Adoption is not an easy path. Far from it. Our path got a little more complicated on Friday with the news that Ethiopia was cutting adoptions by 90% starting March 10, 2011.
Sigh. My head realizes that this is the right thing to do. There is too much corruption. Too many lies. I get it. I do. But yet my heart is breaking. My hope and dream of having another Ethiopian born child may not come true.
I am at a total loss. I turn 35 in a few short months. There is no real timeline for an Ethiopian adoption. Yet, supposedly only 5 letters written per day. That is five across all agencies and countries. The Ministry of Women's Affairs only works about 200 or less days a year... we are easily still well in to the high 200's on our agencies waiting list. This could take a few more years or it could all change again in a few months. It is a HUGE unknown.
So we are at a crossroads. Should we stay or should we go? We are torn. We would love to adopt again from Ethiopia. I would want to feel certain that that adoption was truly ethical. Yet am I ready to wait an unknown amount of time....I don't know. Is that selfish....probably.
I can't deny that I am getting older. I had always thought I would be done having kids by the time I was in my early thirties and well life just didn't turn out that way. I truly believe everything happens for a reason and I am beyond thrilled that Kiya joined our family when she did.
Are we meant to find another path to expanding our family? I don't know. Are we meant to only have one child? I don't know.
There are a lot of unknowns right now. We have a lot of questions and not a whole lot of answers. I will be touching base with our country specialist and our local homestudy social worker this week. I am not really sure what I will ask them but I feel like I need to get a glimpse into what might be the reality of the wait to adopt from Ethiopia.
In the meantime I have started doing my homework. What am I researching....well other countries and even domestic adoption. My heart belongs in Ethiopia so in my research I am trying to see if there is room in my heart for a different path. I am terrified of all that is out there but yet excited to see where we might go.
Showing posts with label little man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label little man. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
The missing piece
I have been thinking about how to write this particular post for a while. This one is solely about our Little Man whoever he is. We have been officially waiting for 1 year well over that now but still. We got Kiya's referral in 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. We are likely still 11-12 months possibly more away from experiencing the joy that is seeing our child's face for the first time.
That said this wait isn't on my mind daily. It is there just not the same way it was the first time around. Don't get me wrong, I definitely feel the tug and there is definitely a piece missing in our family but I can't focus 2 years of my life on waiting for a phone call. I honestly don't know how first time parents are surviving the wait. Waiting for the phone to ring the first time around was VERY challenging for me. I can't go back to that place.
Some days though while driving I just can't help but think about Ethiopia, about our Little Man, about the unfortunate circumstances that will lead to him being our son. My heart aches to see his face and to know his story. I pray for his first family. My joy when that phone rings is coming with tremendous loss half way around the world.
From here on out it is possible that our son could be born at any time. His mother could be pregnant right now. He could still be just a glimmer....we just don't know. I was talking to a mom today at the store. She had a little boy and I was buying a dress for Kiya. She commented how she has all boys and couldn't buy those adorable girl dresses. I said it was likely easier on her budget. We laughed and I told her we were going to have a son too. She immediately congratulated me and asked when I was due. I laughed. I explained that we are adopting a son and hope to have him in our arms forever in early 2012. She didn't really know what to say other than good luck.
I don't really think there is luck involved in adoption. Adoption stems from a want on our end to have a son and an unfortunate set of circumstances on the other whether it be death, illness, poverty, rape, or all of the above. It isn't luck at all. It is quite sad really. We will shed tears of joy while family in Ethiopia are shedding tears of extreme sadness.
That said there is definitely a piece in my heart ready for my Little Man. I am holding it there for him when he is ready to take it. I will continue to pray for him, his mother, his family and hope that when it is supposed to be it will all go as smoothly as it can.
For now and the next year or so, I will keep my Little Man in my heart. I am ready for the missing piece to be filled and I know the heaviness that comes with that piece falling into place. Who knows maybe next year at this time my heart will be filled as just maybe I will be blessed enough to have his picture in hand and story to sort through and can begin to prepare for life as a family of 4.
That said this wait isn't on my mind daily. It is there just not the same way it was the first time around. Don't get me wrong, I definitely feel the tug and there is definitely a piece missing in our family but I can't focus 2 years of my life on waiting for a phone call. I honestly don't know how first time parents are surviving the wait. Waiting for the phone to ring the first time around was VERY challenging for me. I can't go back to that place.
Some days though while driving I just can't help but think about Ethiopia, about our Little Man, about the unfortunate circumstances that will lead to him being our son. My heart aches to see his face and to know his story. I pray for his first family. My joy when that phone rings is coming with tremendous loss half way around the world.
From here on out it is possible that our son could be born at any time. His mother could be pregnant right now. He could still be just a glimmer....we just don't know. I was talking to a mom today at the store. She had a little boy and I was buying a dress for Kiya. She commented how she has all boys and couldn't buy those adorable girl dresses. I said it was likely easier on her budget. We laughed and I told her we were going to have a son too. She immediately congratulated me and asked when I was due. I laughed. I explained that we are adopting a son and hope to have him in our arms forever in early 2012. She didn't really know what to say other than good luck.
I don't really think there is luck involved in adoption. Adoption stems from a want on our end to have a son and an unfortunate set of circumstances on the other whether it be death, illness, poverty, rape, or all of the above. It isn't luck at all. It is quite sad really. We will shed tears of joy while family in Ethiopia are shedding tears of extreme sadness.
That said there is definitely a piece in my heart ready for my Little Man. I am holding it there for him when he is ready to take it. I will continue to pray for him, his mother, his family and hope that when it is supposed to be it will all go as smoothly as it can.
For now and the next year or so, I will keep my Little Man in my heart. I am ready for the missing piece to be filled and I know the heaviness that comes with that piece falling into place. Who knows maybe next year at this time my heart will be filled as just maybe I will be blessed enough to have his picture in hand and story to sort through and can begin to prepare for life as a family of 4.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Trying to find some patience....
So I know bad blogger again but really life isn't all that interesting right now.
I am not a patient person. I am better than I used to be but still not patient. We are waiting on Kiya's cast date. I know it has only been a little over a week since we were there but still. I want a date. I want to stop the what if's running through my head and just get started already.
I did check in with the nurse yesterday. Since Kiya's Dr. is leaving and he does most of the casting, everyone is trying to get in to see him before he leaves. Well, with the help of a friend talking me through it, I called the nurse to ask if we could just have Kiya's cast done by the doctor she will be seeing in the future. She agreed that it made sense. Right now we are waiting on Dr. S's schedule and that is pretty full. We are hoping to get in to see Dr. H maybe faster. Dr. H would be the one to do Kiya's follow up check up after 1 month in cast and then her future castings. We haven't met this Dr. but have heard amazing things about him so here's hoping.
