Finally Moving!!!!!!!!!!!???

I haven't written anything for close to a year because:

1.  There's not been much going on.

2.  It's been kinda depressing.

3.  I'm lazy.

But, we finally have some good news to share! 

Here are some (ok, many) updates to bring you up to date:

December 14, 2011 (letter from CAS)
Dear Moldova Families,

We are pleased to inform you that Julie Glandt has returned from Moldova. She was able to assist two families with completing the final phase of their adoption process and returning to the US with their children! The agency’s registration process with the Ministry of Justice continues. The meetings with the Ministry are set at their discretion and they have indicated that they are planning to bring together all representative for an overview of the process and plans. They have just not given a specific date. In speaking with the Director of Child Protection in Chisinau, it was indicated that the rules regarding adoption have not been well defined or explained, so everyone is waiting for responses from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection Adoption Division, including Moldova’s own Child Protection officials.
The US Embassy has also encountered difficulties receiving timely communication from the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, so the issue of clear communication and clarity of the process is happening at all levels. At this point families may want to consider what alternatives are available to them or wait to see when the Moldova officials are ready to move forward and how all the new rules and regulations will be implemented. We realize that the wait is frustrating and will continue to do what we can to move adoptions in Moldova forward.

Regards,
Tania Griasnow
Eastern European Program Coordinator
Carolina Adoption Services, Inc.


January 12, 2012 

I took Cohen's 1 month pictures today.  Nicole and I talked for a long time.  It was nice to be able to share my feelings with her.  They just adopted a newborn!!  In short, it was a miracle story.  He is SO sweet, and I was SO happy for them!!!  I was also totally disappointed in myself.  I actually felt jealous of their adoption story.  It seemed like it went so smoothly compared to ours.  I felt terrible that I even could have these thoughts!  Here, we already have 2 beautiful girls, and they have been trying to conceive for years.  What was wrong with me!?

January 18, 2012 
(facebook) Nicole shared this video with me today... It is so true! I wanted to share it with the other moms who are waiting for their children to come home too!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGw5sQbcwiI


On January 23rd, I got a phone call in the afternoon from CAS (our referral agency).  Tania called to update us on the changes in the adoption program in Moldova.  I don't think I'll ever forget this day.  I would compare it to the night that I found out that I was going to have to have a C-section with Kylie (and again when they said I had to have one with Ari).  All three days were scary and/or depressing.

I remember telling Jas while we were all eating.  He didn't want to talk about it, and I was upset because I thought he didn't respond right.  Jas felt angry when I first told him, and he needed time to think and pray.  I wanted him to assure me that it was going to be ok.  I wanted to process everything by talking.  I took the girls to swim class, and it all hit me right there alongside the pool.  I was trying to hide the tears as I wrote on facebook... 

Here's the conversation on Facebook that night.  I am SO thankful for friends and family that responded with prayers and encouragement!!!  I can't explain how awesome that was to feel their love!! 

January 23, 2012 (facebook status)
You know when God allows you to head towards something in your life that is WAY too big for you to be able to handle? - That's today and I'm terrified!! But, I have also seen Him get me through 1 other impossible time; so, I know that if I let Him, He will make it all make sense in the end! And, life will somehow be WAY better!!

Replies:

Becky Kenny Dihrkop Very true sweet girl! Hang in there  -January 23 at 6:19pm

Angela Zinz Maggard Thanks Becki!! We just found out that we will have to definitely stay 30 days in Moldova and then go back again for 2 weeks to bring back Newbie... Plus, we won't be able to turn in a dossier until spring, and that's only a maybe... Then, we still have the wait for our referral which used to be up to 9 months... So, we will need 4 tickets on trip one and 3 on trip two... God is bigger than all my fears, but I have to admit im still crying... -January 23 at 6:57pm

Becky Kenny Dihrkop Oh im sorry you have to through all this. It will be so worth it. Have you thought about getting sponsor's to help with cost  -January 23 at 7:02pm

Jamie Stafford omg...30days without you guys? idk if it can be done. We might have to go meet newbie with you guys. -January 23 at 7:05pm

Becky Hart-Williams oh wow!! that would be an adventure! praying for you & that God will work in an amazing, unexpected way!! - January 23 at 7:06pm 

Andrea Appel Dumalski It will all work out. That I know for sure :). xoxo - January 23 at 7:12pm



Cindy Leininger McCoy What an exciting adventure!!! Good luck.  - January 23 at 7:25pm
 
Linda Zinz Here is your family missions trip and Jason will even be going! Maybe your church could help you out with this? Praying with you.  -January 23 at 7:29pm
 
Angela Zinz Maggard -Thank you for all your encouragement... It was really hard for both Jas and I to digest today, but we feel like God is just wanting us to take a few days and really pray and trust Him... I think it's what we both needed to help us realize that it's all in His hands, and He (not us) is in control... So, I appreciate all your prayers with us... It will all be perfect whatever path He puts us on... :)  -January 23 at 8:46pm
 
