Small Words, Big Punches.

Wow, it's been a while!

~Brandon is 21 months old!

~This weekend our baby girl will be 24 weeks along.

~And Monday, Matt and I will celebrate our 7th year Wedding Anniversary!


                      UPDATE #1: Brandon's language.

After 2 months of "Brandon, say FOOD PLEASE." We've advanced from whining or reaching for food, to using our words!!
 "Fffff, Puuuah!"

He also says "Apple" now. Perfectly. And an array of other phrases that are half words and half sounds.
His, "See ya later" is pretty easy to understand. and his "hello" is "HEYAA!!"
He's learned at least 5 words just from me yelling at the dogs and the cat, but he understands the words, and uses them properly, which is always a big help!
(Up, Down, Out, In, No, All Done, Kitty, Woof Woof, etc...)
Considering that this kid didn't really know anything 2 1/2 months ago, he sure has learned quick!

Brandon is also the nicest guy you'll ever meet. Waves and blows kisses to everyone. When we stand in line at Disneyland, he dances to the music and shares his food with the strangers behind us. He never throws temper tantrums in public (yet), and he's getting very good at listening to direction as far as, "Brandon, stay here!" and all that useful stuff for aactive toddlers. He loves attention and loves to make people smile and laugh. He's definitely "that" kid.

I keep thinking he'll be dubbed "class clown" in high school, but he's also kind of a brainy nerd about stuff, and pretty OCD about some things. I'm excited to see what kind of person he'll turn into.

Oh, and the other day he tried to refer to Matt as, "Babe"...guess I need to stop using that word while we're learning "Daddy".



                                    UPDATE #2: My Ninja She-Baby.

I'm almost 6 months pregnant now. I look like I'm growing a basket ball. And...
Oh. My. Goodness. I'm soooo excited to meet this little girl! but seriously... sooo over the whole pregnancy thing.
Maybe I'm just weird, I don't know, but I can't figure out how people would purposefully get pregnant more than once.

Like I told Matt, this is pretty cool to experience, but I'm so over it. And I didn't even have bad morning sickness!

You never hear stories about the head aches, the leg cramps, the heart burn, the lack of sleep, the rolling side to side, the way none of your clothes fit, the heaviness of the belly, the random people always touching your belly, and the kicking. Ooooooh, the dang kicking! And the small punches!! She's running a kickboxing class in there, and  its 23 hours a day I swear!
As nice as it is to know my baby is very alive and well... no thank you kid!

I've gotten crazy questions about our birth plan, my nursing plans, our future work plans, etc... I don't remember ever feeling the need to ask a pregnant friend any of those questions, so I'm kind of shocked at the lack of respect for privacy. Maybe I'm just used to "how's the paperwork coming along?" and easy general questions.

Speaking of foster kid paper work, I've also been asked if we'll be "trying" for more kids after this active gal is born. That, I will answer. Yes, of course! But Foster/Adopt kids.
 I mean, if God wants to give us another surprise-you're-pregnant-baby then of course, we're there! But our idea is to have a big family and fill our home with kids that need love! And there are SO many more kiddos out there, just like Brandon, that still need families!

Ummm... and NO, we are still not going to tell anyone the baby's name. I've never believed in doing that before my kid was born, and I'm stickin' to it.

Where's the fun in the actual birth day if everyone already knows everything about your baby? "Oh, our baby was born today, you already know everything about her... uh, but here's her weight, because that's exciting news."
 I mean...right?

                        

                                UPDATE #3: This Whole Marriage Thing.

7 years! I remember when Matt and I were just boyfriend and girlfriend and 7 months sounded SUCH a long time.
Then one day we hit 5 years of Marriage and THAT sounded like a long time.

Now we look back and say, "When did all these years go by?!"
We've been together for 10 years, and married for 7 of those.
They have been good, good years.
Yeah, we're married, we drive each other crazy and we don't agree on everything. We've gone through some tough stuff together and in the end, none of it matters.
Matt's still my #1 fan, and I'm his.

We're celebrating our 7 years by staying in town, having a long, fun weekend at Disneyland with the child that we love SO much. Just the 3 of us for a few days, no interruptions. It feels so good to have a complete family.

side news:

I'm done with my official family-leave 3 months of bonding time with Brandon and I'm headed back to work part time until January. I hate to leave him, but you can't live without money. Especially when baby #2 is showing up only 6 months after baby #1. yikes!
This should be interesting doing my dental assisting job with my basketball stomach.