On the adoption front, we got word that we will likely wait at least 24 months for a referral. Sigh...we knew that was coming but to see it officially written was a little tougher to take. The only thing that could slightly speed it up is whether or not we are more open to certain conditions than others and the fact that we would like to have a son. Either way we will wait it out. It gives us plenty of time to get Kiya out of diapers and if we are lucky out of casts too. It will all work out. I really don't even think about the wait for our son that much but when I got that email it all came rushing to the forefront. So when people ask me when we will have a son my stock answer right now is sometime in the year 2012 hopefully.
We are also waiting for the call that says Kiya's ankle braces are ready. I am hoping that one comes in early next week.
So kind of a boring post. To end on a happier note, Miss Kiya is a superstar. She loves all things related to her doll. She straps her in the high chair and pretends to feed her. She loves her new art easel and crayons. And since thanks to a dear friend it looks like a Dora toy store in my living room, she is loving all of that stuff too. She is saying more and more words every day and word combinations. She is unfortunately and fortunately waking up in the middle of the night if her diaper is wet. Good sign for future potty training bad sign for sleeping. She is developing this impy side to her where she is deliberately doing something she knows she shouldn't and then laughing. It is hard not to laugh with her as she is just too cute. So I have no doubt that this wait for our son will fly by as Kiya will definitely keep us on on toes and running around.
I am not a patient person. I am better than I used to be but still not patient. We are waiting on Kiya's cast date. I know it has only been a little over a week since we were there but still. I want a date. I want to stop the what if's running through my head and just get started already.
I did check in with the nurse yesterday. Since Kiya's Dr. is leaving and he does most of the casting, everyone is trying to get in to see him before he leaves. Well, with the help of a friend talking me through it, I called the nurse to ask if we could just have Kiya's cast done by the doctor she will be seeing in the future. She agreed that it made sense. Right now we are waiting on Dr. S's schedule and that is pretty full. We are hoping to get in to see Dr. H maybe faster. Dr. H would be the one to do Kiya's follow up check up after 1 month in cast and then her future castings. We haven't met this Dr. but have heard amazing things about him so here's hoping.
On the adoption front, we got word that we will likely wait at least 24 months for a referral. Sigh...we knew that was coming but to see it officially written was a little tougher to take. The only thing that could slightly speed it up is whether or not we are more open to certain conditions than others and the fact that we would like to have a son. Either way we will wait it out. It gives us plenty of time to get Kiya out of diapers and if we are lucky out of casts too. It will all work out. I really don't even think about the wait for our son that much but when I got that email it all came rushing to the forefront. So when people ask me when we will have a son my stock answer right now is sometime in the year 2012 hopefully.
We are also waiting for the call that says Kiya's ankle braces are ready. I am hoping that one comes in early next week.
So kind of a boring post. To end on a happier note, Miss Kiya is a superstar. She loves all things related to her doll. She straps her in the high chair and pretends to feed her. She loves her new art easel and crayons. And since thanks to a dear friend it looks like a Dora toy store in my living room, she is loving all of that stuff too. She is saying more and more words every day and word combinations. She is unfortunately and fortunately waking up in the middle of the night if her diaper is wet. Good sign for future potty training bad sign for sleeping. She is developing this impy side to her where she is deliberately doing something she knows she shouldn't and then laughing. It is hard not to laugh with her as she is just too cute. So I have no doubt that this wait for our son will fly by as Kiya will definitely keep us on on toes and running around.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
It's Official--dossier approved
YAY! We got the word this afternoon that our dossier was "perfect" according to the email. WOOHOO! Huge chunk of paperwork done and getting ready to head to Ethiopia.
Feeling relieved and excited. It was nice to get some good news with all the other stuff going on.
So now what? Well, we still need to do our I-600A form and get fingerprinted in Milwaukee. We are likely going to wait until early next year to do this. Why? Well, strangely and stupidly your fingerprints expire after 15 months. You get a one time free extension but it is kind of a hassle. We are hoping to avoid this. Even dumber the actual form expires after 18 months. I know doesn't make sense but such is government paperwork. So we wait. We just need to have it before we can travel.
We are one more step closer to having Little Man in our home. I can hardly believe it. We have lots to keep us busy as we continue to wait.
Feeling relieved and excited. It was nice to get some good news with all the other stuff going on.
So now what? Well, we still need to do our I-600A form and get fingerprinted in Milwaukee. We are likely going to wait until early next year to do this. Why? Well, strangely and stupidly your fingerprints expire after 15 months. You get a one time free extension but it is kind of a hassle. We are hoping to avoid this. Even dumber the actual form expires after 18 months. I know doesn't make sense but such is government paperwork. So we wait. We just need to have it before we can travel.
We are one more step closer to having Little Man in our home. I can hardly believe it. We have lots to keep us busy as we continue to wait.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Update
Just a quick note that I will now post updates about Kiya's scoliosis under the page Kiya's Kare Korner. I want to document this time in our lives so that we can maybe help another family some day like so many of the families that have reached out to us. I also don't want to take away from the original intent of the blog which is to talk adoption and family.
If you click on Kiya's Kare Korner there is just one entry from today. I will post updates at the top of that page.
In other news....still waiting to hear if our dossier for our Little Man has been approved. Hopefully we will hear this week.
If you click on Kiya's Kare Korner there is just one entry from today. I will post updates at the top of that page.
In other news....still waiting to hear if our dossier for our Little Man has been approved. Hopefully we will hear this week.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Little Man Update
I haven't talked much about our journey to our Little Man as they just hasn't been much to say until now. We are DONE with the paperchase. Dossier went out in the mail today. It took me so much longer to complete the paperchase this time but I have a little more on my plate than I did 2 1/2 years ago when I did this last time :)
So as I wrote out more checks than I write in 6 months today, photocopied a bazillion pieces of paper twice and tried to figure out how to fit all of this paper in an envelope, I got a little misty eyed. The journey seems more real now. Before it was just kind of out there like yeah we are adopting and we are officially waiting etc. But today it kind of sunk in. This is real. We just mailed off our entire life to bring our son home. We still have lots of waiting left to do but today I feel like our Little Man's space in my heart got a little bit bigger.