Josh Zinz- we feel your pain a little, just no where near that scale. love you, and our whole church will be praying for you.  -January 24 at 5:21pm 
 
Angela Zinz Maggard  - Thanks, Josh... That means a lot! I know you both know what it's like to wait and wonder where the money is going to come from! We will be praying for our nieces or nephews to come home soon too!!! Love you both!  -January 24 at 5:29pm

After I got home, I pretty much fell apart.  I just laid in bed and cried.  Jas drove to the gas station and came back to tell me that he felt like God just wanted us to not talk a lot about it and just pray for a couple days. We had a lengthy conversation both realizing that God was trying to get us to learn different things.  I needed to learn to take my fears to God, not rely on other people to process things.  Jas needed to learn that God was in control and to trust Him.  Jas said that this adoption was the right thing to do; and, even if it cost a lot of money and he didn't have the days off, God just wanted us to trust Him. Everything would be ok. That was what God knew I needed to hear. Jas and I were again on the same page, and God was going to take us through it all just like He always has. 
This cleared up the decision about homeschooling next year!  We will be enjoying another year (this time with our own curriculum) together!  I'm very happy and excited that this was decided for us!  It leaves us flexible to leave whenever we have our referral.  We also will definitely take the girls with us for the month trip!  I think this will be so exciting!  They will learn about another culture, another language, and be able to tell their little sister about where she came from!  It's very scary thinking about packing for them for a month and shots and everything, but it will be amazing to have them there with us!  When we come back from our second trip, Newbie will also know her sisters already which may help with her huge transition!  :)


 

 January 25, 2012  Learning to make a quilt for Newbie.  Great Grandma Maggard and Great Aunt Norma are teaching me!  :)

January 25, 2012  (facebook) Met another Moldova mom (Staci) at Saxbys for coffee tonight... It was nice to talk to someone else who was waiting for their little girl too! Funny thing is, of the 10 people in the Moldova program with our agency, (and there's only one other main agency that works with this country) God put her less than 30 minutes away from us!! Pretty awesome!!

There is another family in CO that is also adopting a girl from Moldova.  We keep in contact through Facebook.  It would be so amazing if we all would be able to meet in Moldova during one of our trips!

                                               

January 28, 2012 (facebook)

Here's a video of Kylie making part of a hat this morning. She's a lot faster than me!! Lol! She and Ari came up with the idea to make hats for all the kids in their sister's orphanage. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWTd8H0V6qU&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

January 29, 2012 (facebook) 

Ari teaching Jas how to make a hat... Kylie has to add in a little instruction too... She can't help herself! Lol!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oybX_y-Azw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

January 29, 2012 Ari made this hat almost entirely by herself!  It has hearts and a pinkish top!! :)

Cindy McCoy was so sweet to see what the girls were doing on Facebook and drop off her looms and yarn for us to use!  She also bought us a book that I really liked!  She gave me a huge happy boost!!

January 30, 2012 (facebook)

Today was the beginning of our fiscal fast. We aren't spending money until next Tuesday... The idea is to save everything you would have spent for the week... Doing this for 5 weeks this year will hopefully save a big chunk of the money needed for plane tickets for our first trip (hopefully we will need tickets in the off season!) jas and I saw this idea on a random show on tv and loved the idea!! :)

February 28, 2012  (facebook)

Kylie said she had a dream last night that her baby sister was here, and she came to us instead of us going there. She had black hair and blue eyes and was four. She said it was weird because she was speaking English. Kylie said that the dream ended with her telling her sister that she would show her what a tv was in the morning ( cause everything was new to her here ). I so wish her dream was true!!!!

March 7, 2012 (email from our homestudy agency)

Dear Jason and Angela,

I will be calling you very soon, and I apologize for sending you this in an e-mail, but I attempted to begin calling each Cherub family individually, and found myself chatting with each for so long that I was not getting through my list! I really love talking to you, and will give you a call this week/weekend. I wanted to at least get this information in your hands without further delay.

Over the past year Cherub has seen so many changes in international adoption rules, country options and wait times. We have also watched as the state of Ohio imposed greater costs to maintaining the agency license. And, we have witnessed the economic conditions that we all face, force families to postpone their adoption dreams.

As the time drew near to renew our agency license, we had to look at each of those conditions. That, coupled with my personal journey this past year, made it clear that Cherub International could not continue to exist as a homestudy agency. Given that we are a small, international-only homestudy agency, the cost of staying in business was too much to overcome.

Since we are not a Hague accredited agency, China homestudies are no longer available to us, and Hauge accreditation does not make sense for a homestudy-only agency our size. The wait times have increase for Ethiopia and many other countries, causing some families to withdraw from those programs, or not attempt them at all. During the year we began exploring new options for families such as Korea and Japan, only to find that those countries were beginning to restrict the number of annual adoptions as well.

