Finally!

     It has been awhile since I have posted any updates.  I have spent the last two months getting very frustrated by the seemingly unnecessary wait we were having to endure.  I knew when we started the adoption process that it wouldn't be fast and it wouldn't be easy.  I knew that I might have to wait for a birthmother to be found, wait for homestudy paperwork to be completed, or wait for a court date to finalize our adoption.  But waiting two months for a "yes" or "no" answer was not something I was prepared to put up with.  After all of our paperwork was in, our classes were complete, and we had made some adjustments to our finances, everything was ready for the stamp of approval.  This seemed simple enough to me.  After sending an email asking the approval lady to review our file and give us the green light, I waited for a month. A MONTH! I didn't even get an email acknowledging that my email had been received.  Still trying to be patient and understanding, I sent another one.  Nothing.  So I called and left a message.  At this point I was feeling a bit like a stalker, but I was getting too aggravated to care.  I finally got an email that briefly stated, "Send me a copy of your pay stub".  So I did.  Two more weeks of nothing went by.  So, I sent a second pay stub.  This time, I attached a note that said, "This is the second pay stub that I have sent.  I would really like to move forward with our adoption process.  I would really appreciate it if you could give me an answer one way or the other by the end of this week.  Thank you."  I had an email in my inbox that night promising to have an answer by the end of the week.  The end of the week came and I got an email saying that she had a few more questions for me and that I should call her on Monday.  What else could she possibly want to know? My blood type?  My dental records?  So, I called on Monday, answered her question about our plans for childcare, and ... GOT THE "OFFICIAL" APPROVAL!!! Even though I feel like two months of my life have been needlessly wasted, we are both very excited to be out of limbo and moving forward. 
     Two months may not seem like much, but if you have ever had to wait five years for something that was more important to you than anything else in the world, you might understand.  Those five years have gone by one agonizing month at a time.  This was another two months.  And, I know that there are several months ahead of me.  Having someone with an "approved" stamp decide my fate when it comes to having children, and having no choice but to wait on that person has poured salt into some wounds that are still trying to heal.  I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God has always wanted us to adopt.  However, that doesn't make this process seem any less unfair.  No one grills the single sixteen year old who just gave birth after accidentally getting pregnant.  She doesn't have to give a full report of her financial situation or wait for approval to take the child home.  It is unfair that unfit parents get to keep having children, only to create a more screwed up society.  It is unfair that abortions are covered while infertility is not.  It is unfair that a person would be selfish enough to terminate the life inside of them when there are so many people who would do anything to carry their burden.  I have not been blessed with the normal decision making power to decide when I will have children.  As if that was not enough, I now have to seek someone else's approval and jump through every hoop that they tell me to with a smile on my face.  So, while it might seem like a measly two months, it was a very long and frustrating two months for me.
     The next step in our journey is the homestudy.  The lady who does the homestudies is pretty booked through the month of August, so ours will start near the beginning of September.  This works out perfectly (there goes God and His perfect timing again) because the lease on our townhouse is up on August 31st.  If we started the homestudy where we are now, they would have to do an addendum when we move.  That would just mean more paperwork.  So over the next month we will be trying to focus on our fundraising.  Our homestudy will cost $1500.  Once we are matched with a birthmother, which could be at any time during or after our homestudy, we will owe almost $7,000 on top of that.  So, this month we will be trying to put together a garage sale, an online auction, selling more Snelling Adoption merchandise from our blog, and I will be applying for any aid that I can find (yay, more paperwork).  Hopefully this will keep my mind and hands busy, while reassuring me that God is going to provide the funds needed to bring our baby home. We are actually moving forward now, so stay tuned!