Sunday, July 28, 2013
Psalm 55:22
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken."
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Glimpse into the Future
Today I found out what it might feel like to get "the call".
Jude an I had an eventful summer day. We went to a play date at the splash park, about an hour in, she put her hands and feet in the spray. This little girl hates to get her hair and face wet. As everyone left for nap times, we decided to forgo naps today and head straight to the pool. As the evening pool crowd arrives we pack up and head home.
We are eating snacks on the couch, trying to gather energy for baths and dinner, I hear my cell phone ringing. At first I'm thinking what is that ring???? Oh yeah Holt's ringtone. HOLT's RINGTONE!!!!!! In a mad scurry I leap over the coffee table, trip on my shoe, and slide into the pool bag where my phone is at the bottom!
[I'm thinking in my head, I just got an email stating refferrals are still delayed and you do not have a new number ( duh).]
At least I made it to the phone....I calmly answer, Hello (in my raspy, 80 year old smoker voice...summer allergies are killing me and I can barely talk). This little chipper voice says hi this is "girl" from Holt. (We will refer to her as girl because I don't want to disclose her name, she must be an intern). "Did you receive the information on your child"
As I stammer "WHAT....Child!"
Girl. "Your child from Holt". And a long pause.
Uhhhmmm. We are in the process of adopting, what child.....
Girl. "Oh that's what your husband said, ha ha I'm talking about the child you chose to sponsor through Holt. What do you mean your adopting? Who are you adopting through?"
So I explain to her we are adopting with Holt etc etc.
Really, my heart bout jumped out. If you just spoke to my husband and he told you the same thing I did. Why did you begin our conversation, with, did you get the info on your child!!!!
I hope she is just an intern cause I'd hate for this to happen to someone else, they might not take it as lightly as I did..... Just annoyed a little.
Ok so after that trial run, I'm ready for the call!
Oh what a day! I think I got too much sun. :)
Jude an I had an eventful summer day. We went to a play date at the splash park, about an hour in, she put her hands and feet in the spray. This little girl hates to get her hair and face wet. As everyone left for nap times, we decided to forgo naps today and head straight to the pool. As the evening pool crowd arrives we pack up and head home.
We are eating snacks on the couch, trying to gather energy for baths and dinner, I hear my cell phone ringing. At first I'm thinking what is that ring???? Oh yeah Holt's ringtone. HOLT's RINGTONE!!!!!! In a mad scurry I leap over the coffee table, trip on my shoe, and slide into the pool bag where my phone is at the bottom!
[I'm thinking in my head, I just got an email stating refferrals are still delayed and you do not have a new number ( duh).]
At least I made it to the phone....I calmly answer, Hello (in my raspy, 80 year old smoker voice...summer allergies are killing me and I can barely talk). This little chipper voice says hi this is "girl" from Holt. (We will refer to her as girl because I don't want to disclose her name, she must be an intern). "Did you receive the information on your child"
As I stammer "WHAT....Child!"
Girl. "Your child from Holt". And a long pause.
Uhhhmmm. We are in the process of adopting, what child.....
Girl. "Oh that's what your husband said, ha ha I'm talking about the child you chose to sponsor through Holt. What do you mean your adopting? Who are you adopting through?"
So I explain to her we are adopting with Holt etc etc.
Really, my heart bout jumped out. If you just spoke to my husband and he told you the same thing I did. Why did you begin our conversation, with, did you get the info on your child!!!!
I hope she is just an intern cause I'd hate for this to happen to someone else, they might not take it as lightly as I did..... Just annoyed a little.
Ok so after that trial run, I'm ready for the call!
Oh what a day! I think I got too much sun. :)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Ugh
So last time I said something about [the next time I blog we will have a new number]
Scratch that!
We received an update email, usually every month or so, that said x amount of approvals and travels !YAY! Some of those families have been waiting so so long. !YAY! They are getting closer to getting their babes!
But no referrals for June's referral group! Boo.
So my impression so far......hurry get your paper work in. All the dossier prep ready. Get approval. Get a number on the wait strip. Wait for referral month. Get a new number.....wait. It's past referral month.....wait some more....referrals? not yet...wait some more....more delays....enough already!
