It's amazing how quickly the kids on the online photolistings can capture your heart so quickly. We have set these ideas of what we can handle, but it's amazing how those things don't seem to matter when you see the face of a little one who desperately needs a family. I have a feeling that our idea about the age of our next child will be the first thing to go out the window! Especially when you hear about a 3 year old child who was considered too old by many, and then spent the next 10 years waiting because of it (and is still waiting)....
I sent out a request this morning to learn more about a little girl whose information was on a photolisting (no picture). She's a little older then what we've been considering and she sounds so sweet (her caretakers describe her as sweet, funny and loving music and dancing).
UPDATE: Seems like this little one I enquired about is not available currently for my agency. Hopefully she will quickly find a family, but if not we could request that her file be sent over.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Who knew...
FBI fingerprinting would come with a treat?! A sucker to keep Canaan happy while he waits on us. Not 10 hours later we already got our results (approved). :)
Her shirt...
Washing one of our little girl's shirts today along with heeps of little boy clothes. :)
Friday, February 22, 2013
So Encouraging
I saw read this today from our agency's blog regarding adoptions in China:
"News travels fast. And in today’s 24-hour news cycle, newspapers seem to publish a constant and steady stream of articles on the growing decline in international adoption. While one country closes their adoption program, another places tougher requirements on families hoping to adopt.
As a family considering adoption, don’t lose heart.
One fact remains: our world is home to a staggering number of orphaned and abandoned children. And every day, Holt continues to find loving families for children who need them.
In fact, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: Holt International’s China program works with far more children than we have families to match them with!
In China, a great many children with treatable or manageable conditions are waiting to find loving, adoptive families. Through strong relationships with the Chinese government and social welfare institutes, Holt is able to match many of these children with families in a relatively short timeframe. The process is smooth and reliable, and once you apply to adopt a child with an identified special medical or developmental condition, or an older child, your child can be home in 12-18 months!"
"News travels fast. And in today’s 24-hour news cycle, newspapers seem to publish a constant and steady stream of articles on the growing decline in international adoption. While one country closes their adoption program, another places tougher requirements on families hoping to adopt.
As a family considering adoption, don’t lose heart.
One fact remains: our world is home to a staggering number of orphaned and abandoned children. And every day, Holt continues to find loving families for children who need them.
In fact, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: Holt International’s China program works with far more children than we have families to match them with!
In China, a great many children with treatable or manageable conditions are waiting to find loving, adoptive families. Through strong relationships with the Chinese government and social welfare institutes, Holt is able to match many of these children with families in a relatively short timeframe. The process is smooth and reliable, and once you apply to adopt a child with an identified special medical or developmental condition, or an older child, your child can be home in 12-18 months!"
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
W.O.W.
Just received our dossier checklist and it was pretty overwhelming at first, especially the state certification and state authentication parts... but after reading and rereading I'm starting to feel more comfortable with it all. I just need to get majorly organized... as in, clear out a room in our house just to create organized stacks of paper. So many documents, photocopies, etc! Thankfully, about half the checklist I've gotten taken care of already (docs also needed for our home study), but they have yet to be sent off to be state certified and then sent off again to be authenticated by two different Chinese Consulates (because we have used notaries in two states). It's easy to start felling overwhelmed... but like labor I know one day soon I'll look back and think that it really wasn't all that bad!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Application Done
We have now *officially* begun! We submitted our application to Holt today and this morning sent off our home study application!
In other news, I'm so sick with a cold and it's a miracle the dishes are done and the kids are fed! There is of course (as always) some adoption things I could do today, but I'm in just-get-through-the-day mode!
In other news, I'm so sick with a cold and it's a miracle the dishes are done and the kids are fed! There is of course (as always) some adoption things I could do today, but I'm in just-get-through-the-day mode!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Family Planning
In our family, we don't just believe in God, we also believe (and witness) God actively working in our lives and speaking to us in the mysterious / can't quite explain it sort of way that He does. This has never been so true as how He has been so clear on how our little family would form.
I have been wearing this little nest necklace (a gift from BJ) since my first Mother's day, and it is so treasured to me because it has always signified my three little ones - the two boys we would have biologically, and my little girl through adoption. I just KNEW, and I can't really explain how - that our family would form that way.
I believe God made this all clear to us for a reason. He knows and loves our daughter so much and has a plan for her life that includes being a part of our family, and he doesn't want us to miss our role in that plan.
I have been wearing this little nest necklace (a gift from BJ) since my first Mother's day, and it is so treasured to me because it has always signified my three little ones - the two boys we would have biologically, and my little girl through adoption. I just KNEW, and I can't really explain how - that our family would form that way.I believe God made this all clear to us for a reason. He knows and loves our daughter so much and has a plan for her life that includes being a part of our family, and he doesn't want us to miss our role in that plan.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Encouragement when needed most
There was a time... just two months ago, when I was so discouraged and feeling lost with our adoption, not knowing what might happen next or if it would be possible at all. On my hardest day I recieved a huge encouragement from my sweet friend Carey B and her husband Chris in the form of money to help us adopt. I've been thinking a lot about that day today and feeling so blessed. It meant everything to have God's encouragement though Carey at just the moment we needed it most. And now today, to see that God was working it all out, just makes my heart so happy. He is indeed making a way for our little one!
All of our prayers answered today!!
We emailed PDFs of our doctors forms and letter to our agency today and heard back quickly - we are ELIGIBLE to adopt from China!!!! We are SO SO thrilled! This weekend we'll finish our application and then next week we expect to finish up our home study packet (only a few things left to do there). We are finally on our way!Next steps after our applications is to schedule our home study visits and FBI fingerprinting.
