I am almost…. almost…  done with this adoption application.

Done:

• bank loan
• medical exams
• psych exams
• 3 book reports
• stack of forms to sign :  yes I have a job, no I don’t have a gun, etc.
• FBI (and DMV) background checks
• collection of happy pictures of me with kids (I have so many pictures of the kids I love!  But I’m always the one taking the photo, so of course I’m not in any of them.  Had to take a whole bunch more – thank god these kids are such good sports.)
• autobiography telling life story (incl. family background, all jobs in detail, hobbies, dating and relationship history, school-days memories, and thoughts on parenting and discipline) in 4 pages max
• anti-racism training for well intentioned middle class liberal white women
• homestudy interview and house inspection
• glamorous photo shoot*

Still to do:

• finish last edits for my Dear Birthmother letter:  waaaaay too many exclamation points….
• get $100,000 life insurance finalized… just more forms to fill out…
• get a 1-800 number (and a real cell phone)

*I was putting the “cover photo” off until last because I really, really hate having my picture taken.  Except when Paul does it, because for some reason I tend to look happier in the pictures he takes.  Gee, I wonder why?  :)

But (thank you, Paul!) the whole thing wasn’t really so bad in the end!  After a night of stress-related nacho-and-beer behavior I reported for duty at Wavelengths.  I was a little worried.  I did not want to look like I was going to a party or out on a date, and when you request make-up as well as hair styling they tend to assume it’s for something formal.  But thank goodness!  In both cases, after giving me slightly puzzled looks when I tried to explain what the photos were for, they clued in to the phrase “look like an Awesome Mom” and jumped right in.  Hair and make-up both carefully designed to look like I hadn’t done a thing; I just always look like this.  Damn, those girls are good.

These ones are my faves.  The best thing is, they do actually look like me!  Only slightly less rumpled than usual…

And since I spent 3 days looking at 150 almost identical pictures of myself, I felt like I needed to clear my brain a little.  Thank you, Photoshop:  I am Queen of the Moon.  AND a future Awesome Mom.