Keith

Here are a couple pictures we have of our tiny Keith.

Keith is 4 years old, so he is the youngest of the five we are bringing home.  Keith is in an orphanage where all of the children are tiny and malnourished.  Though he is 4 years old, he weighs only 11 pounds.  We are praying that God helps us get all of them home quickly, but we feel even more urgency with tiny Keith.  We are so thankful that God put him in our path and worked our Christmas miracle to get us our verbal referral.

I was so frustrated along the way at some of the delays.  Once I saw Keith and realized what God had planned, I realized that each delay kept us from getting too far ahead. If we had been further along, then we wouldn't have been able to add Keith to our adoption.  God is amazing!

Please pray for Keith and for our process to begin to move quickly.  We should have a travel date for trip #1 soon, so check back.  Now that things are moving along, I'm going to try to do better about updating the blog.  :)

Update on Where Things are and WHO is coming home

Well, I've been kind of quiet for a while.  Our 13th child, Cody, got home at the end of July.  We have been busy doing lots of things since he arrived and keeping up with all the adoption paperwork. 

Right about the time that we were ready to submit our dossier, we realized that God wanted us to add a 5th child to our adoption.  We prayed about "who" that should be.  It made sense for it to be a girl because of rooming situations, but we knew He wanted it to be a certain tiny boy.  We figured out the rooming and added Keith to our adoption.  The USCIS approval was easy to switch because our homestudy had approved us for more than 4. 

We submitted the dossier and were so excited to get a verbal approval.  The problem is that we were told in order to have a chance of getting it for Keith too we would have to do MORE paperwork.  We had our social worker write up a specific approval for Keith and his needs as well as something stating that our two oldest daughters (adult ages, but with special needs that will mean they live with us forever and in Eastern Europe they would be in a mental institution) do NOT take care of the children.  We got that all done easily, apostilled, and someone travelling hand delivered it for us. 

This past Friday (more than a month after we had originally expected our verbal referral) we did get the verbal referral for all FIVE children.  We are so relieved and are PRAISING GOD for working it all out for us.  Here are our FIVE.  :)  I'll tell you a little more about Keith in the next post.  :)

Dossier is ON ITS WAY!

We mailed the dossier off yesterday.  It is on its way to Eastern Europe.  Pray that everything moves quickly from here on out and that Brent can head over soon for trip one.  We are so excited to have one more thing out of the way.  We are very ready to bring them home and we still have many months left to wait.  Please pray for speedy quick steps of the process.

A Day Full of Good News

Its been a while since I posted again.  The waiting was getting the best of me!  We found out that Cody's come home date was to be delayed and that his worker hadn't even applied for the travel approval until this past Monday.  Then came some crazy question with fingerprinting our 16 year old that made me have a slight tantrum, but got worked out. 

TODAY was good news day!  First, I called USCIS to see if we had an officer assigned.  I found out that we did have an officer assigned and that our I800-A was APPROVED yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We should receive that by mail some time next week!  All we have to wait for now is the FBI clearance to come back from WV where the "ink" fingerprints had to be sent.  :) 

Then I got a call from Cody's worker.  OUR NEW DATE LOOKS TO BE THE 27TH OF JULY!  That is a week later than we had hoped, but it is still a date.  She was asking about airport questions and where nearby hotels would be.  :)  That made it seem much more real!  That means that since this is being written after the date already changed to the 15th, then I should be holding my little boy in 12 days!!  Say a prayer that the travel approval comes back quickly so that we can get things booked and that there aren't any more delays. 

I really needed this good news day!

No Real News

I haven't posted for awhile.  There is no news on the adoption front really. So here are the things that are not changing while we wait.

1.  I called last week and we don't have an USCIS officer assigned.  I will call again at the end of the week.

2.  We sent our "ink" fingerprint cards to the FBI and are waiting for results.

3.  We still don't have an examiner for our IRS situation and they still don't have it recorded that we sent the information that was requested.  We were suppose to have a "taxpayer advocate" on account of that, but he only calls late in the evening after the hours they are suppose to call and only on the very few days that we aren't home.  The refund would be nice and then I wouldn't have to worry about any of our funding for this adoption.

4.  Our adoption of Cody from foster care is enough to drive me batty.  Our worker 1st had contact with his worker a full year ago now.  They said he'd be home in June, but June is almost over and there is still no word.  :(

5.  I sent letters to our two congressmen's offices requesting their help in expediting our USCIS cases and have heard nothing back yet. 

So as you can see there is a whole lot of nothing happening that is positive to report about.  It is a lot of waiting and it is all I can do just to do that waiting.  I had to force myself to type about it tonight, because I hate to even type the words that NOTHING has really happened. 

Prayers appreciated!

Medical Appointment

I went to my 2nd medical appointment yesterday.  All the tests came back fine (of course) and the doctor did sign off on my medical statement for Eastern Europe.  Brent goes for his 2nd appointment on Tuesday, so that should be the date for checking off that requirement. 

Praying that USCIS moves quickly.  I hate thinking of where they are right now.  I can't wait to bring them home where they are safe and loved. 

The kids talk about all the things they want to help their new siblings to do.  Dayton talks a lot about "Paula" and how he wants to help her learn to do the simplest things that she can't do yet. 

My heart hurts for each of them.  I pray daily that God will give them food to eat, a hug from someone, keep them safe, and give them something inside that tells them to hold on because help and love are on the way.  Pray that all moves quickly!

We Got Our Finger Printing Done!

We went Monday to get our fingerprinting done for the USCIS.  Our appointment wasn't until June 10th.  We drove over 3 hours on Monday morning.  We took all 12 children with us.  We prayed that they would do them early.  I even prayed that the people working would wake up in a good mood and have a good day prior to our arrival!  lol

They did all 4 of our fingerprints very quickly.  They were very nice and complimented us on how well all of the children were behaving.  I was very proud of my kids.  They sat quietly and patiently.  You'd have never known that there were 12 kids in there. 

When we got done we took all the children to a different city about and hour and forty-five minutes away from there.  We went to the zoo and had lots of fun.  We will be going back to that zoo when Cody gets home. 

Our ride home was a little rough.  We got stuck (heading the wrong way) in rush hour traffic.  We then got very confused by Brent's gps while trying to find a Sonic to eat at.  We ordered our food and got to hear the tornado sirens go off.  We waited out the tornado warning and started home.  We got home close to midnight!  I am exhausted and heading to bed. 

We Got Our Finger Print Letters

We got our letters from the USCIS telling us when to be fingerprinted.  It says on June 10th, but we've heard that you can walk in and get them done sooner.  We'll be giving that a try.  :) 

We also are hoping to be preparing for the arrival of Cody in June, so I don't want to be dealing with long drives for fingerprints then. 

The good news is that we have all 4 letters.  Say a prayer that we can get them done by walking in.  I'll let you know how it goes!  :)

USCIS!

