Workbook - Check!

Until you have experienced the "With Eyes Wide Open" workbook, you don't know perseverance.  We have been plugging away at this thing for WEEKS!  And today I can tell  you, with a big smile on my face, WE ARE DONE!  It will be in the mail tomorrow, to be reviewed and returned to us.  And just in time too, as our family education coordinator will be out of the office next month.

As overwhelming and difficult as this book was, here are some highlights of things we learned that will help us in our adoption process!

• Ethiopian children typically do not like dogs - due to the wild hyena population.  We'll want to take our time introducing them to our little pugs!
• Our child may have a hard time sleeping in the silence of our home - they will probably be used to the busy sounds of an orphanage.
• Putting our child's pajamas or a blanket in their bed with them (unwashed - so it smells like their previous home) will bring comfort to our child during their early time at their new home.
• We will need to have a 'cocooning' state when we bring our child home to help with the attachment and bonding period.  This also means that we will need to be the only ones to hold our child for the first three months or so they  are home with us.  This will be tough on our family members, I'm sure!
• We have had to prepare for the strange comments others will make to us and our transracial family.
• One of our best resources will be other adoptive parents, and we have already made connections with so many!

This is just a taste of all that we have learned in the 15+ hours we've put into this book.  But I can honestly say we are happy to be done!

On to the next steps....