Our fingerprints are done! We did them one week early. I don't know if that will really affect our waiting time, but they are DONE. If I didn't hate calling people so much, I would have already called to find out where our case stands. My goal is to call on Monday. :) We are chasing down our last few documents and then we will be ready! I'm really hoping to get everything over to Ukraine ASAP so we can be one of the first families submitted. I feel kind of like I am racing against other families. I'm VERY happy for every family who gets submitted, gets their SDA appt, etc. but it's a weird kind of feeling, hoping they get submitted but also wanting it to be MY turn! If that makes any sense.
It's crazy to think that we could be meeting our son in just three months! It seems so far away, and yet so close. I have to start getting the boys' room ready! He already has boxes of clothes waiting for him! What he doesn't have is a NAME. We like Joshua and Charlie, and we can't pick one! They are equally good, and they have the same amount of pros and cons! I had pretty much settled on Charlie, but now I am back to Joshua. It means "Jehovah saves" - how can I NOT name him that? BUT, I don't want him to be "Josh". Sigh. We may not decide until we meet him! I told Ken this means we need to get more children, so we can use all the names we like :).
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
A few updates
My estimate of mailing our dossier on Jan. 1 was waaaay off. At this point, we won't even have our fingerprints done until Dec. 30th!! Then it's usually a few weeks until we get our immigration approval, and we can't send our dossier until we get that. On top of that, Ken needs to redo his employment letter, but he's not going back to work until after Christmas; I still haven't gotten my letter yet but it should be here after Christmas. I put dossier paperwork aside while I worked on our fundraiser, and the entire week afterwards I was ex.haus.ted. I think I was probably fighting off the flu or a cold, because both were barreling through work. But I couldn't DO ANYTHING. The Saturday after our fundraiser, I took two naps, and I hate naps! This week was better, but I am still pretty tired, mostly due to not sleeping more than 5-6 hours a night. Yuck. All this to say, I suddenly realized I was behind on paperwork! But I am catching up, and it will help that Ken is off of work all week. AND, I quit my job. I am now a stay-at-home mom full time! It was very hard to leave work, but I'm going to try and go back once a month and be the "craft lady". It's hard to leave direct care, because you get involved in your clients lives, of course. I've known all the residents for two years, when everyone moved in, and I will miss them and my wonderful coworkers! They sent me off with rice crispie treats and sang a song to me!
December 16th was supposed to be the date of the 2nd vote in Ukraine, but it got moved to next week sometime. That's good because it allowed time for a few more kids to get out of the country, but on some level I just want to KNOW what's going to happen. Even if Ukraine does close (and obviously we hope it won't!) we will still stay committed to LittleKid. Ukraine will most likely reopen in a few months, and then we can go get him. It would be really bad for him to wait that long, though, because of his pulmonary hypertension. His lungs and heart are damaged more and more as time goes on, and I hate to think of the ridiculously pointless suffering he would go through due to politics. Hopefully, the vote won't go through, and Littlekid will be in our arms soon.
December 16th was supposed to be the date of the 2nd vote in Ukraine, but it got moved to next week sometime. That's good because it allowed time for a few more kids to get out of the country, but on some level I just want to KNOW what's going to happen. Even if Ukraine does close (and obviously we hope it won't!) we will still stay committed to LittleKid. Ukraine will most likely reopen in a few months, and then we can go get him. It would be really bad for him to wait that long, though, because of his pulmonary hypertension. His lungs and heart are damaged more and more as time goes on, and I hate to think of the ridiculously pointless suffering he would go through due to politics. Hopefully, the vote won't go through, and Littlekid will be in our arms soon.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Good news and the worries
If you're wondering where I've been, it's HERE.
I finally have some good news to report! Our homestudy text is finished! I say "text" because it's not really official yet. We're still waiting on a signature from someone - it's always something! We've been waiting for this person for two weeks now, and it's starting to annoy me, because of her other recent instances of poor communication. BUT. We are making progress and that's great! I was starting to hate the question "how is the adoption process going" but now I have good news to report! We will be sending our I600 form (immigration) out within the next few days, to beat the fee increase, and then the homestudy will follow close behind! In the meantime I am gathering the paperwork needed for our dossier, with my goal of having it in the mail by January 1. Pray for a smooth process!