We are still at least 1 year away from seeing his face for the first time. Next summer. We could see his face in our email next summer. Wow. As to when he will be with us forever. Tough to say. The process is taking a lot longer with the two trip rule. Based on current estimated wait times which I am well aware may change but it appears we will wait around 20/21 months for our referral which puts us in July/August of next year.
We would then need to travel for court. However we will very likely hit court closure again next year. This year courts in Ethiopia are closed from August 6 (or so) until the end of September with the reality that it will likely be weeks into October before things are fully up and running. So if that stays true for next year, the earliest we would travel for the first time is next fall sometime. We had hoped our son would be home for Christmas 2011 but reality is setting in that he will likely not be home until 2012. I hope I am wrong but I am trying to not be overly optimistic only to be disappointed when things change. Been there done that and it is a nasty roller coaster ride that I am trying to avoid this time around.
I know the wait is long but really I am okay with it. First, I have Kiya to keep me plenty busy. It gives us time to work on her needs and medical stuff. It gives us a chance to hopefully get her out of diapers before baby brother comes home. Second, we stuck with the same agency even given the long waits because getting a son fast is not our goal. Sure we could have switched to some agency that would have produced a son for us in no time at all but at what cost???
So we hit 8 months of officially waiting this coming Sunday. Little Man, just know that Mom, Dad and your Big Sister are waiting for you. We will wait as long as it takes. We are praying for you, your first family and all those that will be taking care of you along the way.
So as I wrote out more checks than I write in 6 months today, photocopied a bazillion pieces of paper twice and tried to figure out how to fit all of this paper in an envelope, I got a little misty eyed. The journey seems more real now. Before it was just kind of out there like yeah we are adopting and we are officially waiting etc. But today it kind of sunk in. This is real. We just mailed off our entire life to bring our son home. We still have lots of waiting left to do but today I feel like our Little Man's space in my heart got a little bit bigger.
We are still at least 1 year away from seeing his face for the first time. Next summer. We could see his face in our email next summer. Wow. As to when he will be with us forever. Tough to say. The process is taking a lot longer with the two trip rule. Based on current estimated wait times which I am well aware may change but it appears we will wait around 20/21 months for our referral which puts us in July/August of next year.
We would then need to travel for court. However we will very likely hit court closure again next year. This year courts in Ethiopia are closed from August 6 (or so) until the end of September with the reality that it will likely be weeks into October before things are fully up and running. So if that stays true for next year, the earliest we would travel for the first time is next fall sometime. We had hoped our son would be home for Christmas 2011 but reality is setting in that he will likely not be home until 2012. I hope I am wrong but I am trying to not be overly optimistic only to be disappointed when things change. Been there done that and it is a nasty roller coaster ride that I am trying to avoid this time around.
I know the wait is long but really I am okay with it. First, I have Kiya to keep me plenty busy. It gives us time to work on her needs and medical stuff. It gives us a chance to hopefully get her out of diapers before baby brother comes home. Second, we stuck with the same agency even given the long waits because getting a son fast is not our goal. Sure we could have switched to some agency that would have produced a son for us in no time at all but at what cost???
So we hit 8 months of officially waiting this coming Sunday. Little Man, just know that Mom, Dad and your Big Sister are waiting for you. We will wait as long as it takes. We are praying for you, your first family and all those that will be taking care of you along the way.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Full plate
My plate is getting VERY full. With all of the things written on the calendar for Kiya, appointments for me and a major landscaping project in the works, the next couple of months are going to be a tad hectic.
I was ready for this and then today I got THE email. The email that gives us the go ahead to start our dossier for Little Man. We have been waiting just over 6 months so the time has come. So in the next 2 months I have A LOT of paperwork to do and gather. The paperchase has begun again....:)
Add to this already full schedule and I am committing myself to being a better transracial parent. Recently I have added a few new blogs to my blog roll. A couple of blogs written by adult adoptees and a transracial parenting blog started by other adoptive parents who are taking a Crash Course in Transracial Parenting suggested by John Raible.
Being a parent is a tough job. Being a transracial parent is a tougher job. My daughter and my son will face things in life that I won't truly be able to understand but I need to try. I have to try. No I have to do. My daughter is young and as she gets older we will have to face some challenges as will my son. Judgements and assumptions will be made about them and it is my job to be the best advocate for my kids when they aren't able to speak for themselves.
My children will have questions, lots of questions. They will face stereotypes, they will face racism which are things I have no first hand knowledge of. How do I get this knowledge. Learn from others. Hence the crash course and my new blogs. I can learn a lot from adult adoptees who have walked the path my children will. Struggling with who they are, where they fit in, how to feel about birth family, culture, etc.
I am ready to learn, ready to be open minded and ready to focus on the tough stuff.
I was ready for this and then today I got THE email. The email that gives us the go ahead to start our dossier for Little Man. We have been waiting just over 6 months so the time has come. So in the next 2 months I have A LOT of paperwork to do and gather. The paperchase has begun again....:)
Add to this already full schedule and I am committing myself to being a better transracial parent. Recently I have added a few new blogs to my blog roll. A couple of blogs written by adult adoptees and a transracial parenting blog started by other adoptive parents who are taking a Crash Course in Transracial Parenting suggested by John Raible.
Being a parent is a tough job. Being a transracial parent is a tougher job. My daughter and my son will face things in life that I won't truly be able to understand but I need to try. I have to try. No I have to do. My daughter is young and as she gets older we will have to face some challenges as will my son. Judgements and assumptions will be made about them and it is my job to be the best advocate for my kids when they aren't able to speak for themselves.
My children will have questions, lots of questions. They will face stereotypes, they will face racism which are things I have no first hand knowledge of. How do I get this knowledge. Learn from others. Hence the crash course and my new blogs. I can learn a lot from adult adoptees who have walked the path my children will. Struggling with who they are, where they fit in, how to feel about birth family, culture, etc.
I am ready to learn, ready to be open minded and ready to focus on the tough stuff.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Changes
A piece of my heart is in Ethiopia. It always will be. As I mentioned in a previous post, I miss Ethiopia. I want to see more, hear more, learn more, enjoy more. The short week I was there was just not enough. I tried to soak up as much as I could.
Well, we just found out that as of right now the process to bring our son home has changed. It may change again but as of today, the Ethiopian government is requiring adoptive parents to be present at the court hearing. In essence, that means two trips to Ethiopia, one for the court hearing and then one to bring home our son. There aren't a lot of details as to how this will work but we are kind of excited about it.
