Adoption Update

*First of all, thank you to the commenter on the last post about the dangers of kids jumping off furniture. I had no idea! I can't say I'll be able to completely stop it, but I'll at least try :)

I thought that I would take some time to update everyone on where we are at with adoption #2 since I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago.

We have currently been waiting for adoption #2 since February 4, 2010. Logan was just a little over a year when we resubmitted our paperwork. We HAD to wait until he was a year old to sign back up with the place we are going through (Lutheran Social Services).

While we know that with adoption, things are so last-minute and unpredictable, I'd be lying if I said that I was anything but discouraged about our wait. With our first adoption, I limited myself to calling our caseworker once a month, just to check in, remind her that we were still alive and we still wanted to adopt. This time around, obviously, we have a little one to keep us busy, but we are no less excited and nervous...well, maybe a little less. It IS different for me this time around. I have much more patience. In the two years that we've been waiting, I've probably called 6 times or less. One of those calls was just a couple of weeks ago.

Our caseworker (who is not the same caseworker that we had with Logan's adoption) said that they only did 5 placements last year and they have approximately 25 families waiting. I didn't ask where we were on the list as far as waiting time because since a birthmother must select us, it doesn't matter if you've been waiting the longest or the shortest...you get a baby when someone picks you! We have no idea what timeline we are looking at.

A lot of people have asked/wonder why we don't apply other places. The short answer is money. Most adoption agencies require money upfront -- just for you to be put on their list. And I'm not talking a couple hundred dollars -- it's usually thousands. And there is NO guarantee that your down-payment will end with an adoption. Not to mention that most places are nearly DOUBLE what we would ultimately pay for an adoption through LSS. If I had the money, believe me, we'd be applying all over the place!

Within the past month, I've been researching other options. I've called both of the hospitals in town to see what they do when a mother gives birth and decides she doesn't want the baby but doesn't have an adoption plan -- they call a local agency. We are submitting our application to a place in Michigan. They are not charging anything to get put on their "list" but they work with several agencies and lawyers, which increases our chances of getting matched with a birthmother, but also increases the risks of being matched with someone who will ultimately change her mind and not follow-through with the adoption and also increases the overall cost of the adoption. You have to be careful in the adoption world -- scams abound.

To say that it's all discouraging and overwhelming would be an understatement.

But to be honest, Zeb and I are seeking GOD'S plan for building our family. We desperately want another child. We want Logan to have a sibling. And it may not be in God's plan for us to have another child. It's difficult in this journey to know what is us just doing our part (with researching, applying, networking, etc.) and what is trying to take over control from the Almighty One. My own motivations are sometimes unclear to me, which is a frustration in itself.

In the meantime, we enjoy our little one. Our lives are full and we are very blessed. We do not know if or how our family will grow. We know what we desire and we know Who we trust. And that is all we can do for now.