paperwork - the final chapter

with the paperwork finally done, i've just got to unload this.

every time someone asked us how the paperwork was going we gave them a bit of a sigh and explained how lengthy the paperwork was, how open ended the questions were, and how much thinking was required before you could just jot something down.  because of our relaying the magnitude of pressure we were feeling in sort of griping about the quantity of work we had in front of us, i think we negatively impacted people's thoughts and judgements about the paperwork requirements.

we're sorry if we've done this.

let us go on record as saying this - we are blessed to have been given the opportunity to have had the experience of answering all of the questions we had to answer on the paperwork.  husband and i feel like we grew so much, just by getting to share our answers with each other when we were done, and that even though it was long, it was difficult, and it was time consuming - that we are in a better place now for having thought about these questions and really found out where our hearts are.

it was sometimes hysterically amusing to listen to each other's answers when our own sides of the paperwork were done.  some of our answers were so similar i am afraid they will think we copied each other, and then some answers are on the same path - but they got there in such a different manner that it's hard to see how we've ended up in the same place on the map.

completing this paperwork, and adoption in general is something that we are honored and blessed to be a part of.  please do not ever look upon us with pity because we "have to do all of this paperwork, jump through all of these hoops, read all of these books, or go to all of these classes".  we are more prepared to be parents now than we've ever been in our lives, and if it was not for this exact path, we would not be so ready as we are right now.