This weekend Nic and I drove back into Toronto for our last two days of PRIDE training. The sessions were held on Saturday and Sunday this week which made traffic allot better. It was another day and a half, jam packed with information and emotion. Our trainers comment that this weekend would be more "fun", might have been a bit of an over estimation, but the material was a bit lighter.
Saturday we focused on covering the material left in our binders, and Sunday was mainly for speakers. The speakers were AMAZING. One was an older international adoptee, another a domestic adoptee and adoptive mother, the other a domestic adoptee and birth mother, and finally a couple who were adoptive parents. They provided us with a real spectrum of information. I felt some of their answers to our questions (especially those from the couple who are adoptive parents), helped me to form answers, to questions that were still swimming around in my head.
I cannot get over how much Nic and I have learned in the past five months and how much our opinions have changed. I still remember the devastation when I found out we would not be accepted into the Honduras adoption program. I do think everything in this process has happened for a reason, to get us to this point. A bit hokey I know, and painful at times, but the truth! We could not feel more confident in the decisions we have made and the path we are going to choose.
PRIDE training in a nut shell was AMAZING! We got so much out of it, and I am pleased it is mandatory for all adoptive parents. It should be mandatory for all parents. I think we lucked out, in that we chose amazing trainers, and our group was filled with exceptional people! I do wonder if everyone is so fortunate? One member collected all of our e-mail addresses so we can keep in touch. I am certain these people will be an incredible source of friendship, and support as we continue down our adoption road.
I can't believe I am saying this but we are nearing the end of the homestudy process. We still have to complete the PRIDE Connections exercises for our practitioner. Emma is also due for her vaccinations, so I need to get her in ASAP, and get a new certificate to our practitioner. I am hoping the vet can get us in today. We also need to complete our "what we will accept in a child" form again. I am hoping to pick it up later in the week when I drop off our excercises.
Once our Practitioner has all of that in her hands she will put together a rough draft of our homestudy for us to look at. She said she does have one couple in front of us, who she is fast tracking because they are adopting a number of children. She made it sound like she could still meet next week.
My big project is our profile. For not the first time, I wish my computer skills were a bit better. My goal is to have a rough draft put together by the end of the weekend. If the yucky weather keeps up like it is supposed to, I don't see this being an out of reach goal. It is allot to do, and think about, but I am up for the challenge.
We are both excited about being at the end of this part of our journey. Now everyone has to keep their fingers crossed our practitioner gets her part done. In February when we got started, Nic and I hoped to have the homestudy complete by June 1st. I will be satisfied if it is in my hands by June 15th. Finger Crossed!
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