The Referral

I can't believe I didn't blog about this on the actual anniversary! Well here is the referral story. At my agency (unless you are going through Waiting Child) you aren't ready for referral until your dossier is completed and turned in. I worked on the dossier over the 4th of July holiday and turned it in around 11:00 Friday morning July 8, 2005. I drove back to Minneapolis (about 8 minutes) got two coworkers Risa and Mel and headed out to lunch at Green Mill. At about 11:45 a.m. as we were waiting for our food to be delivered, my phone rang. I answered and it was my social worker from my agency. I was annoyed at first because I was sure that there was some technical problem with my dossier and I was SO DONE with paperwork. She ask if this was a "good time to talk", I said sure... She said "I am calling with a referral." I almost passed out. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS WAS HAPPENING. It had only been 45 freaking minutes. Deep breaths. She then said, "you indicated on your paperwork that you were open to limb deformities." I said "yeeesssss" she told me about Lucy's foot. I said I was interested in looking at the referral. Mel and Risa figured out what was going on and they were practically jumping across the table. Social worker said that the baby was beautiful, her name Eskedar, two months old. I could not eat a bite. I was so so freaking excited. We left the restaurant and raced back to work where I sat at the computer waiting for the referral info to come. OF COURSE we had internet problems. Finally it came through ... we were trying to open the photo .. it came so huge that we could only see about one facial feature in each screen .. but each facial feature was just so beautiful. Then I get a call. A teacher was on a home visit at one of my clients houses and there was a crisis. I had to leave before I could see the whole photo. I was sitting outside her house with all of her kids and the police absolutely unfocused on what was going on. I was a BAD BAD SOCIAL WORKER. Finally we got it sorted out and I raced back. And there she was .. printed out and taped together on six sheets of paper, larger then life ... so so beautiful. The rest is history .... oddly enough I was at that same client's house when I got the travel call. Here are the photos I received from Ethiopia ... starting with the referral photos.