Lately I have felt like God has been reminding me that He is here. Just the simple fact that He's here. I love the feeling of knowing He's got me surrounded, that His hands are in my life. I am basking in this, and it's been great. It makes me slightly nervous, though, that He's letting me know this because in the very near future I might NEED to know it. I am trying to hold those feelings at bay though and just enjoy spending time with ABBA. I wish I had some more great words about that, but a writer I am not :).
Now, the worries...We recently learned that Ukraine might close international adoptions for awhile. We don't know when, for how long, or even if it will happen. They (the Ukrainians) voted to become Hague-compliant, which is a good thing, but they would close adoptions to do so. They will have another vote that needs to go through, and we don't know when that will happen. After that, the president needs to approve it. Ukraine is known for not doing anything simply, and the moratorium could last MONTHS while kids at risk lose out on any chance of rescue. We are all praying that IF it closes, it won't be til after we get Joshua home. Our Reece's Rainbow teams have people working on both sides of the ocean, advocating for the kids. They are working to have the moratorium not affect special needs adoptions, since these kids so desperately need to get out. Here is a statement from Andrea, founder of RR:
"IF they do indeed put a moratorium in place, we are advocating HARD with Congressional Leaders, the US State Dept, the US Embassy in Kyiv, and our facilitation teams on the ground there in Ukraine... to make sure the voice of these children is heard, and that the parliament there understands the life-altering gravity of their decision to impose a closure, even for a short period of time. Even under the guise of improving the process or moving towards Hague compliance, this would be nothing short of a human rights violation, to prevent the adoption of those children with special needs."
I finally have some good news to report! Our homestudy text is finished! I say "text" because it's not really official yet. We're still waiting on a signature from someone - it's always something! We've been waiting for this person for two weeks now, and it's starting to annoy me, because of her other recent instances of poor communication. BUT. We are making progress and that's great! I was starting to hate the question "how is the adoption process going" but now I have good news to report! We will be sending our I600 form (immigration) out within the next few days, to beat the fee increase, and then the homestudy will follow close behind! In the meantime I am gathering the paperwork needed for our dossier, with my goal of having it in the mail by January 1. Pray for a smooth process!
Lately I have felt like God has been reminding me that He is here. Just the simple fact that He's here. I love the feeling of knowing He's got me surrounded, that His hands are in my life. I am basking in this, and it's been great. It makes me slightly nervous, though, that He's letting me know this because in the very near future I might NEED to know it. I am trying to hold those feelings at bay though and just enjoy spending time with ABBA. I wish I had some more great words about that, but a writer I am not :).
Now, the worries...We recently learned that Ukraine might close international adoptions for awhile. We don't know when, for how long, or even if it will happen. They (the Ukrainians) voted to become Hague-compliant, which is a good thing, but they would close adoptions to do so. They will have another vote that needs to go through, and we don't know when that will happen. After that, the president needs to approve it. Ukraine is known for not doing anything simply, and the moratorium could last MONTHS while kids at risk lose out on any chance of rescue. We are all praying that IF it closes, it won't be til after we get Joshua home. Our Reece's Rainbow teams have people working on both sides of the ocean, advocating for the kids. They are working to have the moratorium not affect special needs adoptions, since these kids so desperately need to get out. Here is a statement from Andrea, founder of RR:
"IF they do indeed put a moratorium in place, we are advocating HARD with Congressional Leaders, the US State Dept, the US Embassy in Kyiv, and our facilitation teams on the ground there in Ukraine... to make sure the voice of these children is heard, and that the parliament there understands the life-altering gravity of their decision to impose a closure, even for a short period of time. Even under the guise of improving the process or moving towards Hague compliance, this would be nothing short of a human rights violation, to prevent the adoption of those children with special needs."
Monday, October 25, 2010
Getting Hooked on RR
I have always had a passion for children, as well as those with special needs. Reece's Rainbow brings these two passions together, AND I even get a sweet little boy out of the deal! :) Now I am hooked on RR, and I am proud to say that I am getting others to be hooked too! One person is now a prayer warrior, and I am prodding two others to be Christmas warriors. (You know who you are...) I know that not everyone is in a position to adopt, but you can always pray, advocate, and support adopting families! Reece's Rainbow is just busting at the seams with children who have found their forever families. A large part of this is due to people spreading the word and advocating for the kids. I heard about it from another family who adopted a little girl, and now I'm spreading the word to others.