My emotions are on a roller coaster! Excitement. Despair. Suspense. Despair. Ugh!
But I think this feels familiar..... Oh yeah, like not getting pregnant. Meet with OB, take vitamins....wait.....do ovulation kits.....wait....week and half later go through 12 pregnancy tests in 6 days (and yes I was a little compulsive about it) only to say negative.....6 more months of trying later......meet with RE.....wait some more....emotional roller coaster......Excitement. Despair. Suspense. Despair. Ugh!
Enough of my silliness....
I know God has a plan and everything is in his timing. We may not always understand his timings. Ya kno.
Scratch that!
We received an update email, usually every month or so, that said x amount of approvals and travels !YAY! Some of those families have been waiting so so long. !YAY! They are getting closer to getting their babes!
But no referrals for June's referral group! Boo.
So my impression so far......hurry get your paper work in. All the dossier prep ready. Get approval. Get a number on the wait strip. Wait for referral month. Get a new number.....wait. It's past referral month.....wait some more....referrals? not yet...wait some more....more delays....enough already!
My emotions are on a roller coaster! Excitement. Despair. Suspense. Despair. Ugh!
But I think this feels familiar..... Oh yeah, like not getting pregnant. Meet with OB, take vitamins....wait.....do ovulation kits.....wait....week and half later go through 12 pregnancy tests in 6 days (and yes I was a little compulsive about it) only to say negative.....6 more months of trying later......meet with RE.....wait some more....emotional roller coaster......Excitement. Despair. Suspense. Despair. Ugh!
Enough of my silliness....
I know God has a plan and everything is in his timing. We may not always understand his timings. Ya kno.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
It's June!
In case you didn't know, June is referral month for our agency. Our agency has referral groups every 3 months. Somewhere between 1 and 7 children are placed for adoption. That means our number on the wait strip will decrease, leading us closer to meeting our Thai Button! I cannot wait to see what our new number will be....
We are on a private FB group of families adopting or have adopted from Thailand. It is so nice to have this group for support during our long wait. But it can also make me very anxious (lol). We were talking about the wait strip the other day, (as soon as referral month starts everyone starts to stir) and it is thought numbers 1-7 are waiting for a girl, with maybe one family open to either gender. From Number 8 to 14 we know one family requesting a boy, one a girl, and two families open to either gender. Given we are #14, open to either gender, that leaves us with 3 waiting for boys or either gender and 3 unknowns ahead of us on the wait strip. So maybe....if all the stars align and it's in God's plan.....There is a chance we could be matched sooner than we thought. Maybe......... There really is no way knowing....but it's fun to think about.
So this has been heavy on my heart, with our group it seems wait times are increasing. Some families have waited almost 2 years for a referral, and the wait time to bring your child home has increased to averaging 1 year! I cannot imagine knowing the face of my child and having to wait that long to bring him home. I pray for God to give me the strength.
I couldn't sleep last night, so randomly I checked the adoption programs from the agency we decided not to go with. They have a new program, ( that maybe if we chose them they would have offered that program to us) the estimated wait time is 12-16 months! And the age of the child is 6-12 months! WOW. Considering our wait time is estimated 3 years!
Honestly. We are not changing programs or even entertaining the idea. We truly believe God has a plan for our family. He closed many doors before we found our agency and the Thailand program.
There is absolutely a reason we are here and where we are at this stage in our adoption process.
Last night I opened my Bible App. on my iPad and this is the verse it opened to.......
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2, 3 NIV)
So this time next month we will know our new number on the wait strip and be that much closer to meeting our little Thai Button.
We are on a private FB group of families adopting or have adopted from Thailand. It is so nice to have this group for support during our long wait. But it can also make me very anxious (lol). We were talking about the wait strip the other day, (as soon as referral month starts everyone starts to stir) and it is thought numbers 1-7 are waiting for a girl, with maybe one family open to either gender. From Number 8 to 14 we know one family requesting a boy, one a girl, and two families open to either gender. Given we are #14, open to either gender, that leaves us with 3 waiting for boys or either gender and 3 unknowns ahead of us on the wait strip. So maybe....if all the stars align and it's in God's plan.....There is a chance we could be matched sooner than we thought. Maybe......... There really is no way knowing....but it's fun to think about.