Why? Well, we would get to meet our Little Man sooner and hug him, love him and just see that he is doing well. Don't get me wrong, it will be so hard to leave that first time without him. I guarantee I will cry and cry a lot. However, with the additional trip we can travel around the country and absorb even more Ethiopia.
Also, because of these two visits, our son would come home on a IR3 visa which would make him a citizen the second he hits US soil. It mean less paperwork and no fee for filing the COC.
I do feel for the families that have recent referrals or are very close to receiving a referral. This news was sprung on the whole adoption community yesterday and for some families that doesn't leave a lot of time to budget for a second trip or find childcare, or get time off of work etc. Since we are years away, we can figure these details out. I pray that all the cards fall in to place for these families caught in the middle and the unknown.
Because of the lengthening timelines, we are also discussing bringing Kiya with us for one of the trips. She could be closer to 5 when this happens and I think it would be great for her to go and see where she was born and to start to experience Ethiopia first hand. We haven't made a final decision and likely won't until it gets closer but the seed has been planted.
I am anticipating that things will likely change again before we even get close to a referral, I am just hoping that this recent change will help Ethiopia stay open to international adoption. There is still a fear that our son will not be from Ethiopia. I try not to think about it too much and am really hoping for the best.
I think about Ethiopia just about every day. Some days more than others. I am itching to go back. We talked about going again before our son but with these new changes we likely will just wait until we travel to see our son and then bring him home. So for now we will just sit back and wait and see what other changes are coming, after all this is international adoption so we at this point expect there will be more changes.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Waiting this time
Someone asked me today what was going on with Little Man's adoption and I had to pause and think. When someone asked me about our first adoption, I could tell them where we were on the unofficial list, my guess at what number we were on the official list, when I thought we might get a referral, how many months and days we have been waiting, etc. It is just different this time. I am different.
Trust me when I say it is not because I am not as excited to have a son. I can't wait but wait I will and with grace or at least I am telling myself that now. The wait for Kiya was VERY tough and I was not at all graceful with it at times. I got down right whiny at times and needed a swift kick in the butt from some wise women.
Having been to Ethiopia and seeing the pure emotion on Kiya's mother's face forever changed my perspective. We have no idea what Little Man's story will be or if we will be able to meet his parents but it doesn't matter. His parents are out there and their heartache is our heartache. We can only hope to meet one or both of them and let them know that we will love on their little guy and take good care of him and teach him to be proud of his heritage and his family.
So this time around it isn't about counting numbers and months, it is about counting our blessings. We plan to enjoy our time with Kiya and know that at some point in the future she will have a little brother. We know that he will be a perfect fit for our family when the time is right. We have that faith having been through it all before and seeing just how perfect Kiya is for our family.
We have been officially waiting for Little Man for a few months now. Next up is some paperwork and once that is done we will continue to enjoy watching Kiya learn and explore and we will prepare her for big sisterhood when the time comes.
Trust me when I say it is not because I am not as excited to have a son. I can't wait but wait I will and with grace or at least I am telling myself that now. The wait for Kiya was VERY tough and I was not at all graceful with it at times. I got down right whiny at times and needed a swift kick in the butt from some wise women.
Having been to Ethiopia and seeing the pure emotion on Kiya's mother's face forever changed my perspective. We have no idea what Little Man's story will be or if we will be able to meet his parents but it doesn't matter. His parents are out there and their heartache is our heartache. We can only hope to meet one or both of them and let them know that we will love on their little guy and take good care of him and teach him to be proud of his heritage and his family.
So this time around it isn't about counting numbers and months, it is about counting our blessings. We plan to enjoy our time with Kiya and know that at some point in the future she will have a little brother. We know that he will be a perfect fit for our family when the time is right. We have that faith having been through it all before and seeing just how perfect Kiya is for our family.
We have been officially waiting for Little Man for a few months now. Next up is some paperwork and once that is done we will continue to enjoy watching Kiya learn and explore and we will prepare her for big sisterhood when the time comes.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
It's Official!
I know where are the cute pics--stay tuned as there are lots of great pics coming from Kiya's first Thanksgiving and of course 1st birthday!
But this post is for our Little Man :)
WE ARE ON THE LIST!!!!!
We got the call today. On the unofficial list we are probably around #90 and on the official list I am guessing we are near 370 or higher. So as of now we are about 2 years away from seeing our son's gorgeous face. We know that when our son is ready, he will find his way to us and we will be ready with open arms and an open heart.
The roller coaster ride is starting again and we couldn't be happier.
But this post is for our Little Man :)
WE ARE ON THE LIST!!!!!
We got the call today. On the unofficial list we are probably around #90 and on the official list I am guessing we are near 370 or higher. So as of now we are about 2 years away from seeing our son's gorgeous face. We know that when our son is ready, he will find his way to us and we will be ready with open arms and an open heart.
The roller coaster ride is starting again and we couldn't be happier.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
International adoption, Ethiopia, Little Man and more
This is a heavy post. Just an FYI. It is me sorting through some tough stuff.
We just got word the other day that our agency has officially extended the wait time for referral of a child age 0-24months to 16-24months. Not a shock, we fully expected this. The shock came in the same announcement that they have stopped accepting applications for the Ethiopia program effective immediately for families looking to adopt a child 0-24 months. Reality is they probably should have done this sooner but it is what it is. We just barely made that cut off.
Our hearts belong in Ethiopia and in a way they always will. Can I say at this writing that I am 100% sure that our Little Man will be born in Ethiopia, no I can't. My deep seeded fear that is surfacing more and more each day is that Ethiopia will shut down to international adoption before we can realize the dream of a son. Do I know that will happen, no but it is a fear and I believe a good one. There are a lot of red flags and warning signs right now and it is a scary thing.
So then what? Well, if that happens we would definitely have to switch agencies. While I can't say my son will be born in Ethiopia, I would like to confidently say that he would be born in Africa or the Caribbean. I feel and believe that in my heart. Our current agency doesn't have any other programs in either of those places right now. We are pretty sure we know what agency we would switch to. The list is short.
There is always domestic adoption but I honestly don't know if I could ever go back to that. I just don't have the heart for it. Can I say I would 100% rule it out as an option, no but I have a lot more soul searching to do before that would become a reality. I admire those willing to tough it out. I am not that strong. I was strong once and I don't think I could be that strong again. I don't know.
Absolute worst case scenario, and yes we talked about this just last night. We have a daughter. A beautiful daughter that we love more than anything in this world and we are so honored to be her parents. If that is it for us, one child then we couldn't ask for a more perfect child. Yes, this brings tears to my eyes and it scares me.
