Step One Down

Last week we sent in our application to the agency along with pictures of Le and I. It was odd to think that someone else would be judging our ability to be parents based on answering several questions and the way we appeared in pictures. We were told that we would not hear anything back from the agency until at least Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, so this is our first exertion of patience during this process. After our app is reviewed we will have a phone interview with the agency and they will discuss with us in more detail the process and what gender, age, etc. we would prefer. I have to admit that I would not be opposed to more than one at a time, but I think that the idea of one is a little overwhelming to Le at this point. But I think we have both decided that we would like a boy. I always wanted an older brother and I think Le really wants to pass on his love for sports to a little boy. We'll see and I am sure that I will update this the minute we get off the phone with the agency about where we go from here.

I have attached the pic that I sent in with our agency application.

The Road From Infertility

I had always doubted whether or not I should be a mom. I had chosen a profession which I knew required long hours and a lot of stress. I had wondered whether or not a having a baby would be selfish if there was no way to cut my schedule back. Two things happened that changed that line of thinking: (1) I met Le and (2) I went to work for the best law firm in the world. I knew that Le and I could work through anything and we both had so much to offer to a child. When I interviewed at my firm three years ago, I had already worked as a lawyer for over two years. Eileen explained that she had four children and at the time seven grandchildren (there are ten now and two more on the way) and that most of these children were in the office at some point. She explained that she went to law school when there were very few women and she welcomed every opportunity for Le and I's children to be with me at the office as much as possible. What an amazing opportunity! I, of course, for a number of reasons took the job and Le and I began to try to start our own family. After two years of trying, we were told that we were infertile and one of our only options other than adoption was IVF. We prayed fervently that God would tell us what He had planned for us. Of course, we were devastated but over the years, adoption had been a topic that we had discussed and embraced many times. We knew that even if we had one child biologically that we would probably add to our family by adoption anyway. But IVF was something that I was not prepared for. I wanted a child that reflected Le and I together but not just one of us. I was upset and I didn't want us to talk about it right away, because I was worried that Le would have a different opinion, so I waited a couple of days before I broached the subject with him. I was amazed that he immediately said that he felt like God was telling him that adoption was right for us. Thank you Lord for clarity and direction.

Meeting Mr. Right

Le and I met almost six years ago. He was working and living with my now brother-in-law, Brian. My mom had met him and immediately began trying to set us up. Every time we talked she would ask me if I had met Brian's gorgeous roomie. I had just finished my first semester of law school and needed a boyfriend like I needed another hole in the head, but how can you argue with your mom? I finally agreed to go to a softball game with my little sister, Laura. I saw him for the first time and I know it's a cliche, but I immediately fell in love with him. He had a great laugh and the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen and he looked me in the eye the entire time he spoke. Over that summer, I ran into him several more times and little did I know that while I was asking about him to my sister, he was driving Brian nuts with questions about me. I had scored tickets to John Mayer's summer tour with Graham Colton and Counting Crows in Dallas. I asked Le if he wanted to go with a group of friends and we could all ride together. He agreed! It worked out (as it always does with great love stories) that our schedules required us to leave later than everyone else and we ended up traveling together down to the concert just the two of us. Neither of us shut up until we reached Ardmore and stopped for dinner. We had so much in common, loved all of the same things and learned that the entire summer we were crushing on one another. We got home and I told my parents that I had met the man that I was going to marry. Exactly one year later, he proposed and we were married six months later. I only had two requirements for our wedding: I wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle and I wanted Chuck Black to marry us. I didn't want anything over the top, too "foo foo" or anything that was too fancy. I wanted it to be about us and our families and I wanted everyone to have a good time. I was working at the District Attorney's office at the time, preparing to graduate from law school and planning a wedding. I was more than stressed. I was fretting one day to Chuck about how I just wanted to marry Le and didn't need anything "princess-like". He very brilliantly suggested that we have our wedding in his courtroom, that way my mom could pin flowers on everything that didn't move and I wouldn't have to stress out. So we did! It was amazing. Our families got to pack his courtroom full of friends and family, and I got to marry my best friend.