Our stuff is headed to USCIS!  We have guaranteed delivery for tomorrow!  :)  Please pray that it goes quickly!  We can't wait to get through these steps and hold our children!  :)

Things are moving so slow here.  Still waiting on the central registry checks for my oldest daughters to come back.  I thought I'd share a picture of Julianne.  She always makes me feel joyful just to be her mommy.  I can't wait to get my other four Chromosomally Enhanced children home to enjoy as well.  Please pray that things start to move quickly and for my babies in Eastern Europe.

This is Julianne and Dayton.  They all love her so much.  He hates his picture taken, but will get it taken just to be in the picture with her.  :)  She has us all wrapped around her teeny, tiny, crooked pinky finger.  :)  We aren't complaining though.  :)

Reality Show?

I was just telling my husband that I think they should do a reality show here as we are trying to do two adoptions (5 kids total) at once.  Here's how it would go:

Episode 1:  They introduce the family and how it came to be.  Then they say as far as the adoptions - "waiting"!

Episode 2:  Tell a little about what is happening in our family that our children who are waiting are missing and then explain - "Still Waiting".

Episode 3:  Same theme as above, but different thing they are missing.

Episode 4:  Same theme as above, but different thing they are missing.

Episode 5:  Amanda has a tantrum, because there is still no news.

Episode 6:  Amanda sobs endlessly while imagining her children stuck in mental insitutions in Eastern Europe.  She also receives word that Cody is asking about coming to "Hio" and eating with Dayton at every meal, so she sobs more. 

Do you see where this would end up?  Maybe the rest of society would see how horrific the process is made to be by our government.  I mean, I wish I could say that any of the hold ups were Eastern Europe.  They aren't!  They are our government (which thankfully didn't "shut down" as I'm not sure how much slower I could survive) that keeps making all the processes more difficult. 

Episode 7:  Amanda talks about how our government's foster care system is so messed up that the children from Eastern Europe are going to arrive in less time than it took to get Cody home from Texas.  She then discusses all the things and bonding time that were missed with Cody as a result.

I wonder how many episodes it would take to get all 5 kids home???  Good grief!  Another useless weekend!

I WILL SCREAM!

Just so that everyone understands, IF the government shuts down and affects my adoptions then I WILL SCREAM!  I just need to make that clear.  I don't want to sound crazy, but I may go crazy as well. 

I need ICPC and USCIS to continue processing everything and not slow down.  I am almost done with ICPC (Cody's adoption) and almost ready to send off to USCIS.  I need the office that does Central Registry checks to keep moving too!  I need that in order for both adoption to move forward.  ICPC has state offices, so unless federal spending helps run it then we should be ok.  The same goes for Central Registry checks, I think.  USCIS could be a BIG issue.  It is federal!  My kids don't have time to mess around and neither does my sanity. 

Keep them moving!

More Waiting

I just went back and re-read my last post about the cost of my adoption.  I am trying to dwell in how easy I have it in comparisson with what God had to do to adopt me.  I am going to try to not have a pity party and just update you on the international adoption process.

We are now waiting for "Central Registry Checks" to come back.  Those can often take months, but we are told that it will be 2 wks to 1 month.  Our agency called to get them expedited on account of Cody's adoption.  His placement can't happen until they come back either.  They aren't for Brent and I, but instead for our 18 and 19 year old daughters. 

We can't send off to USCIS (to start that horrific wait) until those come back.  At that point we will have to get a signed and notarized copy of our homestudy to send to USCIS.  I'm begging God to make them get here in a little less than 2 wks just as a special gift to me, but I know I shouldn't really complain so I keep re-reading my last post. 

I'll let you know when I hear something else.

Reminding Myself of the Cost of Adoption

My frustration level is running so high right now.  I want to hold Cody and get closer to bringing my children from Eastern Europe home too.  My international homestudy is having corrections made and so I still haven't been able to send it off to USCIS.  That is driving me NUTS!  Cody's adoption is being once again prolonged because ICPC in Ohio is making us have more background checks run on my two daughters that are legally adults, even though we had everything run that was required before now.  I don't know when things are going to move.  I am tired of pushing, but I have to push.  I have to get them all home!

Some days it really does feel impossible and like it is too much.  Some days I wonder if Cody will ever make it home.  Some days I beg God to take the enemy out of the mix and let things run smoothyly (ok that one happens more than "some" days). 

When the times come I have to remind myself of the cost of adoption.  I don't mean the cost to me of these adoptions either.  I mean the cost of my Father to adopt me! 

See my Father loved me so much that He had His Only Son go to die for the sins I would do.  He loved me enough to sacrafice His Son!  All of that just so He could ADOPT me!  I am not worthy at all.  I hadn't even been born yet.  I wasn't even suffering from my sins yet.  He did all that for me, before I was ever born. 

Wow, when you look at that "cost", then I really have no room to whine or gripe.  I really can't even bring myself to stomp or pout!  I have to just thank Him for loving me that much.  If that is all He'd ever done for me then He would have gone to the extreme, yet He didn't stop there!  He loves me each day.  He loves me so much that He has allowed me to be blessed with 12 children here already and 5 more than are already in my heart and need to make it home.  They were His from the beginning of time and yet He chose me to get to love them, fight for them, and learn true love from them.  I know about His true love in a way that people who've never loved a child that they were yet to hold will never understand.  I know that He loved me even when I was so far from Him.  I know how He rejoiced at my "adoption" even though He already had so many others, but yet I was so special to Him. 

I am going to go to bed very thankful tonight for all of that.  I am going to once again beg my Father to move things along and slap the devil out of our business.  I am going to pray that He helps my little ones know that they have a mommy who loves them.  I am going to keep right on plowing along.  I am going to do it with a heart of gratitude because He deserves it!  I may not feel the peace of them all in my arms, but His peace can help me ride the waves until we get them into my arms.  

Thank You God for adopting me and the sacrafice that it took.  Thank You for making the price I pay to adopt my babies so much less.

Why Days Like This ARE Still WORTH IT!

Today has been rough.  Cody's adoption is taking much longer than we thought.  The enemy really hates adoption and is attacking so many that I know of right now.  I just saw this song for the first time though.  It is just wonderful!  It reminds me of how some asked if we "really" planned to continue with adopting Paula when we knew she wasn't responding.  Even if she never responds then it would be worth it, but just imagine the joy if she does surpass all those odds.  The same is true with each one that I am waiting to bring home right now:  Cody, Paula, Anjelina, Nicholas, and Ahnja!  No matter how hard it is, no matter how much heartache, no matter the trials or the cost - IT IS WORTH IT JUST TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THEM WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE LOVED! 

Enjoy the song and say a prayer for all our little ones and their processes.

Satan is on the Prowl and That Must Mean . . . . .

