I'm an aunt!!! I now carry the wonderful and beautiful title of Aunt Erica! Bradley and I became uncle and aunt on November 3rd of this year to a beautiful baby boy. He, his mother and father are doing well and as all you parents know, adjusting to the changes of going from 2 to 2plus1. Bradley and I will get to meet him next week and I have every intention of showering him with affection and admiration for as long as his mom & dad will let me. Hearing the news of my sister-in-law's labor had me so anxious for the 24hrs until he was born. I was so excited and nervous and concerned and eager that I could not sleep well and had to try very hard to focus on work. And to finally have seen a photo of him, I just teared up and melted. There he was. Our tiny little nephew. I cannot wait to hold him and look at his miniature fingernails and toes and ears and nose. I can't wait to hear his little coos and burps and farts. I can't wait to see him looking around and falling asleep. Little guy. It's always been wonderful and sweet to see friends' babies and children but it's a much deeper rooted love and sense of aww when it's your brother/sister (in-law)'s child. What joy he brings to our family!
Adoption stuff:
So we've attended two of the required classes for our home study. In our class there are 5 couples including Bradley and me who are first time adoptive parents. One couple already has a child and the rest of us are going to be first time parents. All but one couple are adopting domestically at this point but that sort of thing can change. Our first class felt a bit like the first day of a college course. We had an icebreaker and followed a power point for a good portion of the time. We were given a bound packet of papers to keep and follow along. It's got articles and outlines and info galore! Though I've learned a lot about the history of adoption and stages of grief and of emotions that all parties share, I have to say one of my favorite parts has been getting to meet a family who has adopted, in each class. So far we met a couple who adopted an infant out of state and had a most wonderful experience and another couple who adopted (twice now) from Korea. The domestic adoption was the first introduced. They were present for the birth of their child, allowed to stay in the hospital with their child on the second night, and able to take the child home with them 2 days later when the child was released from the hospital. They have a strong relationship with the mother and family and have grown close to them, making it a wonderful opportunity for their child to some day know his/her birth parents. Of course, most adoptions do not happen that way and parents are not always able to bring home their child so quickly, but it was a beautiful account of a precious moment in all their lives. We also get to meet the children who join the families which is fun. And I love to see the little babies! The international adoption brought to light what a journey (literally and figuratively) it can be to simply meet and bring home your child. While they had a good experience, there are things they are learning about cross cultural adoptions that were, I think, helpful to hear.
We've also met cool couples in our class and I'm very excited for them as well! Some are already in the waiting pool and some are, like us, just about to turn everything in and join the club. Bradley and I have turned everything in, minus one thing Bradley has left to do, and then we will have our second interview, have our homevisit(s)and get approved for the waiting list. Our last big piece of the puzzle while waiting to meet mothers will be to create a scrapbook on Shutterfly to introduce ourselves to the mothers/fathers looking to find good homes for their child(ren). I think I'll start on the scrapbook tonight. I'm so very excited to put it together and yet, there is a little pressure as we have to represent ourselves briefly in only the few pages of this book. That first impression is what sparks or quenches a mother's interest in us and will help her decide if we are the right parents for her child. One couple showed us their book (it was so well put together!) and said the hardest part was finding photos to represent all they do in their lives. Usually people don't have photos of many of the things they like to do, like running or cooking, knitting, painting, volunteering. I didn't really think about it until they mentioned it so we'll be taking a lot of pictures of us doing regular things so we can "demonstrate" our lives in a nutshell. Exciting! YAY! If you have the perfect candid (or I guess posed) shot of us, feel free to e-mail it to me and it may just make it into the book! It doesn't have to be just of Bradley and/or me. We want pictures that represent our lives, including friends and family. Join us in our preparations for this little one's mother and/or father to consider us a good home!
And now I think I will start on that album. Fun fun fun! Night night and have a wonderful, lovely, love-filled Thanksgiving!
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