Waiting to exhale

Just when it seems like I should be able to breathe a sigh of relief, I can't.

The final portion of the home study took place today. Our social worker came to our home this fine rainy spring evening. She took out her white glove and checked behind the refrigerator, she questioned the children at length, and even checked our cupboards to ensure we stocked enough of the appropriate kinds of food. NO! No she didn't. She came in and sat down, like a friend. We gave her a brief tour of the house - and let me take a moment to literally thank God she wasn't required to check our closets! - She met the kids and talked to them about adoption and asked them if they had any questions. It was nice, it was relaxed.

While she talked to the kids she mentioned that our family might get one sibling or two. Naven reported that, "Twins means they are in the belly at the same time." He proceeded to explain that Eric and Aaron are twins at his school and Eric came out first. We were surprised by this detailed report and accurate definition, and he was extremely proud that he had made this announcement.

There were, of course, a few more papers to sign: we understand there may be a wait outside of the control of anyone, we understand there are risks, we understand that there may be unidentified medical conditions or learning disabilities, etc, etc, etc. All important, but seemingly obvious at this point. I guess the most interesting phenomenon is that fact that there hasn't been a single piece of paper I have signed without reading thoroughly, once even twice before signing.

So that's that. The home study is done. We are now officially approved to raise a child. Well, not any child, specifically a child from Ethiopia ages 0-5, boy or girl, siblings or single child. Other countries, other ages, will require additional approval.

So, now we wait. How long will we wait? Well, I can tell you it is not as clear cut as the 40 weeks I waited for the last two amazing deliveries. The good news, there is no panic if you only wait 32 weeks. There is no bed rest required (or allowed as far as I can tell.) The bad news, there is something like 24 hours of labor, I mean flight, required. There is no answer to the question of time. We wait. I wait. Maybe only days, maybe weeks, or months, maybe a year... not likely years though, but you never know... people are waiting years for children from China.

In practicing patience, I will wait contentedly. I will enjoy the time I have with my family in its current state. We know we have a change coming, but the change isn't to fix something that's broken, it just to make what's already great, even better. I know the the exhale is imminent.