Passport photos or mug shots?

Well, we got most of the things accomplished today that we wanted to. We were able to get all three of our passports ordered. I took a few practice photos of Ciara before we headed to the Post Office for our appointment and explained to her what we needed the photos for. She is going through a phase where she is camera shy. When we got there, she wasn't about to let them take her picture, but I reminded her that we had to have them made in order to be able to adopt her brother or sister from Ethiopia. She agreed to sit on the stool, but she would not smile for the camera and so her picture looks a great deal like a mugshot of a child who got caught stealing candy. Of course, as a mom, you never really think about all the ways a child can interpret your comments, so after getting our pictures made, Ciara thought that we were getting her baby sister today at the post office. That would be so much quicker and less tiring! I am thoroughly excited about my passport photo--I love that camera. Somehow I have a great tan, which if you know me is an impossible feat. (For those who are wondering, we are praying about whether to take Ciara to Ethiopia with us, but we decided to go ahead and get her passport since they take about 12 weeks to process now.)

Getting started with the lady doing our passports was quite amusing. First, she asked us where Ciara's biological parents were. We just smiled and said that we were her parents and then after a brief pause, we explained that Ciara was adopted. I quickly explained that I had all the documentation that she would need, and she seemed quite relieved. After explaining that we needed the passports for an adoption from Ethiopia, she then paused and said, "I just have to ask. How will you know that they are her siblings?" Sean just said, "Oh, we know they won't be." She seemed a little confused, but we'll let her figure it out in time. As she got to talking with us and seeing us interact as a family, she really warmed up and hopefully began to see the rich blessings that God gives families through adoption.

After the passport appointments, we headed to the Courthouse to obtain criminal record checks and our fingerprints for the FBI clearance. The computer system was down for the criminal record checks, but we were able to be fingerprinted. We had to actually go down to the county jail with inmates walking alongside of us. Children were not allowed, so I went in first and then we traded off. It took quite a while, but part of it was that I got to talking to the lady who fingerprinted me. She asked about Ciara's race and then proceeded to tell me that she is Puertorican, African American, and Caucasian and was adopted. Well, being an adoptive parent and a social worker, I had lots of questions and the two of us had a nice talk. When she walked me out and I took Ciara, Sean rolled his eyes at me (meaning he knew that I had been chatting). However, when he came out (which was a good while later), he said he felt like they had known each other their whole lives. It is amazing how adoption opens up conversations and experiences with people that you ordinary wouldn't have such conversations. The highlight of this adventure for Ciara was seeing a policeman drive through the security door with a "bad guy."