We finally have some news to post, but not exactly what some may be expecting. We found out about 6 weeks ago that we are pregnant. We have waited some time to make this post because we needed to adjust to the idea and make sure the pregnancy was progressing as it should. We have had two doctors visits and both went well. We have had two ultrasounds and in both we could see the baby's heartbeat. What a blessing! We are 10 weeks along and due on April 20th.
We are very thankful for this blessing from God. We have prayed for a family for many years, and in God's timing He did provide.
Many have asked questions regarding the adoption. We truly want to finish the adoption. However at this time, we are not real sure how this will happen. Our hope is that we can just simply put it on temporary hold and resume it after the baby is born. We would finish it now if possible. Couldn't you imagine going from no children, to one newborn and one who speaks Russian. I hope to know soon where our adoption will stand and I will update once again.
Please continue to pray for us, our baby and our adoption. We still feel God has a child for us to adopt, he/she just may not be ready for us yet. Continue to pray for all the orphans waiting for families.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
7 Months of Waiting
Well, not much to tell this month. I am a few days behind posting the official 7 Months of waiting post.
I do have a side note, not about us, but instead my niece.
Kerri, had a beautiful baby girl today!!!! So I will dedicate this month of waiting to her. Welcome to the family Piper!!! She is 9 lbs and 20 inches long. Piper and her mom and dad are doing great. May God Bless this new family!
I do have a side note, not about us, but instead my niece.
Kerri, had a beautiful baby girl today!!!! So I will dedicate this month of waiting to her. Welcome to the family Piper!!! She is 9 lbs and 20 inches long. Piper and her mom and dad are doing great. May God Bless this new family!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Vacation
Monday, July 27, 2009
A thought & prayer request
A little something on my mind and heart.
I have been reading a book by Karen Kingsbury, Between Sundays. The basic story line is of one particular foster child and his reuniting with his father. One clear message from the book is, our life is defned by not only what we do on Sundays, but what we do between Sudays. There is much more to the book, one I recommend anyone, needing a little inspiration, to read.
There is part I would like to share. The characters are unimportant for the part I want to share, but it something that is very thought provoking. Kingsbury wrote, "Sometimes God gives us hard things,"..............."Because He loves us enough to help us grow up."
These lines caught me, made me pause in my reading and think. Most us of have had some kind of hard thing. If we walk by faith and trust in God we can use the "hard things" and grow. Growing up doesn't always mean getting older, but sometimes it means some thing much deeper. "Growing up" can mean something different in each or our lives.
By having faith in God, I know that God is using the "waiting" to help us grow. This knowledge doesn't make it any less hard, but I accept that He loves us and has a plan.
This book really has touched me and leads me to this prayer request. There are many children all around us without a mom, dad or maybe even without both. These children are either in orphanages, in foster homes, or on the streets. Please pray that God may open the doors for these children to find Forever Families and for their safety. Pray for the foster children who are never adopted and age out of the system at 18. These kids are often released with no real place to go except the streets. These kids need our prayers.
I have been reading a book by Karen Kingsbury, Between Sundays. The basic story line is of one particular foster child and his reuniting with his father. One clear message from the book is, our life is defned by not only what we do on Sundays, but what we do between Sudays. There is much more to the book, one I recommend anyone, needing a little inspiration, to read.
There is part I would like to share. The characters are unimportant for the part I want to share, but it something that is very thought provoking. Kingsbury wrote, "Sometimes God gives us hard things,"..............."Because He loves us enough to help us grow up."
These lines caught me, made me pause in my reading and think. Most us of have had some kind of hard thing. If we walk by faith and trust in God we can use the "hard things" and grow. Growing up doesn't always mean getting older, but sometimes it means some thing much deeper. "Growing up" can mean something different in each or our lives.
By having faith in God, I know that God is using the "waiting" to help us grow. This knowledge doesn't make it any less hard, but I accept that He loves us and has a plan.
This book really has touched me and leads me to this prayer request. There are many children all around us without a mom, dad or maybe even without both. These children are either in orphanages, in foster homes, or on the streets. Please pray that God may open the doors for these children to find Forever Families and for their safety. Pray for the foster children who are never adopted and age out of the system at 18. These kids are often released with no real place to go except the streets. These kids need our prayers.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
6 Months Today
Oh, how I wish we had something to tell. We are still waiting for our referral. As I have explained before this wait may take some time, but lets focus on the good. We have 6 months behind us. Some days it seems the 6 months have dragged along, but on the other days it doesn't seem like it has been that long.