Also, my best friend had to move back to Virginia for a year or so, while her hubby is training to be a pilot in the Navy. It's bitter sweet, but we have such an amazing group of friends, and we'll always be here for each other.

 I'm also extremely jealous of her, since she's not only moving to a beautiful area, but it's away from California...and she gets to have a REAL Fall!

Hope everyone has a great week, Happy Fall!!

Determination at its best.

Nothing motivates me to stick to a healthy lifestyle more than having a beach ball size stomach stick out so I can't see my toes anymore. Yikes!

I'm completely ok with the pregnancy weight gain, as long as its a healthy weight gain, and not a "I gorged myself with crappy food to feed 2 people all winter" type of gain. 

A few years back I read a quote from (in my opinion) one of the most beautifully fit women in the media, Gisele Bundchen. It caused a lot of negative attention towards her, but I thought it was hilarious! and right on point. This is a baby. A human child who should be given the chance to be born as healthy as possible. 

I'm not saying I'll never have pizza again. I'm not saying I don't have a stash of peanut m&ms in the fridge, or occasionally eat mexican food for dinner.

I am saying that it's really hard being at home all day with a toddler. All I want to do is snack and snack and snack, and I'm at home... where I can grab my goodies at anytime I want. However, that's no excuse for pigging out. 

So with a little inspiration from my awesomely-fit Best Friend... 

and of course, beautifully fit women like Gisele..

...I've been sticking to my walking routine and trying sooo hard to stick to my healthy food plan.

I never, ever, grab fast food, unless Matt happens to be home.

 I actually hate eating fast food, it makes me sick. So that helps! 

My new favorite lunch go-to?

 Tofu-turkey and vegan cheese sandwich with spinach leaves, vegenaise and mustard on Ezekiel Bread.
 

 

Oh, and never forget the avocado... Those are some awesome Healthy Fats.

Baby-girl loves those!

I have a super hilarious and very informational pregnancy book that gives me lists of what to buy from the store and what to cook... that helps!

The other day at the park, I saw a mom, with 4 or 5 month old twins, passing me up, rockin' the hills, pushing her double stroller. Again, yikes! 

So... goals? 

-stay healthy throughout this pregnancy. 

-eat the healthy food. 

-stay active.

-keep in shape as best as possible. 

-no excuses!

-have a healthy baby girl :)

I want to have the energy for my future infant and 2 year old! So I'm putting my goals out here, because there's nothing as annoying as not sticking to your goals. And if other people are expecting you to reach them, you can't make excuses  ;)

Plus the way I see it is, the more I do now, the less I have to do Post-baby!

So put on those walkin' shoes because this is going to be a fun next 20 weeks!

Joke's on Me!

You know that moment when you're so busy at work, preparing your self, your mind, your home and your family for a new boy named Brandon to enter your life, that you forget about everything else?

And I mean, everything else.

That moment when you feel so nauseous and sick at work, and you blame it on cheating on your diet the night before? And the next time, you blame it on bad Taco Bell? And the next time you blame it on that 24 hour flu?

That moment when you just want to fall over and sleep on the floor during the day, and blame it on all the extra hours you've been working?

And that moment when things on your body start getting bigger and you cant sit down with your jeans buttoned anymore?

I mean, I know you quit working out so much due to the new 18 month old boy that joined your life recently, but seriously, all those salads, and the jeans STILL get tighter?

Yeah, that's when it hit me.

Gee, maybe I should take a pregnancy test?

Well, 4 EPTs, 4 plus signs, and a lot of deep thinking with my bestie, and a week later, I finally let the reality sink in, and I told Matt the news.

I wrapped a (clean) PT in a gift bag and gave it to Brandon. I put a shirt on him that said "Guess What?!"
Then I told him to go give the bag to Daddy.

Matt's face looked like mine did.
 "Are you serious?!!"

So by the time I went to my first Dr. apt, it was 2 weeks after I found out. By then, apparently I was 16 weeks and 2 days along.

My Nurse laughed at me. The receptionist at the blood testing center laughed at me.
I've decided they probably announced my story over the Hospital's loud speakers the second I left. All I heard was, "How did you not know?!"

I was busy ok!! New kid, leaving work, training the new girl, moving my horse to a new barn, getting our house ready, having a toddler move in... things got a little crazy!

