Can I just have my children already?

Good morning everyone, this is Daddio posting this time. I thought I'd share a few ups and downs of my own, for the other Dads or soon to be Dads out there. I'll start with the downs first, so I can end this posting with an upbeat smile. Can you believe all of the paperwork required? If it weren't for my wife, I think we'd still be at step one (deciding to adopt from Ethiopia). She has been the true driving force behind us getting our paperwork in. Oh and the Notary requirements are maddening. It's not good enough to just have a Notary witness your signature and stamp the document, but even the Notary must follow very strict guidelines. It took me three attempts to get my employment letter correct, and two of our reference letters had to be re-done twice, because of "oh-so-minor" discrepancies. AGGHHH! We have one more homestudy visit, and we'll be finished with another chapter. To know that the fate of our adoption process is in the palm of the social worker's hand, is nerve-racking to say the least. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we completed our Gladney training videos "hot-diggity" :-) . Our certified documents are slowly coming in, and our next steps are awaiting for Gladney and CIS approval. Have you started thinking of how you're going to afford this? Well once you get this far, you've already written out many checks and paid numerous agencies money for their certification that your documents are authentic. All the while, our children are somewhere in Ethiopia, cold, hungry and lonely, and starving for affection. Our affection, that only a father can give his child. I've considered approaching the local car dealer for a break on the purchase of one of those super-large vans that can hold 15 people. It's sad to think that our Suburban may be too small pretty soon. Fundraisers and petitioning our church and friends for financial support are next (can you say home equity loan?). Returning home from visiting family over Thanksgiving, my wife has read that others in the same process have been waiting for many months for the next stage in their process. Depression and frustration starts to sink in, because you begin to wonder if you too will have to wait that long, or even longer.... I pray that won't be the case.
Now I promised you good news... I can honestly say that it's worth the wait. It's unbearable I know, but since I've gone through this process twice already (U.S. adoptions) I can assure you that all of the turmoil and mental anguish you're going through and will continue to go through until that God inspired and choreographed day, will be melted away and seem insignificant when you finally have your child in your arms. Oh to see that smile, and to sense their need that only you can fill. Their faces and desire to be loved embraces you like God embraces us with His love. The days will seem long, and the mountain will seem rugged, but I encourage you to stay the course and focus on the reward at the end.

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." - Hebrews 10:36