We had our two day workshop in Pierre on Thursday and Friday. There were seven other couples there, plus the ladies from LSS. I knew some of the information, but we did learn some interesting stuff. The social workers recommend that after we get home from Colombia, we stay at home by ourselves for a few weeks without having people over to meet the baby. That way the baby will know that we are the primary caregivers and not be confused about being passed around. We can stay home from church for a few weeks. But telling family not to come over will be a hard thing. I already know that feelings will be hurt. So I'm warning you now. I'll find out more as the time gets closer, but what I'm thinking is that we might be OK with having some people over as long as they understand they can't hold the baby.
One of the LSS workers said that it's possible that we could be in Colombia by MARCH!!! That's only five months away!
Before we left, we scheduled our home study for Friday, November 10, 2006 at the LSS office in SF. We knew we'd be going to Elk Point for the football championships so it worked out well.
I just called one of two international agencies that we would use, Children's Home Society and Family Services, and she said that March thing is out the window. It's more like 15-18 months now. So my balloon was burst BIG TIME. BUT, I called LAN and they said 4-8 months. I think we'll be going with LAN.
Rob had to get home for guards and I drove to Winner to stay with my aunt for the weekend. I'm not sure how this happened, but I got lost on the way. I know...it doesn't surprise anyone, does it? Well, in my defense, I thought the road that goes all the way through Pierre sort of runs north and south. So when you're driving "south" and make that turn left to go by the mall and Walmart, you should be able to keep driving "south" and end up somewhere down by Winner. I had a map and it all made sense. All of the sudden, I went by that place that Etzkorn's run (those of you from Highmore will know what I mean). I thought "that's odd". But of course I kept on driving. Pretty soon, I saw a sign that said "Harrold...so many miles". I promptly got out the map and realized that sure enough, I had gone the wrong way. I was SUPPOSED to go south in Fort Pierre. Whoops! :) So it took me a little bit longer to get to Winner. Hey...it had been a while since I'd been to Stephan. Anyway, by the time I got to Winner, Karyl was already at the breast cancer benefit that we were supposed to go to so Jeremy and Jacob drove me out there. We had a good time. It was totally different from our single days when we'd stay at home, drink wine, and paint her dollhouse. So anyway...the weekend was good.
Oh, I totally forgot. While I was at the workshop, I talked to the birth mother counselor about this woman in SF. While she couldn't technically tell me she knew this woman, I knew she did. She told me that "IF" this woman was seeking counseling from LSS, which she was, then she (Erin the SW) would recommend that we meet at LSS instead of on our own. So I called my hair stylist on the way to Winner and ended up talking to the birth mother for a few minutes. I told her that since we were both using LSS, I thought we could use their services and facilities. Since we planned to be in SF on the 10th, we planned to meet after our meeting with the SW. I told her I'd talk to the SW and let them be the go-between.
At this point, I don't know how I feel about this option. As I've said before, the thought of having a newborn is beyond words. However, my faith in the domestic adoption process has been tested tremendously. I know it works for some. I've also seen cases where the child deserved a better outcome.
So I will end this windy post for now. Thanks for reading! :)
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