UPDATES? In progress? At home? How's it going?

[newmomto3kids]

We just had to be re-fingerprinted last month, but I had kind of seen it coming.
But, it looks like I will be traveling to Haiti next week to meet my baby boy and spend a few days with him. I wish I could take him home then, but not quite yet.
The waiting stinks!! Do you have a referral already? If I remember correctly, with China you wait forever for a referral but then get to travel quickly (relatively!)
We got our referral for Kenley in August or so and are looking to hopefully bring him home by the end of the year.
Yikes...

[mom-in-waiting]

Hi. We are a few stages ahead of you.

We explored several options for adoption, attended multiple information sessions, and then decided that adoption from foster care (thru our state) was the way to go for us.

We have completed all of our applications, submitted references, medical forms, fingerprints, completed all of our paperwork...and now we are waiting for our homestudy to be completed. No matter how many people tell you to expect a lot of waiting, it is still difficult. (I write this after having been thru multiple miscarriages...where all that waiting led to loss. It can be difficult to have faith that this time it will work out for us.)

I am trying to keep my sanity by preparing for all of this baby stuff...but shopping for baby stuff as a first-time mom is enough to make one lose her sanity! I'm so glad I found this book (Baby Bargains). What is especially hard for us is that we won't know if we will have a single child or siblings (because we are open to adopting siblings), we won't know gender(s), AND we won't know age(s). So, in a nutshell, I'm scoping out all of the options and making choices for each potential scenario we will face and embrace!

I just joined as a member today and I this is my first post. I'm so glad there is an adoption forum here.

[newmomto3kids]

How amazing!! I truly believe that things have a way of working out just as they are supposed to. I thought I only wanted a baby, and then we accepted a referral for a toddler and now we have agreed to adopt a 6 year old as well.
I look forward to hearing about your family!!
Good luck!

[mom-in-waiting]

Hi there! Well I am SO excited to say that our home study was approved and circulated yesterday!!!

We are adopting through foster care so finalizing the home study is a huge deal (the process is MUCH quicker than with international adoption). We have been told that we will begin to receive potential matches next week!

Sooooooooo, I continue to do things to get ready. We are open to an indivdual child or a sibling group of two; likewise, we could be matched with either gender (or one of each), and the child(ren) could be infants, toddlers, older -- or a combination of ages. Basically, I spend my time narrowing choices and keeping lists of "this is what I'll buy if..."

I'd love to hear from anyone who is currently grappling with issues of "how to prepare when you don't know who you're waiting for." And I'd welcome suggestions/advice from those of you who have already been through this period of abiguity.

Thanks!