So this has been heavy on my heart, with our group it seems wait times are increasing. Some families have waited almost 2 years for a referral, and the wait time to bring your child home has increased to averaging 1 year! I cannot imagine knowing the face of my child and having to wait that long to bring him home. I pray for God to give me the strength.
I couldn't sleep last night, so randomly I checked the adoption programs from the agency we decided not to go with. They have a new program, ( that maybe if we chose them they would have offered that program to us) the estimated wait time is 12-16 months! And the age of the child is 6-12 months! WOW. Considering our wait time is estimated 3 years!
Honestly. We are not changing programs or even entertaining the idea. We truly believe God has a plan for our family. He closed many doors before we found our agency and the Thailand program.
There is absolutely a reason we are here and where we are at this stage in our adoption process.
Last night I opened my Bible App. on my iPad and this is the verse it opened to.......
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2, 3 NIV)
So this time next month we will know our new number on the wait strip and be that much closer to meeting our little Thai Button.
Friday, April 19, 2013
USCIS FINGER PRINTING COMPLETE
We completed our USCIS finger printing today! Yay! one more step closer.
And sure enough, my prints would not read. After 15 minutes of trying the tech said, "take this lotion, rub lightly on your fingertips and then scrape it off with a credit card."
Steve was in and out in less than 5 minutes. So I went in again, and 20 minutes later we had an approved reading on my fingers. geez!!
I have specific instructions if/when we return in 15 months, use Corn Huskers lotion and lay off the hand sanitizer.
And sure enough, my prints would not read. After 15 minutes of trying the tech said, "take this lotion, rub lightly on your fingertips and then scrape it off with a credit card."
Steve was in and out in less than 5 minutes. So I went in again, and 20 minutes later we had an approved reading on my fingers. geez!!
I have specific instructions if/when we return in 15 months, use Corn Huskers lotion and lay off the hand sanitizer.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
We did it!
So, I'm sorry if I whined a little or a lot in my last post. I can get a little emotional at times.
To think of All the work we have put into our dossier, (must be compared to getting a MBA) and having one sentence not correct, placing us on hold. Not knowing if we still had our potential number. I have been a mess. Did I mention I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I don't handle that kind of rejection well. So pressing on our medical reports were corrected, sent out over night mail, and .........
It's official. Our dossier is complete! All papers are signed, sealed, and Approved!!!
We are on the wait list!
Praise Jesus! We are number.............
Can you believe it! It did not change! Woohoo!
What can you do?
Pray for our family as we wait. Pray for our friends' adoptions. Pray for our child's birth mother.
Pray for our little Thai button.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
A little update
I don't know if anyone actually follows our blog, but in case you do, I feel I need to update it. If you noticed my last blog changed, I thought we were number 14 on the wait list. When I turned in our dossier I thought we were done. Nothing else could go wrong. We had a number! So our person at Holt said we tentatively, could be 14 on the wait list. Of course I am ecstatic. I literally wait 2 seconds to tell my family and a few friends. I even posted it on the group I follow......
Then we get the email our dossier is not accepted. Our medical report did not specifically state we were free from HIV and TB! WHAT!
Luckily we just need to add the additional letter. Thank The Lord we do not have to send our entire dossier back to the Secretary of State and Thai Embassay.
But our luck strikes again. Our dr is out that week so we have to wait until the next week to be tested, with results taking up to 10 days. So here we are waiting again.
Then we get the email our dossier is not accepted. Our medical report did not specifically state we were free from HIV and TB! WHAT!
Luckily we just need to add the additional letter. Thank The Lord we do not have to send our entire dossier back to the Secretary of State and Thai Embassay.
But our luck strikes again. Our dr is out that week so we have to wait until the next week to be tested, with results taking up to 10 days. So here we are waiting again.
Waiting
Waiting
WAITING
I talked to our person at Holt today, just to give her a heads up of what was going on. And ya know I had to ask if we were still looking at number 14, and she couldn't give me an answer, just somewhere around there. My heart is a little heavy today.
I knew our adoption adventure would be full of obstacles and waiting, I also thought now would be the only time frame we could control. Boy O Boy was I ever wrong. God has a plan. I keep telling myself this. He is in control, only HIM. Our child just might not be number14. Only God knows.
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