Adoption Madness... Part 1

Sorry again for not posting in some time.  My husband and I have been embarking on the adoption process.  It's kind of been a combination mad dash/ time of snafoos that sometimes make me feel like I'm living in a sitcom.  I will do the following blog as a 3 part series.

About 2 or 3 years ago, my husband and I considered fostering a child.  For a variety of reasons, mostly revolving around what would be best for the child that we do have, we thought that wasn't a good choice at least at this time.  Both my husband and I would definitely consider it in the future, especially when any children we have are older.

My husband and I had done a lot of talking back then, and we knew that it was not most important for us to have a biological child, it was most important for us to do God's will, and to have a larger family.  Our decision to pursue adoption was not impulsive, but the logistics of getting everything together and actually doing it was pretty rapid.

We had to get our application in before the end of 2018 to lock in 2018 prices, which, when you're talking about something like adoption fees is pretty significant.  Then, we were supposed to get everything done within the next 3 months.

There's a lot of stuff to get done, plus 30+ hours of training and book reports.  I hadn't thought I'd ever be doing a book report again, but I almost started to feel like I was back in veterinary school.  Plus, there's normal life, my husband and I having a busy work schedule and all the other things we have going on.

The classes were interesting and helpful and my husband and I actually tried to make "date time" out of some of them.  We were also fortunate to have good friends help with some of the babysitting because we couldn't take our son to the classes with us.  Some of the things we needed to do to get our house ready for inspection were things we really should have done anyways, but now had a reason to do it.

We actually went on a shredding party and were able to fill up at least 6 extra large boxes with shredded papers; including documents from before we were married and even before I had moved to this area.  All stuff that we had always wanted to do, but just hadn't had the time to get around to became a priority.

Cleaning and organizing the house had already been important to me, but took on new meaning when the thought of a home inspection loomed.

There were doctors appointments, TB tests, drug tests, background checks, pretty much everything you could think of to ensure that any children would be safe and protected in the future.

The funny thing is; the hardest part of this whole process was actually the home inspection and fire safety.  Not an issue either my husband or I thought would be hard.....  Read on for Part 2

Lent is Here....

It's interesting how your perspective of Lent can change as you grow older.

When I was young, it was a time when I realized I would have to give something up.  It was somewhat akin to drudgery.  No meat on Fridays, and give up something cherished.  When I was a little girl, I used to come home from school and play with my Legos for several hours a day.  I think this was somewhat my introverts response to processing what happened during the day and I can see my son does something similar to this now.  I remember in an effort at piety, I offered to give up playing with my Legos.  My teacher, said Legos weren't a sacrifice, I should give up dolls.  Little did she know me.

Lent, and how we embark on it, is very personal and everyone is called to give up different things, add different things and tailor their journey to their own spiritual life.  My husband and I try to do some things together, both so we grow on this journey together and also it can be logistically easier (if one person is giving up meat, and the other is giving up gluten and dairy, it can be difficult for meal planning).  I had briefly looked into the fasting traditions of the Eastern Rite and I must admit I was a bit in awe of the sacrifice.  I think I will try to take some steps toward fasting and abstinence like they do, but without going all the way.  I think for me as an individual it could be a slippery slope to pride.

My son yesterday when we were discussing Lent said he wanted to do something different (he is only 5).  The Lents he remembers, we always give up dessert.  He offered to give up TV.  As I spoke with him to see if that was really what he wanted to do, he told me "40 days is a week, right?  I've given TV up for a week before..."  While I appreciated that he was willing to sacrifice a little "bigger" than his typical, we discussed that 40 days is a lot more than a week, it's closer to 6 weeks.  He paused and then said, "I'm giving up dessert again."

My most successful Lenten journeys though have been when my husband and I have given up TV, devices, or listening to the news on the radio.  We embarked on having more nights together talking, reading and listening to Catholic podcasts.  There really is something to be said about, "You are what you listen to and watch."  Some of these habits have even continued outside of Lent.

As you embark on your Lenten journey, don't be afraid to shake it up a bit.  It's easy to fall into, "this is what I give up every year."  Listen to God's voice and allow his purification in your life.  Remember, he also gives us Grace.  Don't give up.  Persevere.  Remember He is walking with you.  It is pleasing to Him that you are trying.  He calls us to be Faithful, not perfect.

Been Busy...

It's been another busy month at our household.  We are pursuing adoption and it's almost like being in school again.  With all the classes, book reports and paperwork, my husband and I have been burning the candle at both ends.

I also somehow managed to schedule a fairly busy work schedule and we've had more snow days and 2 hour delay days that my husband and I have to juggle through.  I will definitely be glad to see the Spring for a multitude of reasons.

Spring allergies have started already in our household as well as in the clinic.  Dogs with ear infections and licking their paws and cats with skin irritation and asthma are not quite in full bloom, but I'm sure they will get their soon.  We now have so many different options for treating allergies in our patients, it's really kind of exciting.  It used to be that our only option was steroids and this is what my first dog got with her severe allergies in the 80's.  Unfortunately, she ultimately ended up dying of liver failure that was directly related to her lifetime of steroid use.  Now I have a whole toolbox of things I can use on my patients.

On myself, I'm more reluctant to do a bunch of stuff; as my allergies have definitely decreased in severity and I'm less likely to give a ton of medicine to my son as I am aware that everything can have potential long-term side effects.  I think a anti-inflammatory diet can help and even changing our water filter to one that filters out aluminum has also made a difference.  We will have to see how long that lasts and my family will just have to buckle up for allergy season.  Fortunately our dog does not have allergies but our cat has asthma which is related to allergies.  There's never a dull moment in our household.

Welcome Spring!