LID!!!

Yesterday we found out that our dossier, which was sent on October 26, 2012, was logged in on October 31...so, our LID (log in date) is 10-31-12...Happy Halloween!

Once a family has a LID, they are eligible to be matched with more children than while they are paperchasing. So, this is exciting news for our family! We anticpate the next round of matching to occur the last Monday in November, which would be November 26th. We have been told that we should not expect to be matched with a young girl with minor special needs for several more months, as these requests are the most common. However, we have indicated some needs that are not as common, so there is a small chance we could be matched by the end of the year with a young girl with these needs.

Zack and I have also spoken about considering adopting a boy, as there are literally boys waiting as we speak, with some of the minor special needs that we have indicated. There is a wonderful chance we could be matched with a boy by the end of the year.

It may seem as though we are being impatient in wanting to be matched soon. I will be honest, it is hard to wait! We are hoping to be matched by the end of the year primarily because that would mean we would travel during the summer, which is ideal for our family, but even more so, for our new child. Because I work for our local school system, I am already home in the summer, and this time would be wonderful to bond with our new child. I would not be rushed to return back to work, and I could even take additional FMLA time and theoretically be able to be home several months with our new child. Zack and I both are firm believers in one or both parents being at home with a newly adopted child for at least a few months. The benefit to the child and the parent is just invaluable. I have been blessed to have been able to do this with Caleb and Noah, and I know it made  their transistions so much easier. As I said, invaluable.

This also means that financially it would be better for our family, as I would not have to take unpaid time off from work. The benefits of being able to travel in the summer seem to dictate our timeframe. So, if we are not matched by the end of the year, we feel as though we should wait until around fall of next year to be matched, to ensure we travel in the summer.  If we do this, we most certainly would be matched with a young girl with minor special needs, and travel in late spring or early summer of 2014. 

2014 seems a long way away. And we don't want to wait that long. But, God knows exactly what child belongs in our family, and we trust Him with this timeline.

So that is the news for now. God works miracles, and we are praying that he will work a miracle for our family by the end of the year!

In other news, this past Sunday we celebrated Orphan Sunday at our church. As a part of this wonderful celebration, we presented a video featuring local famililies in our community of London, Kentucky who have been impacted by the miracle of adoption.

Faces of Adoption from Rebecca Caldwell on Vimeo.