When I started researching Guatemala, it wasn’t unusual for babies to be home at 4 months old.  Then 6 months was a rather long process and 8 months was a horror story.  Things have changed a lot in less than a year.  Four months is almost unheard of now.  Six months is the good side of average.  Eight months is no longer a horror story – just slightly longer than average.  We all try to prepare ourselves that 8 months may be our reality but none of us truly believes it when we start this process.
Thus far, we have been fortunate.  We’ve only gotten through one step (DNA) but we got it done quickly.  At 1 month and 1 day old, Sabrina had her DNA test completed.  I’m hoping we are equally lucky with Family court interviews and the rest but there is just no way to predict.  There are a good number of families out there who have been waiting for DNA or for family court interviews for months.  Others are stuck in the PGN black hole.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to who sails through and who gets stuck endlessly in one place.
There are a lot of places we seek support during adoption.  Friends and family try to be supportive but it is hard for them to understand what we are going through.  My blog, which started out as a fun way to document my process, has grown into a support system.  There are many of us adopting from different countries that stay in touch via the blog world.  I’ve learned about the process in Russia, Colombia (or Columbia if you prefer frat boys), and China while “meeting” some amazing women.  Aside from blog world, many of us also visit message boards or subscribe to list serves.

I visit the Guatemala board on Adoption.com every few days.  It has such a large membership that I find it hard to feel connected to anyone there.  It can be interesting because there is a wide range of experiences.  You hear wonderful stories and horror stories that make realize how important it is to research your agency before you sign that contract.  It’s also a place to find all sorts of information – although best to take most of it with a grain of salt.  I also subscribe to the yahoo Guatemala list serve.  These emails arrive all day, every day in my yahoo inbox.  I honestly find this forum too impersonal.  I come home to 50 e-mail in my box and delete the majority of them unread.  I was an information junkie when I started the process so I signed up for everything I could find.
My agency hosts a message board as well.  I find that I am only comfortable posting good news and asking general questions there.  As a result, I don’t find it a very useful forum when I need support.  I tend to write about my down days here or privately email friends.  And my good friend chocolate never lets me down.

Where do you find your support on the days you feel emotionally battered by this process?