Heart Surgery Take Two

Well we are leaving again for Aleshia's heart surgery. . . again. 

Please pray that it all goes well this time and that it happens the way it should and she does well.  Her emotional wounds from the orphanage and institutional life she lived before she came to us are so deep.  That makes this all SO much harder for her than even "normal". . .

Pray that we can all work together to keep her calm.  We are driving her up and arriving late tonight.  She is not suppose to have to have blood work or anything tonight.  She should just be given calming meds to keep her calm and then kept calm until the surgery in the morning. 

We were told we could just bring her up and have her there in the morning, but she is upset by getting in the van after the last trip.  We would have to leave the house about 4 or more hours before the surgery in order to arrive for the surgery.  She would be so worked up for the surgery that they would likely be unable to do it again.   This way we will get there in time for them to give her calming meds and get her calm again.  They are SUPPOSE to be prepared.  We are also able to stop and let her eat on the way up today and are planning to take her in places to make it seem less like a trip to the hospital.  PRAY THAT HELPS! 

I don't feel in the least bit "cheery", but I'm planning to fake it big time today.  I feel like I need to vomit.  I in no way shape or form know how I will be able to pull this off, but I have to do it.  She needs me to seem calm and happy today.  I'm NOT. 

Its a good thing that we've adopted so much. . . I've been faking being ok for a long time now.  I've not been ok while I wait for the kids to come home.  I've been faking it lots.  I've felt like I could go into a crying heap in the floor ever since I left my babies back in June.  I can't show that in front of my kids, because the 18 here deserve a mom who is happy and ready to enjoy life.  I'm THRILLED they are all here, so it is a balancing act of enjoying them and fighting back the tears for the 3 that have my heart on the other side of the ocean.  Poor Brent last night doesn't always get to have the "fake" though.  The poor man pulled out the Bible for our devotion together before bed and unknowingly opened to the "Love" Chapter.  The problem is that his version said "Charity" which sent me into sobs.  It was late and I had faked it as long as I could.  I miss them so much and I'd faked it all day, while preparing things to leave.  I kept thinking back to how hard it was while waiting to get Aleshia home and how I'd "faked" it for the 13 at home back then.  The things we do for our kids!!  But today is one of those days that the "practice" of faking it during all these adoptions will come in handy again I guess. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for Aleshia!!  Please pray for the medical teams working with her.  Her surgery will be early in the morning.  Remember the best place to keep up with updates on her will probably be on Facebook as long as my phone keeps allowing me to update because it is just easier, so you can check her Facebook page HERE.  Also please pray for Matthew, Johnathan, and Charity as they wait and the people who need to sign things and give court dates so we can get them home with us.  Not a day goes by that their names aren't mentioned 100 times here while I choke back tears. 

Here's a picture of Aleshia from Easter.

 

Our Have A Heart Giveaway is still going on and I'll end it once we are back.

We are still not fully funded to for the last of the trip

BUT we are SO close!

 

MATCHING GRANT!

We have had a very generous matching grant offered to us.  When our FSP reads $20,411 then another $500 will be donated to our account!  This is a HUGE BLESSING! 

Here is a link to our FSP! 

Also HERE IS A LINK TO OUR GIVEAWAY with the lots of things we will be drawing for to thank people for helping by donating and sharing.

Right now I keep remembering that last bit of time with them and praying that they know I'm still on my way back to them.  They had gotten so comfortable with being loved.  I HATE THAT I HAD TO LEAVE AND IT FEELS LIKE THE BIGGEST FAILURE AS A MOTHER! 

 

 

They definitely weren't the kids that I had expected to meet or the kids that I first met at the beginning of the week even!  The were LOVING having the LOVE of a MOTHER! 

 

They are waiting!

 

WE ARE SO CLOSE!

