Matched!!!

As some of you know, last week Cory and I decided to ask for more information on one of the waiting children at Horizon House (the orphanage in Addis run by WHFC).

They sent us his file, the cutest little four year old ever, and we decided that we would change our age request, once again, to an older child. This involves additional paperwork for our agency, including an updated Home Study, Local Resource Provider Worksheet, another form for our social work to sign off on and meeting with a pediatrician to have his file reviewed. Oh, and another on line course for adopting the older child. So my Thursday and Friday last week were spent calling all over the valley, looking for an International Adoption Clinic - only took me about 4 hours to finally find one at the U. Therapists, interpreters, respite care providers, etc..... And why you might be asking was there such a rush to get all of this completed by Monday? Because there were other families who had thrown their hat in the ring for him. Yup, multiple other families.

So when there are multiple families requesting a match with a waiting child, our agency has a match meeting, where they sit down, compare the files and decide who they will assign this child to. There are a lot of different things they look at to make their decision.... So, I kept telling myself that there was a very good chance that we would not be matched with him, and made myself look at some of the other kids, even though he was the cutest with the biggest brown eyes and long eyelashes EVER.

So, I had everything in yesterday, and my social worker said "Um, you're very thorough...." I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or what.. So she tells me the meeting will be this morning (today) and she could be able to call me by this afternoon...

Imagine my surprise when the phone rings at 10 am and the caller id says Massachusetts.... I answer the phone and Nicole says, "Hi Stacy, I have some good news for you and Cory...." Well, I think that you can all figure out what that is..

In 2-4 months we will be going to Ethiopia to get our 4 year old son. That still sounds kind of weird to say and I really don't think that any of it has hit me yet. I was so prepared for them to call me later in the afternoon that I just don't feel like I was ready for it. I was just kind of like "Oh, that's something...wow" Happy but just not the same I guess as if you totally weren't expecting it, like with the referral stories you hear. Cory was kind of the same way. I called him and tried to be all coy about it, dropping hints the size of boulders, like "We'll need the money to pay the agency this week... You know the big balance you have to pay when you are matched with a child......" Nothing, I just got okay. In his defense though I did wake him up and he said the same thing that he just didn't have time to think about it. I talked to him later and it had kicked in and now he's making lists of things that need to be done (so my thing usually) and climbing around on the roof killing wasps.

One other thought, this poor kid is going to come home with us in the winter. Full on winter at our house, complete with 20 foot piles of snow.. Jungle, winter. Fun! Jessica told me there is a Patagonia sale on Labor Day. I am thinking toddler snow suit... Anyone want to come shopping....?? ;)

P.P.S... Because of the Ethiopian laws I cannot post pictures of him on the blog and I am not completely comfortable sending them to everyone either. They can't be posted ANYWHERE!!!! So no pictures until he is officially ours which will be some time after the courts reopen. They reopen in a month or so, and then we have to wait for the adoption to go through the courts. So it will be a while. Sorry!!! I don't even know if I am supposed to put his name on here honestly, so I am airing on the safe side.