Complaining a Bit

I like updating our family blog (The Thompson Family Blog) because it's a great online "history" of our life, and I like writing on this blog (hello free therapy), but I don't enjoy updating our adoption website.  It makes me just want to yawn!  I question if anyone is really looking at it, if someone is really interested I'm guessing they will view our paper profile.  I know it's being viewed at least a little because of the # of visits listed on the site.....but is it just other adoptive parents scanning our site to see what we've done, or actual expecting parents checking us out?  I suppose we could do some outreach and PROMOTE the site, but that kinda scares me.  Getting matched through our agency just seems so "safe" to me. 

Thanks for letting me complain.  This is just a typical case of "I want to do what I want to do and this isn't what I want to do."  Some days I just want a "normal" life where I focus on the kids I have rather than trying to have more.  Wait, that's every day! :)

Profile update, we're in!

I got an email from our LSS contact in Minneapolis today, she has everything she needs to put our profile in the books--YEAH!  We had to complete 3 more forms (I'm super thankful we have notaries at work!) and we're done!  Our online profile will be posted as soon as they receive the notarized documents.  I honestly can't believe I overlooked them....clearly a sign of the mass amounts of paperwork we've completed! 

I've been trying to get motivated to do some more work on the adoption website I started for our family.  It's just that there are SO many other fun things to do in life instead.  Maybe tomorrow......

Marketing Ourselves

So, we're approved.  Now for the part that I thought would be easy, but it turns out that it's really not all that easy.  Marketing ourselves.  It's so hard, I want to show our lives to potential birth mothers, but it feels so weird, almost like we are "showing off"--look at us, look at our house, look at our son, pick us!  And, it's hard to put our life into a few web pages or scrapbook profiles.  What's important?  What's not?  What is too much information?  What's not enough?

I'm going with just trying to tell our story.  The story of us--the Thompson family and our family adventures.  And, I figure the right person will like us, right?  Someone will say, "Look, they let their kid get dirty, I'll pick them." or "I love it that they camped in the backyard, I want my kid to grow up camping in the back yard." or "Look at that mom, she clearly doesn't shower on her days off so she can spend more time with her kid, I'll pick them."  Ok, maybe not.  But, hopefully our real everyday life will identify with someone that will choose us. 

One thing is for sure....this process makes me feel very vulnerable.  I want people to like us.  We want another baby to love, but to do that someone has to like us.  And, like us enough that they want us to raise their child.  That's a lot of like! 
I started an adoption website, I'm creating it through Shutterfly.  It's not likely to come up in searches, but that's ok with me.  We can spread the site by word of mouth, and to me that just feels safer. 

I've spend HOURS looking though our photos from the last year to include on the site.  I LOVE photos and I take way too many.  But, I'm glad I have a lot to chose from and am hoping that our photos speak to an expecting mother that would like us to parent her baby.

The other day we were out on the boat.  It was a beautiful, calm day.  Jamie was fishing, Griffin was napping and I was writing.  So, quite a bit of the info for the website is right here:

I love that journal.  I bought it at Marshall's without a real plan for it.  I just thought it might be handy.  I was right!  I jot down thoughts, notes, adoption info and things to blog. 

If you want to see the start of our website, here it is: http://thompsonfamilyadopts.shutterfly.com/.  Just keep in mind that I've only just begun.  I have lots to add and edit!  I'll let you know when I make lots of progress and take those notes from my journal and add them to the website!

And, I'll be looking for people that are willing to proof the site for me and offer suggestions.  Feel free to sign up! 

Thanks everyone for your support....we have a great team of family and friends rooting for us.