The process

We began the adoption process in January 2005. The next few months were a whirlwind of paperwork, fingerprinting, background checks, interviews, house inspections, more paperwork and more interviews. By the time we were done, there was nothing about us that was secret anymore. Our case worker (and the government) knew everything about us. Not that the government didn't already know all about us, but ... I digress.

I could bore you with details about the extreme amount of paperwork and the (sometimes trivial and ridiculous) attention to detail we had to have, but if you've ever completed your own taxes or done anything at the DMV, you've experienced just a small amount of the "paperchase" of the adoption process.

In May, our completed dossier (the entire bundle of paperwork) was sent to our agency, and we waited on clearance from Immigration to adopt a foreign born child. That came a few weeks later, and we were placed on the waiting list for a baby girl. 

I wish I could say the waiting process was easy peasy, but oh! how I'd be lying. Impatient doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. I was obsessed with all things adoption. I spent many-an-hour on our agency's online forum talking with others in the process and watching the referrals roll out. I talked to everyone I saw about adoption and our soon-to-be daughter. 

(At this point I think I need to apologize to every grocery cashier, mailman, librarian, waiter, etc. for my urgent need to tell you all the details of the adoption process and daughter we didn't even know yet. I'm sure I scared you, and I'm sorry. You would be pleased to know that it all worked out, and I'm now a normal functioning adult again. Well, my husband would probably debate that last part, but we'll pretend it's true.)

So, just to reiterate, the waiting was hard. But, on July 6, we got THE call. The one telling us that our baby girl had arrived. Our lives had just changed forever.