Less Than A Week

Now that we have begun our adoption process, time will no longer fly! I am starting to count down the days for upcoming events just like I did before. Our first home study visit is this coming Thursday and I am so excited to get started! I have almost all of our documents gathered, just waiting on a few things. We have already been discussing names that we like and we both said tonight that we think it will be a girl. Don't know why, we just do! We do not have a preference either way, we are just so thankful to have this rare opportunity. Ashley and Mom are hoping for a boy! Our friend Penny has predicted a boy! (and Penny knows things that we don't...she has this way about her!)

On another note, today we were at the mall and we just so happened to meet a family who is from Japan and have little kids close to Kaori's age! I was very excited but tried to remain calm and collected so as not to scare them away. We ended up swapping info and she said that there are about 15 Japanese families in her circle of friends, so I am excited to get to know them and for Kaori to have some fellow Japanese playmates.

Making Progress

This week has been very productive as far as our paperwork is concerned. We have answered the six pages long parenting questionnaire, filled out the home study application, gotten Kaori's immunization records from the doctor's office and our credit report! We have also asked some good friends to write letters of reference for us. Next week I am having my medical exam and having our local background checks completed. Luckily, we do not have to do another autobiography! We can use the same one from our first adoption. So, I am pleased with our progress. We still have a lot to do, but at least a lot of our paper work is complete for our first home study visit with our social worker.

Big News!

We are happy to announce that we are beginning the adoption process again! A few months ago we received a phone call from Taz, our adoption facilitator asking us if we would like to adopt from Japan again. We knew that this offer was not extended to everyone. The rule is that only families with no children are allowed to adopt from Japan. However, we are the third family that an exception has been made for. We feel very blessed and honored to be given this opportunity to adopt from Japan again. So, without question we said yes! Which brings us to today. We are just beginning our home study, so we have a long way to go. We are hoping to travel in 2010 to bring our baby home. We ask for your prayers for our baby and for our family as we embark on this journey again. Just like with Kaori's adoption, we are not allowed to specify a gender. But, we are fine with that. This blog will follow our progress. We ask that you do not leave comments on our "Adopting From Japan" blog that have anything to do with our second adoption. We were told by our agency to keep this adoption quiet because not every family is given this opportunity. So, we have only shared this with a select group of people and despite our desire to shout it to the world that we are having another baby, we are respecting ATWA's wishes and keeping it quiet. Thank you for your support!!