Home Study Approved!

Woohoo!! We have an approved Home Study and are applying for USCIS approval. These are big steps in our adoption process. We are so excited to be moving forward-another step closer to bringing Little O home!

The approved Home Study basically proves that we are fit parents and capable of adopting and raising a child. Now, this is not only great news for our adoption, but also for our four children that we have been raising for over 17 years-we are fit parents! I'm sure they will be glad to know this. : )

This approved study also allows us to begin applying for grants to help us fund our adoption. This will be an important piece of our adoption journey and I am ready to kick that English degree into gear and start applying! Just needed that "approval" of the Home Study first.

It has been a long three months getting to this point. This adoption has been much more emotional for me than having our children through pregnancy. It is such a roller coaster and there are so many unknowns. When I was pregnant, I had that baby with me all the time-I couldn't see the baby, but I knew they were there and later in the pregnancy, I could even feel them there. This time, I have no idea where our child is, what she is doing, how she is feeling, no control over her circumstances or the people making decisions regarding our adoption-so frustrating! What have I learned through this? Well, first lesson, I am a control freak and really not a patient person at all. I really thought I was patient, but it turns out I am only patient when I am in control of what is happening. Sad, but true! : ( Other lesson learned-I REALLY love jalapeno kettle chips and peanut M & M's. Yep, very enjoyable but unfortunate, because I have eaten more than my fair share of those lately. I am thinking that unless I get this under control pretty quick, I will be gaining 30-40 pounds of baby weight with the adoption of Olga. (Maybe next week I will get that under control!)

When not busy filling out adoption paperwork or eating chips/candy, Abbie and I read an awesome book together about a little girl with Cerebral Palsy. It is called Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. Loved it and I highly recommend it! It is about a girl in 5th grade with CP who can't talk or walk. It is written from the young girl's perspective. Of course, she is treated as though she has very limited capabilities, but she is so smart and she is so special. She has so many thoughts in her head and is able to do so many things, but she can't share any of it because she can't talk. The book goes through the process of people investing time in her and seeing her potential, and eventually helping her to learn to communicate through a voice activated computer and it changes her life so much. Helped to give us a perspective of everything that goes through O's mind. She may not be able to articulate her thoughts, but she has them, and we will do everything we can to help her share those thoughts as soon as we get her home-no waiting until 5th grade! Anyway, if you need a good read and want to learn more about CP, I highly recommend it.

I think that about wraps it up for us! Thanks so much for checking in with us-we'll keep you posted as things progress! Have a great week!

The Barth Family