Adoption Update!

So we've been on this whirlwind for the last 4 months, and I'm so proud of how far we've come:

1. Pray and decision to follow adoption path- check!
2. Find an agency- check!
3. Announce to our friends- check!
4. Work on profile- check!
5. Work on home study- check!
6. Save/fundraise- still in progress, but a huge check!
7. Complete profile- check!
8. Receive home study approval- check!

So now we're what my caseworker calls the "waiting" phase.  And as I'm sure you know if you know me at all, patience and waiting is not my strong suit.  So, thankfully we do have a few little things taking up some of our time:
1. Work- I don't know what's in the water, but January so far has been one of the busiest work months for me to date.  It also didn't help that I was in NYC for a business trip all of last week (although being in NYC was completely wonderful so I'm not complaining).  I can't figure it out.  Work is completely nuts right now and showing no signs of letting up.
2. Home- We are still trying to finish up some last minute projects in case we get the baby call anytime soon.  Of course it did not help that in the last week, we had a sink explosion in our guest bathroom (think exploding fire hydrant... it was not pretty) and part of our fence blew away thanks to the current Texas weather we've been experiencing.  It seems like every time we turn around there's something to be done on top of the extra projects we've been planning.
3. Life- Mr. A and I are really trying to spend as much time together as possible.  Date nights, clean the house nights, turning off the TV and paying attention to each other- you name it, we're working on it.  We know this non-child life we're living has an expiration date and so we're cherishing every minute of time with each other.  It's rough as we are both really being pulled by work, but we're managing...even if our "together time" is spent mopping up water from our busted sink.  Super romantic, right?!?!

The social worker also sent a lovely "What to Expect" packet that discusses some of the things we can do now while we are in the waiting phase.  I was very excited because, you know, Ms. Impatient here so are some of the extra things we are looking at:
1. Baby registry.  I talked about this in a previous blog, but it's more than just registering.  It's really about learning what all of these gadgets and gizmos do.  And of course, tons of my mama-friends have offered to help with the registry to make sure we've got everything we need.
2. Applying for grants.  This is a harder one as I've never applied for grants before so it's a bit like taking a brand new class and I'm a little lost right now.  We are doing GREAT with our fundraising and saving, but it doesn't hurt to see what's out there.  I don't know what is out there for us, but I'm going to use my free time (ha) to see what we can do.  If anyone out there has any experience with adoption grants or funding, please shoot over any information you can!
3. Working on a jewelry fundraiser!  That's right, one of my amazing vendors that I work with has donated over 30 pieces of sterling silver jewelry towards our cause.  I'm thinking sometime around Valentine's Day so watch the blog and my Facebook page for more information.

I can't believe we're almost finished with this month.  Time has FLOWN, but what's stayed constant is the prayers, well wishes and support from all of you.  Mr. A's mom sent us a box this week filled with all sorts of stuff for baby C. and it just makes me giddy.  I'm so excited to see what's around the corner!

If you would like to pray, share or give towards our journey, you may do so here:
www.youcaring.com/carradoptionfund