Wow! Thank ALL of you so much for your candor. Now I feel a little more comfortable about a realist figure. I also appreciated the mention of borrowing against a 401K account. I like the idea of paying myself back instead of paying the bank.
As all of you know, the adoption process is exciting, exhausting, exhilarating and scary. I feel guilty letting finances influence our adoption experience. But, it is a fact that finances do play a part in adoption... it is one of the reason we waited so long to proceed. I am very happy to hear that Abrazo is judicious of our budgetary constraints.
We have already allocated funds towards our homestudy and travel. I don't think I planned adequately for travel because I didn't think of the trip to meet the birthparents. All of this information is very helpful.
On a "Baby shopping note" ... I find myself walking down the baby isle in the grocery store and looking at formula. I also stare at the diapers wondering which ones I will need to buy. I've limited myself to one specialty coffee a week and am putting the money I would have spent in my "diaper" jar. I keep looking at baby clothes and no longer am interested in buying any new clothes for me... can't wait to spoil our new baby! (of course, I want to spoil the baby without raising a spoiled child... how do we accomplish this? )