my planner hates me for this adoption

I don’t know what came over me. I promised myself that I would not do it. When I spoke with my officer over at the National Benefits Center about a month ago, she told me to expect about three weeks for my CIS clearance to arrive and to call back in mid-August if I was still empty handed. Yesterday was August 5th… hardly mid-August in her mind, I’m sure, but I found a way to justify the call in my deluded head. I was slightly nervous that she would chastise me when I called and rip my application in shreds. But, alas, she didn’t answer. No, she must be overwhelmed with inquiries these days because she has now left a voicemail message stating that she is only answering calls one hour each day during this time of transition. Hmph. I’m crossing my fingers (but not holding my breath… I don’t want to pass out) that she will call during that one hour today to update me on the status of our application.

For a type A control freak with a planner nearly attached to her hip, this adoption journey has already been ground breaking for me. None of this is in my control anymore. Nada. In fact, we just heard from our agency last week about the current state of adoptions in Rwanda. Essentially, there has been very little movement this year, and there’s no telling when adoptions will pick up again. Additional help has been hired to process the dossiers, but there is such a large stack waiting that it is impossible to predict how long it will take to train the new employee and start wading through the paperwork. On top of that, many government officials have completely taken off work during the final weeks of this election. Here’s hoping that they arrive back at work next week bright eyed and bushy tailed, poised to tackle the many waiting dossiers, thus getting these precious children out of the orphanages and into loving families.

For a split second last week, I couldn’t help but think, “Are we doing the right thing? Should we continue to pursue an adoption from Rwanda or should we consider switching countries?” I went as far as pulling up our agency’s website to remind myself of the other options, but I was soon overcome with the rightness of what we are doing right now. Honestly, I would not say that we were divinely instructed to adopt specifically from Rwanda. Our choice of countries was more of a decision based on requirements, finances, and circumstances. However, the deeper we get into this process, the more convinced I become that our son is in Rwanda. Now, that’s not to say that we will be unwilling to change if Rwanda decides to shut down their adoption program today (that thought made me shudder), but right now, we are in this for the long haul.

On to a more upbeat note, our wonderful friends in Midlothian- who shall remain nameless due to my uncertainty regarding how secretive this news actually is- have received their referral for a beautiful baby girl from South Korea. Oh my word, this child is unbelievably precious- I could eat her up! So, congrats, Nameless Friends From Midlo. 🙂