There are so many gorgeous children who need families. Some have down syndrome, some have HIV, some have FAS or CP or any other combination of letters. But they are all needing one thing: a family to love them and bring them home. If they aren't rescued, their situations are dire. Most never live past the age of 10. They die alone, in cribs, where they've spent their whole lives. The RR world was rocked recently when one of "our" kids, Anne Marie, passed away. She was only four years old.
Four.
She died without a family, without the medical care that would have saved her life.
All of us Mama Bears are fighting hard so that this does not happen. Please fight with us. Look at their faces and try and tell me it's not worth it. I dare you.
Pray for the kids, become a Prayer Warrior. Pray for the adopting families, it is a very tough process.
Get the word out. Tell people about adoption. Tell them about the mental institutions that suck the life out of little children. Tell them they can help.
Support adopting families. Give financially, or give an encouraging word. Support the waiting children by donating to their grant funds. If adoption were free, there would be no waiting children.
Thank you for helping.
Click on Joshua's picture over there somewhere --->
or visit www.reecesrainbow.org
Always.
Rachel
There are so many gorgeous children who need families. Some have down syndrome, some have HIV, some have FAS or CP or any other combination of letters. But they are all needing one thing: a family to love them and bring them home. If they aren't rescued, their situations are dire. Most never live past the age of 10. They die alone, in cribs, where they've spent their whole lives. The RR world was rocked recently when one of "our" kids, Anne Marie, passed away. She was only four years old.
Four.
She died without a family, without the medical care that would have saved her life.
All of us Mama Bears are fighting hard so that this does not happen. Please fight with us. Look at their faces and try and tell me it's not worth it. I dare you.
Pray for the kids, become a Prayer Warrior. Pray for the adopting families, it is a very tough process.
Get the word out. Tell people about adoption. Tell them about the mental institutions that suck the life out of little children. Tell them they can help.
Support adopting families. Give financially, or give an encouraging word. Support the waiting children by donating to their grant funds. If adoption were free, there would be no waiting children.
Thank you for helping.
Click on Joshua's picture over there somewhere --->
or visit www.reecesrainbow.org
Always.
Rachel
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Prophecy
Brennan knows his first sign - "milk"! He used it all the time for a few days, but now he only does it if we make him. Just like all of his words - he does it well for a little while, and then they disappear. Right now he only says "woof", and an occasional repeated word. He actually repeated "Granma" the other day!
I posted on my other blog that we received Ken's background clearance, but we were still missing one piece. It was one of our references. This person STILL did not send it in for us, even after we called and reminded them. So we asked another person, and they sent it in yesterday! So, we should have our final meeting with our social worker next week sometime! I got all of our application paperwork done in record time, so the delays in getting the HS completed have been frustrating! I know we won't be able to submit our dossier until February. I am okay with that, because I think that's great timing for us (ok - a *little* earlier would be great too!). But I wish things would go more smoothly in the meantime! We did send our POAs and CSPs to LittleKid's country last Wednesday, and they should get there by this Friday. Hmm, I should probably find the tracking number for that...
Ok, so on to the prophecy. My church had two meetings called presbytery this past Sunday and Monday. I missed the message and meeting on Sunday, but I went on Monday night. There were two prophets visiting to, well, give prophecies. Some people were preselected through the leadership team (the prophets knew nothing about them though) and then at the end they did "popcorn" prophecy. (Aside: I never expected prophets of the Lord would be SO funny!) Many people received prophecy from them, and I was one. It was amazing and served as a great encouragement to me. Beforehand, I had wondered what I might want to receive a prophecy about. One of them was to know I was doing the right thing - mainly, that my passion for children and orphans were indeed from God. I received confirmation of that, plus a direct word from God (chills!). He said that he was going to give me a grace that whenever I touch a baby, God touches them; that I will be His hands extended. The depth of that takes my breath away. I was also told that I would have a ministry to children where I would be able to administer encouragement and life, and that God will give me the ability to bring a protection around the innocents that I so deeply want to protect. I was then warned not to rely on my own strength, that I need to love them and lay them down in God's arms. That HIS strength is enough. He ended with: "God can protect them. Don't you fear."