So here we are, at 18 weeks. We just found out that we are having a baby Girl, that Brandon can be a wonderful big brother to.

They claim I'm due Feb 1st, so this will be a fun next 5 months! My belly has already popped out beyond the point of no return, and I've become a huge fan of stretchy yoga pants.

Oh, and NO we are not telling baby-girl's names to anyone so... you'll just have to wait ;)

But if you really need something, Matt has been calling my pooch "Food Baby" since a few days before I told him. which is another hilarious story all in its self.

So until next time, me and Food Baby are off to bed!

Beep Beep!

This last Saturday, my amazing friends Emily and Kelley, put together one FUN baby shower for Brandon! 

Cars, trucks, mud cups, caution tape, fuel, road signs, tires, dump trucks, cones, you name it, we had it!

Matt and I have been so blessed these last few years with such wonderful people in our lives! 

 From simple "hey, how are ya doing today?" Text messages, to sending us presents for Brandon, to jumping in full force when we need help or support. 

My life is amazing! My friends are amazing! My family is amazing! And my drooly, teething, chattering, clumsy toddler is amazing! 

It was so great seeing so many people that have been a huge support through this whole adoption process! 

Matt got crafty with some tires...

...And everyone enjoyed some nice cold "fuel".

I have a bunch of adorable photos of Brandon playing with his trucks and cars, and laughing with friends and family. 

One day I'll be able to show the world. But for now, just imagine a super happy little guy. 

Thank you again to everyone who helped put this fun day together: Emily, Kelley, Matt, My cousin Danni, my Dad, Matt's mom and Dad... Oh, and my mom helped too...

All Talk no Walk

It's a little funny and a little insane to me how people want to give kids junk food and sugar, just because: "they're so cute! They deserve a treat!"

Really? 

Because I'm pretty sure you're just giving that child diabetes and trading it for a smile. 

I'll admit, I've completely fell off the work-out wagon since Brandon came into our home. Yes I've been tired and busy, but there is no excuse for stopping my routines, except pure laziness on my end. 

Luckily, the guilt of not working out, has made me even more persistent in a healthy diet. One thing I definitely won't let slide is the healthy food we've been eating! 

We've had Taco Bell and In n Out a few times, but I won't let Brandon eat it. 

I always bring his own food with us when we are out and about. I might let him have some left over rice, but it's after he's already eaten his lunch. 

He was so constipated when he first came into our home, (and I'm talking 2.5 days), I swore right there, he would have the best diet possible from then on out. 

He is not allowed to have sugar anyway, or he'll get very sick, so we're told. (I'll spare the non-parents and let your imagination come up with the "sick" I'm talking about).

First thing I did was grab gluten free noodles, non dairy Vegan-cheese, a ton of fruits and veggies and almond milk from Sprouts. He's a good eater! He absolutely loves my green smoothies packed with kale and spinach! And he doesn't know he's eating the healthy food. He even has gluten free graham crackers if he needs desert. 

Something I would really like to work on though, is leading by example. 

So here I am, asking for accountability, to be a healthy eating/exercising mommy, so my baby boy can grow up into the strong healthy guy I desire him to be! 

No one can stand those people who are all talk and no action, so today we start fresh. 

Walks, green smoothies, salads for lunch, veggies for dinner. 

Who's with me?!

Week 1.5

So much family, so many friends! 

(This is Brandon with his actual cousin, Brayden... they're very close in age, and they're almost ready for sharing.)

Brandon has been thrown into the "Matt and Sarah's Life Show" with a bang! 

Nothin' phases that kid. 

He is the sweetest, friendliest, funniest little dude! And I'm pretty sure he knows it. He does his own act, complete with a "Ta-daa!" and clapping. Brilliant, I know.

Brandon has met one to two different groups of "aunts, uncles, and cousins"  (family AND good friends included), every single day this week. 

Dinners, lunches, pool parties, the horse barn, Target, the OC Fair, more pool parties... This guy has had one BUSY week! (so have we, zzzzz....)

He also went from having absolutely no sleep-schedule, to taking two small naps a day, and sleeping about 8pm to 6:30am straight through. What a guy! 

He's also become good buddies with the dogs, and he likes to bark at the cat. 

He drools more liquid than he drinks, I swear. 

But even with all the teething going on, he's such a trooper, and barely ever gets fussy. 

He recognizes all 4 of his Grandparents and our siblings now, and he says "behbehdaddy" to Matt. A lot. And random strangers that walk away after taking to us. But hey, he tries. 