That GREAT things are in the works!  I am determined to see the good in the trials.  Today it was the van.  I got all 12 kids ready for church and Brent realized that a couple tires were low on the "big van".  He took it down the road to get a little air and the next thing I know he says he can't get them to hold air.  :(  Zeeky was TICKED!  One thing that is not fun is Zeeky (6 years old and has autism, FAS, and fetal drug exposure) when he is dressed and not "going"!  lol  All the kids were ready with coats on and ready to go. 

Brent did get it to Sam's and they fixed the tires.  We were so glad that God worked it out where we wouldn't need new tires!  New tires for our big van were going to run $800!  The people working there were very nice and told him that really the tires were still great.  They need new valves where the air goes in and to be resealed to the rims.  One did have a nail in it, but who knows how long that has been there.  I haven't drove the big van anywhere since last Sunday night.  That wasn't even the tire that was the most concerning since it was just a little low and another was barely holding air at all!  God is AMAZING like that! 

Tonight we made it to church!  We had an awesome service and feel so ready for the week.  I'm sure that the devil will keep on throwing stones at us.  Thankfully, God provides!  The new refrigerator is even bigger than the first one.  :)   I just try to remember that if we weren't on the right track then the devil would have no reason to even bother with us!  He hates it when adoptions are in the works.  He has always made life difficult right before each adoption.  Right now we have Cody's adoption and the 4 from Eastern Europe all at the same time.  He is ticked off!  :)  The international adoption must tick him off even worse.  These kids would have all stayed in institutions their entire lives and their light and purpose that God gave them would have never got to shine.  God has put us here to bring them home though!  We won't be stopped by vans, refrigerators, or the devil.

It really reminds me of one of the songs I have on my Iphone sung by the Veggie Tales.  I love it more than the kids I think.   :)  "GOD IS BIGGER THAN THE BOOGEY MAN"!!

We Must Be Getting Somewhere Because . . . .

The refrigerator/freezer broke.  I really would like to cry right now.  I worked on Cody's adoption paperwork till 3 am.  I was so glad to finally see progress toward his adoption.  His worker told our agency worker that if we got it done by tomorrow then hopefully we can pass Texas ICPC next week.  It was long and hard, but we got it done!

I then when in to realize that the refrigerator that I had hoped just had a door left cracked or something is officially NOT WORKING RIGHT!  I had to clean out the other freezer in order to make room for the most important stuff from both freezers to be put into the one that is now working.  I then moved all the stuff from the broken refrigerator into the broken freezer.  The freezer isn't "freezing", but it is cooling.  I managed to move the refrigerated medications into the other refrigerator. 

Brent or I will have to go early tomorrow to purchase another refrigerator.  Then I will have to beg for them to bring it.  I can't even get enough milk for a whole 24 hours into that one crammed refrigerator.  I kept some fruits that were ok to do so with in the half working fridge and added freezer packs just in case.  Now I'll have to stand guard to keep the kids from opening it in order to preserve the cold that it is producing.  The water and ice in the door isn't working either. 

Oh well, I guess if we weren't on the right path then the devil would leave us alone.  All the Reece's Rainbow families can tell you about all the ways that the devil comes at you when he fears you will love God's children and bring them out of his hold.

Its Officially Monday

I always look forward to Mondays with such hope.  Monday is the first day of the week that something COULD HAPPEN!  Weekends are long and I have survived another weekend of waiting.

Please pray that this is the week that we will get our USCIS paperwork sent out.  We are waiting to find out if our medicals are acceptable.  We see a Nurse Practitioner and she has always filled out our paperwork.  We are not sure at this point if the USCIS will accept the paperwork without a "doctor" filling it out.  I am praying that we get good news tomorrow and can get this paperwork on its way.  Please pray that it gets done and that we can get a notarized copy of our homestudy in the mail with the application this week.  Then we will have to pray that we can get it done approved at record speed and headed to Eastern Europe!

Also pray that we get news about our domestic foster/adoption.  Our little boy is 4 and his paperwork is stuck "somewhere" in the "system".  We've been working on his adoption for 9 months already and it is ridiculous that it is taking this long.  He should have been home months ago. 

Please continue to pray for our kids who aren't home yet.  Pray that God keeps them safe and puts a hope deep inside of them. 

I pray that I can report some good news to you soon!

Our Cute Little Dictator!

This little angelic creature is our very cute and utterly sweet DICTATOR!  :) 

She just makes us do things.  I don't really know how she does it.  She just leads you to whatever she wants and somehow convinces you to get it, give it to her, or make it for her.  She just does it.  I wish I could figure out how she does it!  I think if I could, then I could conquer everything in my path.  All I can figure is that it is her total cuteness.  It is the presence of that ever cute and ever stubborn extra chromosome!  It is just that she is JULIANNE!  :) 

I admit that I am smitten, wrapped around her pinky finger, and constantly amazed at her wonderfulness.  I thank God for choosing me to be her mommy.  I can't imagine how I woke up before her arrival.  I feel sorry for the world around me that doesn't value the worth of her and so many other children who are "chromosomally enhanced".  I thank God for showing me the complete and utter joy of receiving such a blessing.  I wonder how anyone could ever look in those eyes and not want to kiss her cheeks off.  I wonder if I will ever come even partially out from under her complete control.  (lol)  She really is the most wonderful and amazing, tiny, four year old girl I've ever seen.

I recently read an article about how they've found a new test that may make testing for Down Syndrome during pregnancy more routine.  The article talked about how it could help "eraticate the disease".  I nearly vomitted!  If they ever manage to do something so ignorant, then our humanity will take a huge hit.  I already believe that our world is suffering the effects of killing so many innocent babies because they were suspected to have Down Syndrome.  I look at how evil our world is and how little care people have for one another, what if they had all been born?  What if we all felt the connection of love for these special people?  What other gifts did God intend for them to show us?

God offers us GIFTS and that is what our world wants to do with them!

I for one am very glad that Julianne's birthmother did not abort her!  I am so glad that she is alive and gives my home life every day.  I praise the Lord that He let me be her mommy!





Praying for my Babies

I'm sure they are either awake there or will be soon.  I always think of them right about now.  (Which I guess gives away the fact that I am never asleep at a good time!)  I pray that they will have a good day today.  I pray that someone hugs them and makes them feel special.  I pray that God puts a spark in them that just hangs on knowing that someone is coming for them.  I know He can do it and I just have to believe that He is. 

Heading to bed while thinking and praying for Paula, Anjelina, Nicholas, and Ahnja.

Hurry Up . . . . . Wait!

