so blessed to be working with such a wonderful adoption agency. They brought in a lawyer to give us advice on the legal aspects of adoption, an OHSU Doctor to help us understand potential health problems and tons of other information that was so beneficial. My favorite part was getting to hear from adoptive families and later on in the day from a couple of birth parents who chose adoption for their child. It was breathtaking to hear stories about the beauty of adoption. Obviously the stories shared weren't without pain and difficulty, but the end result of all these people coming together to benefit this one child was just incredible to see. Lets just say my eyes were leaking all day!

In other news, as of last Monday our home study paperwork and studies are COMPLETE and mailed to the agency! What a relief that was to have done.


Now we wait to hear from the agency and schedule our interviews with the case worker! I feel nervous about this part, mostly because I'm not sure what to expect. I've had butterflies in my stomach the last several days as we've taken the next few steps. Its all becoming so real!

In other news, my family visited a few weeks ago and we decided it would be fun to set up the nursery! It may seem early, and in fact probably is quite early, but it feels good to know it's ready to go whenever we get a call someday down the road as well as to show the caseworker when he/she visits our home. Plus it was so fun to have my mom help me decorate and organize everything! She is such a huge help with all of this. We still have some things to finish, but those can all wait until later once we are closer to actually adopting. For now, enjoy some sneak peeks!


Putting together the crib we got on Craigslist! 
We got the two dressers FREE at a yard sale! 

Don't mind the WiFi thing in the window :)


I'm in LOVE with how it turned out. My mom had the idea of doing a Noah's Ark animal theme and had been saving decorations for that purpose. It turned out so cute and relaxing. I love to just go sit in there and dream about rocking a baby in there someday!

Fundraising - Well since you asked, we have raised approximately 1/3 of our adoption costs so far! I'm just BLOWN away at the generosity and love we have experienced. HUGE thanks to everyone who has donated through bake sales and through the Paypal button on the blog! I'm so blessed by every little bit. Next on the agenda is more baked goods right before Thanksgiving and Christmas! Please let me know if you would like some yummy bread or cinnamon rolls!

Well that about catches us all up I think! I want to leave you with this quote I saw the other day. It really inspired me in this season of change we are in. Our adoption agency director reminded us at our training that adoption is for the courageous. That being said, no matter how 'courageous' I may or may not be, the truth is that I feel overwhelming fear about this process almost every day. All the what if's and the complete lack of control leaves me struggling some days because God knows, I love to have everything planned and prepared down to the tiniest detail. But He is leading me into and through a season where I have to let go of the reins and let Him lead me because there is no way I am brave enough on my own to do this. And I am grateful for that, because I know its preparing me for the future. So take a moment to think about what areas of your life God is calling you to have courage in and take a giant leap with me!

Love to you all!