I've been failing at updates.
I've sat down at least twenty times to write but something always comes up and/or I simply cannot find the words to put down on here so it kept getting put off. A LOT has happened. Good, bad, indifferent... just a lot. I'm going to attempt to make several very long stories into one quick blog and then J & I would love to introduce you to something.
So. To start with the bad: In August we discovered that my district is not granting me use of the 80+ sick days that I had planned on using toward my needed 3-month maternity leave. Turns out that because I'm "not doing anything" (that is, giving birth), I don't have the same rights as every other mother is granted, and I will be taking all but 14 days of that "required" 3 months unpaid. I know this is how the real world works - most people do not get paid maternity leave - but teachers do and we have realllllllly been counting on continuing to get paid during my leave. Thus, this was a serious set back - a lot of tear filled nights, crazy fears, meetings with the bank, the school, my union, etc., etc. After appealing to both my superintendent and the school board, we have now accepted the fact that although we were once fully funded, we have now had a $9000+ set back. So. If anyone has any more brilliant fund raising ideas, we're all ears. $20,000 was one thing but almost $30,000 is another... We're borderline freaking out. What's new, right?
And, the good: As of Friday, we are officially a waiting family with Bethany Christian Services! Our profile is online, our you tube video is up and ready, and our book has potential of being shown to mothers that come in and are considering adoption. I don't know what else to say about that! It's been a long couple years for us and the past nine months of pursuing adoption has been full of paperwork and meetings and fill in the blank. For the first time in 2.5 years of trying to start a family, we have no next step. Nothing to do, nothing to work toward, nothing but just waiting. It's scary, this waiting place. We always knew this was going to be the hardest part but it's one thing to know it's going to be hard and it's another thing to KNOW it's hard.
So - there we are. There are so many more things to share but those are the biggies and the easy ones to share with you all, so we'll just leave it at that. Please continue to pray for us. Pray for discernment, for peace, for joy, and for our mama-to-be that we know is out there somewhere.
And now, the introduction. The nursery has been finished for a while and we'd love to share it with you! We cannot wait to meet the little one that gets to call this his or her home as we think it's pretty special... pretty perfect actually. Enjoy! Even better, stop in sometime so we can show you in person.
Blessings to each of you!
J&J