I got an audio copy of this, and I typed it all up. I keep reading it and I'm just so in awe. I wish I was better with words so I could explain what this means to me. I am a passionate person by nature. My passion for children - vulnerable, hurt, and poor children especially - is so strong sometimes I feel like it's moving inside of me. I want to save them all. Of course, I can't do that. That's where the warning comes in - I need to love 'em and leave 'em in God's arms. To have the knowledge that I am on God's side, that I can love the babies and know that I can leave them with God's love and protection - I feel like my feet have been put on solid ground. I fret about all "my" babies, the ones I love but have never met - the orphans who I desperately want families for, the babies I've seen in foster care, the little children I know who hurt. I don't even know most of these kids, but I feel their pain so acutely. Sometimes I get sick to my stomach, knowing there's one more little child without a family or without love. Right now I feel that 1) I am not crazy, God made me this way and B) God can protect them. I always knew God could protect them, but hearing it from God himself - it's pretty neat. :)
I posted on my other blog that we received Ken's background clearance, but we were still missing one piece. It was one of our references. This person STILL did not send it in for us, even after we called and reminded them. So we asked another person, and they sent it in yesterday! So, we should have our final meeting with our social worker next week sometime! I got all of our application paperwork done in record time, so the delays in getting the HS completed have been frustrating! I know we won't be able to submit our dossier until February. I am okay with that, because I think that's great timing for us (ok - a *little* earlier would be great too!). But I wish things would go more smoothly in the meantime! We did send our POAs and CSPs to LittleKid's country last Wednesday, and they should get there by this Friday. Hmm, I should probably find the tracking number for that...
Ok, so on to the prophecy. My church had two meetings called presbytery this past Sunday and Monday. I missed the message and meeting on Sunday, but I went on Monday night. There were two prophets visiting to, well, give prophecies. Some people were preselected through the leadership team (the prophets knew nothing about them though) and then at the end they did "popcorn" prophecy. (Aside: I never expected prophets of the Lord would be SO funny!) Many people received prophecy from them, and I was one. It was amazing and served as a great encouragement to me. Beforehand, I had wondered what I might want to receive a prophecy about. One of them was to know I was doing the right thing - mainly, that my passion for children and orphans were indeed from God. I received confirmation of that, plus a direct word from God (chills!). He said that he was going to give me a grace that whenever I touch a baby, God touches them; that I will be His hands extended. The depth of that takes my breath away. I was also told that I would have a ministry to children where I would be able to administer encouragement and life, and that God will give me the ability to bring a protection around the innocents that I so deeply want to protect. I was then warned not to rely on my own strength, that I need to love them and lay them down in God's arms. That HIS strength is enough. He ended with: "God can protect them. Don't you fear."
I got an audio copy of this, and I typed it all up. I keep reading it and I'm just so in awe. I wish I was better with words so I could explain what this means to me. I am a passionate person by nature. My passion for children - vulnerable, hurt, and poor children especially - is so strong sometimes I feel like it's moving inside of me. I want to save them all. Of course, I can't do that. That's where the warning comes in - I need to love 'em and leave 'em in God's arms. To have the knowledge that I am on God's side, that I can love the babies and know that I can leave them with God's love and protection - I feel like my feet have been put on solid ground. I fret about all "my" babies, the ones I love but have never met - the orphans who I desperately want families for, the babies I've seen in foster care, the little children I know who hurt. I don't even know most of these kids, but I feel their pain so acutely. Sometimes I get sick to my stomach, knowing there's one more little child without a family or without love. Right now I feel that 1) I am not crazy, God made me this way and B) God can protect them. I always knew God could protect them, but hearing it from God himself - it's pretty neat. :)
Friday, September 24, 2010
Still Here!
(cross-posted)
I've been so busy! And I am not a person who likes to be really busy; I'd rather be at home with my family. So I cannot WAIT for October, when I have (slightly) more free time!
We've had our second homestudy appointment, but unfortunately, we're still waiting on Ken's background clearance so we can finish. We had to send another form of to Indiana, where Ken went to school. I am not a fan of Indiana. Hopefully his clearance will come back quickly, and we can finally finish our homestudy! Our worker is doing what she can to help us, so that's nice. By the way, it is NOT an easy task to get documents notarized when you and you husband work opposite hours. But we did it! At times like this it is very tempting to just quit my job. But, it isn't time for that yet, so I keep chugging!
