So how many of the 150 steps are done now?

Finally, the last bit of writing for our placement agency profiles is complete. The photos are collected and there's even an Excel spreadsheet with captions and details for each one. Everything is printed and the CD is burned. Tomorrow the whole packet gets dropped off in the mail and shipped off to our chosen placement agency for their staff to put together and post...

• our online profile
• our "Adoption Spacebook" profile
• our printed adoptive parent "resume"
• our birthmother letter for the Adoption.com website, and
• our birthmother letter for the Courageous Choices website

The only thing left is the final copy of the home study report which, according to M, is just about done and will be ready to send off to the placement agency as well.

So we're sort of done for the moment and it's out of our hands. We now wait for the profile information to be posted. Then we shift into waiting mode and hope that in time, an expectant mother comes to the conclusion that we're the right people to be trusted to raise her child in our family.

No nerves or celebration yet, really. I think the serious bout of nerves will come when the agency lets us know that our profiles are live and that expecting mothers are starting to consider us. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's when the butterflies in the stomach will start.