[Linny]

BELIEVE ME......dh and I have BTDT......MANY,.....MANY times. We adopted seven times (hoping to adopt an eighth baby)........and let me say, with the problems we had with the older adopted kids, there have been two times when finding another agency to deal with was possibly more than I thought we should have to do!!!!!

Combine this, with a couple of workers who were INCREDIBLY BIASED when we would not keep the dangerous kids in the home (verified by many psychiatrists, etc.)....or the idea (our first encounter with adoption agencies) that we wanted to adopt across racial lines! UNREAL!

Here's what we have had to think.....at those times:

If it is in your heart that you want to adopt.....if it is a driving force.....if you KNOW that you have done the right thing, that it's a matter of going through STUPID paperwork, and spending some more money (boy...do we KNOW that one)....then GO FOR IT!

The bottom line for us is this: God knows the right timing. Believe me, if we had stopped at adopting after the older child adoptions....we'd have been VERY bitter and disappointed in LIFE forever. Instead, we pursued and went back to infant adoptions. We have two pre-schoolers at home now...and they have been MORE blessing than I could EVER say! If we had been able to put in for a baby sooner or later than when we did---we would NEVER have known these precious babies of ours. Yet, here we are...despite a couple of ignorant, biased caseworkers, spending our savings account down to very little and nothing, and finding some incredibly INTELLIGENT caseworkers who were willing to listen and find the facts, instead of speculating what they THOUGHT.

Here we are...and they are here....and Life is SOOO good, that should we never get chosen again......we remain incredibly blessed. Do you see what I mean?

Hang in there. Follow your heart and soul. DO NOT look at man's ignorance, as the 'reason' for the reasons that 'maybe you should never have more children'.....because God works on His own time. (And yeah, I have problems with that too...because I'm NOT a patient person, okay?)

But, go for it, if it's only a matter of stupidity on the agency's part, and you truly feel this is what you want to do.....

My best to you. Feel free to pm me if I can be of any help, or a need to vent. ((HUG))

Sincerely,

Linny