And as you may already know, in May of last year my husband had an emergency amputation of his leg. As a survivor of childhood cancer, he had endured massive amounts of radiation and chemo as a child. As an adult he began to suffer radiation disease that caused vascular failure in that leg. He struggled with many surgeries over the past 15 years. In May, a final blockage occurred and the surgeons were unable to save his leg. He has since endured 12 more surgeries…were are quite familiar with just about every hospital, physician and therapy waiting room in the area! We are blessed that God watched over us through the entire journey, just as he has kept a watchful eye on Cherub. One of our doctors was a former Cherub client, and another is a member of our Church, Wonderful friends, family, Cherub families, neighbors and acquaintances have walked with us in great support.

So, I guess what I am trying to tell you, is that Cherub will no longer be conducting homestudies or homestudy updates. We are focusing on consulting, counseling and post adoption services. Since your homestudy is still valid in the state of Ohio, we are able to transfer your file to another agency. We have several agencies that we recommend and we can discuss that when I call. One agency in particular is very willing to help and make it an easy transition. I have attached a transfer form for you to complete. Please complete and e-mail, mail or fax back. We can then begin the transfer of your file. Our Licensing Specialist, Shelly Adams, may send you a letter as well. She is assisting us in the transfer.

Again, I am so sorry that I could not talk to you in person before all of this transpired. If you would like to give me a call before I have gotten to your name on the list, please do. I have truly enjoyed working with you and will keep you and your adoption journey in my prayers.

Ellen Rice
Cherub International Adoption Services, Inc.

March 22, 2012 3:54PM  (text)

from Staci Morris (the other Moldova mom that lives near us):

I just got a call from CAS.  Looks like there is movement in Moldova!  We will have to do a few more documents, easy ones though.  Once that is done & USCIS approval renewed, we will be eligible for a referral!  WE transferred home study to Adoption Connection in Cinci.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I was so excited after getting her text, that I called her!  She, the Colorado lady (Suzanne), and one other family will be getting concrete instructions this week from CAS.  They will know what papers need to be added to their dossiers (which are already in Moldova).  Staci said that Tanya implied that the referrals would probably be immediate after their paperwork was in!!!!!!!!!!!  This would make sense because children have been added to the list while we were all waiting!  Soooo, maybe we will be hearing soon from Tanya as to what we need to do to turn in our dossier, get it translated, and get our referral!!!!!  Could we be vacationing in Moldova this summer or fall?!!!!!!!!!!   Things almost never happen like we think they will, but this was SO encouraging!  And, the news came before they had told us to anticipate it (April or later).  Jas walked in right after I got off the phone with Staci, and he was really happy!  I called Mom (who was having a bad day with Grandpa) and Jas' mom!  Maybe, if Josh and Laura (my brother and sister-in-law) get good news on their court date (april 2), and we get our referral soon after turning in our dossier, we might have 7 grandkids to celebrate with at Christmas this year!!!!!!  5 new kids in one year!  That would be the most amazing Christmas present!  I would be an aunt for the first time and a mom to my 3rd little girl!  Please keep praying with us... Adoptions are WAY more crazy than we ever anticipated!!!  My brother and sister-in-law need your prayers on April 2nd!  They love these 3 children that have been staying with them on the weekends and would love to be parents for the first time!!!!!!!!  They have waited 12 years, and I want this so badly for them!


Today, March 28, 2012
Worked on the first adoption paper in a LONG time... We need to transfer to a new homestudy agency.  It's exciting to be moving again!!!!!

Some exciting news!!!!!

Just received this email from CAS!

July 28, 2011

Dear Moldova Families,


We realize that the last several months have been difficult ones for families as they anxiously await news from Moldova regarding the accreditation process and when the program will once again begin processing adoptions. We wanted to take this opportunity to share some positive news with you.

We have been informed that the regulations for agency accreditation have been approved in Moldova. The next step is that these regulations will be published in the official monitor, which is the government paper. Agencies can then submit applications for reaccreditation. This is a major step in the process and CAS looks forward to submitting an application to the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and the Family as soon as possible.

We thank you for your patience and understanding and will continue to keep you posted regarding the status of the program.

Sincerely,
CAS Moldova Program Team

I have to admit, I have been pretty down about how long it may take to get everything moving again... So, I guess that's why I was shocked to get this email so soon!  I wasn't trusting God very much at all... I guess seeing some of what Romania was like, I didn't have much faith that it would open again... I'm SOOOOO excited!!!!  :)

Third Time's a Charm!

Well, we hadn't heard anything about the 1-800A for a long time... Which was secretly relieving because then I don't have to worry about figuring out the next part...lol!  Plus, I wasn't in too big a hurry because I had talked with Tania at CAS, and she had told us that we wouldn't be able to hand in our dossier until at least the end of summer due to the delays caused by law changes in Moldova.... Here are some updates from the CAS website over the last couple months:

MAY 2011

CAS continues to process adoption cases which were presented at the beginning of the year. Adoption cases are becoming a bit more complicated as the officials incorporate new law changes into the older cases. Families are experiencing delays between first and second trips as it is taking longer for the child’s passport to be issued.

