Homestudies are fun!

Dear Sienna Elyse,

I finished the homestudy and am just waiting on my approval papers! Yay! The Catholic social worker told me that I am definitely approved; it's just a matter of them writing up my information and putting the approval on file. Once that happens, I go on a waiting list where birthmothers will be able to see my profile and decide if they'd like me to adopt their little one.

Unfortunately, the odds are not in my favor. When I went in with this adoption agency, they made it all sound quite well and lovely, that it was very possible that I would be picked, even if I am single. But I've been doing more research lately and, much as I thought previously, it would be a miracle if a birthmother picked me to adopt their baby in less than 5 to 10 years. That doesn't mean this won't happen, it just means it's going to be that much more difficult. Oh well, when have I ever done something the easy way? Maybe you'll know me when I'm less complicated and can do things the easy way from time to time.

In the meantime, I've been asked out and agreed to a couple dates here and there. We were not compatible. I've also been asked out and politely declined because, well, we were REALLY not compatible. My hopes of being a lovely young bride and then becoming a mother that way are quickly fading. One day, I'll meet a man who I have no hatred for the moment I set eyes on him, after some conversation, I won't detest him even more and will feel like I can stand his presence for a little longer than other men/people, that's when I'll be OK with him asking me out...and then I'll find out he's married or gay! :) Haha. I know I should not expect so much of a husband, but if I expect so much of myself, I don't see why I can't expect some of that from a husband. Well, life's simply not fair and one must get over it and move on.

Anyhoo, since you or a husband are quite the ways off to enter my life, I've agreed to take in my 17 year old niece - your cousin - for the summer. She's having...shall we say, some issues? Hopefully I can help her, but who knows with teenagers! I call her Padawan because I really think all teenagers are like Jedi apprentices - they're still deciding if they want to use the good or dark force, depending on who they've agreed to apprentice from (which could be Siths or Jedis), they are always strong in the force (i.e. they have a lot of potential) and it's all just a matter of which way they decide to go and how they decide to use their crazy powers of potential. Also, it's funny and it makes me giggle. So I call her that. Of course, I don't know if Sith Lords call their apprentices "Padawan" or not. I feel like they'd be real jerks to them, because they're evil and all, so maybe they have a worse name for them. Someday, I'll ask a Star Wars guru all these burning questions, or Google.

Hmmm...this is going strongly in the Star Wars direction - did you know Walt Disney bought the rights to...well, all of that? Wait, if you are old enough to read this, you probably really, really don't care.

Well, Padawan and I are spending the summer trying to be healthy and stay away from the sun. Yep, we both really hate that shiny ball in the sky - in our defense, we're quite certain it's trying to kill us, so, yeah. Oh! Also! This summer, I was introduced to a snake living in my basement. By now, you should know how much I love snakes and can imagine the absolute horror that was. I got snake repellent and made my entire lawn and house smell like a giant moth ball; I'm told by the internet that snake repellent doesn't work. I am now utterly free of moths, I'm unclear on the snake situation.

So, I should get my homestudy approval papers any day now and I should be put on a waiting list of hopeful parents wanting a little tiny baby to be their own (I suppose some of them could want a big fat baby, I'd be fine with that, too, but even if they're big and fat, I think they'd still be small...you know, by comparison to other, bigger things, so it's not entirely wrong of me to say "little tiny" - or maybe I should follow that with "by comparison to, say, a car").

Padawan thinks I'll be a great mom, but I guess you'll be the judge of that. I love you, stinker (you've undoubtedly had some stinky diapers, so I'm allowed to call you that).

Mom