On Friday May 1st, I got a phone call from the director of the domestic adoption program at our agency, telling me that our application has been approved by the application review board and that we can now set up an intake meeting to begin the home study.
Woo hoo!!!
Maybe it sounds silly, but Dan and I were a little - okay, a lot - nervous about our application being accepted. A lot of it was probably just the normal nervousness of starting something so huge and being dependent (definitely not for the last time) on the decisions of other people - strangers as of now - to move forward toward our dream of being parents. That's pretty nerve-wracking.
Both of us prayed a lot for our application to be accepted, and for peace no matter what.
As it turns out, we got the green light less than two weeks after the agency received our application, which to us is a great sign of their efficiency, and a good confirmation that we're a good fit with them.
The next step is what's called an intake meeting, which we are scheduling for mid-May. At this meeting, we will meet with agency staff and receive an overview of what the home study will entail. We'll also get the many forms that are needed for the home study, and get a chance to ask any questions we have.
Exciting stuff!
More about getting approved - largely so that we remember this moment:
I was actually on a bus en route to New York City when the agency called. I was heading up to Connecticut to attend my godson's baptism, and the bus had just arrived within view of the NYC skyline when my phone rang.
I didn't recognize the number, but saw that it was local, so I picked it up. It indeed was "the call" I had been waiting for, and my heart started to pound! I only just grasped what the director was saying - we've been approved, let's move forward - plus it was hard to hear on the bus - and was able to make a few brief replies before we concluded our conversation with the director telling me she would email me some meeting dates.
After hanging up, I had such a surge of joy! It felt so good to have concrete confirmation that we're actually doing this - we have actually started the adoption process. This is for real. So many emotions flooded my heart: joy, relief, peace, and excitement, for starters. I wish Dan had been with me, but he was several states away, running a weekend retreat for children of divorce. I texted him right away, and we were able to speak later that evening.
It was a very graced moment, and I hope it's a taste of moments to come filled with joy. (Of course, we know that there will probably be many moments of anxiety, uncertainty, and sorrow, too. But hopefully joy will have the last word!)
Getting the call on a Friday, too, was such a blessing, because I was able to relax and enjoy the weekend with my friends, especially my precious new godson!
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| With my new godson and my goddaughter! |
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