We have two new developments going on at our house. I consider them both long shots and I'd be happy to explain why.

1) We have a blip on the adoption front (for posts on our efforts to adopt #2, click here and here) from a very unexpected source, my father. I've posted about my father several times. If you're interested, you can read about him here and here.

So, the day before yesterday I was talking on the phone with my father and out of the blue he tells me, "I've heard about a local woman that is pregnant. She has children that she's struggling to care for and her boyfriend wants nothing to do with the baby. I'm told she's considering adoption. Would you be interested in learning more?"

I told my dad, "I guess that would depend on several factors like, how far along is she?, what type of parenting resources has she explored?, and what does the baby's father have to say about the possibility of his child being placed for adoption in another state?"

"I don't have any of those details," my dad admitted. "I wanted to check with you first before I even tried to get more information. If she wants to talk to you, can I give her your number?"

"Sure," I told him. "Or, if she's comfortable, I'd be happy to call her so she doesn't have to worry about long distance charges."

I haven't heard anything back from him yet and I don't expect to right away. This is definitely a long shot, but I'm thankful that my dad is keeping us in mind. I just never expected him to be one to come forward with a lead. He doesn't get out much, or so I thought.

2) Oronzo is, at this very moment, interviewing for a full-time job. If he lands it, he's told it will pay $100,00 or slightly more and will end up being a management position. We're both very conflicted on whether or not we want him to land the job.

On one hand, the steady income would be really nice right now, especially as we work towards adopting again. You may know that Oronzo is currently doing contract work from home, while he cares for Snuggle Bug, and I work a full-time job as well. Oronzo's getting pretty steady business from his contract work, but what we're struggling with is getting his clients to pay in a reasonable amount of time (as in, 30 days from invoicing). We're finding that some (not all, but some) of his clients are more likely to pay within 60-90 days, and that's with a lot of prompting from Oronzo. It's quite a stressful situation for him and it can put a strain on our finances at times, not knowing when we can expect payment. So, the full-time 6-figure job would alleviate that stress and I would probably be able to drop down to part-time work and eventually quit working altogether to stay home with both kids, when we're fortunate enough to adopt a second child. I would love to be a SAHM, but right now we need two incomes and my type of work doesn't allow me to work from home like Oronzo's does.

On the other hand, we're both a bit skeptical that this particular job situation will be right for Oronzo. If he's going to be paid $100,000 and managing a staff, more than likely he will be expected to work overtime. Oronzo and I have discussed this. Working overtime for special projects is acceptable but being expected to routinely work 50-60+ hours a week is definitely not. We both cherish our time with Snuggle Bug far too much to sacrifice it at all costs for a high paying job. If, during this all-day interview, Oronzo discovers that the expectation that comes with this job is a lot of overtime, he'll decline the position if it's offered to him and I'll support his decision 100%. I'd rather we continue muddling along in our current situation than have Oronzo sell his soul for a job he'll be miserable in and be forced to spend little time with his son.

It's not just overtime that's a factor either. The work environment has to be laid back and positive enough to tempt Oronzo to work there. His boss would have to be the type to empower Oronzo to do his job without wanting to micromanage. Oronzo has been his own boss for about a year and a half now and he truly loves it. The only reason he's even considering this position is because the company is reputable, the work sounds as though it would be rewarding, and the salary would be pretty nice too.

All things considered, this job opportunity is a long shot as well. I'll be interested to hear what Oronzo has to say around 4 p.m., when his interview is finished.

Don't worry, I'll keep my faithful readers updated on the status of both of these long shots. Prayers would be appreciated, not necessarily that God give us what we think we want, but that He leads us down the right path, whatever that may be.