Homestudy Complete: Check

Well, that may not be completely true. We do not yet have the "red stamp" of approval on our Homestudy, deeming us to be fit parents. However, we completed our 8th and final interview in our Homestudy on Tuesday night.

Enter chorus: HALLELUJAH

This was either the toughest or tied for first (along with interview 7) as the toughest interview. It was 9 pages, riddled with lengthy questions requiring very lengthy answers. Homestudy interviews must legally be 2 weeks apart and may last no longer than 2 hours at any given time. We were told that other families must take 2 interviews to complete it. We finished with 6 minutes to spare. I kid you not.

A very minor part of the interview was discussing the "type" of child we would like. This is not something to be taken lightly and it is just a strange sort of thing to do. It felt very artificial, as if I was walking down the aisle at Superstore and had to chose between the different types of cereals. Except that this is a priceless human life.

1. Would you accept a child with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Diabetes, FAS, FAE, Schizophrenia.
2. Would you accept a child who is a product of Rape, Incest, Illegitimacy, Teen Pregnancy.
3. Would you accept a child who may have been subjected to Drugs (heroine, cocaine, etc) while in utero.
4. Would you like to request a gender.
5. Would you like to request an age.

...and the list continued. Initially, as I was warned about this "shopping cart" interview, I felt guilty. Am I closed minded to not want a child with even mild Down Syndrome? Would I not be open to a child who only has Fetal Alcohol Effects and not Sydrome? (We are fortunate that Ethiopia is such a poor country that in Addis Ababa only 0.1% females and 1.8% males drink alcohol...and the percentages are lower in rural areas.) We reminded ourselves, however, that it would not be fair to Noah, Tait, or our child-to-be to take on more than we can handle. We do not feel equipped to offer ourselves in any greater capacity than to a child who is "as healthy as possible".

And besides, I have faith in knowing that there is a little one out there (born or not) who is meant for us...and we are meant for her. This was pre-destined a long time ago.

So there you have it. 3 or so weeks and we'll read through our homestudy and then hopefully just WAIT....and allow the excitment and anticipation to build.