[brooklyn_girl]

I have a brand new reel mower too! Granted my yard is like 15 x 15 feet. Good workout

[DancinBear63]

Yay, we're on page 2- That makes it an Official Club!!!

BklynGirl and Jen C- Good luck with the updates!! Here's a question, do you clean as diligently for the updates as (I assume) you did for the initial homestudy?

We just got word that our homestudy is actually good for 3 years!! When we first got started with the process, we were told that it would be renewed annually. I wish someone had told us that before we spent over an hour getting our fingerprints done. (DH has some wacky fingers, and they had to repeat his at least 4 times!)

emtb- Congrats on mowing! Our backyard was starting to look like a jungle lately, so I can appreciate the bliss of a cropped lawn.

To add to the list of positive things about a long wait- #2 more uninterrupted sleep!

Hang loose everyone!

[brooklyn_girl]

Dancin,
We were much less fastidious on homestudy renewal! Did your DH get his fingerprints done digitally or with ink? We found out that we could have only done fingerprints once had we done the digital scans vs. the old fashioned ink. Grrrr.

[maddie036]

JenC - I think that lawnmower looks fun!

I am almost scared to ask when our homestudy should be updated. For some reason, I think it is at 18 months...(fingers crossed.)

No updates for us either. We only find out though when our SW has a question. I have an e-mail out to her to get a general update on what is going on with the agency, so if I don't hear back, I will follow up with her next week.

List of positives - (#3) More time to watch Youtube videos on how to bathe a newborn (I am so freaked out about that!!)

My parents are coming to visit tomorrow! So we will be having a nice couple of days hanging out with them.

[DancinBear63]

Regarding the fingerprints- Last year, Mike (DH) and I had our prints done digitally. We had to go to 'central booking' at the jail because the other machine was down. Seriously, we were surrounded by people in jumpsuits, and it was a surreal experience. Anyhow, his prints were deemed unreadable, and a second set (in ink) was taken.

This year, in anticipation of another clearance, we went to a different county, and they only had ink. The officer that took the prints couldn't get a good image on one finger, and kept repeating it. He had to get his commanding officer to come in to take it, and even he had problems.

Maddie- It never occured to me to watch newborn bathing videos. I've been spending time watching and practicing the Moby wrap.

[JenC]

re: cleaning for homestudy update - Heck no! I was wiping down walls and cleaning drains last time. This time it's just tackling the laundry, keeping the kitchen cleanish, and a general straightening up, which I need to do anyway. I'll give the bathrooms a quick swish and swipe and call it done.

We need prints done every year around here.

[JenC]

Originally Posted by DancinBear63

Regarding the fingerprints- Last year, Mike (DH) and I had our prints done digitally. We had to go to 'central booking' at the jail because the other machine was down. Seriously, we were surrounded by people in jumpsuits, and it was a surreal experience. Anyhow, his prints were deemed unreadable, and a second set (in ink) was taken.

This year, in anticipation of another clearance, we went to a different county, and they only had ink. The officer that took the prints couldn't get a good image on one finger, and kept repeating it. He had to get his commanding officer to come in to take it, and even he had problems.

Maddie- It never occured to me to watch newborn bathing videos. I've been spending time watching and practicing the Moby wrap.

I'm a Moby pro, but scared about bathing a new baby! Never done it before!

[brooklyn_girl]

The only place we could get digital fingerprints was at One Police Plaza in Manhattan - that's NYC police headquarters, and a very intimidating place. But we didn't have to wait in line with criminals - I can't imagine!

[DancinBear63]

BklynGirl- I didn't feel unsafe at central booking, but I did feel criminalized. I don't know if any of you have felt that way, but DH and I joke that if we never adopt, we should at least be able to get jobs with the Secret Service, based upon all of the background information that's we've had to submit.

Btw, I'm a Brooklyn Girl, too! Born and raised there, but now living in Virginia!

Yesterday, I had lunch with a friend who is about to start IVF cycle 1. We laughed, we cried, and generally agreed that this whole thing sucks. She's the bravest person I know right now. Actually, I'm also close friends with 3 other couples who are ttc, but having significant IF issues. I really want all of them to get pregnant, have beautiful babies, and not have to become members of this (most awesome) club.

So, when do we get our beanies and secret club handshake?

[maddie036]

Ooh, I have been thinking about a Moby wrap. In fact, I thought that would be a good thing to get early because I know there is a bit of a learning curve to it. (I did watch the Youtube videos on the Moby too)

[brooklyn_girl]

Dancin, where in VA do you live? I grew up in Fairfax County, and my Dad now lives in Fredericksburg...

[DancinBear63]

What a small world! We live in Lynchburg.

[JLyle]

Originally Posted by DancinBear63

Regarding the fingerprints- Last year, Mike (DH) and I had our prints done digitally. We had to go to 'central booking' at the jail because the other machine was down. Seriously, we were surrounded by people in jumpsuits, and it was a surreal experience. Anyhow, his prints were deemed unreadable, and a second set (in ink) was taken.

This year, in anticipation of another clearance, we went to a different county, and they only had ink. The officer that took the prints couldn't get a good image on one finger, and kept repeating it. He had to get his commanding officer to come in to take it, and even he had problems.

That reminds me a lot of my experience trying to get a good set of prints, way back when. They never were successful and ended up having to do some other kind of FBI background check which just made it take that much longer.

I'm Lyle, and my wife and I have been waiting for almost three years now (domestic adoption). I was somewhat active in these forums a year or so back, but as our waiting has continued it frankly gets too depressing to visit here. We're pretty discouraged at this point and aren't holding out much hope for a match at this point, but for whatever reason we haven't called it quits yet.

[sissyminsky]

We've been waiting for a long time, too. I did not sign in earlier because I've been hoping and praying that this match would be THE match. Now, the baby is born, and I know that her mother is very seriously weighing her options. I am so scared (tho still a bit hopeful)... but I am fed up with the emotional roller coaster and our social workers and the fees... I don't know what our next move as a family will be if this situation is not our placement...

I love my little boy and I believe there is another child who can complete our family, but..
How can you face this process again?

[MilliesMommy]

Cool! A post I can relate to.

I'm a proud parent of a 3 year old girl we adopted. We waited about 9 months to be matched with her birth mommy. We're now on the waiting list for #2, and having started the wait last August, we can officially join this club. And I can finally rant to someone who understands me.

We live in Illinois and are signed up at a local agency. We love the agency but wish they'd call us more often. Last August, we went on the list and were called within a month for the first possible match. That didn't work out, but we were called a few weeks later for match # 2. Got a call on a Wednesday and were told we were not picked. Call # 3 came the next day. She was due the following Tuesday. Again, not picked. SW asked if we wanted to take a break, we responded "Are you crazy? Keep those calls coming!". Well, we haven't received a single call since then, and the wait now is starting to drive me insane.

We listed our profile last month on a site and got an email within a week. After replying with nice, general questions, she decided not to contact us anymore. So here we are, approaching the one-year mark, and still no prospects of any kind. I find myself checking our profile several times a day to see if we've been added as a favorite. I'm always sending my Facebook friends a message with a link to our profile. The wait is consuming my time, and I wish I could think about other stuff besides thinking about another baby in our home. Heck, I actually started daydreaming about ex-boyfriends just so I wouldn't think about adoption. Guess what? It works!

I'm tired of people saying "it'll happen soon". No one knows when it's going to happen. But I know for sure that when it does, we're going to know without a doubt that OUR baby is home with us. And that will be worth the wait, however long it will be.

Let's hang in there everyone! Sending good vibes your way!!!