This time last year we were scrambling around getting ready for our home study. We or maybe it was"I" was very nervous. I mean the thought of someone I didn't know coming into my home to judge me, our home and the thought of "could we really fail the home study" was a bit overwhelming. Looking back now I can see it was really not bad and actually a good experience. Our home was fine and we learned some things about ourselves in the process.
Please continue to pray for our child and all the children of Russia orphanages. These children need our prayers daily. Many of the children are being placed in foster care, just to be taken back out. Each time this happens it further delays that child from being matched with a forever family. I pray that this is not the case with our baby, but if it is, I pray for their safety and that someone is a least giving them hugs daily. I know the last part sounds silly, but after the recent departure of my niece who gave us many hugs & kisses before saying "goodbye," I can't imagine our baby not getting a hug and "I love you" each day. We live for the day we can hold our little one and say "You are home, and We love you!"
This time last year we were scrambling around getting ready for our home study. We or maybe it was"I" was very nervous. I mean the thought of someone I didn't know coming into my home to judge me, our home and the thought of "could we really fail the home study" was a bit overwhelming. Looking back now I can see it was really not bad and actually a good experience. Our home was fine and we learned some things about ourselves in the process.
Please continue to pray for our child and all the children of Russia orphanages. These children need our prayers daily. Many of the children are being placed in foster care, just to be taken back out. Each time this happens it further delays that child from being matched with a forever family. I pray that this is not the case with our baby, but if it is, I pray for their safety and that someone is a least giving them hugs daily. I know the last part sounds silly, but after the recent departure of my niece who gave us many hugs & kisses before saying "goodbye," I can't imagine our baby not getting a hug and "I love you" each day. We live for the day we can hold our little one and say "You are home, and We love you!"
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Wait Continues...Month 5
So what can I say?......... We are still waiting.
I am sure that most of you have waited for something in your lifetime. Maybe it was for a blessed event such as wedding, birth of a baby, or a graduation. Maybe it was a dreaded event, an event you didn't want to happen but never the less you knew it was coming. Imagine for a moment that you were expecting one of those events to happen, but you had no idea when or if it would truly happen. Add to that scenario, that some person you didn't know, in a foreign country held your papers, your future, your fate for that event in their hands.
Well that is how waiting feels for us some days. We know, God has a plan for us and the perfect child is out there for us, however some days knowing all this just does not help the waiting.
We long to see and hold our baby. To nurture and love them.
I came along this verse today and it offered me some comfort.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3: 6-7
It is hard not to be anxious while waiting, but we present our request for a child to our God and trust that He will guard our hearts.
I am sure that most of you have waited for something in your lifetime. Maybe it was for a blessed event such as wedding, birth of a baby, or a graduation. Maybe it was a dreaded event, an event you didn't want to happen but never the less you knew it was coming. Imagine for a moment that you were expecting one of those events to happen, but you had no idea when or if it would truly happen. Add to that scenario, that some person you didn't know, in a foreign country held your papers, your future, your fate for that event in their hands.
Well that is how waiting feels for us some days. We know, God has a plan for us and the perfect child is out there for us, however some days knowing all this just does not help the waiting.
We long to see and hold our baby. To nurture and love them.
I came along this verse today and it offered me some comfort.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3: 6-7
It is hard not to be anxious while waiting, but we present our request for a child to our God and trust that He will guard our hearts.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Prayer Request & Prayer of Thanksgiving
We have a prayer request & a prayer of thanksgiving for a couple we have met that are also adopting from Russia. They received a referral for a beautiful little girl. Please pray that God will continue to watch of our friends and their little girl. You can see their blog under the section marked "View my complete profile." It is called "Oh the Places We Will Go."
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Good News
Don't get to excited....it isn't the big news, but it is good news.
Our original home study agency was removed from the "blacklist." So what does this mean? Has anything changed? Well, not really, except we do not have to redo our home study. We are still on the wait list for a referral, but the good part is if we get a referral our original home study will be accepted in Russia. In our hearts we are hoping that by our agency's name being removed, it will somehow help us move closer to a referral.
I will say that around Monday I had this gut feeling or intuition, you may call it, that something good was about to happen with our adoption. Hum...maybe this was it...... and......the feeling isn't completely gone. Let's just pray good things keep happening.