We're not moving as quickly as I would like, but we have time. We're aiming for the spring, when LittleKid's country will reopen for dossier submission. But I still want to move as quickly as possible, so we're READY. In the meantime, I've been collecting clothing donations for LittleKid's orphanage, and having garage sale fundraisers. This past weekend we had a sale at my aunt's house. On Saturday, I left for work about twenty minutes before the end of the sale. After I left, a woman came and chatted with my aunt about LittleKid. She handed my aunt a check for our donation bucket and left. My aunt looked at it and it was for FIVE HUNDRED dollars!! It's nearly a week later and I am still in shock! How amazing is that? How blessed we are!
This Sunday is my baby's first birthday! We're having a monkey-themed party, and we're having trifle instead of cake. Apparently, this is an AWFUL thing to do. :)
Brennan keeps getting better at walking! He can go halfway across the room without falling now! He's pretty cautious, but he's been getting more brave and even walking away from furniture that he's holding on to. He walked from one of his toys to the other, and was pretty proud of himself! He also has a second word - "woof!" I didn't even teach it to him. We were sitting on our deck and the neighbors dog was barking. All of a sudden Brennan busts out with a "woof, woof" right back! It was way too cute. Now whenever he hears a dog barking, no matter how far away, he starts woof-ing! I think he says "more" too, ("mo, mo") but I am not sure yet! I can't believe a year has passed since my little guy was born!
I've been so busy! And I am not a person who likes to be really busy; I'd rather be at home with my family. So I cannot WAIT for October, when I have (slightly) more free time!
We've had our second homestudy appointment, but unfortunately, we're still waiting on Ken's background clearance so we can finish. We had to send another form of to Indiana, where Ken went to school. I am not a fan of Indiana. Hopefully his clearance will come back quickly, and we can finally finish our homestudy! Our worker is doing what she can to help us, so that's nice. By the way, it is NOT an easy task to get documents notarized when you and you husband work opposite hours. But we did it! At times like this it is very tempting to just quit my job. But, it isn't time for that yet, so I keep chugging!
We're not moving as quickly as I would like, but we have time. We're aiming for the spring, when LittleKid's country will reopen for dossier submission. But I still want to move as quickly as possible, so we're READY. In the meantime, I've been collecting clothing donations for LittleKid's orphanage, and having garage sale fundraisers. This past weekend we had a sale at my aunt's house. On Saturday, I left for work about twenty minutes before the end of the sale. After I left, a woman came and chatted with my aunt about LittleKid. She handed my aunt a check for our donation bucket and left. My aunt looked at it and it was for FIVE HUNDRED dollars!! It's nearly a week later and I am still in shock! How amazing is that? How blessed we are!
This Sunday is my baby's first birthday! We're having a monkey-themed party, and we're having trifle instead of cake. Apparently, this is an AWFUL thing to do. :)
Brennan keeps getting better at walking! He can go halfway across the room without falling now! He's pretty cautious, but he's been getting more brave and even walking away from furniture that he's holding on to. He walked from one of his toys to the other, and was pretty proud of himself! He also has a second word - "woof!" I didn't even teach it to him. We were sitting on our deck and the neighbors dog was barking. All of a sudden Brennan busts out with a "woof, woof" right back! It was way too cute. Now whenever he hears a dog barking, no matter how far away, he starts woof-ing! I think he says "more" too, ("mo, mo") but I am not sure yet! I can't believe a year has passed since my little guy was born!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Joy and Frustration
I've decided that for the next few months, I will only pick up ONE extra shift per week. No more! I've been picking up every shift I can so we can save up money. But that really wasn't bright! I'm behind on housework, and more importantly, I miss having all day to spend with my son.
