hurry up and wait

Ok, so this is not the military. But it sure feels like we have been doing a lot of rushing then waiting. So here's another little update for ya.

The agency we are going through, Grandfather Home for Children, is in the middle of merging with Barium Springs. Jake and I are completely done with everything on our end. But until the merger is complete, we can't sign off on our final paperwork and send it in to the state. We are currently hoping to sign everything next week, and have our licensing paperwork sent to Raleigh on October 1. From what I understand, there is about a 30 day turnaround time for us to actually receive our official license in the mail. So that puts us at October 31ish.

As soon as we are licensed, we can get a call at any time. However. We do know we will be doing respite care for some little girls who have foster parents - we will just be providing their foster parents with a little break for an afternoon or a weekend or whatever. That will give us a little practice before we have a child or children placed in our home. So, I'm guessing within a week or two after we get our license, we will watch those girls maybe a couple of times, and within a week or two after that (approximately, of course - one can't plan these things), we will get a placement.

As I've mentioned before, I would have loved to have had a placement by Jake's 30th birthday, but we knew from the get-go that would be basically impossible. I totally thought for sure we would have a placement by my birthday in late October (which will mark two years that we've been trying to conceive - no longer "about a year", but actual "years"). We won't even be licensed by then. I would now love to have a placement by Thanksgiving, but that's cutting it awfully close. So I'm really, really hoping we have one by Christmas. We are honestly getting a little discouraged by all of this. The thought of a Christmas without a child's excitement is pretty sad. Not in general, but for us who have been wanting one, and now actively preparing for one (or more). So, it would be great if you would join us in prayer for that. I feel kind of silly asking that; it seems so trivial. But at this point, I'm walking every day by a closed door leading to a room fully prepared and ready for children, and spending time in my sunroom-turned-part-playroom where no kids have touched the toys and books on the shelves. So, yeah, I've been in a funk lately.

Anyway. Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop since it's apparently been two months since I last posted. I will definitely let you know when things are moving forward! Thanks for all the support and prayers and excitement you've shared with us. We so appreciate it :)