Paperwork and more paperwork

It has been a crazy busy time since my last post!  With both boys in Soccer, school starting up again for the year and working on the Home Study,  life has been hectic to say the least.  The Home Study is a process of checklists of paperwork and more paperwork.  We have had fingerprints for FBI checks, police reports, child abuse background checks, and medical clearances.  We have completed numerous applications and extensive questionnaires. Now that the paperwork part of the home study is done (WOOHOO!),  we will have home visits from a social worker.  
We also completed a 10 hour online course that was specific to adopting a child who has been neglected.  It is very sad to learn how much neglect can affect a child.  Neglect can mean many things.  Maybe she doesn't get food/milk when she is hungry, or her diaper is not changed for long periods of time or she is not held and loved when she cries.  For every 3 months a child is neglected they are delayed 1 month in brain development.  So that means if our daughter comes home at age 3, chances are she will be developmentally closer to a 2 year old!
The course also explained how neglected children need a different type of discipline and parenting than a child who has had all their needs met since birth.  For example, instead of placing her in time out in a corner, the course suggested time out between the parents legs on the floor.  This helps the child not feel rejected.  Or if the child is hungry before dinner, it is better to feed them than make them wait.

And now for the good news; after researching and calling about 25 different international agencies, we finally found one. (YAY!)  And it is very possible they have a 3 year old little girl waiting right now in Uganda!  They are currently waiting on an investigation on her to be complete before they will release any information to us.  This was not exactly what we expected.  We thought we would be on a waiting list for months maybe even years before a child was offered to us.
We are trying not to get too excited yet.  From what we've heard, adoption can be an emotional roller coaster.  Sometimes a child is offered to a family, then the offer is taken away later.  For now we are just praying for Gods will to be done.  We will be happy with whatever happens.

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21