What is it like to WAIT???

Adoptive families have a whole host of lingo…paper-chasing, paper-pregnant, dossier-to, forever family, gotcha day, Yahoo Group stalker …and on & on.

Once a family’s paperwork is complete and submitted to the country they’re adopting from, the family is considered to be ‘paper pregnant.’ But as I was praying this morning for the families who are moments away from receiving their referral, I think ‘paper pregnant’ is a misnomer. 'Paper-conceiving' may be more accurate because waiting for a referral is much like anticipating conception. When a couple is trying to conceive, there’s always that anxious couple days before a pregnancy test can be used to detect that coveted (+) result.

For me, the wait for a referral is like waiting to conceive – the only difference is that with adoption there is definitely a child in our future. And especially for the families who are nearing the end of their wait – every week they wonder, “is this the week?”

And then once a referral for a child is received by a family, it’s as if the pregnancy actually begins. Yes, the child is already born – but several weeks, to months, must be endured until mommy and daddy can hold their long-awaited child in their arms, and take them to their forever-home.