I haven't posted in a while.  Really we are at the point where we are WAITING.  That is what most of adoption is . . . . we HURRY UP and then we WAIT.  We have waited and our homestudy is finally done with our agency (they did it pretty fast considering, but it seems like forever when you are WAITING).   They have faxed it to the people who need to review it.  Once it has been reviewed and any corrections made then we will get a notarized copy to send to USCIS.  We will HURRY to do each moment of that.  Then we will WAIT.  While we wait we will put together our dossier.  We will also BEG.  Yes, that is another big part of adoption.  I spend a lot of time begging.  I beg for people to HURRY, but instead I just WAIT.  I should be good at waiting by now.  I really should, but I'm not.  I wonder, ponder, worry, and beg.  I am looking forward to that WAIT though, because that is one WAIT closer to the next HURRY UP.  lol

So if you see me somewhere in the real world and I look crazy, don't worry.  Just WAIT for the time when my life will calm down and I will just have more kids.  :)  I can always take the "more kids", it is just the WAITing that kills me. 

Please pray that each WAIT will be short and we can do more HURRY UP.  I really need to get my babies home.  I wonder what each of them are doing.  I know they are awake there.  I pray that someone will hug them today.  I so wish I could do it myself.  Right now I just have to trust that God is holding them for me and pray that Paula holds on. 

Our Family From The Beginning (In Pictures)

As I was going through pictures the other day, I realized that our family pictures really do tell the story of "us".  Here is a little play by play for you all.  :)

This is our first "Family Picture".  Precious had been home just a few months.  She was 8 1/2 when she joined our family.  Dayton was just a few weeks old here.  :)  This was taken in December of 2001.

Next came Denzell who was 7 at the time and Unique who was then 11.  Everyone thought THAT was a BIG family.  lol  They had already been home for several months in this picture.  (I don't have the Spring picture on this computer.)  This was taken in November of 2003.

Next came Andrew who was then age 5 and Forrest who was age 7 at the time.  This picture was taken in Spring of 2006.  :)  People then realized we were "crazy".  haha

Next came Crystal who was 8, Destiny who was 4, and Ezekiel who was 3.  They made us into a family of 11 people and pushed us into most people's "Extreme Large Family" category.  Gotta love a 50% increase in the number of children!  This picture was taken in December of 2007. 

The next additions were close together.  Jose was 7 and Jacob was 5 when they arrived in January of 2009.  Julianne arrived at age 2, just 2 months later.  This picture was taken around May of 2009.

Our last family picture was taken in December of 2009.  We usually always do pictures at Christmas, but I just couldn't do them this year when Cody was so much a part of us, but not here yet.  I promised myself and the kids that we'd do one when he gets home.  I will go ahead and do them before the kids get home from Eastern Europe.  We will then get another as soon as they are all settled in enough to after their arrival home. 

Here is our most recent picture from December 2009.

I can't wait to get everyone in one picture.  I wonder if we will manage to get them all to look at the camera.  :) 

Can't you see how big God has blessed us?  I mean, to most this would be insane, but to us it is just the biggest blessing imaginable.  We are truly and amazingly blessed! 

I'm Sure They are In Bed

Eastern Europe is about 6 or 7 hours ahead of us.  That means that my little ones are asleep over there.  It is so hard knowing they went to bed without a mommy to kiss them goodnight.  They probably have never had a bedtime story. They've never had lots of doting brothers and sisters to tell them goodnight.  They've NEVER HAD A FAMILY. 

I love them all so much.  It is so hard to sit here with no control over how they are or what their days and nights consist of right now.  Children need to be hugged, kissed, and loved.  I can't do any of that for them.  I pray daily that even their basic needs are met.  I beg God to hug them for me.  I beg God to make this process fast. 

I've given birth to one child.  I had a horrible hard pregnancy.  We had already planned to adopt and had our 1st little girl home before Dayton was even born.  We decided that we would adopt all the rest of our children. 

I can honestly say though, that pregnancy and child birth were both easier.  I currently have 5 children who I can't hold.  They aren't safely tucked away inside me awaiting their grand entrance.  They are scattered all over and there is no way for me to get them home any faster.  Paula is not in good shape and is emotionally shut down on top of not talking or walking.  I can't help her! 

God is teaching me a lot about trust and faith.  I am going to have to depend on Him for every second of this or else I will go insane.  This is definitely the "front seat of the school room". 

God, they are in Your Hands.  Please keep them safe, help them feel love, and bring them to me soon.

Help and Have a Chance at a $100 Gift Card!

I am going to give you a link to a special blog.  This is the blog of Shelley.  Shelley has helped me so much already.  She works with families who are adopting from Eastern Europe through Reeces Rainbow.  This is their 4th adoption in 4 years I do believe.  She met this little girl while at the institution that she adopted her last son from last year.  They are getting close to their first trip and they still need quite a bit of money to go. 

They have lots of ways that you can help.  There are some very cute things her husband sews that are available to buy.  You can buy coffee, shirts, CDs, or just donate.  If you donate right now you can have your name put on a puzzle piece.  When all the puzzle pieces are put together, they will have the money needed to bring their daughter home.  They also have an $100 Amazon gift card to give away. 

Please jump on over and help them out!  This is a great way to help an amazing lady who helps so many others bring their children home.  (She puts up with a lot of emails and instant messages from me!) 

Go check out her blog and help her bring their little girl home!  http://www.gatheringthemfromtheeast.com/2011/02/1500-and-thank-you-gift.html

Sad News - Please Pray

Please pray for Paula.  Someone did finallly get to meet her.  That part is very good.  They also found that it wasn't one of the really bad mental institutions from what they saw.  I would have been quite relieved about her situation if it wasn't for her "condition". 

It turns out that Paula was completely "unresponsive".  She didn't respond to seeing them, hearing them, or them touching her.  I am just crushed for her.  I can't get to her and she needs a mommy to love her.  I wish I could just go scoop her up and start the long road to helping her get better.  We still have many months left before we will be able to bring her home.  I just fear that she has shut off the world completely.  Every child needs someone to LOVE them.  Food and clothing isn't enough.  She needs a FAMILY! 

I am not at all afraid of bringing her home.  I know we can give her what she needs.  I am terribly afraid that she will give up and won't make it home.  Without love children cannot be healthy.  They don't grow properly.  They don't feel safe.  They don't develop properly.  She needs those things in an urgent way.  The helplessness that I feel in knowing that she is there without responding and I can do nothing to help her is so intense.  I cried today until I was hoarse.  I let the children watch tv for way longer than normal.  They don't watch a lot so they were very glad to be told to go watch tv a little while.  I hid in my room and got a lot of crying over with.  I talked to a couple of really good friends who made me laugh after listening to me cry. 

Please pray for Paula.  Pray that God will help us get a really quick USCIS approval.  I know God can do miracles and I am determined to watch them happen.  Pray that she will hold on inside the little world that she is in inside of her.  Pray that God will prepare her tiny heart for love and family.

Some Fast Blessings

Paula's file had been held by someone else.  We had to wait to see if they would adopt her or return her file.  I prayed that if they were farther along in the process and could get her out of that institution faster than us, that they would choose to adopt her.  They did not choose to adopt her though. 