There was a time in my life that I wasn't sure I even wanted to have children. That changed and I LOVE being a mom. I would love to have more than one child but in reality it isn't up to us. God made that pretty clear. He led us to adoption once and is leading us there again and we just have to have faith. That is a whole lot easier said than done.
International adoption is never a guarantee and it is definitely not an easy path. We knew that going in though it was much harder than I thought it would be. We want our adoptions to be ethical and above board. Ethics to be honest wasn't always a topic on the table. I feel I have come along way in my thought process and I owe that to wise AP's who have come before me. They have made me think. Really think. I have said this before that I feel that Kiya's adoption was above board and ethical. I want the same feeling when we adopt our son be it from Ethiopia or some place else.
As we gear up to start waiting, my plan is to focus on today. Focus on this beautiful little girl in my life and cherish every moment with her. We can deal with the reality of adoption, when we need to. Right now we need to be the best parents we can to Kiya. She deserves nothing less than our very best. She will keep us going and going and going I have a feeling but every tired moment is so worth it.
Don't get me wrong, I pray everyday that our Little Man will join our family some time in the future but I also realize that at some point Little Man may be another daughter or may not be at all. Time will tell and what is supposed to be will be. We are merely waiting for more instructions.
We just got word the other day that our agency has officially extended the wait time for referral of a child age 0-24months to 16-24months. Not a shock, we fully expected this. The shock came in the same announcement that they have stopped accepting applications for the Ethiopia program effective immediately for families looking to adopt a child 0-24 months. Reality is they probably should have done this sooner but it is what it is. We just barely made that cut off.
Our hearts belong in Ethiopia and in a way they always will. Can I say at this writing that I am 100% sure that our Little Man will be born in Ethiopia, no I can't. My deep seeded fear that is surfacing more and more each day is that Ethiopia will shut down to international adoption before we can realize the dream of a son. Do I know that will happen, no but it is a fear and I believe a good one. There are a lot of red flags and warning signs right now and it is a scary thing.
So then what? Well, if that happens we would definitely have to switch agencies. While I can't say my son will be born in Ethiopia, I would like to confidently say that he would be born in Africa or the Caribbean. I feel and believe that in my heart. Our current agency doesn't have any other programs in either of those places right now. We are pretty sure we know what agency we would switch to. The list is short.
There is always domestic adoption but I honestly don't know if I could ever go back to that. I just don't have the heart for it. Can I say I would 100% rule it out as an option, no but I have a lot more soul searching to do before that would become a reality. I admire those willing to tough it out. I am not that strong. I was strong once and I don't think I could be that strong again. I don't know.
Absolute worst case scenario, and yes we talked about this just last night. We have a daughter. A beautiful daughter that we love more than anything in this world and we are so honored to be her parents. If that is it for us, one child then we couldn't ask for a more perfect child. Yes, this brings tears to my eyes and it scares me.
There was a time in my life that I wasn't sure I even wanted to have children. That changed and I LOVE being a mom. I would love to have more than one child but in reality it isn't up to us. God made that pretty clear. He led us to adoption once and is leading us there again and we just have to have faith. That is a whole lot easier said than done.
International adoption is never a guarantee and it is definitely not an easy path. We knew that going in though it was much harder than I thought it would be. We want our adoptions to be ethical and above board. Ethics to be honest wasn't always a topic on the table. I feel I have come along way in my thought process and I owe that to wise AP's who have come before me. They have made me think. Really think. I have said this before that I feel that Kiya's adoption was above board and ethical. I want the same feeling when we adopt our son be it from Ethiopia or some place else.
As we gear up to start waiting, my plan is to focus on today. Focus on this beautiful little girl in my life and cherish every moment with her. We can deal with the reality of adoption, when we need to. Right now we need to be the best parents we can to Kiya. She deserves nothing less than our very best. She will keep us going and going and going I have a feeling but every tired moment is so worth it.
Don't get me wrong, I pray everyday that our Little Man will join our family some time in the future but I also realize that at some point Little Man may be another daughter or may not be at all. Time will tell and what is supposed to be will be. We are merely waiting for more instructions.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Little Man Update
Our home study is just about done :) Our social worker has all of the paper work she needs.
I contacted our agency and learned something today. The process has changed. For Kiya, we had to have our home study approved, then we did everything for our dossier and once that was approved we were added to the list or deemed officially waiting.
This time....once our home study is approved we are officially waiting. That's right, our home study could be on it's way to CHSFS for approval this week. Which means, that by Thanksgiving (hopefully) we should be officially waiting for our son. That is just a few weeks away.
So what about our dossier? Well, after a few months of waiting, a dossier specialist will contact us for that part of the process.
It is exciting to think we will be officially waiting again soon but I was looking forward to having the bulk of the paper work finished too. Oh well, at least I can get through Kiya's birthday, the holidays, etc and not have to worry about paper work.
We are on our way, Little Man :)
I contacted our agency and learned something today. The process has changed. For Kiya, we had to have our home study approved, then we did everything for our dossier and once that was approved we were added to the list or deemed officially waiting.
This time....once our home study is approved we are officially waiting. That's right, our home study could be on it's way to CHSFS for approval this week. Which means, that by Thanksgiving (hopefully) we should be officially waiting for our son. That is just a few weeks away.
So what about our dossier? Well, after a few months of waiting, a dossier specialist will contact us for that part of the process.
It is exciting to think we will be officially waiting again soon but I was looking forward to having the bulk of the paper work finished too. Oh well, at least I can get through Kiya's birthday, the holidays, etc and not have to worry about paper work.
We are on our way, Little Man :)
Sunday, November 8, 2009
3 weeks
That's right. 3 weeks or 21 days or 504 hours or 30240 minutes until....
KIYA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!
Can you tell I am excited :)
We have her birthday shirt already but other than that we haven't done anything. I haven't even purchased her birthday present yet but we do know what we are getting her. Well we kind of do. We are either getting her this or this.
As for a birthday party, well her actual birthday is 3 days after Thanksgiving but we are going to celebrate on Thanksgiving. We host Thanksgiving dinner at our house each year so the family will be here so we figured it is the perfect opportunity.
She will have a cake and maybe a little pumpkin pie. We are guessing that she will dive right in to her cake since she always finds the food on the high chair and runs her hands through the mess but she could surprise us. She hasn't really had sweets yet but she generally will eat just about anything except chicken nuggets and peaches those are pretty much a no go.