 

The Process and Why I Hate the Word WAIT

Those of us who live in the middle of the adoption world just LIVE the steps so much that we often forget that many people don't know what comes next.  Unfortunately for me, most of it involves the word WAIT after each move.  We are SO CLOSE now, but waiting is just so hard.  Please pray for us as we wait and especially for them.  Pray that the process moves quickly and that the "wait" parts are very short and the "move" parts are close together.  Pray that the government and court officials who see our case will see the urgency of Matthew's situation and expedite his paperwork through as fast as possible.  "WAIT" can mean 5 minutes, a day, a week, or two. . . . I'd really like it to mean 5 minutes. . . . but days instead of weeks could make a huge difference in Matthew's life.  There are wonderful people in the country that my children are from who really do care about children and we just need to pray that they recognize the urgency of Matthew's situation and move it along as quickly as they can.  We need to pray that holidays, breaks, and other things don't slow it down either.  PLEASE PRAY!

Next in our process is that we need our documents to be submitted to the government and then we wait on a SIGNATURE.  We pray that the government official who needs to sign it honors the "medical expedite" for Matthew.  His medical expedite states that because of his current condition it is important  for him to get home as quickly as possible because his life is in "imminent danger".  Every time I think about that I get sick. . . .

After that signature, then our documents will be submitted to court where they will wait to be assigned to a judge.

Then our case will wait for a date to be given by that judge.

Then we will wait for that date to come.

Then we will have court and become their legal parents, but will have to wait for the documents to be ready before we can even get dates for travel.  This day they are declared ours, but we still have to WAIT!

Once the documents are ready then we will be given a date to travel to pick them up and will have to wait for that date to arrive.

24 hours of travel to get to their country means lots of time spent waiting.  I hate being away from my 18 kids at home and then not even with the 3 there yet is super hard waiting.  Knowing I am getting ready to bring them home for good will make this waiting a little easier!

Once in country the wait is tremendous because once you are in their beautiful country, but can't get your children immediately it just is unbearable even though so close.

Once the day arrives you wake up WAY before the alarm goes off and have to wait for the time to go pick them up.

Once you get to the orphanage I will have to wait for them to bring my kids to me, even though I want to RUN up the stairs and grab them because I've waited way longer than anyone should ever have to wait.

After we pick them up we will have to rush back for passports and then go back to the hotel.

There will be tons to do over that next few days and all of it is just more of the process that is part of the wait to get them home to join our family and have all 21 of my kids together in one place safe and sound.

The travel to get home takes usually around 24 hours with kids who are tired, grumpy, and overstimulated.  Matthew will be needing to get some medical care soon after getting home too, but we are hoping to be able to not go straight to the hospital and have appointments set up to keep him from inpatient if at all possible.  Keith finds hospitals very stressful, so we don't want to thrust him into that right off if we can help it.  We are praying we can manage to meet all his medical needs without going straight to the hospital and will set up appointments as soon as we have some idea as to a pickup time.  That waiting in airports and on airplanes will not be easy!

NOW DO YOU KNOW WHY I HATE THE WORD WAIT EVEN MORE THAN A THREE YEAR OLD DOES???? 

I feel like a 3 year old whining, but I WANT THEM NOW!!!  God has to be tired of hearing me whine.  We really expect that we should be able to travel in October or November. . . even though I know the word "WAIT" is used a lot of times. . . it just seems like FOREVER still. . .

Please pray that they expedite on his account and that they help us get him home where his life won't be in "imminent danger" any more.  Those two words haunt me in my sleep. . . I need to make those words no longer exist for my little boy and tuck all three into their beds at night where they are safe and loved.   

You can help be a part of this end part of their journey home by CLICKING HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR GIVEAWAY! 

 

Article 5! and GIVEAWAY UPDATE

Our Article 5 Interview occurred and our attorney is getting everything ready to submit.  We are praying that they will honor Matthew's medical expedite and process the paperwork quickly for a signature at the government level to get it ready for submission to court.  We need to get him home and get him some much needed medical care.  We are praying hard and we ask that you would too!

We have the Have a Heart Giveaway going on right now to thank everyone who is helping us so wonderfully with raising the last of the funds to get the kids home.  We appreciate the help so very much!  Aleshia's heart surgery is really at the worst possible time, because it is just before we will need to travel to pick them up.  It is still much better than it needing to be done after they get home though!  God has provided wonderfully for us all along and we know that everything will fall into place.  This is just a wonderful opportunity for others to get to be a part of their homecoming story!

