Adoption Update - Monday

First, a huge thank you to all of you that have been praying for us, sent cards, facebook messages, etc. We have felt it and we are so thankful for the prayer warriors in our lives!

Second, I am feeling a bit better although I have to tell you that I am almost mad at myself for believing that was THE call. I know it sounds crazy, but I just KNEW that little girl was our daughter.

Third, I took the day off from adoption talk and headed to Center Hill lake to my parent's houseboat today. It was the first time Mary Elizabeth had been to the lake (yes, I am a paranoid freak when it comes to kids being around the water at the lake). Sad to say, none of us had a camera, but trust me...she loved it! She enjoyed riding in her stroller down to the houseboat, loved exploring the houseboat (which is as nice as my house), and loved looking at the fish Papa Eddie and I caught this morning. Yes, we caught some fish which was REALLY fun. Some people think I am nuts, but fishing really relaxes me and it was a GORGEOUS day.

Fourth, although I promised I was doing nothing adoption related today...well, I lied. We actually signed on with a new agency today. We were very hesitant to spend any more money out of pocket up front, but I had talked with Tracie so much and felt really comfortable paying Christian Adoption Consultants do it yourself fee. A big thanks to Tracie, Gretchen and Malcolm for all your help so far! For that fee, we received a FAT information packet that outlines all the agencies they work with. We also talked with D, our case worker at Catholic Charities, letting her know we are ready to pay their fee to sign with them as well. So far, we will have spent about $2250 out of pocket up front which includes our home study update, CAC fees, and CC fees. I honestly don't think that is too bad, especially considering it would cost more than that to get updated through Bethany.

So that's where we are. Honestly, even though we have been shown so much the last few weeks through Valley of Hope, I really almost feel like we are back to the beginning again. We have been very pleased with the service we have received from everyone so far so a big thanks to Erin and Gloria at Valley of Hope.

I'll keep you posted as to the next steps, but for now it appears that I will be spending the next few days making copies of our profiles, filling out applications and getting paperwork ready to mail to all the agencies that CAC sent us today.