We are Ready...

How did we get here? Not a philosophical question - just wondering how we got to this place in our lives. When I was young, I thought that you got married had babies and all is right with the world. As I got older, I realized that things do not always happen in such a clean way. Life is messy. A lesson, thank goodness, that I did not learn until I was grown, or things would have been much more scary. I certainly would not have taken the risks in my life that have turned out to be so good!

As messy as life is, in the mess, there is so much good happening. Allison is my light. She really is a great kid. We say often that if this adoption does not got through, we are more than happy with one child, because that one child is her. She is easy, really. We are spoiled, not her. Her temperament is a mix between mine and Jeff's. She fits in anywhere, adapts well, is talkative to her close friends and relatives, yet quiet in school/church - places where I have trouble being quiet and still. She has compassion that I admire. She is a blessing. She is a help to me, putting things into perspective. The child we are adopting is as much for her as he is for us. She wants this and has wanted this for as long as I can remember - a sibling. I only hope that the road blocks do not prohibit us. We are ready.

We have finished our paperwork and are ready to send in for our immigration papers. What a relief. We went quickly, and thank goodness. There is a rumored "date of doom" for Guatemalan adoptions that is looming - ironically APRIL FOOLS DAY. What we are hearing and reading is that anyone without their power of attorney signed will not be eligible to adopt for a period of undetermined time (translated: too long for me!). Even after that power of attorney is signed and we accept a referral, we still are going to have to wait to pick him up for almost a year. That is the way it works.

Power of attorney happens like this: once you have your home study (ours is Sunday) and your paperwork is in - you are considered "paper ready" for a child. Then you can receive a referral. Referrals are when a child is born and matched with a parent. You then sign over power of attorney to the lawyer in Guatemala. Usually you sign paperwork here at a notary and mail it. It takes 4-5 weeks to get through. If you fly to Guatemala, you can have it done there and take 2 days - OR you cold fly the lawyer here and sign it in the US which will take 2 days once they return to their country. The importance of this is to say that if we are not matched (or accept a referral) before the deadline AND sign power of attorney, we run the risk of being heavily delayed in the process. Even with all of these safe guards and rushing, we still could be delayed. The US government is scrutinizing cases more so. We are hoping for our son to be born now, so we can get "the call" and be offered the child. We are ready.

It is a nerve-racking time that makes us wonder why it can't be easier - how did we get here? It is an exciting time to think that our son is possibly being born as I write. We are not sure what to think, at times, what to do or feel or anything. We are praying that the 1st of April will just bring sunny skys, tulips and a baby boy. As soon as we hear anything, good or bad, we will post. Life is messy, but sometimes the dirt washes off and you find good underneath. We are ready.