I am very glad that I was at work yesterday, however, as I had a great spirit-lifting moment. On Thursdays, we take the residents to a church service especially for adults with special needs, called People of Praise. It is wonderful and the staff love going as much as the residents! Now, lately I've been feeling frustrated with some things having to do with our adoption. But as I was sitting at People of Praise, I looked around and saw dozens of adults worshiping the Lord. Dancing, singing, praising in whatever way they were able. There's always a few that make there way up to the stage, too! And I thought, This is why we're fighting for our children. International adoption is not easy. It's costly, and you have to deal with different countries' (at times difficult) governments and laws. But it's worth it. We bring our kids home where they not only have a family who loves them, but a chance to learn and be healthy. And, a chance to freely worship with others just like themselves, surrounded by staff and volunteers who CARE about them. Isn't that great? I felt much more at peace after that, and today, some of the things that were frustrating me were resolved! Hurrah!
When we met with our adoption worker, she really seemed to have a negative attitude towards our adoption. I don't know if it was just my perception, or if she was having a bad day, or what. She said she'd email us later that day (she had to sign a form for us), but she didn't until I checked in a few days later. At that point, she said she'd follow up with us on Tuesday, which she didn't. (By the way, I am really starting to dread long weekends!) After I emailed her again, all of a sudden her attitude was completely different! It's hard to tell through email of course, but it seems to be much better. Of course, it could be MY attitude that's better, but what's the likelihood of that?? Ha!
I've also been really frustrated with Ukraine's shutting down for a few months. It seems so easy on paper - homestudy down by the end of September, USCIS approval done in 30 days (HA) and submit dossier by November. Sadly, that's just not going to happen. But, it's all right, our time will come.
This last week I have learned so much about LittleKid's country, his region, and even his orphanage. I've seen pictures of his area, and even learned more about Joshua - like, he laughs! Isn't that great, my boy laughs! It's such a small thing, but it brought me so much joy. I have connected with families who were praying for LittleKid before we even knew he existed! How awesome is God? That He would have people praying for our boy, while we were praying for God to sure us which one is OURS! I'm just in awe. So overall it's been a pretty great week, even with the frustration. It seems to just be part of the adoption process!
I was planning to write about Brennan too, but I am WAY to tired. So stay tuned for cute Brennan updates!
I am very glad that I was at work yesterday, however, as I had a great spirit-lifting moment. On Thursdays, we take the residents to a church service especially for adults with special needs, called People of Praise. It is wonderful and the staff love going as much as the residents! Now, lately I've been feeling frustrated with some things having to do with our adoption. But as I was sitting at People of Praise, I looked around and saw dozens of adults worshiping the Lord. Dancing, singing, praising in whatever way they were able. There's always a few that make there way up to the stage, too! And I thought, This is why we're fighting for our children. International adoption is not easy. It's costly, and you have to deal with different countries' (at times difficult) governments and laws. But it's worth it. We bring our kids home where they not only have a family who loves them, but a chance to learn and be healthy. And, a chance to freely worship with others just like themselves, surrounded by staff and volunteers who CARE about them. Isn't that great? I felt much more at peace after that, and today, some of the things that were frustrating me were resolved! Hurrah!
When we met with our adoption worker, she really seemed to have a negative attitude towards our adoption. I don't know if it was just my perception, or if she was having a bad day, or what. She said she'd email us later that day (she had to sign a form for us), but she didn't until I checked in a few days later. At that point, she said she'd follow up with us on Tuesday, which she didn't. (By the way, I am really starting to dread long weekends!) After I emailed her again, all of a sudden her attitude was completely different! It's hard to tell through email of course, but it seems to be much better. Of course, it could be MY attitude that's better, but what's the likelihood of that?? Ha!
I've also been really frustrated with Ukraine's shutting down for a few months. It seems so easy on paper - homestudy down by the end of September, USCIS approval done in 30 days (HA) and submit dossier by November. Sadly, that's just not going to happen. But, it's all right, our time will come.
This last week I have learned so much about LittleKid's country, his region, and even his orphanage. I've seen pictures of his area, and even learned more about Joshua - like, he laughs! Isn't that great, my boy laughs! It's such a small thing, but it brought me so much joy. I have connected with families who were praying for LittleKid before we even knew he existed! How awesome is God? That He would have people praying for our boy, while we were praying for God to sure us which one is OURS! I'm just in awe. So overall it's been a pretty great week, even with the frustration. It seems to just be part of the adoption process!
I was planning to write about Brennan too, but I am WAY to tired. So stay tuned for cute Brennan updates!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Guess who's on the "My Family Found Me" Page?
It's LittleKid!
