Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Anybody every heard of the saying, "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades?" That is what we are calling the quote of the day today. Let me take you back to about 12:00 today.

I take the kids and drop them off at art and then sit down at my desk to eat my oh so delicious lunch of applesauce and string cheese. (Healthy I know) Before I can even open my lunch box though my cell phone starts ringing with a number I don't know. I decide to answer it, because with all the adoption stuff going on, you just never know what kind of calls you might be getting. Sure enough it was Josh, one of the guys who works at our agency. Here is how our conversation started:

Josh: Hi this is Josh, is this Dana?

Me: Yes it is (thinking holy crap, we've only been active for a week and 2 days why is Josh calling me already?!?!?!)

Josh: ummm, well, you see ......... hmmmmmm (Long pause) alright well here it is

Me: (At this point I am thinking what in the world??????)

Josh: Well we had this birth mom today and we showed her a bunch of profiles and yours wasn't one of them.

Me: again thinking to myself....."Why in the world are you calling to tell me you DIDN'T show my letter...."

Josh: But she didn't like any of them. Then she says that she saw this couple on our website that she really liked and that was who she wanted. That couple was you.

Me: Alright.....

Josh: See the only problem is it is a full Caucasian baby.

****Now any of you who have been following our story know that we are only doing a minority child****

Me: Okay  (I wasn't really sure what to say as I wasn't expecting this call)

Josh: Not really sure how she decided on you guys since you are clearly in the minority section of the website and not the Caucasian, but she did. So let me tell you a little bit about her background.

**He then proceeded to fill me in on medical history, any drug/alcohol use, etc. I also found out her due date is June 16th, which would be PERFECT since I get out of school May 31 and could have all summer with the baby.

Josh: So after hearing all that, what is your knee-jerk reaction?

Me: Well, it sounds like her history is everything we said we would be willing to accept, of course I haven't talked to Travis, and the biggest problem is that we don't have the money to do a Caucasian adoption.

*** Caucasian adoptions actually run about $10,000 more expensive then minority adoptions due to there being less Caucasian babies then parents that want a Caucasian baby***

Me: We have set aside all the money for the cost of a minority adoption, but just don't have the extra for Caucasian.

Josh: Well talk to Travis, I have a meeting with Steve, (the head lawyer guy) and call me back

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So I call Travis, tell him all the above and he says the exact same thing I do, "Sounds great, but we don't have the money."

Call Josh back, tell him Travis thought it was great, but it all comes down to the money. We don't have it, and can't really get it.

So Josh informs me that our letter was going out again this afternoon, (which is also exciting in its self), and then he heemmmed and hawwweed for a while longer and said that if anything else "came up" with this birth mother he would let us know.

I'm not sure what else could come up with her, unless she suddenly decides that the father of her child could be black... hmmmm too bad I can't suggest that option to her....

The positives of this whole situation are that we know our letter must be pretty strong. This mother chose us over all the 30+ looking for Caucasian children families on the website, over the 16 minority families, and over any letters she saw today. If it somehow ends up working out with this mother, then GREAT, if not, then I know that someone else is going to see the fabulousness in us also. It's neat to have been "chosen". It helps give some reassurance that this is really going to happen. Travis and I are going to become parents... we still just don't know when.