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! :)

Fun Stuff I Found!

Images are Linked... These people are donating money from their purchases to help families who are adopting!

Telling Mom and Dad

Last weekend, we got to tell mom and dad and the family that they are going to be grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. again! I wore my paper pregnant t-shirt on Thursday night after we got there (9/2/10) cause I couldn't wait any longer! Mom was totally suprised, and I told her all about it for probably an hour! The next morning she told me that she was so excited to get to tell her girlfriends (who were all adding or had just added new grandchildren to their families)! It made me so happy to see her so excited!! We went for a walk and told Laura and Josh (aunt and uncle) on Friday night. I kinda felt sad because I know that they are waiting to adopt too, and I didn't want to make them feel bad... All the family came over Sunday night to have a garbage can meal over the fire and we got to tell them too! :)

Applications Sent and We're Accepted!

Ari and Kylie both started their first full week of school; so, I started working really hard on all the papers for the applications and homestudy! On Tuesday, we sent in both applications (to Cherub and to Carolina)!!! We of course took pictures!

Here's what we've done so far:

*filled out application for Cherub (7 pages) and Jason found out his salary for me to finish CAS's application (3 pages)

*got approval from the rest of the people we will use for references (and their addresses/ phone #s)

*called the police department who sent me to the sheriff's department to find out about FBI and state background checks and fingerprinting

*called the fire department to find out what we needed to do to get ready for the fire inspection


*Jas checked on getting a 5lb. fire extinguisher that we have to mount on the wall for that

*emailed both agencies with questions

*kept track of all spending and bills and got ready to pay the bills online (Jas has been doing it for several years for us.)

*called the pediatrician and family doctors to see if we needed physicals to fill out the health check papers (and set up appointments for Jas, Kylie, and I who haven't had one recently)

*filled out our part of the health papers

*got the neighbor to take a couple family pictures and sent them to Walmart to print (for our applications)

*got batteries for the smoke detectors

*went to the bank with Jas to get my name on our checking, to order checks and get temporary ones for the two applications

*thanked God that our income tax check came at EXACTLY the right time so that we could put almost 1/2 of it in the saving's account that we're using for the adoption

*requested adoption books from the library to fulfill part of the 12 hours of education that we need to do for the homestudy

*got some extra stamps and envelopes

***MAILED APPLICATIONS!!!!!***

On 9/1/10 Cherub emailed to say that we were accepted and to be getting some of the checklist done. Today, Ellen will call me to let me know some more details. Sandy will also call us soon! :)

We have a social worker and understanding things a little more!

WOW! This week has been AMAZING! I had called Cedarville to find an alumni that might do homestudies... They pointed me to Patty Belliveau who recommended Ellen Rice from Cherub International Adoption . Patty also told me to call Jill Kinney who has adopted internationally and could recommend an international homestudy agency.

Tuesday: I realized that I had three stacks of papers for our three girls all on the table at the same time! I was calling about the adoption while filling out all the school papers for Kylie and Ari! It was such a cool thing that I had to take a picture! :)



Wednesday: Today, was Kylie's first day of 3rd grade, and it went well! :) She has the same teacher that I taught 3rd grade with! Hard to believe my girl is that old! When Ari and I got home, I got a call from Jill who has adopted 5 times and was very encouraging! She recommended Ellen Rice as well! After I picked Kylie up, I got a call back from Ellen. I was so excited to talk to her! She explained all the paper work was like having 3 buckets (and I literally was drawing them on a paper as she talked)... There is the Ohio part, the US Government Immigration Part, and the Moldova Government part... We have to satisfy all 3 to bring our little girl home...

#1 Bucket = homestudy done by Cherub International Adoption Agency
#2 Bucket= homestudy approved by US Immigration
#3 Bucket= documents from CAS (Carolina Adoption Services Agency), dossier, and homestudy

Our application fee for Cherub is $1,150, and $300 for Application to CAS... YIKES!

Ellen told me that she thought that Sandy would be a good fit for us! So, we have a social worker!!!! This means that we can finish the application to CAS and after we get the packet for Cherub, we can apply there too... and we are on our way up the mountain of paperwork!!!

