I honestly can't say when I first heard it....that loud "tick-tock" sound coming from my body. I just know that once I did, it was overwhelming. I thought I had resigned myself to having no children of my own...even embraced the idea, but there it was...all of a sudden...this booming "TICK-TOCK".
I attempted AI (artificial insemination) for nine months, beginning in September 2005, until I got some blood work done that showed that a viable pregnancy was all but hopeless. It was an extremely difficult and emotional 9 months for me, but, once the results of the blood work came back, my path was very clear to me. I wanted to be a mommy-not give birth (that thought was a little frightening, actually, for more than one reason...my Diabetes and the possible complications and, well, PAIN). The last couple of months of attempting AI, I was casually exploring the idea of adoption. I'm not sure why, but Guatemala was where I was drawn and I began my research in earnest...After becoming almost an expert on fertility through a fertility message board, my next mission was to do the same regarding Guatemalan adoptions.
I found an adoption message board that is a wealth of information and found an agency that received glowing recommendations from everyone I contacted about them. In June 2006, I signed with them and the journey was about to begin...if a single thing had happened differently, I would not have been referred Kevin. I think about that now as I wait for word that the baby I love, my son in my heart if not yet legally, and I'm so grateful for the delays that I was cursing with a vengeance while they were happening.
I dove into the paperchase and was on my way. During the paperchase I hit a glitch that almost ended my dream. My adoption was put on "hold" for about 3 weeks. I received word I could continue if my "glitch" was straightened out. I was already working on it (I'm sorry I can't share the details at this point, but it's somebody else's privacy at stake). It was supposed to be taken care of in a matter of days, but it took 7 freakin' weeks. I continued with the rest of the paperchase and scheduled my 2nd homestudy visit. I was ready for the HS to be submitted to USCIS by the end of September, but my homestudy social worker took his sweet ass time finishing it. I finally wrote to him and told him that I only had 4 months from the time I got my USCIS fingerprints done to submit my homestudy. At the time, I actually thought that was true, but it turned out it wasn't. Never-the-less, it worked and my HS was submitted to USCIS on November 2nd...FINALLY. I received my approval on 11/28/06. My completed dossier was submitted to my agency. Hold up #3....there was a "redo" on my doctor's exam report. I had to go back to my doctor and have him resign the form because, when they copied it onto their letterhead, it left smudges all across the top of it. My doctor, God bless him, did it very quick. I had to sent that back out to get Certified and Authenticated again, so I lost another 2 weeks. Finally, my dossier was ready to go to Guatemala and was there on 12/15/06.
I was, then, officially on the waiting list for a referral! WooHoo! I was definite that I wanted a boy and, wouldn't you know it, for the first time in my agency's history, there was a waiting list for boys.
Let's recap, shall we?
#1) A 7 week holdup on the "glitch". #2) Over a month waiting for the finalization of my HS. #3) A 2 week holdup on a redo. #4) A 10 week wait for my referral.
I finally got the magical call on 2/5/07 and this is one of the pics I received:
I knew the minute I saw him why things happened the way they did and I couldn't be happier (Well, except when I get my OUT call, of course).
2 comments:
Thu May 11, 2006 11:21 pm
I got a PM..the title was: Guess what I did!
"I registered for an informational meeting on Guatemala adoption. The meeting is on 6/28! I'm so excited to have done something. If everything goes as planned (and what does for me?), I could have my baby within a year!
I also got my +OPK today so I'll do my first insem tonight, the 2nd will be tomorrow night, and the 3rd will be Saturday night. Yadda, yadda, yadda and blah, blah, blah...I really feel like I'm just going through the motions and basically putting a $1000 bill you-know-where, but it's already paid for.
I joined another message board on another site about adoptions tonight, too. It has a specific board for Guatemala adoptions, so I'm trying to get a ton of info from there."
I saved that...I go back and read it everyonce in awhile...I wish I could do something to help this go faster, but I guess I can only be here for ya (and spoil Kevin :D)
Congratulations and goodluck! I know you couldn't love him anymore already; and yet, you will each and everyday. Things work out the way they're supposed to - God had a plan that Kevin needs you as a mom.
I love your new haircut by the way.
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