Meet the cast!

Here we are. A family of 5, living as expats in Germany. There's my husband D, my first son DJ (now 4 1/2), my daughter L (3), and my baby N (1). And, just in case that's not enough, we also have a beagle and a cat. Life's pretty hectic, but it's also FULL of blessings! And, let's face it, I love chaos. If things ever get too calm, I can't handle it! I don't do drama, but I like busy. (I also love to clean, so yeah, I'm a little weird. I'm ok with that. I think I get it from my mom!)

We moved here almost a year ago now, so we're pretty settled in and have the hang of the German lifestyle, basically. However, there is one MAJOR thing that threw a huge kink into my enjoyment of this foreign lifestyle....Adoption. I have always wanted to adopt a child when we got a little older! And, here we are. According to MY timeline, this is the time when I was supposed to do final research (to verify nothing has changed despite my many years of research) and finally select an agency! This is the part of the roller coaster ride where I finally start that slow ascent up and the anticipation builds and builds until that magic day when I can finally submit my formal application and be on my way to holding my adopted child, the one I've always dreamed of and have loved, even before my own natural children were born. But, alas, just as my fairytale was altered by having 3 natural children very close together (NOT the plan according to me), it's also being altered now. Turns out, adopting while abroad is a pretty complicated thing!

I have sent inquirys to every agency I can find, even the little itty bitty ones. Most of them regret to inform me that they only service those living in the US. Some give good reasons, others just act like they don't want the hassle. Some just pretend they never got an inquiry at all. I have managed to find a group that specializes in helping expats adopt! They are Hague-accredited and willing to do our home study, however, they don't have programs in the country I have dreamt of or even programs in countries I would be willing to adopt from instead. Despite the fact that I can get a home study done locally, US based agencies just don't seem equipped to handle this challenge. I even contacted a lawyer who's website bills her as a specialist in helping expats adopt and says she will go above and beyond to make it happen. Even she told me that it's just not possible. Not one to give up easily, I kept searching and searching. D kept telling me to just be patient, to wait until we move back to the states since that's what EVERYONE said I had to do. He likes to listen to reason and common sense. Me, not so much. At least not when it directly contradicts something I long so much for! The good news: I FINALLY found an agency that is willing to help us! I'm currently in the process of seeking more information from their agency and explaining to them exactly where I'm at so we can be on the same page in the hopes that once I apply, things will go much smoother and (hopefully) quicker! I am praying this is the agency that can make my dreams a reality! Stay tuned!

-V