You can click here to see all the wonderful "Thank You" Gifts that are awaiting at the end! 

Not listed on that post is $5 donations!  Every $5 donation will also receive one entry, so please email me your receipt to abcunroe@yahoo.com  Every amount is bringing us so much closer to bringing them home!!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!!


Every dollar brings us closer to the goal amount of bringing them home!  I'm sure this post will make the "troll roll".  lol  Yes, there are the wonderful trolls who go around talking about how much better off kids are in orphanages.  I've even heard that our family is large and that the caregiver ratio might be better in an orphanage. See, the thing is that "caregivers" don't "care" the same as a Mommy.  I go to bed each night begging God to keep them safe till I can get there and knowing that Matthew is in misery without medical care.  I'm a Mommy.  I hurt for my kids.  I don't leave them lay ever.  I don't have apathy or think that any of them are not worth my time.  I feel what they feel.  I hurt when they hurt, even if they are on the other side of the ocean.  I sit up all night if they are awake.  I stay up too late and get too little sleep just because a little one decides that they aren't sleepy and I know that they spent too many years in a crib and I'm VERY glad for the opportunity to give them those extra kisses.  So I'm going to leave those trolls he may link back to my "fundraising" post with a little picture. 

This is what the love of a "Mommy" does:

 

We are working hard to bring Matthew, Johnathan, and Charity home so that they can have a "Mommy" instead of a "caregiver" too.  Every child deserves a "FAMILY", not just a caregiver.  We just happen to have more people here to do the loving.  Yes, the sites that like to bash large families can bash away.  The fact is that the picture above shows the truth.  The child on the left was Keith the night I brought him home at age 5 and the picture on the left was Keith one year later at age 6.  He went from couldn't hold his head up, to didn't want to be laid back!  He grew when he was loved and cared for by a FAMILY!  He came from the same place that my three children are now and they need to come home.  The place they are in now is trying hard, but orphanages cannot replace families.  They suffered severe neglect in that facility for years and the only way they are going to heal and thrive is to come home.  So the trolls can troll away.  There is the proof that what we do is making a HUGE difference and will continue to do so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOW WHO WANTS TO BE A PART!?!  

HAVE A HEART GIVEAWAY!

UPDATE:  HER SURGERY WAS RESCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16TH AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT IN THIS POST, SO PLEASE HELP US PUSH TO GET FUNDED SO WE CAN FOCUS ON HER SURGERY.  TRAVEL WILL BE SO CLOSE TO HER RECOVERY THAT WE WILL HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME TO FUNDRAISE AFTER IT! 

 

 

Well it is time for a GIVEAWAY!  I will be spending a lot of time away with my daughter Aleshia while she has open heart surgery.  My mother has taken time off to help with the other kids here at home.  That means that I will not be here to run auctions and work at fundraising.  Our I800 was approved by our officer last week and sent to her supervisor, so things are moving there (would have gone faster if our oldest son hadn't turned 18 while I was in country and required fingerprinting through US Immigration along with a homestudy update).  We need to raise the last of the money to get the kids home.  Everything is paid except for the money for the last trip.  I have a little toward that already too, but its a little harder to save when your little one is having open heart surgery. . . If you would like to get updates as to how her heart surgery is going you can get those on her Facebook Page Here.

 

You probably remember her One Year Update Post, but here is her side by side picture to remind you who she is: 

 

So time for the HAVE A HEART GIVEAWAY!  I want to thank everyone who is helping us work to get them home by donating and shouting while I am away from Facebook and the blog for the heart surgery. We appreciate your heart for all of our kids and couldn't do this without you!  We hope that the gifts below will be great "Thank You"s to all of you!

 

Here is how it will work:  (All donation receipts need to be sent to abcunroe@yahoo.com so that I can keep track of them by putting them in a folder while I am away for the open heart surgery and all share entries will be kept track of only by commenting on this post. )

For ever $5 donated to our Indiegogo account or our FSP listed on the right sidebar of the blog you will get 1 entry.

 

For every $10 donated to our FSP listed on the right sidebar of the blog you will get 2 entries.

 

For every $20 donated to our FSP listed on the right sidebar of the blog you will get 5 entries.

