And We Have a Decision!!!

Well, we finally made a decision on the country we will be adopting from ..... drum roll please ...... We are planning to adopt a little girl from China!!! Since this might be our last child, I (Sherry) really want a girl. So China is our best bet.

We have sent in our application, and we'll be starting the homestudy process very soon. That should be completed in approximately 4-5 months. Then we're probably looking at a wait of at least 2 1/2 years once our homestudy is complete. It's a long wait, but we're looking at the positive side of things. Luke will be old enough to understand the process more and will be able to really be a part of it. We're even planning on him traveling with us to China to bring home his little sister. He'll probably be 4 or 5 by then, so he'll be able to understand a lot and hopefully remember most of it.

Also, the wait is a good thing for us because of the money. We'll have plenty of time to save up the money we need. I (Sherry) am planning to go back to work full-time this summer or fall. I'm not sure yet what I'll be doing. I'm interviewing next week with the school district here. My teaching license is still good for a while, so going back to teaching high school is an option. I'm also looking into some corporate jobs as well. Each has pros and cons, so we'll see how all that plays out. I'm so glad we have such a great home daycare that Luke goes to part-time right now. They are willing to take him full-time whenever we need them to. They really love him and they take such great care of him. He loves going there and playing with his friends. They do all kinds of fun activities and he learns a lot there.

One more thing about the wait and money issue ...... we are also looking into the possibility of a special needs child. We are willing to accept special needs that are correctable and that would be covered under our health insurance. We don't know a lot about this yet, but a pretty common special need that falls into this category is cleft lip/palate. Typically, the wait is much shorter. But of course it depends on if we are able to save up the money by then.

We are so excited about all of this and we're happy to answer any questions, so please feel free to ask! Adoption is not an easy road, and we'll need everyone's support and prayers! Thank you in advance!!!!!

Sherry, Aaron, and Luke