And then there were six...

We have got some exciting news to announce - we are adopting!  Now that we are officially accepted into the program, we are thrilled to be able to share our news!  It all started a year ago...

We always knew we wanted to adopt a 4th child, so in January of 2016, we completed the very first step in a long line of paperwork - we filled out an application with EVOLVE Adoption and Family Services to adopt from FANA in Colombia.

The kids holding our adoption application

FANA is the orphanage from which Owen and Rose were adopted.  It was their first home and has become a very special place to us.  Out of the countless families waiting for a child, FANA choose us for these two special little souls.  It still amazes me to this day!

The care and love our children received during their stay at FANA is like no other orphanage.  FANA was there for our children when we couldn't be to wipe their tears, clean up their messes, and kiss their boo-boos. And knowing that our next little one will be cared for at FANA gives us great comfort.  While we will miss out on many 'firsts' - that first smile, first laugh, first time rolling over and sitting up...we know our child will be sharing those moments surrounded by caregivers that love them.

FANA - our children's first home

The months following our initial application would be filled with a number of visits with a social worker, answering an enormous amount of questions, and gathering all sorts of documents from birth certificates to doctors letters to the much dreaded psychological evaluation.  Lucky for us, the typical 2 hour discussion with a psychologist was a breeze as we had met with the same psychologist twice during Rose's adoption process.  But we still had to succumb to the unpleasant Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory test (aka, the MMPI) entailing 567 often strange and confusing true/false questions to determine if we were coo-coo for cocoa puffs.  (Yes, we did manage to pass the test!)

On September 23, 2016 all our documents had been collected, reviewed and sent off to our agency's representative in Colombia for translation.  On November 1, 2016 we received word that our documents had been delivered to FANA where they would be sent to the Adoption Committee to be either approved or denied.  On December 1, 2016 we received an email from our social worker at EVOLVE - the Adoption Committee at FANA had approved our application!!  We were thrilled to finally hear those words!  And now that we're official, we are excited to finally announce our happy news - our party of 5 will become a complete 6 pack!!  We can't wait!

We have no idea when we will be united with the next little Slominski - it could be as short as 6 months or it could be over 2 years.  It is in God's hands.  And we know from experience that His timing is always perfect.

For now, we end the year with our hearts full of hope and love, knowing that we will be ready and waiting for our child when our child is ready for us.