At this point, I guess no news is good news. I'd hate to think they wouldn't have even given us a chance and simply rejected our dossier. But it's been about a month and the average wait time is 2-4 months. Although I'm starting to think they are quite liberal with their time estimates. The woman I spoke to on the phone received her pre-approval about 1.5 months after her dossier arrived. I'm hoping to find out before the end of the year - that'll be right in the middle of the time estimate and hopefully be a great way to start the new year. But of course sooner would be nice too! :)
I'm starting to get excited again and start talking to Ian about his future sibling. We are getting a subscription to a great adoption magazine and will start our Thai education plan after we hear of our acceptance by the Thai Red Cross. A few of our friends who are going down their own adoption paths have stumbled and recovered and a few are very close to finishing their journey! I'm very excited to have a new group of people to turn to, lean on, and help hold up during this process. I'm excited that my identity as a mother will not start and stop with infertility but instead will be viewed as an all around goal of motherhood. I look forward to our first family photo and then look even further into the future at the possibilty of what our third child might look like and what new adventures will be brought into our lives because of all we've been through. A friend of mine is very wise and she keeps saying "there must be a reason we've gone through all this" - I have no idea what that reason might be for us, but I feel so impowered at times thinking about how we will help open the minds of people just by walking down the street and being proud of us. I was never ashamed of my intertility issues, but it's not something to be proud of - not like this! Ian reminds me of how lucky I am, every single day. Our second child, I know will remind me of how strong I am - and that's not bad being able to feel lucky and strong for the rest of my life.