We found out Tuesday that her file was available and received commitment paperwork to get done for her ASAP.  We went Tuesday and got her commitment papers notarized.  Brent them took them to the County Clerk of Courts and had them certified.  He immediately ran to the post office and sent them the fastest delivery method to the Secretary of State to be apostilled.  That all happened on TUESDAY!

The papers were to be delivered to the Secretary of State on Wednesday.  We included a self addressed stamped envelope as you are suppose to do.  We made sure that it was a "next day delivery" as well.  We received it back on SATURDAY!  That is amazingly fast for anything to do with the government!

We got it out of the mail box on Saturday around 1pm.  Brent immediately took them to UPS because they closed at 2pm.  We mailed them the fastest possible route with a tracking number.  (Amazingly enough the cost was over $145!)  They are set to arrive in the specific country on Wednesday! 

I love it when things happen in such a timely manner.  I worry about USCIS.  I know it can take a long time.  My biggest fear is that Paula won't hang on.  Her situation makes me so nervous.  She is in a "laying room" type of situation and can't really do anything.  I fear that we'll run into a delay that makes things to slow and she won't live for us to bring her home.  I pray every night until I fall asleep begging God to help her to hold onto some inward hope and help her feel His love to keep her going. 

Pray for her.  Pray that USCIS will go quickly.  We should be ready to submit to them by the end of February or beginning of March.  God has an exciting plan that we are thrilled to be a part of!

Great Post

No, I'm not bragging.  :)  I ran across this post written by a wonderful adoptive mother.  Here is a link and I put it again at the bottom:  http://cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/whispers-in-your-ear.html It shares many of the things that I hear way too often.  I will be honest and say that the things said there are heard to often and felt even more often.  I will also be honest and say that it has shaped me. 

Even when people may not think these things, I feel them.  I know that SOME people feel this way or say these things and as a result I wonder about many others.  They are views that I don't agree with.  All the things that this other mother says are so true.  The people with the views are the ones who are very WRONG. 

It still has affected how I react and deal with others.  I don't ask for help.  I don't like to accept help.  I often refuse help when it is offered.  I don't like to share my children with others who didn't think we should keep adopting and if I had listened to then I would have those children.  I go above and beyond what most parents would do in order to prove to anyone in doubt that all of my children are still well taken care of and missing nothing. 

I take it a little far I will admit.  We have a wonderful church family.  At the same time I realize that when someone says "Let me help you get drinks" or "I can help you get plates" or "Tell me what I can do to help you", I say "Oh no, don't worry.  I've got it all under control."  I know I do it.  I know that people with two children (or even one) accept help more often than I can ever force myself.  I don't want anyone to think that I can't "do it all".  I can do everything I need to do and do it without help.  Why though can't I let someone "make drinks" or "help with plates"?  Purely because I've insisted on doing it all myself.  I mean it would be great to have them help, but I don't want anyone to think I "can't" or feed anyone's belief that we should quit now. 

We manage quite well.  The kids all do their part to help.  I could be more willing to accept help.  I mean. . . . gasp. . . . I could even ask for help.  Maybe I will try to work on this, but I can't make any promises. 

Here is the really good post:  http://cornishadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/whispers-in-your-ear.html

Just for the Record

If you know us personally then you probably know others that know us personally.  I have a request.  Please share these thoughts with others, so that I don't lose my self control and share them in person. 

Here are the facts and we already know. 

Yes, it is not "normal" to adopt this many children.  EXPLANATION:  We are not trying to be normal.  We don't want to be normal.  We like our crazy life and our loving home.  I'm definitely not going to win any "normal person of the year award" and I am very cool with it.

Yes, it is going to be busy and crazy to take on this many with special needs who have never lived in homes before.  EXPLANATION:  We like busy and crazy (the opposite of normal to most).  We love children and feel that each and every one is a blessing.  If you think we will change our minds and leave them in mental institutions and orphanages because it will cause our lives to be a little wild for a while, then you are wasting your breath.  They are already mine in my heart and I will take down anyone in the path to make sure that they get home.  If your child was in that situation wouldn't you do the same?

Yes, we realize that they don't speak English.  EXPLANATION:  I really don't care what language they speak.  God made them and God brought them to my attention because He knew I'd fall in love and do something about it.  They will learn to understand language just as my other children with autism learned to do.  It will be a challenge, but also a rewarding and educational experience for our whole family.

Yes, we know we can't save them all.  EXPLANATION:  I can still save more.  I can't adopt them all, so why don't all the people who say or think that do something about it?  Why don't all of them save one?  The statistics show that if most Christians adopted even one child, there would be no more orphans.  I don't need an excuse and I refuse to defend myself.  I am now leaving the defending to those who do nothing.

Yes, I will have 12 children ages 10 and under.  EXPLANATION:  That happens to be when they were born and how old they are.  Sounds like fun to me!

Yes, I have thought of the "How are we going to do it?".   EXPLANATION:  I hear that question a lot so believe me I have considered it.  The answer is that I will be figuring that out as we go, just as we always have.  God doesn't give all the answers right away.  He provides what we need as we go!  I have learned to live peacefully with that for the most part (harder when they aren't safely in my arms yet, but I'm trying).  We are planning to do some extra homeschooling during the summer and take time off when they arrive home with maybe just some light studies and build back up to our normal school routine. 

I'm sure there are lots more things that should be here.  It is quite late and I am tired.  I do now feel much better after getting that off of my chest. 

If anyone thinks that there is an alternative to my insanity, then you don't know me well.  I love the children that God has placed in my heart.  I will not leave even one of them behind to live in hopelessness.  I will take on more if God provides a way.  If anyone is very concerned about what all I am taking on, then please feel free to get off of your bahootas (I use that word instead of "butts" here often) and do something crazy for God yourselves.  You might find it is quite rewarding and that knowing you changed the life of a child is even worth a little extra tiredness and making life a little harder for a short while is such a BLESSING. 

Please spread the word.  My "paper pregnancy hormones" may be the culprit.  It could also be a very earnest impatience for the complacency of the world around me.  It might even be that I can't imagine how people live knowing that they do nothing to help children that God created, but yet live in despair.  I can't put a definite pinpoint on the cause of my inability to deal with the questions.  I just know that the next person who suggests in any way (no matter how discreetly) that maybe I should leave my children in mental institutions or let them suffer so those around me won't be uncomfortable or we won't have to go to the "trouble" of being their parents, might need to DUCK. 

Lots of Progress

Well we have lots of progress to report.  Progress is always God's little pick me ups, so I thought I'd share with you all.  We have so far to go, but it is so amazing to feel God moving and working in it all. :)

First of all, yesterday we got our "apostilled" documents back from the Secretary of State's office.  That made me happy because it didn't take a week even.  I know there are LOTS more documents to have "apostilled" so it is great to know that they do them quickly. 

