Adoption Progress :)

On December 7th, we made a trip from Oklahoma to Houston, TX for the first of two classes with our new adoption agency. The class was amazing and we meet some wonderful couples in the class. The class went over the agency's policies and process, about open adoption and the agency's numbers. One thing I really like about this agency that if you have been waiting for over a year you get put on the last minute list. Which means you are the first families shown to families how make the decision at last minute. The number of families that have to get put on the list is very few. There is usually one 2 or 3 on the list at a time. The agency places an avg of 150-200 infants a year with an avg. wait period of  4-5 months to complete application, online portfolio, 1-800 number and home-study. Then an avg wait of 14 months until you have a baby in your hands. They birth mother is usually around 6 months when you get matched. 

You are required to take this course before you can apply with them. We headed back on the 9th. The very next day I started working on the paperwork that has to be sent in to sign up for the second class. I got the paperwork mailed off on 12-12-12. Hope it will be lucky instead of unlucky.  The second class is 2 days longs. The second class goes into more detail about open adoption. They also go more in details about the process and all them paperwork and things that have to be done from that point to be able to be put onto the list of families for birth mother to pick from. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be signed up for the class at the end of January.  If we don't make the list for January we're hoping for February. I'm hoping we will know in a week or two weather or not we get to go in January. It would be such a wonderful birthday gift.

Pictures form our trip.....

 Our First Stop on the way into Houston was for Food.

 Then we checked into our hotel room after driving through the 

traffic to get there. It was this busy all day and night besides Sunday Morning.

The view from our hotel room. We were on the 10th floor in room

1010. I was hoping it was lucky which is why I decided to wait to mail our 

application packet until 12-12-12. I'm thinking it might be a theme of our adoption.

This is our hotel. I though when I booked it I was getting a good deal. However, 

after we arrived I realized we got a better deal then planed. When I booked it I got a promo for 

the room for a little over a 100 for 2 nights including parking and breakfast. When checking in the lady at the 

front desk couldn't believe what we paid. I was kinda shocked until later I realized why she said that. 

The avg room there books for $400 a night during this time of the room. The breakfast vouchers we 

got were worth $25 dollars each (x 2 people x 2 days) and free parking (normally $20 a night).

The only down side is having to tip everyone.

The first night we walked to the Galleria Mall (4th biggest in the world) 

This was the first store we walked into. There was no way we could 

afford anything in this store. The shoe's on the clearance rack were $500.

They have people right there to alter you clothes and served you food and beverages

while you shopped. It even had a restaurant inside of the store.

The ice skating rink inside of the mall. There was a huge line to get into the rink.

The walk back from the mall

After getting back to the hotel we went swimming. The

pool was on the 5th floor. So beautiful at night.

The next morning we went to our class. After class we went to the

botanical gardens.

After we rested for awhile we went to eat supper at the 

Rain Forest Cafe

The next morning we headed back home.