Going off birth control

Now there's a title that will get your attention.
Rob and I submitted our preliminary application for a second adoption. I told Rob, it is like when friends tell us they "going off birth control". Submitting our prelim application is our same stage of trying for number two.

We have a few concerns as we start the process- finances, timing, age (do you know that I am 23 years older than my mom was when she had me!). But none of those feel like obstacles to our decision to proceed.

The biggest "concern" is that our heart is still with Guatemala and we would love for Samuel to have a sibling from the same culture as him. As many of you know Guatemala is currently closed to international adoptions. There is talk of it reopening, but no known date.

So we currently sit at a place of wondering how long to we wait to see? What other countries are we drawn to?

We received back the "results" of our prelim application and there are four countries that are good matches (based on their criteria as well as our desire for a child to be younger than Samuel). Rob and I were drawn to the same two countries, so that was encouraging.

For now, we can proceed with our home study and the initial stages of the adoption process. Our social worker knows are desire for Guatemala and has said that we would have at least 3 months before we would have to declare a country.

If you pray, would you pray for us as we begin this process of trying for our second child through adoption? Pray that we will have wisdom and discernment. Pray for the work being done in Guatemala as the overhaul their process. Pray for the son or daughter of ours who may already be conceived or even born. Pray that I don't overanalyze the situation and read every resource out there. Pray that if it is not Guatemala that we will have excitment and peace grow for another country.

Thanks so much for always journeying with us.

Love
melanie