Now the Wait to Be Approved to Wait

Home-study done!!!!!!  YAY!  One more check-off on the long list toward a new little Miller.

Yesterday, the social worker from our agency came in from Amarillo to do our home-study/interviews.  She brought with her another social worker that the agency has hired from the DFW area to help on this side of the state.  They got here yesterday right at noon and left at 4:15pm.  Talk about a mentally draining experience.  We started off with the couples' interview, which took almost two hours! Then we gave them a tour of the house, and began our separate interviews.  They talked to each one of us about 45 mins to an hour.  Then we went through another round of questions/expectations together.

Four hours of talking-and not just talking, but explaining everything about yourself, each other, your childhood, our marriage, etc, etc........

For those of you wondering they asked questions like:  describe your dating experience, describe your relationship with your siblings, with your parents, what are your goals, who is going to be doing X, how were you disciplined, how do you plan to discipline, describe your spouse, how is the health of your parents, and so forth............so after 4 hours of this we were mentally drained.  It wasn't bad, just weird to have your life examined at such a microscopic level.

So what's next: now we are waiting to be approved to be officially waiting.  The social workers now have to prepare a home-study document that is presented to the approval board at the adoption agency.  This will take anywhere from four to six weeks.  They have to incorporate everything in our file for presentation for the board.

Then after the board gets the document that will either approve or disapprove us as a couple for the agency's waiting list.  We felt really, really good after the home-study, and we were told that we should not worry about this step.  That we currently don't have any red-flags in our file/home-study.

The board might take a couple of weeks to approve depending on their speed-because being on the board is a voluntary position and everyone has regular lives/jobs as well.

So, we are looking at hopefully be fully approved to be a waiting family by the middle of March-give or take a couple of weeks.

Once we get through this step and are approved to be "officially waiting" we go onto the next phase of the process.  As soon as we are officially waiting we are called active and our profile can be shown to any birthmother that meets the expectations/scenarios that we stated we are comfortable with.  So as soon as we are active, we could get the call.  That's pretty scary and exciting to think about!

So, what now????  Prayers.  Prayers first and foremost for the birthmother that could potentially already be carrying the next little Miller and for that little one as well.  Then any additional prayers for us to weather this process are appreciated.

Being active with the agency can be a roller-coaster as well.  Sometimes you are matched, and then the match falls through.  In addition, there are often situations arise that you never dreamed you would have to consider.  Craig and I know, however, that in the end-no matter how rocky the road is on the way or how long that it takes-God is steering this boat and the child He intends will eventually reach our shore.

If you made it all the way to the end of this give yourself a big pat on the back, and many thanks for the prayers and thoughts for us as we go through this process.