The check (and paperwork) are almost in the mail

Today Trav and I got fingerprinted. No, we didn't rob a bank or some other illegal activity. We're in the midst of a sea of paperwork for adoption. Yes, we have decided to adopt and we are so excited!

After going through physical labor and delivery with Carson, I think the paperwork is the 'labor' aspect of adoption. Either way of laboring is long, tiring and challenging at times, but worth it in the end! The pregnancy with Carson was brutal - endless days of throwing up multiple times per day. For eight months. And through delivery. Did I mention he was breech too (flipped in the last minutes of labor). Well, the paperwork of adoption will be less physically exhausting, but much more emotionally draining.

We've got our fingerprints taken, completed a myriad of forms and essays, signed nearly as much paperwork as buying a house, got some stuff notarized, and are in the final stages of dotting our 'i's' and crossing our 't's'. It has been a fascinating and interesting process so far. The paperwork (and the first payment) will be priority mailed on Monday to our agency.

We have education training later this month - April 24 & 25 in the Cities - and then our home study will be this summer some time. We hope to have everything wrapped up by late summer and be in the parent profile book by late summer to early fall. Then, we hurry up and wait. We are so excited to welcome another child into our family.

We're working on finishing off our basement and will be moving the playroom currently upstairs down to the huge family room. We're going to have a fireplace installed this summer and then the sheet rocking fun begins. Hope to have it all finished by the holidays. Then we can start getting a baby room ready upstairs. Carson is very excited about being a big brother, and would like to help name our new little one. Superman was suggested. Hmmmm....perhaps as a middle name?!?