The government has not released the requirements for agency accreditation; however, we anticipate receiving the requirements any day. New dossiers may only be submitted after the agency is approved. Also, the new law has been circulating on the internet. Families should be aware that Moldova officials continue to review the law to ensure it is in the best interest of the children. We do not know exactly what pieces of the law will be implementing or revised. At this point, the law stipulates a longer in country stay (up to 30 days) for families which may or may not be mandatory. Families should be flexible and prepared for subtle changes in this program. Please monitor our website for updated information.

JUNE 2011

Agency accreditation for agencies licensed in Moldova has been delayed. Initially the anticipated timeframe was for June, it now appears that is will be in latter part of the summer. Adoption agencies are not able to submit new dossier until the re-accreditation process has been completed. Wait times for this program are unknown and movement is dependent on Moldova providing timeframes and specific parameters for implementation of the new adoption laws. CAS will not be accepting new applications for this program until re-accreditation is completed and changes in the new adoption process clarified.

JULY 2011

National Accreditation of agencies in Moldova has not moved forward as anticipated. CAS continues to wait for official information on accreditation requirements and future adoption procedures. Often, officials go on summer breaks to enjoy the beautiful Moldova countryside.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

It appears that accreditation has been delayed for adoption agencies licensed in Moldova. The anticipated time frame was June. It now appears that it will be later this summer. At this time, adoption agencies cannot submit new dossiers. Wait times for this program are unknown and movement is dependent on officials in Moldova providing time frames and parameters for the new adoption law process. The program is considered full at this time so CAS will not be accepting new applications until re-accreditation and the adoption process has been clarified. Continue to check the CAS website for updates.

I got a call from CAS recently to let me know that Immigration had been trying to email us to change Jason's Remorse Paper  [lol!  This paper has become quite a joke around here!  His accidental squirrel poaching has caused A LOT of extra work!  And, it was from 1997!!!  I like to remind Jonathan (the guy who jas was hunting with and who said it was ok to hunt there) how I'm going to make him pay for all this!!  lol!!].  Anyway, my inbox was totally full so they couldn't reach me... FAIL AGAIN!!!  lol!  So, I had Marie send the info to Jason't email.  It was really no big deal to change it other than I couldn't find the file so I had to re-type his letter from a scan...  And, here's what we had to add (along with a new signature and date).... drumroll please......

“I hereby attest that the above statement is true and complete, under penalty of perjury, under United States law.”

Sometimes, this process is just funny when you sit back and look at it... Just so many silly things that have to be perfect... We don't have a clue why things are needed or whatever... We just try to muddle through it and have to laugh at it all... I had Jas sign and date again... then scanned and emailed it to Immigration, CAS, and Cherub the other day...  I also sent a hardcopy in the mail.  

After emptying my inbox (email works so much better when it's not clogged with almost 2000 unread emails- sad, huh?!), I got this email from Immigration:

Hello:  I hope this email finds you all well. I am delighted to inform you that your I-800A application has been approved. The Notice of Approval will be sent to you tomorrow and a copy to your accredited agency via US mail. I look forward to assisting you further throughout this process.

So, now we are approved and will just need to get all the dossier papers in a folder ready to get notarized and apostilled * when CAS gives us the go-ahead! 

*[Definition:  Additional authentication required for international acceptance of notarized documents including (but not limited to) adoption papers, affidavits, birth certificates, contracts, death certificates, deeds, diplomas and degrees, divorce decrees, incorporation papers, marriage certificates, patent applications, powers of attorney, and school transcripts. Instituted by 'The Hague Convention Abolishing The Requirements Of Legalization For Foreign Public Documents' of 1961, its objective is obviate "the requirements of diplomatic or consular legalization" and thus replace the cumbersome 'chain authentication method' that called for verification by multiple authorities. As prescribed by the convention, an apostille (French for, notation) is a preprinted small (minimum 9 x 9 centimeters) form having ten numbered items of information with blank spaces to be filled in by the designated authority in the issuing country. It is obligatory upon every signatory country to accept apostilles of the other signatory countries.]

Biometrics! 6/3/2011

Here we are pre-fingerprinting!  Jas took the whole day off 'cause our appointment was at 11:00 in Columbus... We found the place pretty easily, filled out some papers, and were taken back for fingerprints on all of our fingers...  Jas has done this for work, but it doesn't count towards our adoption because "that would be too easy to have the computers connected" the guy said!  :)  The lady wasn't too happy with how I pressed on the scanner thingy... (I think she wasn't too happy... period...lol) I kept pressing down instead of relaxing... FAIL!  lol!  Anyway, that was super easy, and we got to have lunch out together after!!! 

We're moving along again!

