BUSY

We have been so busy with our home study and shopping that I haven't had a chance to write. Being on spring break this week has really helped wrap up loose ends.

We have one more meeting with the social worker on March 31st and then you will be able to see our profile at Adoption by Gentle Care's website. Once we are posted we have to travel with a car seat because we could get a call any time.

We have really shopped these past few weeks. Crib shopping has occupied most of our Saturday afternoons. We have it narrowed down to three. Books to read to a little one are compiling. Finally, the purchase that needs the most attention is a car seat. The agency said to have it put together and know how to operate it as soon as possible. Most of the social workers are single ladies who said they would not be any help. More good news to come.

One to Go

We've had the fastest fire inspection ever. Mandy is very happy to not have any more smoke detectors sounding. She wasn't sure that she was going to come back in the house after all the racket. This Saturday, we had infant CPR all day. It went very fast in the morning. Now that we have our certification cards, we only have the baby basics class left. Then Beth will be coming over. I thought we'd be on the agency website by now, but the pace we are going at is comfortable instead of frantic. In the meantime, I like seeing all the couples who are successful with our agency. It's great to see so many adopt. I keep thinking that, this will be us some time this year!

Home Again Home Again

We arrived back in Cleveland last night around seven and picked up

Mandy from Stephanie and Steve's. Thank you for watching our big puppy. The trip went well. We learned so much in the two six hour sessions. The agency is great and wants everyone to be informed before going through the entire process. All though everything that we heard wasn't completely positive, I am thankful for their honesty. Like Stephanie said last night, it probably helps eliminate couples who are not ready for adoption yet. Jeremy and I are still on board. We received the name and number of our home study social worker. I plan to call her Monday or Tuesday to set up our home study. Her name is Beth. Everyone that has been through a home study that I talked to says that after they look back, it wasn't bad at all. This is what I keep reminding myself of as we get closer to our visit. Beth (number 2) is our adoption social worker who will be helping us once we are matched with a birth mom. She was very kind and helpful. There are somethings to do before then. Tomorrow, Ryan and Angela are coming over for a pre-fire inspection. Tuesday, we have Infant CPR. We still have to get the baby basics class in some time soon. Our final fire inspection is the twenty-eighth of this month. The profile will need to be sent in, but overall, we're in good shape. Thank you to everyone for the pictures. More updates to come soon.

4

Four days until our Columbus Trip!

100 Years Old

I just finished having cookies and tea with
a wonderful group of ladies. When I arrived
home and Jeremy was reminded of where
I was,he was thrown. He asked if I was 100.
Thinking more about it later I realized, maybe
I am. I really like knitting, reading, playing with
my cats, gardening,(wait there's more) puzzles,
cards and my nickname is Gertie(long story.)
What I'm getting to is this, I apologize for not
keeping everyone up to date. I've been
( I guess you could call it) busy over break.

So, here's the news.
I counted and we only have about 15 pages left of
paper work! We are scheduled next week for
Baby Basic 101. Bathing, feeding, changing, and
burping are all on the agenda. This is the only one
that annoys me. Jeremy and I both grew up with
kids around. And if we have a question, isn't that
what our moms are for. Anyway, we also have
Infant CPR and our Fire Inspection the week after
our Columbus trip. Ryan and Angela are coming over
first for a pre-fire inspection. Thanks guys.
Then we should be able to schedule our home study.
Alyson and Stephanie, don't forget you offered to come
over and paint the cave bathroom. Everyone else,
if you have any good pictures of Jeremy and I, we would
like to use them for our profile. The agency asked us to
send in pictures of us looking young and healthy. Any
shots of the above activities then should probably be put
on hold.

Much Love, Liz

Thank you

Thanks to everyone that filled out reference
forms for us. Everyone have a great holiday if
I don't get to see you over the break.

Love,
Liz

Yesterday

While I was at the Longcoy Family Movie last night,
Jeremy called. He said that a thick packet from our
agency came. I wanted to cancel everything that night
to come home and get started. The main reason to
come home was surprisingly not to get ahead. Someone
might think that after seeing the fifty pages and the two
books that we have to read. The thing is, I am so
excited to do it. I was telling Alyson and Stephanie
this later that night and we all laughed. It sounds
ridiculous, but I don't want to clean, cook, grade papers,
or anything outside of preparing for our homestudy.
I'm not stressed, just really really excited. Yes, fifty pages
of paperwork can do this because it means a little one is
not so far away.

Stories

I went on adoptionbooks.com to look for books that
I could read to prepare to welcome a little one some day.
Being the elementary teacher that I am, I drifted over to
the children's books section instead. Out of all the stories,
I liked A Mother for Choco the best. The author is Keiko
Kasza. Here is the review.

The talented creator of The Wolf's Chicken Stew (1987 ALA Notable)
provides a warmhearted contemporary surprise ending for the
time-honored formula of a little creature searching the animal
kingdom for its appropriate mother. Choco, a small yellow bird
with a big blue bill, tries a giraffe (she has no wings, she says),
a penguin (no ``big round cheeks''), and a walrus, but no one
seems to look just like him. Comfortable Mrs. Bear is wiser:
``If you had a mommy, what would she do?'' And since she's quite
able to hold him and kiss him, regardless of appearances, he's soon
the new member of her happy family--joining the little pig, hippo, and
alligator already in her affectionate brood. The timely point is hardly
subtle, but it's made with notable good humor, especially in Kasza's
marvelous animal caricatures of comically human states of mind. Just
right for the preschool group or beginning reader.Kirkus Reviews

Now I'm looking for tales about adopted kids and
their grandmas, uncles, and aunts. I'll get
back to the informational book eventually.
Much Love, Liz

Monkeys

It is so much fun to be planning again. Jeremy and I were talking
about the kid's room. We still love the monkey theme. Instead of
Curious George painting a jungle, we were thinking that the room
could be the inside of a jungle hut. The floor is finished wood and
the walls are a dark color. Large bright painted windows with
Curious George and his friends peeking in would be so cute.
Hopefully, we can recruit Marc and John to come over once
everything starts moving. Can't wait.

Liz

Our Adventure

However many times I've gone through it in my head I cannot tell you.
When, where, and all the little details of our family's beginning.
I can imagine that day a million different ways. All are completely
beautiful. The time for day dreaming is coming closer to an end.
For everyone who we did not see over Thanksgiving, here is the
latest.We've been invited to Columbus in January for the seminar
and training necessary to receive our adoption license. We both have
to take off Friday. Our plan is to head down on Thursday night and
spend the weekend. It will be fun to be in Columbus again. I hope to
go to Easton, see a few of you who have made C-bus your home, and
maybe drive by my old apartment where Jeremy and I got engaged.
I know, I'm such a sap. Love ya, Liz