Differences...

Finding out I was pregnant with Logan:

Positive pregnancy test. Called the doctor to see if they could do a real test. Sorry! Nope! Your test is as real as our test. Come back in a month and we'll go from there.

Finding out I was pregnant with Miles:

You ovulated!? What! Are you sure? Come in for blood work.  (Check!)  Come back in two days for more blood work.  (Check!)  Compare the numbers - looking good!  Come in for an ultrasound immediately. (Check!) You're really pregnant! You don't need a reproductive endocrinologist anymore.  Good bye and good luck.

Adoption:

You've already been parents for 9+ years? No credit given.  We want you to fill out 1,000 forms. Here are some of the things we need to know:

• What's your income
• do you have health insurance
• does your boss think you'd make a good adoptive parent
• what about your hr rep?
• what about your doctors:
• and your kid's doctors
• How much is your life ensurance
• Find 3 people who know you as a couple and ask them to answer really personal questions about you
• And an essay. (Thanks friends!)
• Birth certificates
• Marriage license
• Passports
• Car insurance
• Home insurance
• Do you have a fire exit sheet for each floor taped to your refrigerator? (Do YOU!?)
• Do you have a disaster plan
• How well do you know yourself
• And your spouse
• How were you disciplined as a child?
• How do you discipline your children? 
• What do you think of your siblings?
• And their spouses?
• What are your values
• And goals?
• Type it all up in 5-8 pages - no less.
• Do you have little outlet plugs in all of your outlets? Cause I'm going to look when I come to your house to make sure it's a good livable home for the soon-to-be child of yours.

And if you answer ALL of those questions and then some, you make it past the home study.  *whew!*  I remember with L & M simply needing an installed carseat to take them home.  Congratulations, go to your unknown living condition that may or may not be suitable for a newborn.

It's OK though, right up my alley with all of the forms. I've been running around like a crazy person getting them all filled out be all of the people who need to fill them out and organizing them and checking off my list, one check at a time. And it's actually kind of fun. Plus it's made us get organized with our papers etc...

Doctors appts tomorrow for all four of us, blood tests included.  Pray for the kids who really want to do everything they can do to help with this, but the fact that that includes a needle is a hard one for them.  I'm expecting tears from them both.