Her 1 year check up isn't until mid December so we won't know what she weighs or how tall she is for a little while longer. I do know one thing though, we put a 6-12 month size dress on her today and it was too short. We had to put jeans on underneath which is quite stylish but wow is she getting tall. I know she isn't a giant and is probably just taller than average but she is tall and lean so she looks taller than she is.
Lots of exciting things coming up this month for Miss Kiya. As for Little Man, our application part 2 has been received and our home study agency is waiting for one reference to get there and then our home study can be completed and sent in for approval. We are still hopeful to get back on the list by the end of November but it could be December but for sure should be by the end of the year at the latest. There is only so much we are in control of so once our part is done we have to wait for our agency to review and approve things and that takes time.
Lot's to do and not a lot of time to get it done but it will all work out the way it is supposed to.
KIYA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!
Can you tell I am excited :)
We have her birthday shirt already but other than that we haven't done anything. I haven't even purchased her birthday present yet but we do know what we are getting her. Well we kind of do. We are either getting her this or this.
As for a birthday party, well her actual birthday is 3 days after Thanksgiving but we are going to celebrate on Thanksgiving. We host Thanksgiving dinner at our house each year so the family will be here so we figured it is the perfect opportunity.
She will have a cake and maybe a little pumpkin pie. We are guessing that she will dive right in to her cake since she always finds the food on the high chair and runs her hands through the mess but she could surprise us. She hasn't really had sweets yet but she generally will eat just about anything except chicken nuggets and peaches those are pretty much a no go.
Her 1 year check up isn't until mid December so we won't know what she weighs or how tall she is for a little while longer. I do know one thing though, we put a 6-12 month size dress on her today and it was too short. We had to put jeans on underneath which is quite stylish but wow is she getting tall. I know she isn't a giant and is probably just taller than average but she is tall and lean so she looks taller than she is.
Lots of exciting things coming up this month for Miss Kiya. As for Little Man, our application part 2 has been received and our home study agency is waiting for one reference to get there and then our home study can be completed and sent in for approval. We are still hopeful to get back on the list by the end of November but it could be December but for sure should be by the end of the year at the latest. There is only so much we are in control of so once our part is done we have to wait for our agency to review and approve things and that takes time.
Lot's to do and not a lot of time to get it done but it will all work out the way it is supposed to.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Miss Kiya and our Little Man
Today was a day about both of our sweet children. We had our 6 month post placement meeting with our local social worker. Wow. 6 months and yet it is hard to imagine my life without her.
This was the last post placement report that our social worker will do for Kiya. We are on our own. Every May until Kiya is 18 years old, we will fill out a report and attach pictures and send it off to CHSFS. This is not an agency specific requirement but an Ethiopia requirement.
So come May I will be filling out this report and here is the scary part--Kiya will be almost 18 months old. Wow.
We also spent the morning finishing some paper work that will lead us to our little man. We are mailing application part 2 in today. Our home study is almost done and we are gathering documents for our dossier. It is going to be a whirlwind month for sure.
We are fully anticipating the wait for a referral for our little man to take 18-24 months. Officially our agency is quoting 12-18 months for a referral but having been down this path before we are setting ourselves up for a longer wait. The hardest part about waiting for Kiya was the changing timelines. We were told 6-9 months and waited 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. Currently people are waiting 16 or more months for a referral so we are figuring it will be at least 18 month but more likely closer to 24 months.
From there it will be 4-6 months after referral for travel so in our minds we are telling ourselves it will be at least 2 1/2 years before we bring our son home and maybe longer.
So at this point our little man isn't even a glimmer yet but when he is ready we will be too. In the meantime we plan on enjoying every minute with Miss Kiya. She is such a joy to be around so that isn't a hard task at all.
This was the last post placement report that our social worker will do for Kiya. We are on our own. Every May until Kiya is 18 years old, we will fill out a report and attach pictures and send it off to CHSFS. This is not an agency specific requirement but an Ethiopia requirement.
So come May I will be filling out this report and here is the scary part--Kiya will be almost 18 months old. Wow.
We also spent the morning finishing some paper work that will lead us to our little man. We are mailing application part 2 in today. Our home study is almost done and we are gathering documents for our dossier. It is going to be a whirlwind month for sure.
We are fully anticipating the wait for a referral for our little man to take 18-24 months. Officially our agency is quoting 12-18 months for a referral but having been down this path before we are setting ourselves up for a longer wait. The hardest part about waiting for Kiya was the changing timelines. We were told 6-9 months and waited 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day. Currently people are waiting 16 or more months for a referral so we are figuring it will be at least 18 month but more likely closer to 24 months.
From there it will be 4-6 months after referral for travel so in our minds we are telling ourselves it will be at least 2 1/2 years before we bring our son home and maybe longer.
So at this point our little man isn't even a glimmer yet but when he is ready we will be too. In the meantime we plan on enjoying every minute with Miss Kiya. She is such a joy to be around so that isn't a hard task at all.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
NaBloPoMo?
November is National something or other but the gist is you are supposed to post to your blog every day in the month of November. I know it will be a challenge as my time is limited but I am going to give it a try. Expect extreme cuteness, serious subjects I have been putting off and hopefully lots of updates to our timeline for our Little Man.
On that note, lets just say our paper chase is heating up. Home study is just about done. Application part 2 is being mailed to CHSFS on Monday. Difficult discussion must be had this weekend over the dreaded medical form. I hate answering those questions. Dossier paperwork collection starts next week. OMG--this is really happening. I have a ton to do but hope to push through it all very quickly.
All the while I need to get my butt down to the Social Security office to get Kiya a number and fit in a 2 1/2 hour hair appointment.
The good news is I like to be busy. It keeps me away from the TV and the tempting junk food.
Stay tuned for Kiya in her Halloween costume :) I will leave you with this cuteness for now.
It may have taken her 11 months to finally roll all the way over (she would get most of the way there and stop to suck her finger) but she sure is cute :) She has rolled from her back to her stomach since about 8 months old but just wasn't rolling the other way. Boy has she figured it out now. We really feel this is a huge moment for her and the non rolling was holding her back a little but not anymore. And yes those are her cute little feet sticking out of the rails, mesh bumper is going up today. (I am usually anti crib bumper but am okay with the mesh ones. I had to take a training class for our adoption on SIDS and since then have been anti crib bumper. )
I have said this before but I hate it when people compare babies. So it took her longer to roll over, so what. She is doing great and has come so far. She chose to focus on verbal and fine motor skills first. She will walk, crawl, run when she is ready. I am in no way worried about her and I love to see her figure things out. Her new favorite sound other than dada is Zee zee. Too cute. We are also pretty sure she says the word hi. I have heard it as have both sets of grandparents. :)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Let the paperchase begin :)
It's official. We have started the paperchase for our Little Man. Our social worker came over today to update our homestudy. One of these times, just maybe I could get through the homestudy update without tears...Guess we will find out at the next update.