The kid is awesome. I'm seriously so in love :) 

Brandon

                 IT'S A BOY!!!

Likes: 

Cars, singing, music, smiling, laughing at my Spanish, barking at the dogs, feeding himself... And Daddy. 

Dislikes: 

naps.

Looks like: 

the most beautiful baby boy I've ever seen! (And a little bit like Ricky Ricardo. including the cool hair). 

Joined our family:

 on Friday, July 26th and I've never been so in love! 

Story: 

18 months old, been at a loving foster home since he was 3 months old. He's ours now, and he's perfect in every way.

The Fun:

 we didn't tell our parents about "the call" or that we were matched, or had 3 visits with Brandon or anything! 

We just had mine over "for lunch". 

And we just showed up at Matt's parents' and "Ta-da!"

Side notes:

 we aren't allowed to post his pics on line, sorry guys! So unless you're close friends or family, it will be about 6 months or more till you can see his face. After 6 months of him living with us, and visits from his social worker, we will be able to file for his final Adoption! 

I never thought I'd be so happy to find dried apple sauce on my arm, or step on a toy car with bare feet, or wake up 4 times a night to check on a baby who never, ever, wakes up... this is the most amazing feeling, and I'm loving every minute of Brandon Isaac being a part of our family! 

He's making a mess attempting to feed himself lunch, so I actually had a second to sit and type some info out for all of you! ;) 

We'd really like to thank you all for your prayers and support through these last 2 years. God sure has His plans, and all the waiting and work was so, so worth it! 

espera...

Yes, that is the Spanish word for "Waiting". Why, Sarah? I dunno, I mean how many times can I use the word waiting as a blog title. So, why not make it in another language just for fun right? And yes, I did have to Google search the correct word.
 I am the most non-bilingual person ever.
(Although, thanks to my Syrian boss, I can say "open a little" and "close" in Arabic. very useful, I know.)

Lately, I've been checking out the web for fun kid's t-shirts about adoptions and all things related.

Since we are adopting from LA County, I'm 90% sure we will end up as a transracial family, and I know that's going to attract a lot of attention.

I think this is my favorite! ;)

So, just thinking about the future, I figure, why not let the kid(s) wear fun clothes that show off our love for them, along with our support for adoption? Since people will be staring anyway, we might as well give them a little lesson in family love despite the colorful palette of our family.

There are some really, really, lame shirt ideas out there.
"Worth the wait"...well duh!

There was one that I almost liked, and then after thinking about it, decided I really didn't like it at all.
                That shirt says, "Chosen".

I understand some adoptive parents actually do choose their baby... but I mostly believe that God has the ultimate upper hand in the decision making here.
 I mean hey, He already knows who you're going to choose... and I definitely believe he has already chosen our future family for us!
And how is that going to make the other birth-babies feel? They didn't get "chosen", they just popped out!


There is one shirt I kind of liked, but I don't think I'd actually make my kid wear it. It says, "Yes, these are my REAL parents!"

It truly amazes me how, will all the liberal junk going on, and all the "anything goes" attitudes, people can still be SO clueless about adopted kids!

I don't even have my kids yet, and I get asked things like, "Well, why don't you want to have your own kids?"
Or, "Just wait till you adopt, then you'll get pregnant with your own baby, I've seen it happen, I know these things."
I even had a Dental specialist that I occasionally work with, say to me, "You and your husband would make great looking kids, why would you want to adopt someone else's?!"

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!

#1. I'm not here to make little carbon copies of myself. I know I'm human and I can be pretty vain, but I'm not that infatuated with myself. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't, simple as that!

#2. We want a family, and all these millions of kids need a family, and it doesn't matter who looks like what or where they came from! We will love every single child that comes into our home and they will be OURS.

#3. My goal is not to adopt and then get pregnant. I don't know why random strangers love to tell me this stuff when they find out I'm adopting. I'm here to do whatever the Lord has planned for me to do, and I have no other ulterior motives.

#4. "Do you think you'll get a kid or kids that look like you and your husband?" Arrrgh, really?!
Why is that even an issue, this is 2013! And NO, I do not! And no, that doesn't bother me one tiny bit.

#5. People are SO weird. I really don't understand the lack of logic in this society. Everyone wants, "equal rights! save the planet! go green! feed Africa! etc"...