Those same documents hit the road again today!  They are headed to the specific country (can't say the name) in Eastern Europe.  They should arrive on Monday.  Amazingly enough they had to be sent either UPS or FedEx, so the cost was a little over $117!  I've sure never paid that to mail anything before! 

We also heard today that our homestudy agency (have I mentioned that I <3 Mended Reeds) has our homestudy nearly finished.  They realized that I have to get our wonderful medical provider to write a specific sentence about each of my two daughters that are "adult" age.  I can get that hopefully on Monday.  There are a few more small details that need added tomorrow and we should be ready to roll. 

I have completed 2 of the 5 online classes that I need to complete for the Hague education as well and should finish those up in the next week.  :) 

It is so wonderful to be a part of God's plan.  I am amazed at what He is doing.  Stay tuned!  Lots of news to come I'm sure.  I have no clue how it will all come together.  There are still some big "ransom" costs that need to be paid coming up.  I have no doubt that God is going to provide for all of it.  He is amazing and those are His children over there.  I know how badly I want to get them out of those situations and into my arms.  He's loved them longer than I knew they existed so I'm sure He is going to move mountains!

Why? (The Answer)

Tonight I watched "Martian Child" with Denzell and Dayton.  It is a movie that I had never let any of the kids watch.  Some of the foster care themes are a little too fresh for many of my kids and we don't need a set back.  Those two had really helped me a lot today while I had a headache, so I had let them stay up extra late.  Both of them are thoroughly rooted and I thought it would be a good time to let them enjoy the movie as well. 

That movie rings true in so many ways for me.  I couldn't begin to tell you the tears that come to my eyes while he waits to hear if he will be given the opportunity to parent the child that he already has come to love.  I get chills when he gets the call that says he can be his parent.  I totally relate to those awkard moments of trying to figure out how much to open or close the door.  I could talk about all of that tonight, but I won't.  I won't even go into the ridiculousness (is that a word?  lol) of the system that has left me waiting endlessly for my little Cody to come home.

 I do want to talk about the big TRUTH in the movie.  At the end of the movie the little broken hearted boy looks into the eyes of his father and asks "Why?".  He wants to know why parents don't stay.  He wants to know why he has been rejected over and over.  He wants to know why the world saw no value in him.  Then comes the truth from the dad . . . . "they are STUPID". 

That is the truth.  In this world children are neglected, rejected, and set aside because adults are STUPID.  Children wait tonight in foster homes feeling unloved and afraid of what tomorrow will hold because people are STUPID.  Children sit in the cribs all day in orphanages unloved, hungry, and not even knowing what their world should be like because adults are STUPID. 

God gave all of us these amazing gifts!  CHILDREN ARE A GIFT - EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!  They are thrown away in our society daily.  They are aborted, abandoned, abused, neglected, and discounted because our whole adult world is STUPID.  How will all of the adults stand before God some day and account for their STUPIDITY?  How will they justify to God their inaction?  I really don't know.  I can't imagine standing there and saying "but they weren't my responsibility",  "I didn't do that to them", "I didn't give birth to them", " I didn't have time", "I had MY own children", or whatever other lame excuses people have planned. 

As long as children are hurting we are being held responsible.   The Bible talks about "the least of these".  The Bible talks specifically about Jesus's love for children and His words about them and their care.  The Bible tells us that "true undefiled religion" is taking care of the orphans.  What more words do people need to make them know it is their responsibility?  What more do they need to make them act? 

I know this, I will not stand before Him and account for my inaction.  I will stand before Him knowing that I did every thing that I could.  If what you can do is "give", then do it.  If what you can do is "advocate" then get to it.  If what you can do is "adopt" then hurry.  Ask God what your part is today.  Don't TELL Him what your part should be, because you will account to Him some day.  If you need a place to start figuring out how to do your part then please feel free to click on  my links for Reece's Rainbow.  They have a part that each one can play.  DON'T BE STUPID!

Our Login and Acceptance

We got our login and our acceptance email for About A Child today.  :)  That means we can start doing our online education ours for the Hague adoption training we have to have.  That also means that they received our payment and have officially accepted us with their agency.  That is good stuff.

Waiting and thinking are hard things.  I have to stop my mind a thousand times a day.  It wants to wonder what my little ones in Eastern Europe are doing.  When it goes there I feel sick.  I wonder if they have had enough to eat.  I wonder if their diapers were changed.  I wonder if they did anything today.  I wonder if Paula has been out of her crib at all. 

These are among the many things that make my heart hurt.  I have a very clean house.  I have been nesting for our little Cody to come home for lots of months already.  He still isn't home and now I'm nesting for 4 more.  I am starting to run out of things to "clean" and "sort".  You would think that to not be possible since there are 14 people living here already.  It is possible though! m

I listened to Julianne laughing today and wondered if my others had anything to laugh about.  I pray that God gave them peace and love in their hearts today.  I pray that He puts it their tomorrow.  I pray that He puts hope in there with the love and peace.  I pray that He helps them to know somewhere deep inside that Love is coming for them.  I pray that they somehow can hope for a family when they have never had one.  I pray that they can find peace in knowing from God somehow that we are out here loving them and trying to love them all the way home as soon as possible. 

Country Commitment Paperwork

We filled out our paperwork for the specific Eastern European country that our little ones are from.  We went and got it notarized today.  Brent then took it to the county courthouse to get the notarization "certified".  He took them straight to the post office.  They are now on their way to the Secretary of State's Office to get "apostilled".  That is one more step that we could do that is done.  They said the turn around is about 4 days to get them apostilled.  We will then be able to send them to their next stop.  Yes, the "hurry up and wait" has begun for this as well. 

Praying that we spend more time "hurrying" and less time "waiting".  :)

Paula's Introduction

Here is the info about Paula off of Reece's Rainbow's public site.  :)

Paula #22-1

Girl, DOB: April 19, 2006
 Main diagnosis: Down syndrome
lagging behind in physical and mental development
HELP!!  I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSFERRED!!
Paula was born with a heart condition that was surgically corrected with satisfactory results.
She does not yet walk and often prefers to be by herself. She is 4 years old and her report says she functions at the level of a 2 year old. She is lagging behind in all areas of her development.
Her medical report was updated in May 2010. Paula REALLY needs a family, and will truly blossom once home.  Please give her a chance!
SINGLE MOMS, OLDER PARENTS, & LARGE FAMILIES WELCOME, EASY TRAVEL

Anjelina's Introduction

Here is the info off of Reece's Rainbow's site about little Anjelina.  :)

Anjelina #6-12

 DOB: May 25, 2005

Anjelina has Down syndrome and an interauricular cardiac malformation that is monitored by a cardiologist. In addition, she suffers from frequent urinary infections.
Anjelina can walk, run and climb! She participates in activities with other children. She plays with toys, follow simple directions and laughs at jokes.  She is pronouncing combinations of sounds and syllables but it not yet using words.
A baby photo of Anjelina is also available. What a priceless gift that will be for the adoptive family!