So what is next? I am going to begin gathering dossier documents. CHSFS won't review our application until the first week of November so the plan is to have everything mailed into them prior to that so when we hit the magic date all paperwork is in. If I can pull it off on my end and all things fall into place on the receiving end, we hope to be officially waiting again by the end of November for our Little Man aged 0-18 months.
WOW! Could we maybe bring home a toddler? Yes we could or it could be an infant we are open. The only thing we know for sure is that our Little Man will be younger than Kiya. We are super excited and ready to just get the paperwork in and focus on our little girl. Little Man will be always in our hearts and we will wait for him with more patience (hopefully) as we are more prepared for all that the wait means.
Current quoted wait times are 12-18 months for a referral with 3-5 months post referral for travel. We are expecting to wait much closer to the 18 month plus mark for a referral and are hopeful the post referral wait stays about the same. So we are planning for at least a 2 year process but more likely 2 1/2 years to maybe even 3 years. Kiya will likely be over 3 years old when our Little Man joins the family.
As we have learned things change all the time in international adoption, we are just hopeful for a smooth process without a lot of unnecessary delays. We will wait and pray as long as we need to for our son. It will all happen when it is supposed to. We just pray that Ethiopian adoptions stay stable and ethical and that we will be blessed with a little boy who shares the cultural background of our daughter.
So what is next? I am going to begin gathering dossier documents. CHSFS won't review our application until the first week of November so the plan is to have everything mailed into them prior to that so when we hit the magic date all paperwork is in. If I can pull it off on my end and all things fall into place on the receiving end, we hope to be officially waiting again by the end of November for our Little Man aged 0-18 months.
WOW! Could we maybe bring home a toddler? Yes we could or it could be an infant we are open. The only thing we know for sure is that our Little Man will be younger than Kiya. We are super excited and ready to just get the paperwork in and focus on our little girl. Little Man will be always in our hearts and we will wait for him with more patience (hopefully) as we are more prepared for all that the wait means.
Current quoted wait times are 12-18 months for a referral with 3-5 months post referral for travel. We are expecting to wait much closer to the 18 month plus mark for a referral and are hopeful the post referral wait stays about the same. So we are planning for at least a 2 year process but more likely 2 1/2 years to maybe even 3 years. Kiya will likely be over 3 years old when our Little Man joins the family.
As we have learned things change all the time in international adoption, we are just hopeful for a smooth process without a lot of unnecessary delays. We will wait and pray as long as we need to for our son. It will all happen when it is supposed to. We just pray that Ethiopian adoptions stay stable and ethical and that we will be blessed with a little boy who shares the cultural background of our daughter.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Baby steps....
No really. Baby steps. Kiya is taking baby steps. She may not crawl or pull herself up on furniture yet but she will take a few steps while holding on to our fingers :) We couldn't be prouder of our little girl.
Things are going well. We took Kiya in for her 9 month check up this week even though she will be 10 months old next week :)
Stats:
Weight: 18.2lbs (27th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (52nd percentile)
Head: 44.3 cm (25th percentile)
Not too shabby :) For reference she was 12lbs at homecoming in May so over 6lbs and has grown almost 3 inches :) She is on a steady line on the growth charts and her doctor is pleased with her growth.
The one problem is her weight puts her in 6-9month clothes but her height in 12 month. So right now all of her pants are a little big in the waist and her pajamas barely fit. We have new pajamas for her it just hasn't been cold enough for flannel.
We are excited to see what lies ahead. There are lots of firsts coming for Kiya and for us as parents. Her first Halloween pumpkin and costume (she will be a pink butterfly), first Thanksgiving and birthday, first Christmas:) Exciting months lie ahead for our little family of 3.
Little Man update: Background check paperwork went to our local social worker today :) Homestudy update in 2 weeks :)
Things are going well. We took Kiya in for her 9 month check up this week even though she will be 10 months old next week :)
Stats:
Weight: 18.2lbs (27th percentile)
Height: 28 inches (52nd percentile)
Head: 44.3 cm (25th percentile)
Not too shabby :) For reference she was 12lbs at homecoming in May so over 6lbs and has grown almost 3 inches :) She is on a steady line on the growth charts and her doctor is pleased with her growth.
The one problem is her weight puts her in 6-9month clothes but her height in 12 month. So right now all of her pants are a little big in the waist and her pajamas barely fit. We have new pajamas for her it just hasn't been cold enough for flannel.
We are excited to see what lies ahead. There are lots of firsts coming for Kiya and for us as parents. Her first Halloween pumpkin and costume (she will be a pink butterfly), first Thanksgiving and birthday, first Christmas:) Exciting months lie ahead for our little family of 3.
Little Man update: Background check paperwork went to our local social worker today :) Homestudy update in 2 weeks :)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wordless Wednesday is preempted for an important message
Wordless Wednesday will return but right now, today I have something important to say and I need your help. It is about Plumpy'Nut. So I am standing on my soapbox today which I don't do often but this is an issue that touches my soul and my family.
This link and pictures will show you how Plumy'Nut can work miracles.
http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/medika-mamba-progress/
Before:
7 weeks later:
What is Plumpy'Nut? Click below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut
Why is this important to me?
Well simple really. My daughter is from Ethiopia thus Ethiopia is now and will forever be a part of my family. I didn't simply get on a plane and bring her home and turn my back on Ethiopia. If anything it was the opposite. I saw so much need and I just knew that I owed it to my daughter to do what I can. Children are starving. I saw it with my own eyes. It was one of many contributing factors to why my daughter was placed for adoption. I cannot ignore this. I am responsible. I have to do something.
As my daughter grows and hears her story and visits Ethiopia and asks the tough questions, I want to show her that her Dad and I are committed to helping out and doing our part. We didn't run away. We stayed focused. Why? For her, for Zinash, for Little Man and his family, for our greater family, the people of Ethiopia. It is our duty, our obligation really. What kind of person would I be to see what I saw and turn my back on it? To run away from the beautiful country that is the birthplace of my daughter and hopefully my son is unimaginable to me.
