Now the hard part is what I call the search and date. You may get a call from families first network to see if we are interested in being voted on for children. A panel of social workers and their bosses get together and vote on what seems to be the best home study. Then you are contacted to see if were chosen. If you were you can get more in depth information of the child/children and you begin dating them. The dating part is what seems so incredibly awkward and bizarre to me.
We recently attended an adoption picnic where you get to interact with the children and hopefully get some information on them. Well we attended one and I felt like a an awkward kid myself with a goofy "Hi my name is" sticker. Any child that is capable of knowing what's going on around them knows why they are meeting new people. That's the part I found so difficult. Of course most of the children want to be adopted and maybe you meet some you think you "hit off" with then you may not be the only family interested. Onto to the vote. You are left in limbo until you get contacted to see if you can start dating.
I am glad to be adopting, I am glad to soon be a mom but this process is hard. You think gosh it's so easy for others. One day you are not pregnant and one day you are. You get nine months Lord willing to mentally prepare yourself for the huge change but with adopting it's so much more. If you are as open as we are to accepting varying ages and number of children it's hard to picture what your family will grow to look like and how it will change. Some people think we are "special" or "saintly" for choosing this option others think how glad they are it's not them. I know it's not for everyone but I'm not a superhuman for choosing this path. I think everyone deserves a mom and dad.
