Late last week we received notice from our adoption facilitator that they had a birth mother that matched our criteria and that she would be viewing our profile (along with several others) and make a decision soon. She is due June 4th. She lives in CA. We sat on pins and needles the entire weekend; waiting, wishing, hoping and wondering if we would be selected.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
First Potential Match
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Facts about Open Adoption
Some of you have asked about Open Adoption; so here is a link directly from the agency that performed our Home Study.
http://www.adoptionhelp.org/adoption/facts.html
Here is a bit more of an explanation about the types of adoption:
Open: is an adoption with an ongoing relationship between the birthparents and adoptive family. This means that both parties have exchanged identifying information and have contact with each other either through letters, pictures, phone calls, or visits. The extent of communication in an open adoption is up to those involved.
Semi-Open: is one step down from open adoption regarding contact; the birthparents and adoptive parents meet. However, they do not exchange identifying information. There may be ongoing contact between the two parties, but it's typically less often, and it is facilitated through the agency.
Semi-Closed: allows the expectant parents to look through a number of "profiles" of couples that are waiting to adopt. All couples have been studied by Adoption Services, and are approved to legally adopt. The birthparents choose a couple to raise their child, but there is no contact, and no exchange of identifying information between the two parties. This option is often the choice of birthparents that desire confidentiality.
Closed: offers complete confidentiality. At no time is there any identifying information given to either the birthparents or the adoptive couple about each other. The birthparent allows Adoption Services to pick adoptive parents from their approved, waiting couples, and the baby will be placed with them.
http://www.adoptionhelp.org/adoption/facts.html
Here is a bit more of an explanation about the types of adoption:
Open: is an adoption with an ongoing relationship between the birthparents and adoptive family. This means that both parties have exchanged identifying information and have contact with each other either through letters, pictures, phone calls, or visits. The extent of communication in an open adoption is up to those involved.
Semi-Open: is one step down from open adoption regarding contact; the birthparents and adoptive parents meet. However, they do not exchange identifying information. There may be ongoing contact between the two parties, but it's typically less often, and it is facilitated through the agency.
Semi-Closed: allows the expectant parents to look through a number of "profiles" of couples that are waiting to adopt. All couples have been studied by Adoption Services, and are approved to legally adopt. The birthparents choose a couple to raise their child, but there is no contact, and no exchange of identifying information between the two parties. This option is often the choice of birthparents that desire confidentiality.
Closed: offers complete confidentiality. At no time is there any identifying information given to either the birthparents or the adoptive couple about each other. The birthparent allows Adoption Services to pick adoptive parents from their approved, waiting couples, and the baby will be placed with them.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pack 'N Play Success
A couple of weeks ago Adam noticed that a coupon for Babies 'R Us was about to expire and thought that maybe we should go to the store and take a look...I mean, why let a 20% off coupon go to waste, right? :)
We've done our research and reviewed several items, thanks to 'Baby Bargains' - that book it worth its weight in gold. We decided to look at play pens, portable cribs, and pack 'n plays (PNP), or whatever you want to call them. Luckily, that particular aisle did not have 75 people milling about - as all the other aisles did - so, we felt relieved to be able to take some time and mull over our decision..because we didn't necessarily have to purchase anything. After much thought, comparing, a little sweating (man, the temp inside that store was HOT) and general nervousness, the PNP we were leaning towards was on sale AND we could use the coupon in conjunction with the sale! Woohoo! So, we bought the darn thing.
Fast forward to this past weekend. We decide to open the box, inventory the items to make sure we had everything and nothing was broken...while we had everything out of the box, we thought that we could put it together in no time - I mean the manual said, "No tools needed." How hard could that be, right? Well....it did take some time, a lot of time to be exact. There was the removable bassinet; the changing station; the parent organizer (what?), the plugging up of the light/music/vibration machine - which runs from the bottom thru the middle, up the side rail and plugs into the top. This contraption had everything but the kitchen sink! LOL!
So, we've purchased our first baby item AND managed to put it together with no loss of limbs or band-aids needed. YAY for us!
Attached is a photo (after completing the assembly).
We've done our research and reviewed several items, thanks to 'Baby Bargains' - that book it worth its weight in gold. We decided to look at play pens, portable cribs, and pack 'n plays (PNP), or whatever you want to call them. Luckily, that particular aisle did not have 75 people milling about - as all the other aisles did - so, we felt relieved to be able to take some time and mull over our decision..because we didn't necessarily have to purchase anything. After much thought, comparing, a little sweating (man, the temp inside that store was HOT) and general nervousness, the PNP we were leaning towards was on sale AND we could use the coupon in conjunction with the sale! Woohoo! So, we bought the darn thing.
Fast forward to this past weekend. We decide to open the box, inventory the items to make sure we had everything and nothing was broken...while we had everything out of the box, we thought that we could put it together in no time - I mean the manual said, "No tools needed." How hard could that be, right? Well....it did take some time, a lot of time to be exact. There was the removable bassinet; the changing station; the parent organizer (what?), the plugging up of the light/music/vibration machine - which runs from the bottom thru the middle, up the side rail and plugs into the top. This contraption had everything but the kitchen sink! LOL!
So, we've purchased our first baby item AND managed to put it together with no loss of limbs or band-aids needed. YAY for us!
Attached is a photo (after completing the assembly).
Monday, March 7, 2011
6 months and waiting....
today makes it official; we've been on this adoption journey for exactly 6 months - which, we know, is really not that long in the grand scheme of things. So, we thought about starting a blog - for several reasons.
1. to keep all of you informed of our progress; updates
2. so we can document our journey as we wait for 'The Call'
3. to communicate with the birth mother; birth family...once we are matched!
4. various life events we want to share
5. a place to vent or just get stuff off our chests
Our home study has been completed and our adoption profile has been shown around a few times, but we are still in what Adam and I like to call "Wait Mode".
Wait mode is not for the faint of heart. There are ups and downs daily. We've got faith that our baby is out there....waiting for us.
1. to keep all of you informed of our progress; updates
2. so we can document our journey as we wait for 'The Call'
3. to communicate with the birth mother; birth family...once we are matched!
4. various life events we want to share
5. a place to vent or just get stuff off our chests
Our home study has been completed and our adoption profile has been shown around a few times, but we are still in what Adam and I like to call "Wait Mode".
Wait mode is not for the faint of heart. There are ups and downs daily. We've got faith that our baby is out there....waiting for us.
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