Where paperwork meets people

So the past week or so, I have been meaning to add an update or two to our process but haven't gotten it done. Writing about paperwork is a bit dull, and let's face it, repetitive. Let's see, I think we are up to four sets of fingerprints now. Just yesterday I got our second copy of our marriage license. As a quick aside, may I say that if everything about the adoption paperwork process was as easy as obtaining our marriage license from Clermont County, why this would have all been over with months ago. From the moment I stepped into the Probate Court office, I walked out in less than three minutes with a new certified copy of our marriage license. Mind you, I did this without an appointment. It was marvelous. But I digress. Anyway, we have been working on the final touches of our dossier. Actually, we thought it was complete, but when I went to put things together, I realized there were several pieces that we were still missing. Very frustrating. So, the last several days we have been slogging once again through the gathering of more paperwork. It has been an aggravating process UNTIL...

Maren got a call last night from our social worker in Portland. After asking some routine questions about where we stood on our paperwork, he asked if she was ready to discuss a possible referral! Say what? We weren't expecting a referral for about a year at this point. She got off the phone with him and called me while I was on the way to a dinner meeting. We were both surprised to say the least. In the adoption world, it is generally unheard of that things happen faster than you expect. And things happening a year early, well, I have never heard anything like that. Today, we got information about this girl including estimated birth date, first name, and medical information. Due to Hague Convention rules, we are not permitted to share any of this information online. In a surprise Christmas gift, we are now very seriously considering accepting this referral for this little girl.

We are very excited about this yet calm. We are certain that the Lord will lead us and are seeking out His will. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we are supposed to receive a Fed Ex package that includes a DVD of her.