Anniversary, Home Study & Attorney

1. Anniversary - We just celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary!!! I cannot believe how fast that time has gone. We spent the weekend doing our favorite things together. Saturday we made waffles, took Penny for a hike, saw a movie, went to dinner and finished with cupcakes for dessert. We even bought Penny a pupcake which she loved! Sunday we took Penny with us to brunch and a used bookstore, caught a nap and ordered in for dinner. Our schedules have been pretty busy this summer so it was wonderful, restful and romantic having an entire weekend full of dates.

2. Home Study Renewal - our home study was set to expire in July, so we worked with our amazing social worker to go through the renewal process. This included fingerprinting/background checks, updated financial info, CPR/First Aid certifications, physicals and a home visit. The good news is that our home study is valid for an additional 2 years. It was really hard to realize we've been on this journey for over 3 years now, and there is still no match in sight. I've been reminding myself of all the blessings, all the lessons we are learning in this journey, but sometimes, you just need to sit in the wait and grieve.

3. Attorney - We've been thinking long and hard about our adoption. As I said, it's been 3 years and feels as though we've made no progress. We considered different options and ultimately decided to hire an adoption attorney who came highly recommended. You can see our profile here. Even though we've written profiles before, this one was felt harder. Part of it was the shorter length, but most of it was searching for the right words. We've been researching adoption language and expectant/birth parent perspectives and learning so much! We hope that is reflected in this profile:

"We have always wanted to be parents. When I (Tiffany) was little, I used to say all I wanted to be was a wife and mommy when I grew up. Unfortunately, the road to parenthood has not been easy or quick. We tried for years to get pregnant, sought medical help and were left with only questions. When we were engaged, we talked about adopting. I admit, we had a very rosy view of how and when this would all happen...but God’s ways are not our ways and our plans are so limited.

Through time, tears and His grace, we have learned more about ourselves and God’s character, prepared better for parenthood and sought out adoption stories, podcasts, books, advice and groups. Our rosy view has become more grounded - we understand more of the complexities of adoption, the emotional risk, the uncertainty. We don’t know what the future looks like, but we will choose adoption today and tomorrow and the next day."

If you're curious about learning more about the world of adoption, check out some of my favorite resources below:

• Adopt Well on Instagram 
• Creating a Family website or podcast
• The Sacrifices of Adoption by Rose Clearfield