We had our first homestudy appointment today and sent in the paperwork for our commitment to JOSHUA! He's such a darling little boy with down syndrome. He's a three year old who desperately needs heart surgery, has the cutest little cheeks, and he's tiny! "Joshua" isn't his real name, but we're not really sure what we'll name him yet. We might just keep it Joshua! He won't be home until next spring.
I am SO excited about this new adventure in our lives. I am so blessed to find people like me - people who care so much about these little children in need that they mourn those who are lost and rejoice when a child finds a family - a child they've never even met. In the last few months, I've seen many children blessed with families, and it's wonderful! But there are so many more who need a mom and dad. Many of these children will be sent to institutions where they will spend the rest of their short lives lying in cribs, starving, with NO ONE to hold them, sing to them, or tell them that they are loved. Please consider adoption (ask me how!) or, if that's not for your family, consider sponsoring a family or a child. Reece's Rainbow gives in so many ways, and you can too.
*steps off soap box*
That's not really where I intended to go - so now we'll move to my other favorite topic - Brennan!
Brennan has a new love. It's plastic, greenish yellow, and squeaks.
Yep, it's a hammer.
He carries it with him everywhere! Grandma's house, Target, everywhere! He crawls with it, stands up with it, cruises with it. Oh, and hits Mama with it! I have no idea what made him so attached to this hammer, but if you try and take it away from him, watch out!
Brennan is taking more steps now! He takes a few steps between two people. It's mostly falling with style. But there's been times where he'll get three solid steps in before crashing! And yet, he still can't stand! Actually, I'm not really sure how well he can stand, because he just. won't. do it! Brennan's getting to be such a little smarty pants. He's figuring things out pretty quickly these days. I love to watch him complete simple tasks and marvel at human development. Really, it's amazing to me that this baby, who 11 months ago couldn't even eat or breathe on his own, can now crawl, walk around tables, and pick up little pieces of bread and eat them. In another year, he'll be doing so much more. I really love kids :).
We had our first homestudy appointment today and sent in the paperwork for our commitment to JOSHUA! He's such a darling little boy with down syndrome. He's a three year old who desperately needs heart surgery, has the cutest little cheeks, and he's tiny! "Joshua" isn't his real name, but we're not really sure what we'll name him yet. We might just keep it Joshua! He won't be home until next spring.
I am SO excited about this new adventure in our lives. I am so blessed to find people like me - people who care so much about these little children in need that they mourn those who are lost and rejoice when a child finds a family - a child they've never even met. In the last few months, I've seen many children blessed with families, and it's wonderful! But there are so many more who need a mom and dad. Many of these children will be sent to institutions where they will spend the rest of their short lives lying in cribs, starving, with NO ONE to hold them, sing to them, or tell them that they are loved. Please consider adoption (ask me how!) or, if that's not for your family, consider sponsoring a family or a child. Reece's Rainbow gives in so many ways, and you can too.
*steps off soap box*
That's not really where I intended to go - so now we'll move to my other favorite topic - Brennan!
Brennan has a new love. It's plastic, greenish yellow, and squeaks.
He carries it with him everywhere! Grandma's house, Target, everywhere! He crawls with it, stands up with it, cruises with it. Oh, and hits Mama with it! I have no idea what made him so attached to this hammer, but if you try and take it away from him, watch out!
Brennan is taking more steps now! He takes a few steps between two people. It's mostly falling with style. But there's been times where he'll get three solid steps in before crashing! And yet, he still can't stand! Actually, I'm not really sure how well he can stand, because he just. won't. do it! Brennan's getting to be such a little smarty pants. He's figuring things out pretty quickly these days. I love to watch him complete simple tasks and marvel at human development. Really, it's amazing to me that this baby, who 11 months ago couldn't even eat or breathe on his own, can now crawl, walk around tables, and pick up little pieces of bread and eat them. In another year, he'll be doing so much more. I really love kids :).
Monday, August 30, 2010
Our Private Blog!
In addition to my public blog, I have decided to make a private blog for our adoption journey! Since I am not allowed to name our child's country, real name, or put pictures on a public blog, I will use this blog for more detailed information about our adoption process. My other blog will still have the basic info, but this one will have all the juicy stuff!
Stay tuned...
Stay tuned...
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