Backyard fun starts with S

for Sandbox

Tasting the sand

Not liking the taste [smile]!

Beautifully sandy face

and Sprinkler

Now all that we need to complete the backyard fun is a swing!

Splashing!

Just a short walk away from our house is a small park, the community pool and a splash pad. There's no swings at the park and we've yet to swim in the pool, but the splash pad. Gabe loves the splash pad.

He absolutely loves it!

A Wee Bit Discouraged

So our adventure began early this morning as Gabe and I headed to work with Matt to get everything for our dossier notarized. Lots to notarize but it went smoothly, Gabe entertained a bit and then we hit the road to Austin.

The drive didn't seem as long as I had anticipated; we listened to books on CD, danced to lots of music and Gabe perfected the art of petting doggy with lefty.

Finding public parking in Austin had become the hardest part of our morning. Even the police officer I stopped to ask where public parking was couldn't help me. Eventually we found parking and walked 2 miles back to the building where the authentication department belongs. Okay, it wasn't exactly 2 miles but it was 100 degrees out so it felt like 2 miles.

The actual authenticating was a breeze. Five minutes and we were done. Easy peasy is what I texted to Matt. It actually seemed too easy. Looking back that should have been my clue that everything was not going to go as planned. Instead I just relished in the fact that something with this adoption went smoothly.

Gabe and I decided to take in a few sites in Austin and were walking through the Capital Visitors Center when my phone rang. And a Portland area code came up. My heart skipped a beat but I wasn't too concerned. I assumed the call was going to be about our extention fee. I was wrong.

Our agency had recieved our addendum to our homestudy on Tuesday. We are so pleased with how quickly and efficiently Methodist Missions Home (MMH) has been and were eager to continue moving forward. However, after reviewing our addendum and realizing something was miscommunicated, we did not need a homestudy addendum but a completely new homestudy.

Frustrated? Yes. Angry? A bit. Disenchanted? Uh-huh.

With this news we will not be mailing in our dossier information tomorrow, we will have to wait until our homestudy is completed by MMH and then reviewed by our agency.

The only blessing in this I can see is that we found MMH. They are quick in their work and extraordinarily understanding of all these issues we keep hitting. MMH will come out Wednesday, July 20 to hopefully complete our homestudy. Leah (social worker for MMH) will have as much of it already typed up as she can and then will finish it quickly. And MMH will only be charging us for an 'update' rather than the full homestudy fee, which rightfully they should be charging us. A bit of the silver lining in the cloud.

Although this isn't a huge setback, not compared with the other things we've been dealt, it's a setback nonetheless. But we'd rather be setback now then recieve a referral, go to court and the Ethiopian court think our dossier is fraudulent. That would really stink!

So, that's where we're at today.

And a few pictures of our first visit to Austin. Very few because it was very hot!

The Update

When you begin the adoption process you have lots of ideas flowing in your minds about time lines, references, fundraising and a surplus of what you imagine you future child to be like. After receiving our orientation packet and doing our home study call and DRC (dossier run through call) we had one idea of a timeline: quick.

Well just like how fundraisers don't pan out and your images of your child change; our timeline changed. Our life went through some really big and unexpected changes during the paperwork process. These changes caused lots of paperwork delays and do-overs. It was discouraging to say the least.

Our ball, though, keep rolling and is almost at the point of the wait list. Today Gabe and I will drive to Austin to have our power of attorney authenticated. Tomorrow all but two pieces of our dossier will be mailed out to Portland: UPS 2 day delivery!

A huge weight feels lifted knowing we're almost done. With all the redone paper work, extra visits and phone calls and more fees; the disheartening feeling is finally lifting. I despise that it took us this long to get here. But I'm glad we're finally here.

For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end: it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait earnestly for it, because it will sure come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. - Habakkuk 2:3