But when you tell them you're actually going to be saving a child from a life of Foster Care or being stuck in the system, they say things to me like, "but, what will your real kids think?"
Seriously, what is this, Pinocchio? These will be my real kids. They're very real, and they need a home and a family.

Ahhh!

Sorry, I had a long, weird week at work, can you tell?
This is why I like sassy kid's shirts that let people know, yes, my kids are adopted, and yes, it's OK!

I think I'm ready to just make my own. At least it'll keep me busy while we ESPERA!
(I'm probably not using that work in the correct context...my apologies to anyone who actually speaks Spanish out there. Like I said, my other language skills are no es bueno!)


In other, current news, we had an awesome turn out at our family 4th of July BBQ yesterday.

In the last meeting that we had with our Social Worker, she asked us if we believed in celebrating Holidays and special events like birthdays.

As practical of a question as that might be, I thought it was funny... Parties are what we do best!
 I told her, "trust me, those kids will always have some kind of party to be at!"

well, until next time folks.... have a great weekend!!

And Then I Opened It.

I just got off the phone with my dad.

He's pretty excited. He knows this is an important night.

In fact, he thought it was so important, that he grabbed the soonest bus home from work and left before he was planning on leaving.

And that proves how important and special this is for him, so of course it made everything even more special for me!


I had emailed him this:



(click on the photo to enlarge)

I've had a long day. A very, very, long 10 hour day. But it's Wednesday right?
Who has fun at work on Wednesdays anyway?!

Like always, I rushed home. In my opinion, driving is the worst waste of time when you just want to be at home. So during my 35-40 minute drive, I'm pretty sure I tailgated. I'm pretty sure I gave some slow guy the stink eye. I'm pretty sure I shook my head at some idiot driver ahead of me. I'm pretty sure I flew over that train track on Lambert near the Arco gas station. But I was kinda zoned-out and my favorite playlist was turned way up, so who knows how I actually got home!

I pulled into the driveway and stumbled out of the car, like I do every night, with all my empty water bottles and my lunch box and a bunch of random stuff in my arms...

I grabbed the mail, said hi to the pets and dumped everything on the kitchen table.

Then I saw the envelope.

And I just kind of stood there, with a little smile on my face.
(at least I think it was a smile... I might have looked completely freaked out, but Matt wasn't there yet to witness my facial expression, so we'll never know!)

As I picked up the envelope and ripped it open, the last 2 years of paper work, waiting, classes, phone calls, letters, prayers, and expectations swirled around in my head.

If this letter is what I thought it was, this means we could get a call any day.

                 Any day!

We could get a call from our CSW saying that she may have found a match for us. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, or next year. (I think I was still smiling at this point?).
 If this was the letter I thought it was, then things just got VERY REAL!

like, SCARY real!


So I took out the folded, clean, white paper, and took a deep breath.



                 And then I opened it.






Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

The Cost of Living.

It amazes me how hard we work and save our money sometimes, just to have some part of random life happen to make us use up all that hard earned cash.
But, that's why we work, right? To not only be able to live, but enjoy life a little bit?
You might love your job, but I'll bet you wouldn't work there for free!

It's ironic how everything changes.
Rent goes up, gas goes up, tax goes up, vet bills go up, food costs go up.
But of course your Income sure doesn't budge!

So, I'm moving my horse to a new barn. It's nicer, bigger, and more conveniently located, and you know what that means, more money.
I also live farther away from my workplace now, so I make the same, but spend more in gas money.
I'm also planning on only working part time when this foster/adopt process finally delivers a human being into my home. And that could be soon!
And then the other day, after I had put some overtime money into my savings, my baby kitty got bit by something pretty bad. It got infected and abscessed. he has stitches, antabiotics and a drainage tube. and you don't even want to know the vet bill.

Things start running through your head... Get a new job? Get a second job? Move? Get rid of the pets you love? Give up on ever buying a house with horse property? Sell a car? Give up on kids?

Can you tell I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday?

Then as I was sitting there on the bathroom floor, holding and loving on my poor cone-head-kitty before bed, a favorite Bible verse from somewhere deep in my memory just kinda took me by the throat and said, "look Sarah, chill out!"

 

I'm not here to complain. I think my life is pretty insanely amazing! And I work really hard to keep it that way. I know that no matter what happens, my Heavenly Father won't give me something I can't handle. I just need to breathe deep and remember that the cost of living isn't so bad.

...But everyone's allowed to have a little moment of insanity once in a while, right? 😉

Have a blessed day guys!

