I am finally ready after a nap!

I just woke up from a nap! I started at the couch, but after Mark's screams watching Illinois beating Wisconsin (those were happy screams) and then Lulu barking at the neighbor's landscape guy, I had to move to the bedroom... Good naps do wonders to me! Most of my friends laugh when I mention how much I love to take naps, but after reading Becky and Keith's blog about their 5-hour naps, I feel no shame!

So, it has been almost three months since we decide to start a blog to keep a diary of of our Journey to our UV-cito. You may say, "Ultra Violet-what"!! For the UV part this is the explanation. Mark's last name starts with U and mine starts with V. I didn't change my last name after getting married, so when friends want to give me a little crap about it, we are called by each or our last names. So, for example, my husband's blog is UV-Ranch. Then, "ito" or "ita" is the ending that in Spanish you can add to a noun, and then it means that it is small or little or cute. In Spanish (my mother tongue) you can use it to make it as a term of endearment. So right now, our baby, either boy or girl, is our UV-cito!

For the ones that do not know us, Mark and I have been married for a little more than 3 years. We live in Phoenix, AZ and both of us are environmental engineers. I am 32 (almost 33) and he is 31. Long ago when we first talked about someday having children, 2 was the magic number. Mark was an only child, so he wanted at least two; I have three siblings, so for me 2 was the maximum. Then, after a year of trying to get pregnant and realizing that it may not be easy, I brought up that somehow, I allways had in my mind the thought of how cool it would be to adopt a child. So, after reading some, talking some more, and going to an agency presentation, we decided to start the adoption process thinking that we would have one child througth adoption and one biological... Well, right now we are focused on the adoption part... More about this in future blogs...

So, where we are in the adoption process?

• July 18 - Applied and signed a contract with a agency whose headquarters is in Tucson, so we felt good about having resources somewhatlocally.
• July 28 - Applied to USCIS by the end of July, just before the fee increased by about $200!!
• July 27 - Got fingerprinted for background check. We were told that the Phoenix Police Departemt was the best for this, but few weeks ago (Sept. 22) our case manager emailed to let me know that I need to get my redone!! Apparently years of pottery messed up my finger tips!!!
• August 4 - Home Study meeting #1 at home.
• August 28 - Fingerprinting for USCIS
• September 29 - Home Study meeting #2 and Parent's Education Class.
• October 1 - Got fingerprinted at the Phoenix Police Department and at a UPS Store. Let's hope that between two sets it will work this time!

So, because my fingerprints need to be redone, we were told that it may take couple of weeks until FBI can give the OK. After that, the Home Study will finally be complete. So, with luck, we are talking about having this done by the end of October or early November. After that we will focus on the dossier #1 (some people call it like that, our agency calls it "preliminary package"). I already have the forms filled out, but needed the approval date of the Home Study.

Something wonderful that happened in the last months was to find about the "adoption blogging community"! It has been so conforting to find and read about people going through the same things I have and will for the next several months. These women writting with so much hope, strenght, patience, faith, and love for the little ones they are waiting for. I am very grateful for them to share their experiences and support (thank you Becky!).

So, here it is, my first posting ever! I feel ready for this journey and I think Mark is too. Hey UVcito, here we go!