Approved and Applied

First off, Les is doing well. Still no after effects of her run in with the Jeep. She's been to agility the past two evenings and other than having come back from a month long vacation, she's behaving like normal. Just as moody and anti-social at home like before so we're good.

Next, our homestudy has been APPROVED! We got the packet in the mail while we were on vacation. It took us 3 months for the whole process since it's dated 9/16/09 and we started on 6/17/09. Most of that wait was on the reference letters, but they were all really awesome letters so I guess it's okay that we waited.

During the first weekend in September, we actually had the chance to meet a couple (NewMom & NewDad) that had just brought their adopted son (J) home the month before. Like us, they did their homestudy with JFS. They waited a year and nothing had happened. Then they found out that JFS wasn't looking for them (which we knew from the first homestudy appt.) and so they started sending out their adoption profile to everyone they could think of (which NewDad doesn't recommend doing because now they don't know who has got them or where they are). When that didn't work, NewMom started researching national adoption agencies on the internet. NewMom and NewDad had met online through a matching service and figured if that was how they started their family maybe that would be how they could add to it. They filled out the paperwork, paid all the monies and 4 months later got THE CALL. A birth family in another state was interested in them. After a couple of phone calls the birth parents picked them and two weeks later had J.

We went over to their house to meet them and J. They were so cute! J was a little darling (yes I was offered the chance to hold J and I turned it down) and behaved like an angel, so we got to talk a lot about their adoption and adoption in general. They pretty much had visited the same agencies we had and just felt right with JFS, like us. NewMom got very specific about costs and time lines which was nice. They told us they were just as scared as we are of getting ripped off or taken advantage of, but that they believe God was with them every step of the way taking care of them. It was really great meeting them and I'm currently working on a crocheted puppy for J. I think the most beneficial aspect of our visit was that it's put Kevin at ease with the whole adoption thing. Even though he said before that he was okay with it, he still kept hesitating with every step we took towards adoption and away from TTC. But in talking with NewDad he was able to get all of his questions answered, even those he was afraid to ask.

Now we're moving forward! Kev and I have decided to apply with a national adoption agency in Florida. They were recommended by our SW and I got to talk to them back in the first week of September. We got a package of stuff before we left. We've poured over it and now feel ready to file an application. I filled it out and have sent it to Kevin to double check. Hopefully we'll get it finished this week along with our adoption profile book.