Sorry about the length between posts...we've been a little busy. First of all, we are pretty close to the finish line, only 2-3 months until our home visit - which is when we're done with the paperwork and home study...and waiting for our baby! We thought we were closer than that, but some snags happened and the wait is going to be a little longer. Part of that is our fault for being slow in the process and part of that was out of our control.

We'd been working on getting the house ready for the home visit, when I emailed our counselor, Sue, to ask her a question. She replied and told me that she was retiring and that we would be assigned to a new counselor. We were a little freaked out to change horses in mid-stream, but we decided that it would give us a chance to get the nursery finished, and we were ok with it.

Then, we got a phone call from The Cradle, telling us that the fingerprint agency that we had worked with for DCFS had submitted the wrong classification, and that we would have to get new ones. We found out that due to this mistake, it would take another 2-3 months for us to get our DCFS qualification. No problem, we would just have that time to get the downstairs bathroom renovated and new carpeting in the basement.

May 14th, we met our new counselor, Joan, and we liked her immediately! She was warm and friendly, and seemed to be very competent. She did mention that we had some outstanding paperwork, which we could get to her in the 2-3 month wait, and we left the meeting with a huge weight off of our shoulders. We were looking forward to the home visit, and to having the time to get our ducks in a row.

Today, we got an email from Joan, telling us that she is resigning her position, and that we are going to be assigned to a new counselor. We're still keeping our thoughts positive, and are trying to look at this as a good thing. We will have the time to get everything done that we need to get done, and we are still hoping to be parents this year.

In other news, Jeremy is leaving this Saturday for a week and a half for business in Japan, Korea and China, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings back for me!!

Hope you are all well and happy...have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Birthday to me....I turned 32 today, and it didn't hurt one bit!

We got our FBI clearances back...you'll all be pleased to know that we aren't hiding criminal pasts. The fingerprint card came back with a little note attached saying that we should turn our attention to the stamp on the back of the card which simply said "No Arrest Record". I was interested to see whether my juvenile arrest for curfew violation would come up since they check your juvenile record and any expunged records. Perhaps they didn't think that was anything worth mentioning. I think it is interesting that they check your juvenile and expunged records...this process is certainly thorough!

Hope you all had a loving Valentine's Day, hug yourselves for us :)

We have been busy, busy, busy! We both got our physicals - Jeremy's is completely done and I go back on Monday to get the results of my TB test. Also, I lost 20 pounds since I was at the doctor's office last time, and he was very pleased with me...but not nearly as pleased as I was with myself!! We also sent our FBI fingerprints out and Jeremy finished one of the two online classes he has yet to take. We have the first draft of our Dear Birthmother letter finished and are working on getting our house ready for the home visit. When we decide to get on the ball, we really move!

I'm also looking forward to my 32nd birthday in less than two weeks...I think this is going to be a great year :) Hope you are all staying warm!

Jeremy had his meeting with Sue last Wednesday to discuss his autobiography, and he said that it went well. He asked her if she saw any red flags and she said that she hadn't...she did mention that we have a bit of paperwork that needs to be handed in, so we're going to work on that this week. We also have to make appointments for full physicals with our doctors, and Jeremy has to finish his online classes, which he hopes to have done this week. After that, we're just waiting on the home study and we're done. It finally feels like the end is in sight!

This weekend was incredibly busy - Jeremy's band played on Friday in Barrington at the Penny Road Pub - of course they went on late as it always seems to happen there. It was a long day, and we didn't get home until around 2 am. Sunday, we went to Starved Rock with our good friends for the Eagle Watch. What a glorious experience! Granted, it was colder than a brass bra, and we were all bundled up like Michelin Men, but I was so excited about the eagles and the scenery, I didn't even feel the cold - ok, maybe a little! We saw at least 20 eagles, and Michelle got some incredible pictures of them using a telescope and her digital camera!

We're trying to plan a dinner get together with the new friends we've met through our adoption classes, and so far the response sounds positive. We really don't want to lose touch with these people, it's so cool to have friends who know exactly where we're coming from and what we're going through! This adoption trip has been amazing and I'm excited about our next journey already, although we really need to finish this one first :) Our goal is to be finished with the home study and all of our paperwork, and be on the list by our third anniversary (March 20th)! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Happy New Year!!

We took a small break during the holidays, there were quite a few things going on, and we decided to devote most of our time to the season. Hope you all got what your little hearts desired for Christmas...we got to spend time with family and friends, which is what the season is all about for us.

Now we are renewing our journey in earnest. I have been working on our Dear Birthparents letter and our profile, which are given to the prospective birthmothers when they are deciding on who they want to place their baby with. I have just finished reading a book called Reaching Out, which is kind of a "how-to" on writing the letter, and it made this so much easier! Jeremy has finished his biography and made an appointment with Sue for the 24th of January to discuss it with her. We are steadily working on the house, culling out the things that we don't need and getting the house ready for our home visit with Sue.

In other news, we got our new bedroom set, and we couldn't be happier! It is the second furniture purchase we've made as husband and wife, and we're really excited to have a complete set...we feel like grown-ups :)

Thanks for all of your support...we're looking forward to becoming parents in 2007!