Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Positive Expectations

On Labor Day weekend, Bryan and I spent some time with our friends who have two little girls whom we adore. We met up with them in Maryland at a car show..and the first thing that our very intuitive friend asked us was, "You have good news, right?" And, I said..."Yes! We are expecting....we...are...paper pregnant!" One of her daughters looked up at us with a big smile, clapped her hands and said, "Baby!" and my response was "yes, we are praying for a baby". Her innocent and excited response is exactly how we feel at this point...except with a hint of surrealism as we don't have a definite time line.

The first time I heard the term "paper pregnant" was just a couple months ago and I had a mixed response as to what it really meant. Obviously it's not something we made up...and....it's not a technical phrase, but it is something that has been used among other adopting parents at this stage in the adoption. It basically means that at this point our profile is posted on our agency's website and the profile pages we put together are available for potential birth parents to look at. (I also kind of think the term can apply to the many many papers we had to fill out to get here...but that's just me)

So we are expecting to get a phone call at some point. Yay! Granted it may be less than 9 months or it could be more than 9 months that we are matched and become parents, it is still a fun and exciting milestone for us. Don't forget the added bonuses of being paper pregnant: I don't have to take prenatal vitamins, worry about morning sickness, weight gain and I can enjoy the occasional glass of wine. (see...there's always a silver lining)

Similarly to a pregnancy - this time will be full of ups and downs emotionally for us, though for different reasons, so we will continue to ask for your prayers and support. It is also going to be a good time for us to get some more fundraisers and possibly grant applications underway so we can take care of the large placement and lawyer fees when the time comes (stay tuned!). We aren't sure if we'll be getting updates from the agency as to if anyone has looked at our profile as I think they avoid disappointments as much as possible. We will be sure to keep the blog updated if we hear anything...and please feel free to ask us if you wish.

As of now we have positive expectations - and our faith is strong. We are happy to be at this point in our adoption process. Thanks for your support!