It's official. PSB has just informed us that as of 09/02/10, we are !finally! eligible to be matched with a three-to-five-year-old child. PSB has corrected me in that we are not necessarily in match mode as there need to be three-to-five-year-olds who need families. Of course, back in December, ICAB members told us there were such children and that our openness to such a child would mean less waiting time. If our referral does not come in before our immigration application expires (06/2011), we will have to pay more fees for an updated homestudy, medical and criminal clearances. Nice.A. & I know in our heads that the adoption process is a test of extreme patience in what can seem a majorly dramatic waiting game (just like a typical Filipino teleseries), and we work with the deepest restraint to curb our enthusiasm. This past August marked a year since we submitted our initial application to PSB. No doubt more bumps ahead as we make our way to our future child. Guess that's to be expected in any parental journey.
A. & I have not yet started preparing a room in our home for our child though we've casually thrown out possible themes. Perhaps the transition into the fall season will inspire us to begin to process the reality that we are parents-in-waiting. Somewhere in the Philippines, a 20-hour plane ride away, our child is waiting to come home . . . to us.
With guarded eagerness, we look forward to the next step -- the moment we receive our referral. Could be another 12-18 months. Hoping it's less.
