We have prints!

Friday afternoon we began the dossier process by obtaining fingerprints at the local police station. Todd had to endure the messy old fashion system of dipping his fingers in ink, while I got to test drive the new and improved touch screen version. 20 minutes and we were out the door, prints in hand.

Last week, we realized that we're not any closer to be finished with the fabulous paperwork process.... We received a list of items needed for our dossier and it seems that the paperwork chase has only just begun.

In the meantime, back at the fort, we've begun placing pictures and preparing the room for the future Treat - I would call him by his first name but Todd and I've yet to reach a consensus. Todd wants to wait until we see a picture to decide on a name - even though I keep dropping names in his presence to see if he'll change his mind. I agree that Harrison is a fine name, but Harry Treat??? Should we really do that to a child? I'm not sure I want my son to be called a moldy snack... So it looks like it's down to the names Quinn and Maddox and I'll have to wait until a picture arrives to know if I'll win the name game.

Addicted

Ok, I must make a confession... I'm addicted to checking the adoption blogs! Every night, I anxiously log on wondering who will receive the next referral or who will be added to the wait list. It's so gratifying, while completing the mounds and piles of paperwork, to see so many families experiencing the referral process. I've also been so impressed and touched by how supportive and gracious each family has been. It's been rewarding to see families taking pictures of the children who've been matched and are waiting for their future parents to arrive. Equally exciting is the opportunity to hear details about what to expect along the journey, what to eat/not to eat and advice about how to prepare.

Obviously Todd and I felt drawn to the adoption process from the start, but each day, while reading the blogs I realize what a blessing it is. Although it is frustrating and it feels like your life is consumed with paperwork and phone calls, there is perhaps no experience quite like adoption.

I've heard many times, "Oh, your boy will be so lucky to have you," and while I believe that Todd and I are one heck of a family, I must say we are the lucky ones to have the opportunity to open our home to Ethiopia and the Gladney community.

Perhaps this joy makes yesterday's blood drawing experience worth it??? Don't you just love being poked on both arms and then hearing, "I can't find it, I'll have to get another nurse to try?" I guess I shouldn't complain - no morning sickness, no pickles and ice cream cravings, no maternity dresses. Life is good!

DELIVERY!!!

We received our passports in the mail today, which means we can finalize our Gladney application and begin our dossier. Thanks to expedited services, we received our passports a mere 10 days later!!!

The bed was also delivered...or should I say a portion of the bed? Apparently the metal frame, which is quite necessary in order to attach a headboard, didn't get ordered... So again we wait.

We are shipping off a portion of our dossier papers today (i.e. passport pictures, birth/marriage certificates, why we want to adopt letter, employment letter etc). And we're hoping that within the next few weeks we will be scheduled for fingerprints.

While reading the other Gladney blogs, we have become anxious and very excited about completing these rounds of paperwork so that we can become members of the "waitlist" and come one step closer to bringing home our little "treat".

We Survived the Investigation

This morning at 8:30 a.m. - yes I said 8:30 and those of you who know me well know that I don't like to converse much before 9:00 a.m. - we underwent our Homestudy. The entire process took about 3 1/2 hours and went very smoothly - meaning that Todd and I said very nice things about each other and each of our family members.

Thanks to Tricia and her use of effective parenting techniuqes in our presence, we sounded very educated as we described the use of love and logic discipline methods. We bragged immensely about how well these philosophies had been modeled to us and how thankful we were to be able to watch Tricia and Peter become parents first. So well that when asked if "something was to happen to you, who would you want to parent our children" we said Tricia and Peter. Congratulations! We figured that one more addition to your house would go unnoticed anyway. Enjoy paying that extra college tuition...

Then, we were asked about each of our families - our upbringing and all the childhood issues we have... just kidding. But the social worker did ask us to identify those family values and characteristics that we would like to pass on to our child which made for an interesting discussion.

Todd and I were each interviewed separately and asked to recount our childhood memories as well as traits we admire in our parents and what we've learned from each of our parents. Then we were asked to identify our mate's best and worst traits - the verdict is out and we're still married, so that's a good thing!

All in all it went very well and she shared a lot of wisdom and guidance with us. Our social worker has worked with numerous other couples and it was good to hear her share these stories with us.

So, now we continue on with the dossier, wait for CIS to call us in for fingerprints and for our passports to arrive. The bed should be delivered today and we've begun placing art on the walls.

In a few hours we will both undergo physicals and health screening. I'm so eagerly awaiting the drawing of blood - I can barely contain myself.

Other than that, it's just another quiet day in the Treat household....

Passport anyone?

We spent an hour today at the Crowley Post Office getting our passports submitted. After two attempts at photos - taken sitting next to a copy machine in a corner - we finally made some progress. I must say our pictures are quite fabulous. I look like a ghost with thinning hair and Todd looks like he is merely inches away from the camera. I can't wait for customs to check our passports so I can proudly present mine - ha ha... Good thing they don't show these pictures to our future child - he'd be especially fearful of his strange looking white parents....

If that's not enough, it cost $160 each for a passport - along with processing fees and picture fees. Isn't it crazy what a piece of paper costs these days?

The woman at the counter was super nice, but Todd and I have both decided that we are officially tired of paperwork. I feel like our lives revolve around paper and waiting for more paper...

If all goes well, we should undergo our homestudy within a few weeks. At least then we'll feel like we are making progress.

Our bed should arrive within a week and we have begun the process of rearranging and space planning. Maybe someday we'll have a little boy to share it with.

These pictures were displayed on another blog entitled, Ethiopian Joy. The first is of a hair salon at the orphanage, the second is the kitchen, and the third is a photo of the "older boys" living space. The more images we are privy to, the more urgent this process becomes. Knowing that somewhere out there is a little boy in need of a home continually confirms what a blessing the adoption process can be. We've been asked many questions along the way - "Can you not have children of your own?" and "Why not adopt a domestic child?" While we cannot fully explain our tie to Ethiopia, what we can express is that we feel a sincere desire to open our home up to a child who needs us. While I fully affirm domestic adoption and have witnessed what a blessing it is, one cannot deny that the conditions in other countries are certainly worthy of our attention. We know that what our child will bring us will far surpass any love that we are able to extend. I find it interesting that the idea of adoption seems so foreign to some - it's almost as if we should all want to have biological children if we are able. Perhaps one day, we will all open our doors to those in need and call them our children - regardless of where we came from, or who gave birth to us. For me, watching others around me adopt and moving toward the process depicts for me the true meaning of family - loving not because you have to, or because one is biologically "yours" but rather because it's what comes naturally if we allow ourselves the opportunity.