Nicholas's Introduction

Here is the public info off of the Reece's Rainbow site about Nicholas.  I won't share the info from his file, but I will share the info that is public already here to make it easier for friends and family to fall in love with him too.  :) 

(child's name has been changed to protect their identity)
Boy, Born September 7, 2002
Nicholas is so so handsome, and definitely has some Roma in him.   Dark olive skin with dark hair and dark eyes.   Very smart, and HEALTHY except for some strabismus.   Active, happy, and will make a wonderful addition to any family.  Be ready to run!

SINGLE MOMS, OLDER PARENTS, & LARGE FAMILIES WELCOME, EASY TRAVEL

MULTIPLE CHILDREN CAN BE ADOPTED AT THE SAME TIME WITH LOW COST

Ahnja's Site Introduction

I wanted everyone to be able to know a little about the kiddos in Eastern Europe that we are adopting.  I won't share their info from the files I have received, but I thought I'd share their info from the public Reece's Rainbow site here where those following or checking in can find it easily and get to know and love them like we do.  :)  Here is the info on Ahnja that we first saw on the site:

Girl, DOB: April 01, 2002

 Main diagnosis: Down syndrome

Ahnja is currently living in a group home setting with 2 other children. She can count to 10, identify all major colors and recognize all her letters. She likes to draw, color and play with blocks. She enjoys interacting with other children and exhibits pretend play skills. She enjoys music and likes to sing. Her favorite activity is playing with dolls. She is toilet trained and can feed and dress herself. She likes to put the toys and clothes in order and enjoys helping clean. Her receptive language skills are excellent. She talks and her clarity is improving.
She receives speech therapy and attends a mainstreamed preschool in the local community.

Additional photos are available.

SINGLE MOMS, OLDER PARENTS, & LARGE FAMILIES WELCOME, EASY TRAVEL

Gathering them from the East: God's Timing#links

Gathering them from the East: God's Timing#links

This is an awesome post from a fellow blogger and adoptive mother (already adopted and also in waiting).  It is so hard to imagine why we have all the delays.  She figured it out in this post and it is amazing how God worked it all together for good!

A Lost Little Angel

Another little angel from Reece's Rainbow was lost today.  She never knew a family's love.  She spent her whole life ALONE.  Even though she was among many, she was alone because she never belonged to anyone.  Imagine never knowing love and never having a family! 

I just don't understand.  Where are God's hands and feet?  What are the Christians of our world doing while these children die alone?  How does each one justify doing nothing?  I am often told that I can't "save them all".  I realize that.  Another DIED ALONE.  My heart is broken as I imagine how it may have happened.  How alone she probably was does my whole earth shake!  God said that what we do unto the least of these we do unto Him.  Look what happened to Him.  Yes, it like we did it to Him!  He was alone, unloved, and in need and our world turned its back. 

As children sit in mental institutions today, it is like we do it to HIM.  He made them (perfectly by the way!), He loves them, He told us to take care of them, and it is like unto Him.  We are neglecting our duty as Christians.  As a result, Christians are missing out.  They don't know the blessings of doing God's will.  Sure it is HARD.  What blessing doesn't come through hard work???  God said to do it and I pity those who will stand before Him and have done nothing to help the children.  We are doing it unto Him.  Christians are letting these children die out of pure refusal to live for Him.  He died for us and Christians everywhere sit back and get comfy in their seats while His gifts to us and His instructions to us so to DO SOMETHING. 

She is gone.  Many more WAIT.  They won't wait forever either.  They will end up in the same lonely death without His people doing something.  There are many things that each of us can do.  Adoption is the thing they need most.  If you meet the qualifications to adopt and can love a child, then I dare you to pray and ask Him.  I doubt He will tell you "no".  If you can't adopt then post their pictures to help them find families, give to their adoption funds, help people who can adopt pay the "ransom" to get them home.    Advocate, pray, give adopt!  Children dying while people sit back and try not to look is not acceptable. 

Here is her picture.  Look at her and do your best to make her be the last to die so needlessly.

A Little Stressed

There is so much to do right now.  My head stays in so many places.  I can't stop thinking about our little boy in Texas and wondering when he will get home.  His foster mother isn't responding to any of the emails with pictures that she asked me to send.  We mailed him a picture collage, so I guess we'll see what happens.

The kids in Eastern Europe keep me praying most certainly.  They are definitely in God's hands.  I have to try to leave that request at His feet instead of picking it up and worrying about it.  It is so hard to go through days knowing that some are living in mental institutions and none are in a family receiving love.  It is hard to imagine children not receiving love, not ever living in a family, or not even knowing what "family" is really. 

Here we are trying to rush through everything we can here.  We had two kids with doctors appts today for paperwork for our homestudy.  Two go tomorrow.  Two more go on Monday.  That will have all of the appointments done.  Our fingerprints for the agency who is doing our homestudy are all back. 

One problem seems to be references.  I handed out a few extra forms.  We still need 3 more turned back in though.  I always hate to ask people about references when they don't turn them in.  I always wonder if maybe they don't want to do them.  I know that most people think we are CRAZY at this point.  I do realize that most people do not have 12 kids.  I also realize that most people wouldn't take on 5 kids in one year.  I even more realize that the number "17" as the number of children that someone willing has makes people's heads spin.  Most people seem to understand once they get to know us.  People who have known me for years seem to have expected this type of undertaking for me.  They knew that I always wanted a large family.  They also knew that I always wanted to adopt.  I really need references though.  I guess I am going to hand out more and ask people whose haven't been received yet. 

We are waiting for the paperwork to come from the country right now.  At that point we will fill out the formal commitments for their country.  We will send in a check for $3500 to the international agency that we are using.  We will then have to wait for our homestudy to be completed.  At that point we will be needed another good sized sum of money to go the next steps.  I'm not exactly sure where that amount is coming from yet.  I am trying to remember that God has it figured out already.  He does, I'm sure of it!  I have asked for emails from Him during other adoptions, so I know He probably still won't send me one to let me know how this all works out.  I am sure though that He is going to work it out. 

We'd appreciate your prayers for all of these things.  You might even pray that God takes it easy on me and lets me know before I really stress.  Then again, I guess I should try to remain calm in all these things since I do KNOW He has it under control.  Paper pregnancy hormones times 5 are doing me in!

Progress!

The fire inspector just left!  I had a horrible time getting in touch with him, but after we did he came out very quickly.  We have our form to give to the agency that shows we have been approved by the fire inspector.  Not much to do for the homestudy now! 

We have some more doctor's visits over the next week or so.  Those forms should be filled out completely before February hits!  Very glad about that.  :)

Our social worker has come for two visits already.  She has all the info at this point.  She will make her last visit this week.  She can finish our safety audit at that visit.  She couldn't sign off on the safety audit until we had the fire inspection.  She is working on writing up the homestudy now, so it should be done soon.  So excited to be almost done with our home study.

