Things are getting real....

(note: this blog post is a bit delayed, but this day was very important in our overall journey and I wanted to make sure I got it recorded here)

Today marked a big step in our journey-

We mailed in our homestudy application with the $300 application fee.
It took us over a week to complete the application- it asked about everything from how our family celebrated Holidays growing up to what our school experiences were to how we resolve conflicts in our marriage.

We also mailed in our first agency fee of $2900.

To say I was a bit anxious handing over these envelopes to the clerk in the post office is an extreme understatement.  But it was also such a huge weight off my heart, as if I was FULLY committing to this journey for once and for all.

I'm not saying we weren't 100% sure before this moment, but as you can call imagine, once you've invested over $3,000 into a decision, the chances that you'll get cold feet and change your mind after that are PRETTY SLIM!

 The rest of the day at work was so painstakingly long.  It was so hard to think of anything else other than our adoption- about the fact that our child is out there somewhere, and we are really in the process of bringing them home to us now!

The next step is to wait to hear from the home study agency, and we will begin our meetings with a social worker and find out what else is involved in that process.

We will also be hearing from the adoption agency soon, and will find out more about what goes into compiling our Dossier (the large collections of certified, notarized documents that gets sent to China for them to officially approve you as an adoptive family).

That's all for today... cheers to the future and to becoming parents!