Written 5/16/2011:

Right now, I'm a nervous wreck.  We just got our passports and birth certificates (back) in the mail today!  That, and our I800A have kinda been my excuse for not looking at the dossier checklist (because we were waiting for that stuff).  Well, I decided to read down through it some after being all excited with the girls that we got the passports... Bad idea... I think it's not too bad really because it looks like we have, or are waiting for, most of the documents that we need... (other than an employment and medical ones).  The part that freaks me out is the Notarized and State Apostille parts... We have to do the notarizing part (which is easy except for the medical and employment one) ... How do I find someone to tag along with me to the dr. and Jason's work... (He's the boss; so, how do we get his boss to sign all that in front of a notary if he's in FL???)  And, do I need to take the papers to Columbus (I'm assuming that's where the Apostille part comes in.) or just send them... And, it's $10 per document + I need to remember to tell them that it's for an adoption in the Republic of Moldova + I need to remember to ask if they are certified or something for another year... And, the worst thing is that the I800A and these notary/ apostilled things can all expire if I don't pay attention to when I need to renue them... I'm sure I'm going to do something stupid and mess the whole thing up....

Alright, it sorta helped to rant about all of that... I'm always terrified when I start a new part of this... I have NO CLUE what I'm doing and wish that I had a friend that was doing, or had already done all this to hold my hand through it all!  (And warn me when I'm about to screw it all up!)  But, I didn't have anyone when I was pregnant to talk to, and I guess I will be the first of our friends/ family to do this too... It turns out ok in the end, but is totally terrifying while we're doing it...

I am going to put some pictures of things we've gotten in the mail in this post... It's funny how when you're pregnant, you take pictures each month of your belly to document the progress... It's exciting but kinda boring to take pictures of mail each time it rolls in...lol!!! I can't wait until we have an actual picture of our little girl in one of those packages!! Now that will be an awesome picture!!!! :)  

We got our Revised Homestudy -

not sure of the date received...

(Which now includes Jason's court papers

 and remorse letter for squirrel hunting on

private land on accident back in 1997... lol!)  

then..

  after some procrastinating (because I'm a big chicken)...

First Attempt at sending the 1-800A after getting

our revised homestudy back - 4/25/2011- notice the cost?

I miscalculated... lol!  we will be seeing this again!!

This isn't the exact picture, but I wrote another check and re-sent it all again... lol!

5/5/2011 They got our papers and will send an appointment soon...

5/12/2011 We have a biometrics appointment in Columbus!!

My pretty girls!

5/16/2011- Our passports came in the mail!!!!

FREEEE!!!!!

Look what another Moldova mom found for free this month!!  http://christianaudio.com/adopted-for-life-russell-moore

Busy again! :)

1/27/11  Filled out our first paper for the dossier (Application to Adopt) in a hurry one night.  CAS called and said that we needed to get it and a copy of our homestudy in before Feb. when the new changes would take effect for Moldova.  So, I filled it out one night and took it the next day to a Beavercreek bank (and a nice lady named Lydia) so that Jas could meet me during work to get it notarized.  She was really kind and just did it for us even if we weren't a part of that bank.  It wasn't a good day as I was starting a week long horrible reaction to an antibiotic.  I was really grumpy that I couldn't reach Jas at work to tell him when to meet me... Thankfully, it was all done, scanned, and sent off so that I could pretty much spend the next several days in bed and on the couch. 

1/4/11  We had a big ice storm this week, and the girls were home all but Monday and Friday.  Jas also had 2 snow days at the base!  :)  One morning, our electricity was off for a couple hours; so, I figured it was a good time to work on the I800A while the girls were playing board games.  It wasn't nearly the scary thing that all those pages of directions had me thinking it was! 

1/7/11  We encounted a little bump in the I800A... Just one litttle question for Jas slowed us down... We have to report any fines outside of traffic violations.  Well, just so happens that my husband was fined for poaching back in 1997!  It was a total accident, but after checking with our homestudy agency, CAS, and USCIS, we determined that we would have to have a certified copy of court papers (which took 2 trips to city hall today to get, but they didn't charge because i had to make 2 trips!  :)  and a letter of remorse signed and dated by Jas!  lol!  I can laugh now, but I kinda wanted to strangle the guy that told Jas it was ok to hunt on that land 14 years ago!  lol!  Anyway, I got those papers scanned and emailed to our homestudy agency so they can change the homestudy and send us the new papers to add to our copies.  I also need to add them to the I800A.  Once we get the homestudy revised (thankfully, no extra charge on this either!), we can send it all off to USCIS! 

1/7/11  Also dropped off the money we had to borrow from Mom and Dad to pay for our passports and the I800A at the bank... We have officially run out of money; but, thankfully, we won't have to pay any intrest this way!  We hope to pay them back once we get our tax return!  :)  Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!  :)

Another small problem... I can't find the girls' birth certificates!  Please pray that I can figure out where I put them!  We need to have them to do passports (Which I've been putting off because I didn't want to get everyone ready to go get pictures and then go to the Beavercreek Post Office to get them sent...Yep!  I'm a photographer who doesn't like to go get pictures!  lol! I also have to go get my driver's license done... I just don't like when you get stuck with a weird picture for 4 or 10 years!)

