O my goodness

At church this past week they talked about Mother's and Ryan, our pastor, read this poem that talked about all types of mothers, including adoptive.  It made me excited to be a part of some kiddo's life.  But as Jeff and I talked about this whole adoption process we feel that we are in the second part of three in finding our kid.  The first part was signing up, taking the classes, and getting the home study done.  Now, the second part, is searching, searching, searching.

This is what makes domestic adoption out of foster care so unique.  We have to search through each state's kids that are available for adoption and find ours.  It's so heart breaking to see all of the children with special needs, with sibling groups, with other issues that we don't know if we could handle.  Last night I saw a family of 8 kids up for adoption.  Could you imagine adopting 8 children at once? Having to help each child adjust to you and your husband while you learn how to adjust to them?  Oh my goodness. We are trying to search a little each night. But it seems impossible.  We sit at the computer, read through a 2 paragraph bio of this kid that has gone through hell and back and then what?  Are we supposed to be drawn to the picture?  Is there supposed to be an instant connection after reading the bio that we feel "This is the one"?  Do we say we are interested in a bunch of different kids and then move from there?

I feel completely lost on what to do next.  I look at the kids and seven out of ten of them I think "Maybe he's ours, or him or maybe that one".  I guess we just push the button that says we are interested and see what happens next.  This part of the process could be long, unending, overwhelming, and have many twists and turns in it.  Be patient with us. Be prayerful with us.

Parenting Class

Part of the process is to take a nine week class. Three hours a week for a total of 27 hours of pre-parenting classes. This is not the "How to" of parenting. We won't go over how to change a diaper or when to go to the doctors but we will be covering more topics that will deal with the emotional well being of the child. Things like Positive reinforcement, building bonded relationships, and dealing with grief and loss will be some of the topics and discussions we will have with other soon to be foster parents. This will be an experience that can help us know where our kiddos are coming from and how to make this transition easier for them and for us. These classes will show us how to utilize our supports and how to survive this thing called parenthood. That starts next week. Some people that I have talked to agree that this class would be helpful for young parents or any parent for that matter. Even though I hated school while I was in it, I am such a learner and I am excited to take this next step. Don't worry I will post any helpful hints that we come across in this class.

Anyway, I feel so blessed by the support and encouragement we have had and continue to get from those around us. People are excited for us and are asking a ton of questions. Keep the questions coming. I want to figure this out too. Much Love!