And another update (which you might of guessed with the above news) - I also heard back with my official CT scan results on Wednesday and all looks good - no kidney stones or tumors!
This Momma of two boys celebrated today by picking up some little girl clothes!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
So much to say...
This week so much has happened. First and saddest, my adored Grandma Marie passed away on Thursday after a battle with cancer. I wrote this in memory of her...
Yesterday our adored Grandma Marie passed away. She truly was one of the most amazing women I have ever known - she made life magical. When she found out that she had cancer a little less than a year ago and she was about to begin chemo, she decided to have a little fun and have her hairdresser dye her hair a mixture of pink and tangerine.
She was an amazing gardener and artist, and the inspiration for my own profession and love of art. In the 1950's she taught art classes on television, a program broadcast into the local schools. She made countless creations with watercolor, pen and ink and stained glass. When her neighbors caught on to her talents you could soon see her entire street filled with stained glass windows she had created for them (usually just for the cost of the glass).
She shared stories of her father, an inventor, and his creations, and she herself brought true enchantment to life through her creativity. My most favorite and whimsical childhood memories are of being with her. I remember a time when she was excited to show me a little basket she had hung in a tree as a swing for my dolls. And just this past year, she did the same for Canaan in creating a little "wooded" area in the alcove of her room for him to sleep and play in, with branches all around, glow-in-the-dark stars up above, and a little swing for a stuffed teddy bear.
She was also one of the most generous people I have known. She was so generous, in fact, that we knew not to mention that you liked something of hers (which of course, were many things as her art, stained glass, home decor and mid century furniture was amazing) - as she would be quick to offer it to you with insistence. She was an amazing cook (with of course, attention always brought to presentation) who would hardly take no for an answer when serving meals or snacks. If simply became expected to leave her home with a full belly!
Above all else, she loved her family and showed us her love in so many ways. She raised four incredible children, adored her grandchildren & great grandchildren, and was an inspiration to us all in the way she lived life.
We were all so blessed to have known and loved her, and to have been loved by her.
A few months ago our family created an album with photos and Grandma's artwork. If you'd like to take a look you can view it at http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/all/the-artwork-of-marie-vance-7533364?vk=u1OdILOTCB.
It was a difficult night after learning about Grandma, especially knowing that at 6am the next morning BJ and I would leave for my CT scan and scope to see what might be wrong with me. I slept very little, but we made it fine and the appointment went well. Although the scope was painful, both procedures showed preliminary positive results. We should learn more next week when the official CT results come back, but my urologist saw nothing obviously wrong. This was of course a huge relief to us!
After the procedures BJ and I took advantage of a kid free morning and got our wills and adoption agreement notarized. We also got the final piece of paperwork that we needed sent over to BJ's primary doctor. With this ready and my tests completed, we are hoping to finally be able to finish this medical paperwork and apply in the next week or two!
We also made a decision regarding our medical conditions checklist that I would love to share - but I'll save it for a separate post.
Yesterday our adored Grandma Marie passed away. She truly was one of the most amazing women I have ever known - she made life magical. When she found out that she had cancer a little less than a year ago and she was about to begin chemo, she decided to have a little fun and have her hairdresser dye her hair a mixture of pink and tangerine.
She was an amazing gardener and artist, and the inspiration for my own profession and love of art. In the 1950's she taught art classes on television, a program broadcast into the local schools. She made countless creations with watercolor, pen and ink and stained glass. When her neighbors caught on to her talents you could soon see her entire street filled with stained glass windows she had created for them (usually just for the cost of the glass).
She shared stories of her father, an inventor, and his creations, and she herself brought true enchantment to life through her creativity. My most favorite and whimsical childhood memories are of being with her. I remember a time when she was excited to show me a little basket she had hung in a tree as a swing for my dolls. And just this past year, she did the same for Canaan in creating a little "wooded" area in the alcove of her room for him to sleep and play in, with branches all around, glow-in-the-dark stars up above, and a little swing for a stuffed teddy bear.
She was also one of the most generous people I have known. She was so generous, in fact, that we knew not to mention that you liked something of hers (which of course, were many things as her art, stained glass, home decor and mid century furniture was amazing) - as she would be quick to offer it to you with insistence. She was an amazing cook (with of course, attention always brought to presentation) who would hardly take no for an answer when serving meals or snacks. If simply became expected to leave her home with a full belly! Above all else, she loved her family and showed us her love in so many ways. She raised four incredible children, adored her grandchildren & great grandchildren, and was an inspiration to us all in the way she lived life.
We were all so blessed to have known and loved her, and to have been loved by her.
A few months ago our family created an album with photos and Grandma's artwork. If you'd like to take a look you can view it at http://www.mixbook.com/photo-books/all/the-artwork-of-marie-vance-7533364?vk=u1OdILOTCB.
It was a difficult night after learning about Grandma, especially knowing that at 6am the next morning BJ and I would leave for my CT scan and scope to see what might be wrong with me. I slept very little, but we made it fine and the appointment went well. Although the scope was painful, both procedures showed preliminary positive results. We should learn more next week when the official CT results come back, but my urologist saw nothing obviously wrong. This was of course a huge relief to us!
After the procedures BJ and I took advantage of a kid free morning and got our wills and adoption agreement notarized. We also got the final piece of paperwork that we needed sent over to BJ's primary doctor. With this ready and my tests completed, we are hoping to finally be able to finish this medical paperwork and apply in the next week or two!
We also made a decision regarding our medical conditions checklist that I would love to share - but I'll save it for a separate post.
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