We met again with our local agency yesterday evening.\u00a0 one of the things I learned was that the more accurate terms for these two different agencies are “home study agency” (that’s the one here) and “placement agency” (that’s the one far away).\u00a0 a friend that I was explaining this to likened it to a “buyer’s agent” and “seller’s agent” sort of arrangement, except way more touchy-feely AND the “seller’s agent” in this situation actually handles both sides of the adoption transaction if both parties are local, but because we’re adopting out-of-state, we need a local “buyer’s agent” to help us.\u00a0 Please don’t think that I’m insinuating here that we are in the process of buying or selling children, but I just need an analogy that is familiar to people outside of adoption circles.<\/p>\n
ANYWAY, we met with our social worker (“agent”) on Thursday and officially signed on with her and paid the application fee.\u00a0 We’re truly on the path, now.\u00a0 Woo hoo!\u00a0 A few posts back, I’d mentioned that I didn’t understand the relief that some adoptive parents feel<\/a> once they’ve made the decision to adopt–or at least that i wasn’t there yet.\u00a0 well, i’m there now.\u00a0 I feel very hopeful and optimistic at this point (despite the pile of homework she handed over to us during our meeting.\u00a0 maybe at some point i’ll list all of the hoops we get to jump through with this round of paperwork.) and it is such a relief to know that any frustrations that I might feel during THIS process will most likely be directed externally–frustration at the system, at laws, possibly at agency staff (hopefully not that too often) or maybe even birthparents–but I won’t have to be mad at my own body and that will be a relief.<\/p>\n