 

For every $50 donated to our FSP listed on the right sidebar of the blog you will get 15 entries.

 

You can also get 1 entry per day just for sharing this giveaway! 

 

 

GIFT #1:  Disney brand personal dvd player with 3 Disney dvds!

 

GIFT #2:

Wooden balance bike with five-position adjustable seat height to grow with child

Rubberized handle bar grips for comfort; limited steering radius to prevent jackknifing

Pneumatic rubber tires and spoke-less wheel discs for safety

Unique carry handle incorporated in the bike's body

Renewable birch wood construction and non-toxic building materials; recommended for ages two years old and up

Five-position adjustable seat height--from 12.5 to 17.5 inches

Maximum weight of 60 pounds

 

GIFT#3:  This is a 4 Pack of ItWorks Ultimate Body Applicator Wraps. 

 

 

 

GIFT#4:  3 in 1 Indoor Sports Set and a Workout Video for Kids!

 

GIFT #5:  Perfect for Your Princess to Have a Party to Celebrate Just Because God Made Her Special when this arrives!  The SweetPea Beauty Veggie Tales dvd, 2 Princess Petunia books, a set of best friend Veggie Tales Watches, and a set of stuff to throw a "just because" party (plates, napkins, balloons, and party favors!)

 





GIFT #6: WALL ART

15'' W x 11'' H x 0.5'' D

Medium-density fiberboard / metal hanger

Made in the USA

GIFT #7:  WALL ART

 

11'' W x 15'' H x 0.5'' D

Medium-density fiberboard

Ready to hang

Made in the USA

 

GIFT #8:  This Veggie Tales Prize contains a dvd, 4 books, and 2 Larry Boy wrist bands!

 

 

 

GIFT #9:  *CUSTOM RETRO APRON* You choose one of the 3 styles: Chef, Diner or Princess Panel and let me know 2 or 3 colors you'd like and Lara will create a custom apron for you.

(This family is also adopting and here is their FSP:  http://reecesrainbow.org/47374/sponsorwingler )

 

 

 

GIFT #10:  This adorable block puzzle is perfect for your little ones!  It is donated by the Jenks Family.  They are also in the process of adopting and you can support their adoption by shopping their Etsy shop.  They have lots of different styles of block puzzles and can customize one just for you as well!  : http://www.etsy.com/shop/FaithfullyCreated 



 

GIFT #11:  This beautiful Starfish Stretch Bracelet was donated by Darla Messenger.

 

GIFT #12:  These beautiful Amber Swarovski Crystal earrings were also donated by Darla messenger.

 

 

 

GIFT #13:  These awesome shirts were donated by another amazing adoptive family.  Once a winner is drawn I will give you their contact info and you can choose your size and color.  You can help out their family by buying shirts here:  http://www.walkingthenarrowpathnow.blogspot.com/2013/06/tshirts-are-ready-to-order.html

 

GIFT #14:  This Down Syndrome awareness set was donated by another amazing adoptive family.  What a great way to show of your support for Down Syndrome!  You can read more about their family here:  http://reecesrainbow.org/55675/sponsorkirk

 

GIFT #15: This amazing Down Syndrome awareness necklace was donated by Carol Miller.  What a beautiful way to show your support for Down Syndrome!!

 

GIFT #16:  Veggie Tales Book and DVD.

 

 

GIFT #17:  This package of little kids toys includes a shape sorter, Elmo dvd, and Red Rover game.

 

 

GIFT #18:  This is a 500 piece puzzle of Noah's Ark.

 

 

GIFT #19:  This is an adorable Size3 Gymboree Outfit.

 

 

GIFT #20:  Art piece by http://willpaint4babies.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/who-is-will-paint-4-babies-painting-for-now/

GIFT #21:  This Stacking Rainbow is tons of fun and is donated by Jamie Lentz who is also in the process of adopting.  You can find her store that is helping to fund their adoption by clicking this link:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Little-Sunshine-Montessori-Boutique/350544488363478



 

 

Thanks so much for helping to bring the three children already in our hearts into our homes while I am away working to help Aleshia get her heart fixed! Please pray for Aleshia, Matthew, Johnathan, and Charity!     