***I felt like I had just gotten a positive pregnancy test after I got off the phone with Ellen!!! I was on cloud 9!!!!! ***

Then, just like when I found out I was pregnant with Kylie, Jas and I followed the good news up with a big old fight! This time it was about money instead of telling our parents! So, no matter whether they grow in your heart or your belly, I guess there are a lot of emotions that come with each child!!

P.S. I got an email that my shirt that we are going to use to tell our parents is being shipped! :)

Phone Calls

I forgot that I had an appointment to talk to Tania from CAS this morning (good job, angela, way to look responsible, right?!) So, I called her this afternoon, and I feel like I understand a bit better what I need to do with the homestudy. Two days ago, I called Cedarville University to ask if there were any graduates near us that could do our homestudy. Today, Renna called me and sent me an email to let me know a name and number of a girl that works at an agency in Yellow Springs... Trusting that God is leading us to the right place because I don't know what I'm doing. :) She also asked me to send in a family picture when we add our new little girl! Exciting to think about that day which seems SO far off right now!
Oh, and the other night, Cyndi texted me to say that Solana had prayed for our little girl at supper time! It's so neat that now they are praying for our girl like we prayed for Chloe!

Talking to Julie

Got an email tonight to set up a time to talk to Julie Glandt, the Moldova Program Coordinator. I'm excited to learn more from her! Maybe we will talk on Thursday morning?

A good number

I filled out as much of the application to Carolina Adoption Services as I could tonight! When I wrote the date, I realized it was the 13th! Everything important in our family happens on or around the 13th (engagement, kylie's b-day, ari was born on the 14th, and now our adoption application)! I still need to figure out where to get the homestudy done. I'm kinda confused on that.

Back Again...

It's less than two weeks until both of my girls go to school... I'm so sad that Ari will be leaving this year, but I'm excited to get down to buisness with our adoption! I'm also TERRIFIED! It looks so expensive, and I despise going all over the place trying to find important papers... so, adoption is perfect for me, right?! lol!! Anyway, I emailed the head of the Moldova program tonight to see what my first step should be... here we go! :) Also spent probably 2 hours looking online for adoption tee shirts today... lol!

Random Things

I was just thinking of a few things that I wanted to remember...

First, the girls said they wanted to adopt because they need another person to play duck, duck goose. Well, now that's the best reasoning ever... lol!!

And, once maybe a year or more ago I said, "Just think of it like getting a car." For some reason, this hit home with Jason; it was do-able. And, from then on, he was open to the idea of international adoption. So, thank God that He had me say that just like he had me say, "I'll try just about anything once," back when we were dating (which led to our first kiss ;)

Last night, Jason watched part of our first adoption video together (an informational one from CAS)... He didn't get the whole way through it, but it was a start for his part of the research... He also had me send the links for the agencies to his work email so he could look at them... I'm excited to get his opinion on the best one...

And, the Yahoo Group that we joined is amazing! They are all so helpful and encouraging!

Another baby...

On Saturday, we heard about a little girl that may need a home closer to us... Jason and I are talking and praying about this option, and Jason even mentioned that maybe we are supposed to have more than 3! I was excited, but tried not to act like it... Awesome that he's open to that!!

a beginning

A year or two ago, I remember a disturbing dream that I had. I don't remember much, but I remember being in a hospital (I think) and searching for my child. It was mine, but I couldn't find her. I woke up knowing that it was an adoption dream. I wish that I would have written down the date... maybe it was the day she was born... Somewhere out there, another mom is having or has had our little girl. I've prayed for that mom and that little someone that we don't know yet. I have dreamed of adopting probably since I was a little girl. After trips to Romania and seeing the orphans there, I wanted to help. Jason agreed that he thought it was the right thing to do maybe a year ago. We've been waiting for the right time, and now it is getting close! I have looked online so many times, but lately I've narrowed it down to a country and a couple choices of agencies. Beginning this week, I started asking questions. I sent a message to some people who adopted in our church. She told me to check out Yahoo groups, and I joined one for Moldova!! I just got accepted today, and a couple people have helped us understand more already! I saw a little video listed in there today, and it made me cry when I saw the little girl on the plane with her Mom! Someday, that will be us! VIDEO LINK Actually, the girls made me start looking things up and talking to Jas about it again. They have been talking a lot about when we would "get another kid" and "Have you ordered a kid yet?" So funny to hear what they think! Anyway, we are on our way, and I'm excited to meet our new little one!