Now, for the fun stuff...

I think I want to make one of these for our little girl for a present for the plane ride...  Quiet Book LINK  (finished book link)  I remember having one of these as a kid in church, and it was so cool!  I think I might take ideas from this website and from my brother and I's book... I love educational things, and this would be fun for all the girls to play with together!  :)





Finally Approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, the last month has been so busy with taking pictures, working on a website for someone, and Christmas/ New Years that I haven't had time to do much else.  So, I was actually relieved that things had slowed to a complete stop for a bit... But, after a phone call yesterday, we got this email today!

Dear Angela and Jason – We have received your finalized homestudy from Cherub international. A Homestudy Approval letter has been prepared and has been mailed to you. You will need to submit the approval letter to Immigration with your I800A materials and homestudy. Attached is a scanned copy; in the past, Immigration has been willing to accept this version.

So, as soon as we get everyone healthy (everyone has taken their turn being sick this week) and back to school and work, I am excited to start working through the next steps... the I800A and our dossier!!!  (and a little scared)  In my next post, I'll write about what is included in the dossier... I think I will get very familiar with Fed Ex... lol.  I had to sign up for a FedEx account. 

And, I had meant to write a little about how blessed we've been this last month (actually we always are, but it's been so obvious during these last couple months), but never got around to actually writing it down... lazy me...  Anyway, January 6th was just an amazing day... I was paying bills for the month, and again things were SO weird!  Over the last couple months, I have been taking care of paying the bills, and I know that I have been doing them very carefully... So, almost everytime I have to pay a set of bills, there has been at least one that has a credit on it... It's like someone's been paying them, but I know that no one is (because they can't access our bank account), and I'm fairly certain that I couldn't be over-paying... Also, Jas and I hadn't been very careful over Christmas with presents and all; so, we both had huge credit card bills... At the end of this month, we will still have saved almost $1000 for the baby!  What the heck?!  Before the adoption started, we weren't tithing and were still going in the hole!  Now, we are tithing and still save that much after a terrible month?!?  Only explanation:  God is providing. After my giddy text to Jas about this, I get an email from my friend Ann in Canada... (Short explanation:  We met and became friends through digital scrapbooking and IMing each other over the last couple years... I've never met her in real life, but we follow each other's families through pictures and emails, etc... Anyway, she's been reading this blog and asked (no, TOLD) me that her family wanted to be a part of bringing our little girl home!  What an awesome day!!!!!!  My friend Cyndi, at the very beginning of the adoption, also approached me about contributing to our adoption fund... We were able to be there with them through their time at the NICU with their tiny micropreemie until they finally got to bring her home; and now, they are with us through our adotion journey until we bring our little girl home (who will probably be the same age as their youngest)!  I remember her texting me to tell me about how her other little girl Solana prayed for our baby before their supper one night... So many people are praying us through this, and we can feel it!  Our neighbors, Jake and Jamie have celebrated the milestones with us... like passing the fire inspection, home inspection, and finishing the homestudy... I remember running over there and excitedly knocking on the door to let them know it was DONE!!!  That was followed by jumping, screaming, and hugging!!  It's just beyond amazing to feel how God is providing and helping us deal with the fears and confusion so far... I am overwhelmed with how good He is to us and how each of our family and friends (and their friends) continually support us!!!  Thank you!!!!!  :)

So....

Well, I'm learning a lesson in patience.  We have had some issues with our homestudy which I won't go into because there is a purpose for everything.   God's timing is perfect; and, even though things are not going as fast as I would like (or as well), there is a reason!  Maybe she isn't quite the right age yet; and if things were going quickly, we would get the wrong referral.  Or, maybe God knows that things have been kinda stressful around here, and we weren't ready for the next wave of papers.  Or, maybe the weather will be just perfect when we need to go... Who knows?  Well, God does... And, that makes this hold-up ok... So, we are just waiting for the homestudy to be approved by our first agency so that we can send it on to the referal agency.  Please pray that the timing will be perfect!  :) 

MAIL!!!!!!!

I was just thinking the other day about how BIG this thing is... I mean, we are needing 1/2 the money that we spent on our house! 

Yesterday, (oct. 4) I went out to the mailbox to see if we had gotten the financial paper from CAS.  And, instead, I found an envelope from my grandpa!  I opened it and found a check sticking out along with a beautiful card and note!  It brought tears to my eyes!  It was such an obvious answer to our need!  It's so special that my grandpa got to have a part in bringing his great grand daughter home! 

At the beginning of all of this, God also gave Jas a raise...  God wants us to do this, and He will help it to happen... Sometimes, I forget to trust Him! 

I also want to say that we appreciate all the people who have been praying for us...  that means so much! 

Are you her REAL mom?