 

 

 

 

 



Trip to Meet the Three Part 2: Meeting Charity

I've decided to not go through day by day as I just don't think I can relive each moment.  I'm aching to hold them so very badly.  This is pure torture having to hold them and then leave them there.  It honestly feels like the biggest parenting FAIL in the world. 

I'm going to go child by child and then maybe a post or two that tell other things about them all three.  It may be scatter brained, because when I start to think about it all I feel scatter brained.  I just want them safe and home and in my arms. 

As soon as I went into the visitation play area, there was CHARITY!  She was sitting in the bottom of the play structure on the mat.  She was not at all what I had expected at throughout the week she just continued to change. 

I was told that she was the size of an 8 month old and that she was unresponsive and didn't like to be bothered.  It said she could be aggressive and was very autistic.  Her report had made me SO MAD because it said that stimulation wouldn't help because of her Autism and as the mother of several children on all aspects of the very broad Autism spectrum, I knew that was NOT true. 

 

I arrived to find a little girl who now had a Baba and had grown considerably.  She was interactive and warmed up to me very well.  She can be quite snuggly once she realizes that she is loved!!  She loved being loved and she was thriving by the end of that week!!!  She loves music and is very smart.  Once home, she will be a whole other child in a very short period of time.  She is SO close to walking and really just needs to gain strength and have a lot of opportunity.  Her Autism is going to be so minor once she is exposed to the world!! 

She has some medical concerns that we didn't initially know about and we'll address as soon as she is home.  She has a cyst in her brain that is hopefully no big deal, but we just can't know until we get it checked out.  She also has a "mega colon", which we will need to figure out once she is home as well. 

She is very quirky.  She only eats "white" foods.  She has had the staff there trying to trick her by holding the bowl above her head.  I can't help that I love the quirkiness of Autism.  We'll conquer the food part and get her eating a fully nutritious diet once she is home though. 

She is also one VERY smart cookie!!  She loved to play with my iphone and listen to songs on it.  She is so STUBBORN (I appreciate and relate to this quality as well lol).  She very quickly learned how to get from the "songs" to other apps.  On my way home from one of the visits I got a call from a friend from church.  She had gotten calls from my phone!  My tiny princess had made international calls while scrolling!!  I caught her at once point and tried to get it turned off, but evidently not fast enough.  lol    The next visit she wanted to do the same and was not happy when I wouldn't let her get to other apps.  I called "Daddy" even though it was in the middle of his night.  He was very pleased to get to say "Hi" to her, but she was only pleased for a moment and then she wanted control of the iphone again.  We ended up having to lock it into ipod mode for her.  She was NOT pleased. . .

When I say she is smart I'm not kidding!

Please pray for her.  Pray for her health while she waits.  Pray for her and how hard the trip home will be for her.  Travel will be very out of routine for her, but once home she is going to THRIVE!!! 

If you'd like to help her and our other two children get home, there are links on the right side that take you to fundraisers.  We will also have a GIVEAWAY starting on here soon that while run while our daughter Aleshia is in the hospital for her open heart surgery, so stay tuned for that as well. 

Trip to Meet the Three: Part 1 An Unexpected Meeting

My friend Colleen came in from out of state to go with me on the trip and for that I am so thankful!  (A little later you will hear more about Colleen and what God had in store for her during this trip, but that will be a post entirely of its own, but rest assured that we serve a very big God!!)  When we went to meet my next three kids I was pleasantly surprised by the changes in their orphanage.  They are in the same place that Keith came from.  That place was so devoid of sound or movement for so long.  The children had been neglected and starved.  Keith spent over 5 years there and 2 1/2 years of that were in an isolation room.  Knowing my three children were there was so hard and I knew that a new director had taken over so I had continued to pray that the good things I had heard were happening were true.  I prayed that they were feeling those good changes make changes in their lives that were tangible. 

