We don't need no stinkin toys!

There are those ironic subjects in life that people discuss and laugh about because they are so stereotypically true. When you drop the piece of bread you are spreading your favorite jelly on, it will hit the floor jelly side first. The day after an appliance warranty runs out is when the appliance will break down. When there is money in your pocket to buy some new clothes, you won't be able to find a single good thing to try on or buy BUT when you're broke.... every outfit you see is the one that got away. I do believe Alanis Morissette wrote a song about such things.

I've heard parents of every age talk about the toys they searched long and hard for only to have their child be more interested in the box the toy came in than the toy itself. I can now claim this truth for myself. It isn't as if Cameron, who is seven months old, has a lot of toys. How many play things could he possibly need? What few he has, though, are already boring and can only hold his attention for short periods of time. Baby version of "been there, done that." So today I searched out those items that seem to capture his desires most of all... the mommy and daddy tools that "are not for little kids." Yea, right!

Today I put "his" toys back in their little bag and set it aside. Instead, he got a tippy cup filled with a touch of water, a small plastic bowl (with lid) containing a couple of cheerios, a wooden spoon, and a rubber spatula. You would have thought he had just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Such smiles. Such adulation. "Thank you Mother for giving me the cool things."

So here we sit, I at the computer and he on the floor beside me with his forbidden treasures. Rockin Robin from the "You've Got Mail" soundtrack has my foot tapping and Cameron has his serious face on as he studies every minuscule detail of his new delights. The sun is shining, the back door is open letting in fresh air, and the wooden spoon just became the drum stick to the cheerio bowl's cool thumping sound.

The simple things in life are good. Now if we grown ups could figure out the not so simple things of life like mean people, spies, tattle tales, and thankless endeavors. Really, how hard could it be? Everything should be as simple as a rubber spatula and as mesmerizing as a bowl of dry cereal. Alas, the innocence of babyhood is fleeting.

Penny's From Heaven

With every season there are new adventures to have as well as new trials to overcome. Adoption is one of those ever changing seasons that give the would-be parents something to grow in, learn from, adjust to and so on. But there is one constant that remains the same no matter what... money. Forget the worry about how much a child will cost once they are born... in adoption the wallet is being drained long before. There are so many requirements, musts, have to's and what not's that must be met otherwise hopeful moms and dads cannot advance to the next phase. And just when you think the wallet will get a break... there is always one more thing.

Going into adoption, at least within our state, there is a required class that all parents must take even if it is the twelfth adoption for that family. There is a fee. Then there are all the legal documents that verify that you are not a predator or pervert (very good things). There is a fee. Nickle and dime opportunities that must be met or the case is stalled. The longer the stall the more likely the chance that the time limit runs out on certain documents and thus you have to go back and repay in order to restart the process. Every step is understandable given that the best interest is in the love and well being of a baby. To meet that need there are lots of people involved and, as is true of many important things in life, very little is done for free. People have to be payed... they have families of their own to care for.

Then there is the final adoption payment. This is the grand-daddy of all bills. Families can take out loans, ask their kin for help, host a raffle or whatever creative means it takes to come up with the final payment. But even with that "paid in full" stamp of approval in the official file, that is still not the end. You see, once the baby is placed with their forever family, that family has six months to bond and make sure that the fit is a good one before making everything legal in the eyes of the law. At the sixth month mark that is when the family seeks out an adoption attorney who will represent the family in court until every "T" has been crossed and every "I" has a dot. I've never come close to making per hour what lawyers make. I mean... WOW!

With the attorney fee also comes the final state processing fees for this, that and the other. In the end, what was spent on adoption could very easily have payed for the child's first and possibly second year of college.

Chris and I are so thankful for the opportunity to call Cameron our son. In truth, this blog is the first time I've even thought about the money... with the exception of the lawyer fee. You see, we are just days away from the six month mark. The attorney has been hired and the clock is ticking on her meter. Even then, I don't care about the cost... most of the time. I wouldn't be human if I didn't cringe a little at our dwindling savings account and the fact that, now I am a stay-at-home Mom, there is no extra money coming in to replenish what is being spent. God has blessed us so much in this amazing adventure. As I reflect, all I can honestly do is give glory to God because his signature is over every detail.

Will we eventually adopt again? At some point in the not too distant future we would love for Cameron to have a little sister or brother. So I will try not to panic about the finances, the "how in the world," or the "it just costs too much" words of panic. If this is to be our route again, God will provide. How do I know? Well, because He already did. I can't explain this past year any better than that. And oh how we will celebrate once the adoption is completed. With the money we'll save from adoption we'll be able to pay for diapers, formula, clothes, classes, toys, trips, outings, food, opportunities, medical, dental, sports, recreation, hobbies, education, more food, more clothes, etc...

You know... we may be broke for the next 20 or so years but we wouldn't change a thing. Money aside, this is the best adventure either of us have ever been on and we have Cameron to share every moment of it with. That is priceless!