Friday, November 17, 2006

Mailing Preliminary Application to AWAA

Today, we submitted our preliminary application to AWAA. This is the first bit of paperwork that we have had to complete. An intake coordinator with America World will review our paperwork and determine what country we are eligible to adoption from. Our jobs, financial status, religious background, and health conditions will all be considered in making a decision whether or not AWAA will agree to serve as our agency. We are excited and scared at the same time. We've shared several family prayers over the paperwork, and it's all in God's hands!

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Attending the Adoption Seminar

We attended the adoption seminar this morning. It was wonderful! I (Erica) actually cried throughout the majority of the program. Families from China, Ukraine, Russia, and Ethiopia gave their testimonies about how God led each of them to their child. A social worker spoke about what to expect in completing the homestudy and how to prepare for the overwhelming paper pregnancy. Paper pregnancy is the term used that refers to the period of time in which you are collecting documents for the dossier (adoption application) and waiting for a referral or travel date. I can't wait to be enter the paper pregnancy phase - hopefully it won't include extreme nauseau like I experienced while pregnant with Ashton! We are really excited but are still praying that God will ead us to the right agency and country.

On the way home, we ate lunch at Chick-fil-a and found ourselves parked beside a vehicle with an adoption magnet and then sitting beside a Caucasian family with a Chinese little boy. Is God trying to tell us something or what?