It was obvious upon arriving that good changes had taken place.  There were Babas (the word for grandmother and these are people who are employed by ministries to come in and are assigned to a couple children each) out and about with children in strollers that were on the road and visible before we even arrived at the orphanage.  You could see and hear children.  We began to see children who we "knew".  I knew them from pictures because they too are being adopted.  They were not the tiny and starving children that they once were, but are now beginning to grow.  Please understand that these are children still in SERIOUS need, but it is because of the YEARS of lack of care.  The adoptable children need families quickly so that they can get individual care and attention only available in families where you have parents (and siblings!) who love and care for you individually.  She can't change the fact that they were left in their beds for years, teeth rotted out, they aren't even half the size they should be, bones grew the wrong way, muscles atrophied, and children were left to lay so long that they developed rocking and stopped developing.  She HAS however come in and changed their nutrition and started to get them out of their beds more.  The changes are evident and much appreciated.  They are a definite testament to the work of the new director!  Please continue to pray for her, because the needs of those children are so great and she has a HUGE undertaking still ahead of her to help them heal. 

The heaviness of the place is gone and it smells and appears clean.  We waited in the front lobby area for our chance to go meet my babies.  I was so thankful to have my friend Colleen with me.  The excitement of the morning had me completely on edge.  I had woke up WAY before the alarm and was showered and dressed before poor Colleen had gotten up.  She had to have thought me insane, since I am NOT an early morning person!  I couldn't wait to get there and now here I was so close, but still WAITING!!! 

As we waited there with kids going by, some we recognized and some that we did not, I just couldn't help but wondering which child would be brought to us first once we were taken to the meeting room.  I kept hoping that the time would come soon to go there!  THEN THERE HE WAS!!!  JOHNATHAN WAS STANDING RIGHT THERE!!!  He was on his way outside with his Baba and MY SON was standing right there.  I had no way to communicate because my interpreter was arranging things in the office.  I had to approach though!!!  Who waits so many months and can wait longer with their child right in front of them????

So for a split second there he was,    Johnathan. . . my son. . . in the lobby. . .

 

I can't get the video to share, so you just get "still shots" from the video.  So thankful that Colleen was quick even when we weren't expecting it.  More to come! 

 

Please help us get them home!  Lots of opportunities to help!  Links for fundraisers are on the top right side of the blog!  

The Questions with No Answers and Being Real

Ok, so it is the middle of the day and not when I usually blog.  I need to blog though bc what I'm thinking isn't something that can "come out" while I'm in there with my kids.  What I'm about to blog about isn't "fun" or what anyone wants to read about.  It isn't happy or what anyone wants to go share.  It isn't the "happy cheerleader" stuff that makes people want to come visit my blog or donate to our adoption to get my kids home and it isn't the kind of stuff that I usually blog about.  Its just what is clogging up my brain.  It probably won't come out in a logical way.  It probably won't be eloquent like so many blog and maybe not even coherent. 

This adoption is SO hard.  This adoption is SO different.  We love all three of these kids SO much.  We worry about all three of them SO much.  They all lived in an orphanage that they received very subpar care even for the worst of orphanage for years, but now things are improving and we are so thankful for that.  There is someone new in charge who is working hard to right the wrongs and for that we are so thankful.  That person can't fix it all at once, but she is trying hard and that is all anyone can do. 

Matthew is 9 and 18lbs though.  That is tiny!!  Matthew is contracted up horribly from laying there for years and starving for years and laying and laying and laying.

 

His physical condition kills me.  I could lay and cry in a fetal position over how fragile my baby boy is.  I fear each morning and email that says he didn't make it till we got there.  I cry as I type that.  I fear it so much.  I fear he will die alone. 

 

What is killing me today and a lot of days and has made me literally sick this week is what he must think. 

 

He was beat into a coma by his birthfather. . . Does he remember???  Was he abused all the time those first 4 1/2 years??  Was it rare or often??  Was it a drunken rage???  Does he remember being a little boy who could run around and play before that beating and now he has legs that won't straighten????  How scared is he right now?  Does he cringe as each adult approaches?  Does the crib feel a prison that keeps him from the freedom he had those first 4 1/2 years or does it actually feel safe after 4 1/2 years of abuse? 

 

These are the things that drive me nearly crazy today. . . I have no power to comfort him across that ocean.  I can't tell him that love and safety are just a short time away. 

