That's it! Or That's it?

As I started this entry, I was so excited thinking, the home visit is over....That's it!!  But then after looking back at how enjoyable and easy it has been with our new home study agency, I have to ask, that's it?  I am tickled pink, don't get me wrong.  It is just such a night and day kind of thing compared to our first agency.  We have been very happy with the communication, and kindness we have seen from our current agency.  It has been a blessing to work with them. 

When I spoke to our social worker a couple of weeks ago, she said that she has 2 weeks from the date of the homestudy to get the approval written up and complete.  So that would have put our approval date at no later than August 31.  Well she informed us that she has to go out of town to help her father out because he is having surgery.  She is leaving tomorrow...for 10 days which means we will not have our approval until the week of September 10.  There is a slim chance that she may get it done before she leaves, but it sounded like it wasn't going to happen.  But, that is fine, because we are still able to continue networking. 

We have some friends who started the domestic infant process with us, and have since changed to International adoption. They are in the process of adopting 3 little girls from Ethiopia.  Their girls are a little older, so they have no need for the crib and changing table they have. So, they offered it to us.  How awsesome is that?!  My parents will be coming down next month and they are bringing our family cradle with them.  My grandma bought the cradle for my parents when my mom was pregnant with my oldest sister.  All 5 of my parents children and all of their grandchildren have slept in this cradle.  It is very special to me.  I can already picture our new sweet baby sleeping in it. I have not started any crazy shopping or anything, but I do have an idea of what we would like to do in the baby's room.  If it is a boy, we are going to go with a Noah's Ark theme. Roger's baby bedroom theme was Noah's Ark so he loves that!   If it is a girl, I am thinking about bumble bees.  I am going to try very hard to stay away from the color pink if we have a girl....wish me luck! ;)

Please continue to pray for us, we would love to have you visit our Facebook page at Roger and Stephanie's Adoption.  Our contact information can be found under the About section on our page. Please help us get our name out there! 

Thank you all and God bless! 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever. 

Psalm 107:1

Networking

So now that we are not with an agency anymore, we are doing our own networking.  I have not started doing it as often as I would like, only because I have been quite busy.  But here is what I have done so far:

Facebook page - It is under Roger and Stephanie's Adoption.  If anyone wants to go and look at it and give me some feedback.  I want to get some more pictures up there. and start updating it on a more regular basis.  Our contact info is under the About section.  PLEASE, feel free to look us up and "like" our page!  I am encouraging everyone I can to do this.  The more people that like our page, the more notice we will get.  

New Cell phone number. - I added a line to our service with Verizon, specifically for the adoption.  I did this because we knew that this number is going to be available to many people and while we hope to find an expectant mother this way, we may find some other people who are looking to prank, or just be obnoxious.  If a situation with an expectant family presents itself, then we will give them our normal number. 

Tear away flyer - I found this idea through an adoption website that I joined. Quite a few adoptive parents have done this.  We recently took a trip to North Carolina to visit my family, and I was able to post some of the flyers and give them out to some family members who said they would post them at various places for us as well. 

Word of mouth - I have been telling any and everyone that will listen that we are looking to adopt.  So many adoptive parents that I have met were able to connect with expectant families this way. 
I have also contacted quite a few attorneys in Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina and Georgia. I am choosing states that not only do we have family there, but it would not be too long of a drive.  The reason for this is that if a child is born in another state, before that child can leave the state you have to have an approval from the birth state.  It can take several months. I would rather not fly with an infant, so driving it is.    

Dear friends, please remember us in your prayers.  We want to make sure that we are always walking in Gods will. 

Thank you for stopping by!!