I also talked to the lady at About A Child yesterday.  She is approving our application with the homestudy.  We should have our commitment money for the agency and the country in the mail this time next week along with the paperwork that goes with it.  We still have a very long way to go, but at least we are moving forward!

Notice Someone New??

I hope you noticed another beautiful little girl on the right hand side of the page!  Yes, Anjelina was listed yesterday.  She is in the same area as Nicholas and Ahnja.  We are thrilled to add her as our 4th child from Eastern Europe.  She is just gorgeous!  She is 5 years old and running around.  Last reports say she isn't talking yet, but is making sounds and saying syllables.  I can see her and Julianne getting into lots of mischief together.  God is blessing and we are so excited to bring them home as soon as we can.  It is hard to imagine that we have lots of months to go and yet we are already so in love with those little faces.

The Helplessness

We have been adopting for years.  We adopted our first child in 2001(and give birth to a little boy 6wks later).  Since then we have adopted 10 more children.  We have one more on the way via the foster/adoption route.  Now we are committed to adopting 3 from Eastern Europe and hoping to adopt one additional child  from there as well. 

I am getting ready to go check on my youngest daughter.  Julianne is 4 (just a few months younger than Paula) years old. She also has Down Syndrome.  She is so tiny (but Paula was smaller at the last known time).  I go in to check on her and see her cute button nose before I got to bed each night. 

When I go in to check on her I can't help but think of the children around the world that don't have her life.  Julianne is spoiled beyond belief by 11 older siblings.  We all cater to her whims and tell her of her "wonderfulness".  She is adored!  Yet, there are children who haven't been out of their beds today.  Julianne is always excited to get in her's at night, but Paula has likely not been out of hers.  I'm sure that no one is heading in to look at how wonderful my other three are tonight.  No one even knows how wonderful they are.  It really is heartbreaking as a mother to wonder if your children are ok.  Did anyone smile at them today?  Did anyone give them a treat?  Did anyone tell them that they are wonderfully special?  When you think about how helpless you are to do anything for them today, it is heartbreaking. 

God is good.  He loved them before I knew they existed.  He has moved mountains to make us able to adopt them.  Once they get here, we will make sure that they know how wonderfully special they are.  We will give them the life that they deserve and a loving family who adores them as well. 

It is amazing the longing and love that God places in the heart of a mommy long before she holds her babies in her arms.  First God places them in her heart and then later in her arms.

I CAN TELL!

We are finally on the Reece's Rainbow "New Commitment" page!  That means I can finally share my news with the world.  I am going to be Paula, Nicholas, and Ahnja's mommy!  Such a blessing!  Our family bio isn't on the page yet, but our names are.  God is so AMAZING!

Here is a link to our page on Reece's Rainbow (remember our bio isn't there yet and two of the kids' pictures aren't showing up, but it is still THERE!):

http://reecesrainbow.org/sponsorunroe

Our Worker Came Today

I have to say that I love our agency that is doing our homestudy!  We were in the first group of 10 families to go through training in 2000.  We were their first adoptive placement in 2001.  We have adopted 11 children total from a total of 6 different foster care adoptions.  We have another little guy on the way, whenever they get his stuff done in his state.  They are now doing their first international homestudy for us. 

The worker came today and was here for a very long time.  She is working hard to have our homestudy ready by the end of January or the beginning of February.  We will have the rest of our commitment money right about that time too, so that is perfect.  :)  They are always so great to work with, so a big shout out to Mended Reeds.  Our family would have never become what it is without them!

I've got several things I need to get done.  At the moment I need to get all our reference letters handed out, because the international calls for more than our normal homestudy update was going to call for.  I also need to get Unique, Precious, Brent, and I fingerprinted for our FBI fingerprints, so that is on the list of things.  I have to get all of our medical forms filled out.  I also am going to go ahead and order original birth and marriage certificates (3 of each) to have ready for our dossier when the time comes.  I'm waiting to hear about the phone interviews for AAC.  I need to send some other info and forms to Mended Reeds as well.  I am waiting to hear back about our fire inspection.  I just don't want to forget anything or delay anything, so I have to keep after it. 

I've checked Reece's Rainbow's site way too many times today.  Brent admitted that he has too.  I think we are both secretly afraid that the other one will see our names on the "Committed Families" page before we see it ourselves.  I guess seeing the kids on the list made it feel so much more real and seeing it there will make it seem even more real.  We are so anxious to see constant forward motion and move things quickly. 

Please continue to pray for the kids.  Pray that their caregivers will really care for them.  Pray that they will take the best possible care of them.  Pray that while they don't know true love from parents yet, that they will feel God's love keeping the love in their hearts alive and burning.  Pray that Paula will hang on for us to bring her home.  Pray that God will strengthen her tiny little body and speak love into her heart.  Pray that God will move this process quickly and give us the needed funds as they are needed so that we can bring them home quickly.

Tomorrow

Well tomorrow should mean that our "mailed" application will arrive at Reece's Rainbow (we sent it the fastest possible method lol).  Along with it is our application fee for setting us up on their website and a love offering. 

Tomorrow we will be having our first visit from our worker to get this homestudy going for the international adoption and also to update our domestic homestudy for our foster care adoption (still waiting on "C" to get home or even for some news on him).  I still need to draw out the fire evacuation routes tonight.  I really don't like to do those floor plans because they confuse me.  We have a 10 bedroom house now, and since the addition of the three bedrooms and multiple other rooms I can't even imagine how much more confusing it will be. 

I'm hoping that I will get a call or two from whomever I need to to speak with at About A Child.  I need to speak with two different people there to be on our way to being accepted with their agency as well.  I have no idea whatsoever as to what is coming next with that.  This process is so very different.

I do ask that ,for the few people who know about this blog and might be reading, you please pray for Paula, Ahnja, and Nicholas.  I have no idea what their "tomorrow" may be like.  I do pray that this process goes speedy quick so we can get them home into a place of love and safety.  Please especially pray for Paula.  She is in a mental institution.  At age 4, upon last report, she was smaller than Julianne by a little bit.  I can't imagine Julianne there and it breaks my heart to think of what Paula could be enduring right this very minute.  Pray that God will put His arms around them and bring them into my arms soon. 

See Our Next Blessings!

This will be my announcement to all! Nicholas, Ahnja, and Paula are in Eastern Europe. We have committed to adopt them and are SO EXCITED! We can share whenever it comes out on the Reece's Rainbow page. Trying to wait patiently. :) GOD IS SO AMAZING! He continues to bless and we are so excited to receive.

Just Getting Started

We are just starting on our journey to adopt children with Down Syndrome with the help of Reece's Rainbow. Please be patient as we are getting things going. God is blessing us and we are trying to keep up with His pace!