What can you do?
Click on this link to help raise $$$ for Doctor's Without Borders who is committed to getting Plumpy'nut to the starving children in Ethiopia.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=296288&supID=246858948
Count your loose change, make a small sacrifice of a luxury for you to save a child's life. I personally gave up my nail appointments for the month and donated that money to the Plumpy'Nut campaign. What can you do without? Think about it. Please. The deadline is Friday, September 11th at midnight.
Okay--I am stepping down from my soapbox. I know this was preachy, but I have to do what I can. It is important to me and my family.
This link and pictures will show you how Plumy'Nut can work miracles.
http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/medika-mamba-progress/
Before:
7 weeks later:
What is Plumpy'Nut? Click below.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumpy%27nut
Why is this important to me?
Well simple really. My daughter is from Ethiopia thus Ethiopia is now and will forever be a part of my family. I didn't simply get on a plane and bring her home and turn my back on Ethiopia. If anything it was the opposite. I saw so much need and I just knew that I owed it to my daughter to do what I can. Children are starving. I saw it with my own eyes. It was one of many contributing factors to why my daughter was placed for adoption. I cannot ignore this. I am responsible. I have to do something.
As my daughter grows and hears her story and visits Ethiopia and asks the tough questions, I want to show her that her Dad and I are committed to helping out and doing our part. We didn't run away. We stayed focused. Why? For her, for Zinash, for Little Man and his family, for our greater family, the people of Ethiopia. It is our duty, our obligation really. What kind of person would I be to see what I saw and turn my back on it? To run away from the beautiful country that is the birthplace of my daughter and hopefully my son is unimaginable to me.
What can you do?
Click on this link to help raise $$$ for Doctor's Without Borders who is committed to getting Plumpy'nut to the starving children in Ethiopia.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorreg/donorpledge.asp?ievent=296288&supID=246858948
Count your loose change, make a small sacrifice of a luxury for you to save a child's life. I personally gave up my nail appointments for the month and donated that money to the Plumpy'Nut campaign. What can you do without? Think about it. Please. The deadline is Friday, September 11th at midnight.
Okay--I am stepping down from my soapbox. I know this was preachy, but I have to do what I can. It is important to me and my family.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Little Man update
So we turned in our application and as I posted we were told that we were going to have to wait until Kiya is home 6 months to continue. Well we got a glimmer of hope last week that we might not have to wait after all.
We got an email and our application part 2 packet in the mail so we were excited to think that we were moving forward with the paperchase. Then the call came last Friday, that nope we are in fact in a holding pattern until November. Oh well....
Could we push it? Maybe. Would it work? Probably not. Could we switch agencies? Yup. Are we going to? Nope. We picked CHSFS for a reason. We trust them. It is a good fit for our family. It may not be a good fit for other families but for us it works. Will we pay more and wait longer? Maybe. But in the end it isn't about how long you wait but how ethical is your agency. In fact I get a little suspicious of agencies that pop up with just a few months to referral. Sure it could just be that they are a new agency, totally ethically and just don't have a lot of families waiting yet. Or maybe it isn't....
Also, the time spent finding another agency and learning their system may make these extra months not worth it. Our local social worker is also very familiar with the requirements for CHSFS so we know that their won't be a delay there either.
So Little Man's paper chase will pick up again in September.
We got an email and our application part 2 packet in the mail so we were excited to think that we were moving forward with the paperchase. Then the call came last Friday, that nope we are in fact in a holding pattern until November. Oh well....
Could we push it? Maybe. Would it work? Probably not. Could we switch agencies? Yup. Are we going to? Nope. We picked CHSFS for a reason. We trust them. It is a good fit for our family. It may not be a good fit for other families but for us it works. Will we pay more and wait longer? Maybe. But in the end it isn't about how long you wait but how ethical is your agency. In fact I get a little suspicious of agencies that pop up with just a few months to referral. Sure it could just be that they are a new agency, totally ethically and just don't have a lot of families waiting yet. Or maybe it isn't....
Also, the time spent finding another agency and learning their system may make these extra months not worth it. Our local social worker is also very familiar with the requirements for CHSFS so we know that their won't be a delay there either.
So Little Man's paper chase will pick up again in September.
Friday, July 31, 2009
One more step....
Well here are the two envelopes that went to the post office today. One is Kiya's certificate of citizenship application and one is the application headed to CHSFS for our Little Man :)
Today overall was a great day minus one little detail. The good stuff is:
1) We got all of the important paperwork out of the house and in the mail.
2) We found out from Kiya's doctor that all of her vaccines from Ethiopia were valid and did in fact take.
3) We cosponsor a child at AHOPE with a group of other families and when I got home today the info was in the mail. A very beautiful 9 year old girl who loves basketball and math. It warmed my heart to see her face and makes me want to do more.
The not so good stuff:
1) CHSFS changed their reapplication process. It now states that you have to have been home for 6 months with your child before you can reapply for a 2nd adoption. I found this out after going to the post office and mailing our application. So technically the process for our Little Man is on hold until November. I will still try and get some things together while we are waiting to officially start again.
When I first got this news I was really bummed and part of me still is. This extra few months could be the difference of waiting through 1 court closure versus 2. Then it hit me. Our son will find us when the timing is just right for both of us. God has a hand in this whole process and we trust that and believe that. Little Man we are here for you when you are ready and we pray for your family now and always. You aren't even a glimmer yet but we love you already and will wait for as long as we need to.
Today overall was a great day minus one little detail. The good stuff is:1) We got all of the important paperwork out of the house and in the mail.
2) We found out from Kiya's doctor that all of her vaccines from Ethiopia were valid and did in fact take.
3) We cosponsor a child at AHOPE with a group of other families and when I got home today the info was in the mail. A very beautiful 9 year old girl who loves basketball and math. It warmed my heart to see her face and makes me want to do more.
The not so good stuff:
1) CHSFS changed their reapplication process. It now states that you have to have been home for 6 months with your child before you can reapply for a 2nd adoption. I found this out after going to the post office and mailing our application. So technically the process for our Little Man is on hold until November. I will still try and get some things together while we are waiting to officially start again.
When I first got this news I was really bummed and part of me still is. This extra few months could be the difference of waiting through 1 court closure versus 2. Then it hit me. Our son will find us when the timing is just right for both of us. God has a hand in this whole process and we trust that and believe that. Little Man we are here for you when you are ready and we pray for your family now and always. You aren't even a glimmer yet but we love you already and will wait for as long as we need to.
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