Here we go again... Our Homestudy Update

Well, this is my "then and now" post that I never thought I would blog about when we first started this process. I guess it makes this ever extending process more of a reality. It is amazing to think that 2 years ago we were sitting with our social worker, Kimberley, and talking about getting our daughter sometime in 2006. The US government makes us redo all of our paperwork since they "conveniently" put a 18 month expiration date on all of our documents. YAY! We get to redo a lot of our paperwork and pay the US government more money!

Then and Now...

THEN: We thought we would get our daughter in the fall of 2006.
NOW: We don't even know if we will get our daughter in 2008!
THEN: I was buying way too many baby clothes and nursery decor.
NOW: I have been "banned" from baby shopping for over a year.
THEN: My husband was just beginning his 2 year presidency term for his anesthesia group.

NOW: He has finished his term and someone else has taken over.

THEN: My best friend would soon find out she is pregnant for the first time.

NOW: She just found out that she is pregnant with her second child.

THEN: Kitchen was cream color and I had blonde hair.

NOW: Kitchen is now brick red, my hair is brown, and Mark is more gray.

THEN: Not many people in the China adoption world new who RQ was nor read her isorumors blog.

NOW: Most everyone knows who RQ is and spends all their free time on her website including myself.

THEN: I would soon be a part of many adoption secret pal swaps on various yahoo adoption groups.

NOW: Why bother... kinda swapped enough already

THEN: I frantically gathered quilt squares from all of my friends and family.

NOW: My best friend has not finished the quilt but no big deal... there is no rush.

THEN: We were fingerprinted by the USCIS Homeland Security and glad that we would never have to go through that nightmare again!

NOW: We get to go back this weekend to get re-fingerprinted at USCIS. (I understand running our prints again, but I still don't understand the logic behind having to physically be re-printed. I mean my fingerprints have not changed in 2 years.)

THEN: I got excited when friends, co-workers, and family members told me about a friend or a friend of a friend or cousin's sister's daughter who just got back from China with their child or just received their referral. NOW: Whatever...

THEN: I got excited when someone asked me how the adoption was going.
NOW: What? How do you think? It hasn't changed much since the lat time you asked me which was YESTERDAY!

THEN: I thought Christmas 2005 would be the last Christmas without our new daughter.

NOW: Well, we have had 2005, 2006, will have 2007 and most likely 2008 without her.

THEN: I planned a big Hawaii summer vacation since it would be our last big vacation without the baby.

NOW: We have been to Hawaii twice, 2 cruises, 3 ski vacations, a summer mountain trip, and 2 short trips without the baby thus far.

I am sure I can think of many more, but it is getting late. Sorry the post got a little more negative towards the end but sometimes a girl just needs to vent. I hate this long wait.

The reality has finally sunk in!!!! 2 years have gone by and we are not any closer to our child than when we started...it is quite depressing.