Wednesday, September 1, 2010

An adult beverage may be required

OK.  I'm kidding about the adult beverage.  Kind of.  But boy, has it been THAT kind of morning.

Who knew that the required medical exams for the home study and the dossier would be the cause of SO. MUCH. STRESS?  I just returned from my exam/tests...was there for 2.5 hours and got stuck with a needle four times.  (I have uncooperative veins.)  Now Vince is there for his exam.  We made the mistake of not arranging for childcare, so for a while we had our three kiddos, including one shrieking baby, there in the office until Vince wisely decided to take them home and come back later.  Why in the world did I schedule our appointments at the same time?!? 

One amusing tidbit:  twice I was asked if we were adopting "these three kids." 

We also felt anxiety at trying to convince the doctor's office to bill these as "routine physical exams" so they are properly covered by insurance.  I have a sinking feeling we will receive a few surprise bills. 

Honestly, NO aspect of adoption thus far has been as challenging as this morning's medical escapade.  And I realize I'm probably blowing it way out of proportion, but that's how it feels to me.  I suspect I've hit my Jumping-Through-Hoops Wall, which is going to require a fresh burst of motivation for me to press through. 

So feel free to weigh in with encouragement, those of you that have BTDT...or those of you who pressed through some other sort of wall...or anyone at all, really.  :o)

6 comments:

Valerie said...

You know what? God doesn't give us anything beyond what we can handle and He's in control. :)

I've been up against some pretty thick and high walls in the last 3 or 4 years, but He's never failed me yet.

He'll carry you through, J. It will all be worth it in the end.

ysexton said...

In response to your post, I am thinking about what Christ paid for our adoption and wonder also if he was ready for that "adult" drink you speak of when his disciples couldn't stay awake and pray with Him for even one hour in the garden of Gethsemene. He was under so much stress that He was sweating blood. WOW! I was trying to think when His medical exam took place to prove that He was the perfect sacrifice, but maybe that was in the desert when satan tried to tempt Him.

I don't know. Anyway, I love the way you write and how you phrase yourself--word choices like "shrieking baby" really give clear understanding to your experience!!

The amusing tidbit is priceless!!! Made me really laugh!

And finally, what a wonderful husband you have--so wise! And, by the way, I've really been missing his prophetic voice in services lately. I kind of thought we might hear from him again last Sunday.

themorellis said...

Keep the bigger picture in mind. In light of what's coming, this is small, my friend. Our precious Lord will walk with you each step of the way, bringing his grace and mercy for each new day!

ysexton said...

Jerusha, Mike made an even greater connection that I thought you might be interested in hearing. How many times did Jesus get poked and have blood drawn? 4 times--his head with the crown of thorns, each of his palms with the nails, and his feet also with a nail. So your 4 sticks with a needle just may have been prophetic! Well, it's a thought.

Aldridge Family China Adoption said...

Hey Jerusha - We got our exams, and the exams went fine probably because our docs have done "adoption exams" before. The trouble I had was getting them to understand that the China form had to be notarized. They thought first that I needed MY signature notarized (duh). Then I got a "bad" notary, who changed her mind about having notarized it because I told her to be careful to follow protocol because it was going to the SOS (Judy's advice). She SCRIBBLED out her signature and stamp. Apparently she doesn't keep a log. (huh????) I was stunned that she ruined my form right in front of me. Had to get the form re-written, and now in the 3rd week of waiting for notary. Ha! Home study visit tomorrow - girls & I cleaning like maniacs!

The Oswalds said...

We had similar messes our first adoption. I remember the medical exams being such a pain! Good news is, you are one step closer to bringing that little one home. You can breathe that step is over.