Here we go again!

I have been keeping this secret for a week and a half now and it's driving me crazy!  We have been selected by a birth mother!  This baby is due September 3rd, so we still have about 5 1/2 months to go.  We found out two Friday's ago, but just got the paperwork today.  We have been waiting on the birth mother's expense list, which was just finalized yesterday.  So this morning Noel and I went to the adoption agency to review her paperwork. 

Her name is Stephanie and she is 21 years old; his name is Raul and he is 23.  They each have children from previous relationships and know that they are not prepared to parent an infant.  If my calculations are correct, she is about 14 weeks along, so we don't know the sex of the baby yet.  I am hoping to find out sometime next month.  Both Stephanie and Raul are Hispanic, so Noel and I will be jealous of our baby's beautiful year round tan. Stephanie is working really hard to get her life back on track and she knows starting over with a baby will only set her back more. 

There are some very important factors that make this situation better for us than the last one.  Stephanie placed a baby for adoption last year with the same adoption agency.   They know her very well and said they never had any problems with her and she never tested positive for drugs.  They feel that she is not taking advantage of "the system" and truly wants to make her life better.  She is working closely with other caseworkers who will give random drug tests, so this makes us feel a lot better about this situation.

We are planning to meet with Stephanie and Raul sometime next week.  I asked our caseworker why Stephanie said she picked us and she gave us three reasons: 1) we are Christians and God is very important to her, 2) we don't have children yet and this will be our first, and 3) she loved our dog Charlie.  Who would have thought Charlie would play a part in helping us adopt?

To be honest, I must say that when we first got the phone call we were "cautiously optimistic."  The case sounded great, but so did the last one.  I spent a lot of time praying and thinking about it and the only reason I had to hesitate was fear.  I decided that I wouldn't let fear of another failed adoption play any part in our decision.  After that I have really felt peace about the situation and have not been anxious about it at all.  I don't spend every waking moment in thought and worry about this adoption.  I can actually focus on work when I am at work.  This is a huge difference for me from the last time.

Of course, the thought in the back of my mind is that we still do have several months to wait and that at any time and up to 48 hours after the baby is born, Stephanie could change her mind.  We would be heart broken again, lose a baby, and thousands of dollars.  I would like to ask for your prayers that this does not happen.  Also please pray for Stephanie and the baby during these next several months.  We want her to feel confident in her decision and make this as easy as a process as we can for her.