Yep!  I sure will be, and I think that I'm dreading this question... I kinda worry a bit about how my youngest will feel if she's singled out and people say rude things in front of her... I never want her to feel like she's different in a bad way!  She's my girl, just like Kylie and Ari are.  She has special qualities that make her, her!  She's loved just the same and is, in fact, my REAL child!!!  :)  I'm actually not sure how I will respond yet to the questions that people will ask.  I guess that will come with experience... :)  But, I know that people will ask crazy questions.  They most likely never intend to hurt anyone, and I know that.  I think it will be an opportunity to help other people understand more about adoption and help them to see that what they say could actually hurt.  But, I don't want people to feel weird around us either like they might ask the wrong question... I mean, I don't even know the right questions yet!  lol!  In fact, I'm kinda scared that I have already done this in the past, maybe within the last weeks... So, don't be afraid to talk and ask stuff... just try to think how you might feel if asked that question and maybe don't do it when the girls are around... :) 

Here's another mom's (who's adopted from Moldova twice) post about this... link

lol!  Here are some of my favorite teeshirts!  :) They are all linked!

What our girl may have gone through if left in Moldova....

Kelly Ozley (a mom who's adopted 2 girls from Moldova already- her blog's on the sidebar) emailed me today to offer help with anything we had questions about!  That was SO sweet of her, and I'm so thankful because we don't know anyone really who has adopted internationally, let alone from Moldova!!  lol!  Anyway, she shared this video with me!  Just seeing these girls, makes me SO sad!  One of those may have been our girl someday... someone who has no value in her mind and who's never heard about Jesus' love for her!  http://vimeo.com/13080795

down to the wire...

On Thursday, I wrote my autobiography paper.  Whew!  That's over with!  ;) 

Friday, Jas did the employment verification paper... Then, we had a night off and went out to just enjoy ourselves- kid free!  :)

Saturday, we cleaned and then Jas proof read my paper and wrote his own autobiography.  We also purchased the online classes that are required by our referral agency (CAS).  ($149) We were going to watch them while the kids were out with Grandpa and Grandma, but we were having trouble getting the links. 

Sunday, the links were in my inbox, and we watched two of the modules and took the quizzes.  They are from Heart of the Matter Seminars and we are taking the Because They Waited Classes (10 hours of Hague compatible adoption education).  We both really liked it!  For the second set (they call them modules), we pulled the couches together and turned the computer toward us while we just laid there holding hands and snacking!  It was so fun! (By the way, Jas is so different from what he was like when we did lamaze classes! So funny how things change... He wasn't cracking jokes the whole time...We were so bad during those classes, especially when they turned off the lights and told us to breathe... we laughed so hard!  lol!)  Anyway, I got 100% on the first quiz, and he got 93%... But he beat me on the next quiz with a 100% to my 93%! 

Tomorrow, we need to finish everything else up...

-We have to get fingerprints done for the State and Federal Checks

-Call again for the amount of our morgage

-Finish the heritage paper and

-Watch 5 more hours of training...  

Tuesday, we have our final interview with our social worker Sandy!!!  This one will be individual interviews about the adoption.  We will also turn in the last of our paperwork for the homestudy and a packet of papers from CAS for Cherub... (which might mean a few more papers to fill out?)!!!!!!!!!!!  WOW!  Can't believe we've actually gotten this far this fast!!  :)  Yay!  It wasn't quite as scary as I had imagined... it was do-able!

Hopefully, our financial agreement comes in the mail tomorrow so that we can get that signed and send in the $3,500 to get the ball rolling with CAS...  I think our next part with them will be the immigration papers???  They will send it all when they get the money and agreement!  :)

fire inspection...

... didn't happen at 9:30 this morning... They were called out to a fire; so, I need to reschedule.  But, they only do Thursdays, and Sandy is coming next Tuesday for the paperwork... hmmmmm.... sounds like a slight problem... lol! 

Today:

-Cleaned and did laundry

-Paid Bills (took me FOREVER because I'm just getting used to this new responsibility again after many years of Jas doing it... I just don't have a brain made for this... I'm organized, but very poor at thinking it all out- do i save this or pay it off?, etc)

-Filled out part of Applicant Financial Statement (need to call to get the amount we still owe on the house and that's done except for one question about life insurance amount for Sandy)... OoooK, I just called them and my name isn't on our loan EITHER!  What the heck were we doing when we set everything up?!  My name wasn't on our checking and we had to fix that in order for me to write checks... now, I can't even find out how much we owe on our house!  GGRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!  On the bright side, we are getting things fixed up right.... :)

-Called and rescheduled the fire inspection for the afternoon.  It's done!  And, we passed!!!  I get so nervous with these things!!! (They told me we should paint our house number a contrasting color so I just went out there and played artist with my black paint... weeeee!  It was fun! :)

<------- Fireman Greg Beegle

-Started writing the autobiography paper that's required for the homestudy (I've been putting this sucker off!  lol!)

on the lookout for adoption books...



