Moving Fast

WOW! The interview went great. Thank you for your prayers. We were interviewed together and were basically asked questions based on our application answers. They scheduled our Home Study (which means we're IN and ACCEPTED ~ WOO HOO) for FEBRUARY 18, that's SUPER SOON!! AAAAhhhhh we have so much to do before then. We left with a ton of forms: Forms for us, forms for references, forms for fingerprinting, forms for doctors, budget, and on and on the list goes. We have to have physicals, blood tests for HIV, TB test, and a urine drug test. We have an additional stack of questions to answer as well...questions that require a lot of thought and shouldn't be rushed. We also have a lot of work to do in our house to prep for the home study. He gave us the check list he uses for the home study, so we'll know exactly what needs to be done. We'll be the safest house around when this is all over! :)

I am very thankful to be staying home and for the time to accomplish these tasks ~ thank you Lord! Progress on the Life Book is on hold until the Home Study is over I guess... but I am working really hard on it in my head! A HUGE SHOUT OUT and thanks to our Awesome Lifegroup that gave us a $50 Hobby Lobby gift card to buy the supplies for our Life Book ~ I love you guys!!!

The home study on Feb. 18 should last 4-5 hours. We will for sure be interviewed separately then.

I thought this was funny ~ they even want our cat's vaccination records...now I have to make a trip to the vet with Daisy...NOT FUN...anybody want a cat? ;)

Since we came home I have been running around the house non-stop, my mind is spinning...I am officially NESTING!

So I guess our prayer requests are that we can accomplish these tasks smoothly and quickly...and of course for our baby.

Lots of love ~ Rachel

To My Child

"I Just Haven't Met You Yet" (Michael Buble')

And I Know Someday That It'll All Turn Out
You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid That I'll Give So Much More Than I Get
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I Might Have To Wait
I'll Never Give Up
I Guess It's Half Timing
And The Other Half's Luck (Nope not luck ~ The Sovreignty of my God and His PERFECT timing)
Wherever You Are
Whenever It's Right
You Come Out Of Nowhere And Into My Life

And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing
And Baby Your Love Is Gonna Change Me
And Now I Can See Every Possibility


Oh You Know It'll All Turn Out
And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid To Give So Much More Than I Get
Yeah I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I Said Love Love Love Love Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I Love You oh child of mine...my arms are waiting just for YOU and I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU!!

Love,
Mommy

Interview Scheduled

The adoption agency just called...I have been anxiously awaiting this phone call! The placement manager said that he just finished reading through our application and wanted to set up an interview with us...which is the next step. So, we are interviewing at 1:00 on Monday. It is my understanding that we will be interviewed separately and then together. Please pray for calmness and peace, the right words, the placement manager to have receptive ears and heart (By the way, his name is Don and we already adore him, he's wonderful) and most of all that we will shine Christ's light. Don't forget to pray for our baby and birth mom too. I find myself thinking and praying for them all the time...wondering if our baby has been conceived yet, and what is going on in the birth mom's life.

I'll post again after the interview.

Love you all,
Rachel

Seminar or Revival?

We attended the Aggieland Adoptions Pre-Application Seminar this weekend. We walked away knowing that we were in the right place. I kept asking myself, "Am I at an adoption seminar or a revival?" It was incredible, amazing, heart-warming, confirming, exciting, and prayer centered! We are so blessed to have been led to this precious organization whose single goal is to place babies in homes that will lead them to an eternity with Jesus. Most (I'm not saying all) adoption agencies kind of feel like "baby brokers." That is so not the case here. Let me just tell you that over half of the adoption application deals with who we think Jesus Christ is, our relationship with Him, our relationship with each other, and our involvement with our church. I could go on and on and on, instead I'll just tell you where we go from here:
1. complete our very lengthy application
2. wait to hear back from the agency with an invitation to continue with the process
3. go to the agency for an interview
4. home study ~ involves more paper work for us, a lot of preparation(safety stuff) to our home and the actual home study
5. life book ~ OK so I had this great plan for making our life book, but that went out the window after they told us their VERY specific guidelines. You see the life book is how we are chosen by the birth mother, so IT HAS TO BE GOOD!! I don't have a lot of experience with scrap booking, mostly because I'm a perfectionist with that kind of stuff and it drives me crazy. So you can only imagine how I'll be with this scenario. I may be calling on savvy scrap booking friends to help me out!
6. WAIT for a birth mom to choose us

That's a very brief summary. Please continue to pray for the process and our baby...going to go work on the application now. ;)

Divine Mail Delivery

WOW! We mailed our initial form to the adoption agency on Monday to College Station and today (Tuesday) at 11:20 am an agency staff person called, with our form in front of him! Whew, I think our form must have had an angel deliver it! When I saw the agency's name on caller id I think my heart skipped a beat! Enjoyed my visit on the phone very much. He said, "You're doing this at a great time!" You see step #2 in this process is an adoption seminar at the agency that only happens twice a year...wouldn't you know it they are having one January 8 & 9! If we had waited 'til mid-January to send our form in then the whole process would have been postponed at least six months. I feel so much that God's hand is in this!

A New Journey Begins

I am thrilled to announce that Adam and I are beginning the journey of adoption! The initial paperwork is in the mail...here we go! A BIG SHOUT OUT and thanks to my friend, Katy Cummings, for leading us to Aggieland Adoptions. Yes, I know, "AGGIE" is not in the vocabulary for a Texas Longhorn and a Baylor Bear, but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!! We love everything we have learned about this adoption agency.
Please pray with us as we go through each step and phase of this long process. Pray especially for the child God has just for us.
Happy New Year ~ praying 2010 will be bring us a new little life to love!
~ Rachel

Well, after my second follow-up to the miscarriage, I'm finally back to normal (a month later). So, my fertility specialist asked me yesterday, "What now?" "What do you want to do?" Adam and I had already decided we aren't making any decisions until after Christmas. We're just tired of thinking about it. A friend told me about a great Christian adoption agency in Bryan/College Station that only costs $12,000. All the others I have looked at are almost $30,000 ~ BIG DIFFERENCE! The cost has been one of our biggest issues with adoption.

Please pray for a young girl (18 years old- senior in high school) in our area that is pregnant. She needs guidance and wisdom from our Heavenly Father...whether to put the baby up for adoption or to keep the baby. We are praying for God's Will in the whole situation, for all involved.

Anyway, back to the doctor. I told him all of the above and he was very encouraging. He then told me to "keep trying." He said it's not absolutely impossible for me to get pregnant, just challenging. I told him my mom's story ~ adopted twice and then got pregnant (with me). So who knows what God's plan is!! :)

Please continue to pray for us. I think we are doing pretty good. We have good moments and sad moments, but mostly good. Adam and I have grieved differently, and not at the same time, which is good so that we were able to encourage each other. I think the holidays will be the hardest...we would have been working on the nursery over Christmas, etc...

Thank you for continuing our journey with us. Can't wait to see what God is going to do!

"May you grasp how wide and long and high and deep My love for you is; a love that surpasses knowledge...YOU CANNOT ASK OR IMAGINE THE THINGS I AM PLANNING FOR YOU!"

Ephesians 3:18-20

Much love,

Rachel