Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Adoption Update: Two Thirds Done with Home Study

Start the song player on the right if you want to cry as you read. : )

Adam goes this week to his personal interview with our social worker, I went to mine last week. These weeks meetings establish who we each are and what makes up "us." If Eva was older she would have an interview too. To prep for the meetings, we each had to get background checks for the past three states we've lived in and write our "autobiographies."  I'm a hobby writer for sure, so it was a fun assignment for me. We had a list of questions to answer to guide the "story." In answering "describe your parents and family growing up," here is a small section of what I wrote:
"Mom set an infectious tone of hospitality, fun, and creativity which brought much joy to those who lived in and visited our home. Her joyful selflessness was a powerful example - I love to remember her singing loudly of her Savior over many a spaghetti pot. My dad was Mom’s perfect complement. He kept the fun orderly and the creativity from destroying the furniture. He was our dinnertime conversation referee, an excellent counselor, and ever-gentle leader.


The boys, my brothers, were affectionate and protective of my sister and I, and we girls enjoyed a world only sisters know.

Late March, 1990, I held little Elissa for the first time, and from that day on she would occupy a very special place in my heart. She and I were always together growing up, and most of the time we liked that. Sisters are treasures.
Each of my brothers also occupies a special place in my heart. Evan, being my only older sibling, was the one I so wanted to please. He was a lot of fun and easy to talk to growing up. My first little bro, Adam, and I fought for years, but now are very close. He’s fiercely protective, very loyal, and will never completely grow up. Joe and I always agreed on everything and we adored each other. He was the softy, a dreamer, and very affectionate with everyone. My little bro, Taylor, was the loudest, like I said, and so he was picked on a lot growing up by me and the others. Then God changed my heart, I became more of his defender, and ever since he’s trusted me deeply and we’re best friends. Patch was always full of joy and complements, had a kind heart, and was cute, so he got along with his sisters well. Each of the boys uniquely brought my life sweetness and fullness and learning to relate to them has helped me learn to relate to my own husband today."
oh boy. that family-missing ache just doesn't go away, does it?

After this week, we will be two thirds of the way done with home study. The last meeting will be in our home as our social worker makes sure we don't have open sewage running through the back yard. (that reminds me... we need to rent that porta-john)

I can't wait to see the "unknown path" unfold as we go from 3 to 4 Campbells. (and then from 4 to 5?) I pray that our little ones will have something like the sweet childhoods that Adam and I each had growing up.
Us crazies with our buddies Diana, Sheree, and Caleb Jacob in maybe 1996?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Adoption Update: First Home Study Meeting Today


Today we went to our first home study meeting at the agency and met our social worker (who we likey). We found out that if we've ever participated in a drive-by shooting, or plan to keep our new kid in a closet or weren't born with fingerprints we can't adopt. Thankfully, it looks like we're gonna make it thru alright. It was mostly mounds of paperwork and discussion of more paperwork and plans for additional forthcoming... paperwork. We handed over our financial records, IDs, marriage licence, and all that good stuff, plus she wanted to see that we have a family fire escape plan (ya mean somethin' more than 'RUN KIDS!' ?), look at our driving records, and sign us up for background checks. Good thing we're fine upstandin' folk.

Now I'm workin' on more stuff to hand over for my personal meeting with her in a little more than a week. Most of it is fun stuff tho, like specifics about how we plan on caring for Baby. I'm looking forward making our family profile book, composing our letter to the birthparents, and writing my autobiography. (seriously, it's required.) So there's lots of busy work to do. We'll have separate interviews, Adam and I, coming up, so we're comparing notes and even practiced interviewing each other today. Poor Huz, he's got all the detailed financial planning to do... tho he has a head for it. (Thank God.)

Our social worker said if we get our paperwork done quickly and our references (you know who you are) get back to her quickly and we can schedule our meetings then the whole process will go fast and we might be able to be all "studied up" in 6 or so weeks. Then we go on the waiting list (a 3-10mo. wait) to do the preadoption classes and get into the "waiting pool"  as I like to call it (a 1-12mo. wait). So it looks like it'll be hurry up and wait for us and that's just fine. We're SO excited to have and hold Baby, but we know God has that little one headed to us at a good pace and  tho I want to, I don't want to rush it. There's trust in the waiting and trust is something I wanna grow in. So, Lord, I say BRING IT! (in your timing, of course)