Here it is:   http://www.thericetales.com/



Ok, so adoption books for kids and for siblings of adopted kids are sorely lacking! :(  I've been searching and searching... I always like to read books about whatever we are interested in at the time (bugs, flying, etc...); so, this is definitely crimping my style!  If anyone knows of some good kid's books, please leave a comment!!  I found this one today in one of my searches (which are actually more like wanderings from one adoption site to another totally unrelated adoption site...lol)  I actually started out looking for Heritage Plan ideas and ended up frustrated again about not finding this book at our library...lol!



Heritage Plan Ideas

So, I need to write a paper for our homestudy with our heritage plan (how we will incorporate our child's heritage, traditions, etc. in our home)...  This is something that I LOVE to do anyway with Kylie and Ari; so, I'm enjoying collecting ideas!!  I'm going to keep them in this post so I don't forget!!  lol!

Gotcha Day:  "We celebrate three Adoption Days a year to honor not only each child, but how we became a family. Each celebration is much like a birthday, complete with cake and the singing of "Happy Adoption Day to You." But we have party bags for all of our kids rather than larger gifts for the celebrant alone. I also take the opportunity to share cake at school, and to teach the child's classmates about adoption through an interactive presentation. The teachers are always warm to this idea, and the kids are receptive."  -Cindy Roberts

Gifts

Ellen from Cherub shared that she bought 18 little age-appropriate gifts for her daughter's birthdays from China.

 

talking to tania

Tania Griasnow,
Program Coordinator for Russia,
Ukraine, and sometimes Moldova

Today, the lady (Tania) that is assigned to us from our referring agency (Carolina Adoption Services) called.  She answered a few questions and told us what our next step would be... signing an agreement & paying the fee for Part A ($3,500).  Then, we will get another set of steps and papers to work toward completing our dosier!!!!  It's starting to hit me how we are REALLY doing this!!! 

Last night, I completed one of the online training modules and a quiz for part of our 12 hours of training necessary for the homestudy... It was really helpful in understanding just how much of a shock and change our little girl will be going through when we go to get her! 

Today, I picked up the 2 medical papers for the girls when I took Ari (who's sick with asthma and bronchitis) to the pediatrician.

 

?????????

When we tell people we are adopting from Moldova, they usually ask these questions.... :)

Where is Moldova? in Eastern Europe bordered by Romania and Ukraine

Won't she speak another language? Yes, she will probably speak Moldovan (which is basically like Romanian). She may have some language delays from being in an orphanage situation, but most young children easily pick up another language. She will have plenty of practice with the girls talking to and playing with her. :)

Why Moldova? Romania is closed to adoptions right now, and I wanted to choose a place close to that country. Moldova is a very poor country that has a VERY high sex trafficking rate. We would love to have the chance to help one little girl escape probable prostitution, trafficking, or life on the streets. We would also like her to have the chance to become a follower of Jesus and live in a loving home. :)

How much does it cost? It's about $40,000-$45,000. We hope to get help from some grants and will get a $13,000 (?) tax refund after the adoption is complete. But, yes, we will probably have to take out a loan. BUT, it's soooooo worth it!!!!!!!! :)

Blowing Kisses

I started blowing kisses to our little girl the last time we were in PA.

Just today, I found this poem that says just how I feel...

Kisses in the Wind

Author Unknown

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.

You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are.. what's taking us so long.

But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...

Because tonight just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.

I promise you my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.

But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.

And let angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

ACCEPTED!!!!!!

On our way to the doctor for Kylie's physical today, I got a call from Carolina Adoption Services (CAS)! She told us that she would be sending us a packet with the next steps and that we were accepted!!!!!! So, I texted Jas and told him that our little girl is in Moldova!!!!! (I was nervous after a call from them yesterday about our medicine... They had to check to see that Moldova didn't have a problem with us being on depression medications.) He told me later that this was what finally made it all sink in for him! He was excited and told some people at work!!! Then, I finished the doctor appointment (but they hadn't completed the papers for the medical forms); so, i will have to go back in to get those (grrrr).

Then, we had Bill and Janet over to tell them that they were going to be Grandparents again!!! Janet was sooo excited... After a couple minutes, I think it sunk in and she said, "I'm going to be a Grandma again!!!!" They both hugged me and asked about it! Bill was totally suprised. It's nice to be able to tell everyone now!!!!! :) She asked if she could tell some people... :)

On Tuesday (sept. 14), we met with Sandy (our social worker)!!! She interviewed Jas and I about our family and lives. She also talked to the girls and went on a tour of our house to do the safety audit. We filled out 2 other papers with her too.

Today:
-I typed a paper for the references to let them know what to include in their letters and addressed / stamped envelopes for them...
-Jas sent my Child Abuse paper to PA.
-Jas sent our request for a certified marriage licence.
-I called to set up an appointment for next Thursday for our Fire Inspection.
-Called our HR person to find out how much life insurance we have (for the financial paper)
-Kylie's physical + paper
-Jason's physical + paper

Funny how much we do in a day... It just seems like a bunch of little things and nothing really is finished, but it does seem like a lot when I write it out! :)