Family Potluck

Saturday ended up providing, finally, beautiful weather for the Bay Area, and for Walnut Creek in particular. It turned out to be the perfect day for an outdoor party, and luckily for us we had one planned! After one previous failed attempt to gather the troops we finally had some of the other gay families from our adoption classes over for a potluck. We had hardly seen each other since our classes ended last fall and it was great to catch up. It was also helpful to hear about where everyone else is in their adoption journey. Because we are all looking for different kids (boys vs. girls, older vs. younger, singles vs. sibling sets, etc.) everyone has a different path they are following. It helped to be reminded that we aren't the only ones going through this long and sometimes emotionally challenging process. We also invited some friends who went through their training classes last year, and one of the couples has since adopted two brothers who are now two years old and eight months old. I think the situation worked out for everyone; the people without kids yet got their baby fixes and the parents had someone to keep the kiddos entertained so they could relax and have conversations with other adults.

I'm glad we were finally able to have everyone over. We are definitely looking forward to the next get-together, but next time we'll have to remember to take pictures!

Our First Disappointment

DISAPPOINTING NEWS
It has been several weeks since my first post, basically because we have been waiting to hear from the social worker of the Southern California youth we were interested in meeting. We finally got word yesterday that he does not want to move out of his area so it looks like that match is not going to happen. I have to say I was surprised how difficult it was to receive that news. Chris had warned me not to get my hopes too high since this particular match was not likely to happen due to the distance. But I couldn't help imagining that it was him who we would be bringing on our road trip to the Grand Canyon this fall, or who we would sit with at the dining room table to help with his homework. Now that the match has fallen through there's a real sense of loss there, even though we've never met.

On the brighter side, the process should be a bit easier now, and dare I say quicker, working with a youth from our local area. It will be easier to set up disclosure meetings and to meet the youth several times before he moves in. I've been cheering myself up by saying that this whole turn of events just means that the son we were meant to have is closer than we thought. I just hope that the boy in So Cal knows that there's someone out there who wanted him to be in their family.