When we started this process, we had the best jobs ever. We had taken tests to get the job and were told that if we passed we would have a job for life. Unless I died and became a spirit, that did not happen.
Our first two adoptions were progressing. One was throught the state of Florida and the other through China. We were gather paperwork(Angie was, but I signed what I needed to sign). Through Florida, we were waiting on the department to set the date.
Rumors started to go around about layoffs. We worked in a place where the union was always spreading that rumor. It helped keep their members fired up and encourage more to join. In Florida, people do not have to join a union to work. Rumors tended to be ignored, it was like the boy who cried wolf. Unfortunately, this rumor came true.
Meetings started to pop up. Management would tell us that our division was slowing down and layoffs were on the horizon. We started to become concerned. What would we do if we lost our job and had to go to China? Would they accept our job status?
When the layoffs began, we kept our fingers crossed. Then came the day when a coworker came up to my desk and started measuring. This person could not even wait until I was out of the building. Management decided to move short timers to a broom closet. They did bring in a TV and disc player to watch movies. The one fitting movie we watched was Office Space. This layoff felt just like that.
During our waiting period, they brought in "experts" to help us work on our job seeking skills. We had resume classes. Those turned out pitiful resumes that would be laughed at by possible employers. We had other classes. They also let us have time for interviews.
I was lucky enough to find an insurance company that was hiring. In retrospect, I should have worried about the job. Their main purpose was to bring in people while they prepared a computer program for automation. Thinking I had a great job, I did not think about it. It started out great, but after training, things started to get stressful. Angie on the other hand, found a finance job. She was happy. They treated her well.
After leaving the "lifetime" job, we started to gain our adoption information from China. When adopting a healthy child, you go through a process. Your Dossier goes to China. It is logged in. Then it is translated. Next up is review. The final step is matching. At this point, they send you a picture of an orphan and you say whether you accept or not.
I was at the insurance company when our daughter's picture came through. Angie called. Our picture had arrived. We saw her and our answer was in immediately. At this point, things were going through my head. How would I take off? Would they let me? When was it going to happen?
At this point, we went into waiting mode again. The agency said that once all families had returned their answer, then our travel arrangements would be set up. We were closing in on the holidays. My thought was that it would probably happen after the holidays. I was not considering that China does not celebrate the same holidays.
Not only was that happening, but we finally had word on Kayla's adoption. The department had set it up for November. The reason was that this was National Adoption Month. It made for a great PR stunt. We were happy that it was finally going to happen. We had hoped for Kayla to come with us, but we could not get a passport until we were her legal parents.
Then came the travel arrangements. It was going to happen the day after Thanksgiving. We would be gone for about two to three weeks. It was exciting. I approached my employer and things were OK. My wife did the same. Neither one of us got a baby shower from our employers. We did get one from our family before we left.
Kayla's adoption happened the week before we left. We went into a courthouse with other families and were sworn in as her parents. They had cake and the news was out there. We kept Kayla away from the cameras.
The day I left for vacation/going to China, my manager asked me how quickly I would be back. I found that to be a weird question. I wondered if they asked the same thing of parents giving birth to a child. My thought would be no. People seem to treat adoption differently then birth. To me, it is a similar process. We have nine or more months of paperwork/waiting, like a person who waits nine months to give birth. My wife has the same concerns. Will the child love me? Will she be fussy?
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