 

How bad do the contractures hurt?  How much pain is he in? 

 

Sometimes I hope that the brain injury is enough that he doesn't remember the beating.  Does he remember the family?  Does he feel the abandonment? 

 

Oh God please just don't let him feel all the emotional pain and fear. 

 

Please God give us that signature soon!  Please God hold my baby boy until I can! 

 

Please God take these tears from me today and help me to put on the front of "Happy Mom" that my kids need here. 

 

So sorry to all of you who don't see "this side" often, but I have to put it somewhere today and this is where it has to go. . . Please pray for Matthew, the process, the signature, my tears to dry up. . . 

Commitment Paperwork? Who?

Our commitment paperwork arrived in country today.  It is in the hands of our wonderful attorney.  We are praying that all goes well and that it is submitted soon.  Holding our breath till the commitment papers are accepted! 

*In case you don't know the process and terms, the "commitment papers" are not to commit us to some crazy farm for having 18 kids and being ready to adopt again.  ;)    They are the papers where we are requesting the government of their country allows us to commit to adopt them.  This is a packet explaining a lot about our family, the adjustment of the other children into our family, and our preparedness to adopt again.  It also explains how the 3 children that we are wanting to commit to will fit into our family.  It gives details about our family and tells where in the process we are and how soon our homestudy will be ready to go off to USCIS. 

So who are we asking to be allowed to commit to?

Presley is 3

 

Carson is 6

 

Thad is 9

 

Those are only their online Reece's Rainbow names.  We will be choosing new names, so we are actually working on that now.  Please pray that the commitment papers are accepted, that 



One Special Waiting Child and a Huge Bonus Prize

I always do waiting children on the weekends.  Today, there is a little girl who is weighing very heavily on my   heart.  Sweet Marsha has untreated hydrocephalus.  She needs a family to bring her home quickly and get her treatment.  She is in the same place as one of my little ones and has been horribly neglected.  Her ONLY HOPE is for a family to adopt her and get her hydrocephalus treated.  Our Cody has hydrocephalus and if she'd had a shunt to begin with, then it would not have been a big deal at all.  Unfortunately she did not.  Now the pressure in her head is continuing to build.  I can't even imagine how much her head must heart.  I spent much of yesterday sobbing over her.  My heart is broken.  I can't stand that she is laying there waiting to die over something that was so simple to solve, had her medical needs not been so severely neglected.  PLEASE HELP HER!  I am BEGGING for someone to be God's hands and feet for this sweet and suffering child!!!!!

Click here to go and read about her on Reece's Rainbow or email Shelley shelle337@gmail.com

  


The Bonus Prize I mentioned and other info can all be found at THIS LINK FOR THE BABY SHOWER A FRIEND IS HAVING FOR US.


By helping to "buy a gift" at the baby shower you will be entered to win a "party favor" prize and when all the boxes are filled someone will win their choice of a $150 gift card OR $150 donated to the child or family of their choice on Reece's Rainbow!!!  


Go check it out.  I leave in 13 days to go and get my 5 Bulgarian Blessings!!!

Keith and Aleshia - A little of the Schedule!

Ok, so the Baby Shower is still focusing on Keith and Aleshia right now and there is so much more about them to tell.

They are the first two kids that will be picked up.  I will leave on July 13th and arrive in Bulgaria on July 14th.  On July 15th, we will travel to Aleshia's region and spend the night.

First thing on July 16th, we will pick up Aleshia!

Then we will drive to where Keith is and pick him up!!

Then we will take them both back to the capital city with us!!!!

I am so excited to hold them!!!

No more of being so unstimulated that he has to occupy his time this way!

Mommy's lap is where she will be sitting!!!

I think this will work well for strengthening those legs and stimulation!

Soothing is much better in one of these than what Keith is use to!

A walker to work with should be good for them both!

Best if all though:

When they need comforted Mommy's arms will be FOREVER available.

When they need to learn, Mommy will be so excited to teach.

When they need anything, there will be a whole BIG FAMILY ready to love them and take care of them!

To say I'm excited is the understatement of the world!  I've longed for that moment since I first laid eyes on them!!!