Tomorrow my husband and I will drive almost two hours to have an in office visit that our home study agency requires. Initially, we were annoyed that we had to do this. This visit is in addition to our actual home visit, and this is the same home study agency that we used for Ella’s adoption, so it seemed ridiculous that we had to be jumping through all these hoops all over again. Then we learned that it’s a state requirement for us to have a certain number of hours with our home study agency for them to complete our home study update. So we really have no choice, and it’s not such a huge inconvenience after all.

All day I’ve been thinking about our impending meeting and I realized that this meeting has actually made me feel more connected to our adoption and the reality that it’s happening. It was a running joke through all the steps of Ella’s adoption that my husband and I would always say “Now it feels real” every time we completed something new. It was true, and now I know that it will be the same this time around. Knowing that we’re going to this meeting tomorrow has made the whole adoption feel real.

I don’t know if I’ve been too busy or too stressed or what, but I haven’t had much time to really think about the fact that we’re almost done with our home study. Today that changed and it hit me. We are doing all of this for our child, and any little annoyance is worth it. Now that we’re moving forward I can feel the impatience starting to slowly sink in. I’m nervous for the wait; anxious beyond belief to see our new daughter’s face; and so deliriously thrilled that we’re doing this again.

So tomorrow Ella will have a fun filled day with her grandma and her mommy and daddy will actually get to spend some time together. Of course, it’ll be in the car and with social workers, but it’s still time. I’m not too worried about what questions they may ask or what to expect. This time around, I can answer their questions honestly from real life experiences, instead of hypotheticals. I’ll let you know how it goes!

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More Reading:
We're Adopting Again!
Our Home Study Update
Our Second Adoption Journey - So Far