That's What's Up.

Greetings fine people of the Internet!

Remember the Dr. Seuss Baby Shower
we had...a YEAR ago? we still have everything!

I've apparently had way too much time on my hands today. Which is weird seeing as I started the morning off extreeeeemly slow.
 Usually on my days-off I'm all over the place by 8am. Somehow I didn't even start my day till about 10, and even then I took my sweet time. (But now that I look back, I think I may have had about 3 cups of coffee during that "slow" time...)

But hey, I read a little, cleaned the house, made a smoothie, drove out to see my horse, drove out to look at a new potential barn, cooked some yummy Paleo banana muffins, took a little nap (WHAT?! that NEVER happens!), and then gave this blog a little updated look.
 Like it?

anyway.... onto the important stuff.

UPDATE #9,567:
So here's the deal. We had our LAST and final Home Inspection last week! And yes, we passed!
We had to cut short the only one week vacation I'll get this year, but oh well, totally worth it!

Now, What's next?

Now we wait. again. I know, shocking, isn't it?
Our paper work (Home Study) is going to our CSW's Supervisor for a final inspection before it can be fully approved.

This can take about a month.

But, after that approval goes through, we will receive notification that we are finally "in the system" to be chosen for a match!

Our Social Worker will receive the calls, and then decide (based on all the info we gave her over the last year), what child or children fit our profile the best. Then she will call me, and we'll chat about it for a while.

Once we find a match that sounds like a good one, Matt and I will have a meeting or two with the kid's Social Worker. We'll go over all the info they have on the kiddo(s). If, after all that, everything still sounds good, then we will have some meet-and-greet time!

Does this process sound long enough to you? Because it should!

But, it's OK.
 I'll need that time to decide what I'm doing with my job and finding a part time replacement and all that crazy stuff.

So no matter how insane this whole thing has been, and is going to be, I am perfectly content that it is all working out JUST the way God wants it to.

And ya can't argue with God!

Oh! Ps, I made a Facebook group page for this site as well. Just because. enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/LifeGetsSeriousSoLaugh

the Tell-All Chapter.

 

Do you ever feel like you have "that friend" who just knows every little thing about you?


And I don't just mean they know your favorite color, food or choice of music. I mean everything...

...They know your past, they know your childhood, they know where you went to school and why. They know your parents' names, what they do for a living. They know your sibling's names and what they do for a living. They know what activities you did when you were a kid. They know what activities you do now. They know how you were punished as a child. They know if you have a criminal or drug record. They know if you rent your home or own your home. They know if you paid your taxes. They know if you have a gun or not. They know if you have a clean back yard. They know if your dogs got their shots or not. They know how many pets you have...

They know where you work, and how much money you make. They know what your after-work activities are. They know who feeds the dogs in the morning. They know who cooks the meals in your home. They know who pays the bills. They know what kind of car you own and if it's registered...
They know you're future hopes and dreams. They know your personality likes and dislikes.
They know what age kids you want. They know what part your family plays in your life. They know if you even talk to your family or not.

They know your bank records. How much money you have in IRAs and savings and your checking account. They know what your house looks like. They know what is in every drawer and cupboard in your home. They know what kind of food you buy and what the inside of your fridge looks like.
They know where you work and what hours you work. They know where the closet park is to your home. They know where the closest schools are.
They know what your finger prints look like. They know if you've been cleared by the FBI or not. They know if you allow strange people to sleep in your home over night. They know who your emergency contacts are. They know all your phone numbers. They know if you have ever lived out of State. They know if you ever plan on moving out of State.

Ever have a friend like that??

Well apparently we do.

And that friend decides when and how and why we should be able to Foster/Adopt from LA County.

 

Can you tell we had a 4 hour meeting with our Social Worker last weekend? My head is spinning.

ohhhh, LA.

I saw our File sitting there on the interview table. It would make a very thorough Tell-All book if there ever was one!

waiting for Matt to be done with his private interrogation.
 I mean interview.

So, now you're wondering...

UPDATE:

Our Home Study is almost done! One more quick home inspection from our CSW and then the paperwork will be passed to her Supervisor. After our paper work is approved, we will then be open for receiving "a match".
Upon finding this match, Matt and I will receive a phone call and be set up for a meeting with the child's Social Worker to discuss personality traits, medical history, etc.

This "matching" part could take days, weeks, months or years.

Only God knows!