Thank you for all your prayers. Prayer is powerful! Please continue to pray for God's will and for our baby's safety.
Our original home study agency was removed from the "blacklist." So what does this mean? Has anything changed? Well, not really, except we do not have to redo our home study. We are still on the wait list for a referral, but the good part is if we get a referral our original home study will be accepted in Russia. In our hearts we are hoping that by our agency's name being removed, it will somehow help us move closer to a referral.
I will say that around Monday I had this gut feeling or intuition, you may call it, that something good was about to happen with our adoption. Hum...maybe this was it...... and......the feeling isn't completely gone. Let's just pray good things keep happening.
Thank you for all your prayers. Prayer is powerful! Please continue to pray for God's will and for our baby's safety.
Friday, May 15, 2009
4 Months of Waiting
Yesterday marked 4 months of waiting for a referral. I wish we had more to tell.
I will share this one thing with you all. It is amazing the wisdom grandparents have, if you just sit and listen. My Gran, a very special woman in my life, had a way with words yesterday. There are days when she says very little, but yesterday she was full of conversation. She asked how our adoption was going, so I explained we are waiting on a referral and that we have been waiting for 4 months. She then asked how long we will have to wait. So I explained it could take up to a year or more. She sat quietly for a minute and then said, "That may seem like a long time, but I guess it is a good process." "If it were to easy and you could just go pick up a baby any time, imagine how many people may adopt that would not necessarily need or deserve to."
OK, I know that isn't any great revelation, but she may have something. Adoption requires a lot of patience, faith, and commitment. If the process was different, if all you had to do is fill out an application, buy a plane ticket, and go pick up a baby; think of how many babies may go to less that ideal homes. Every child deserves to go home with parents who love them and truly want them.
Another adoptive mom shared with me last week,
"Your little one is not ready for you yet. Though it might not seem like it, God is weaving a perfect story for your family...He really is."
So we continue to wait for God to finish weaving our story.
I will share this one thing with you all. It is amazing the wisdom grandparents have, if you just sit and listen. My Gran, a very special woman in my life, had a way with words yesterday. There are days when she says very little, but yesterday she was full of conversation. She asked how our adoption was going, so I explained we are waiting on a referral and that we have been waiting for 4 months. She then asked how long we will have to wait. So I explained it could take up to a year or more. She sat quietly for a minute and then said, "That may seem like a long time, but I guess it is a good process." "If it were to easy and you could just go pick up a baby any time, imagine how many people may adopt that would not necessarily need or deserve to."
OK, I know that isn't any great revelation, but she may have something. Adoption requires a lot of patience, faith, and commitment. If the process was different, if all you had to do is fill out an application, buy a plane ticket, and go pick up a baby; think of how many babies may go to less that ideal homes. Every child deserves to go home with parents who love them and truly want them.
Another adoptive mom shared with me last week,
"Your little one is not ready for you yet. Though it might not seem like it, God is weaving a perfect story for your family...He really is."
So we continue to wait for God to finish weaving our story.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Adoptive Families need Support
I am not sure how much each of you know about adoption. There are many parts from paperwork, parent education classes to very large payments. Currently there is a federal tax credit that adoptive parents can use once the adoption is final that can really help with the cost.
Today we became aware that this tax credit will expire in December of 2010 unless our congressmen work to keep it available. This is an important piece for adoptive parents. Adoption can cost families anywhere from a few thousand to $50,000. Please help us advocate to keep this tax credit. Children all over the world and here in the US need forever homes and this tax credit helps many families make this possible.
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213, would keep the adoption tax credit from being repealed, and may make the tax relief measure permanent.
It only takes a few minutes to email or call your senators and congressmen — it’s important for them to hear from families impacted by the tax credit.
Write your U.S. Representative
Write your U.S. Senator
We recently had the opportunity to visit with another couple who too will be adoptive parents. This couple has had the wonderful opportunity to travel to a Russia Orphanage on mission trip. Their stories and pictures spoke a thousand words to explain the need for families to continue to adopt. If only we could all see the faces of those children, they who would give anything to have a mom and dad. Please take a moment to write your congressmen. Let's keep helping families save the orphans of the world.
Today we became aware that this tax credit will expire in December of 2010 unless our congressmen work to keep it available. This is an important piece for adoptive parents. Adoption can cost families anywhere from a few thousand to $50,000. Please help us advocate to keep this tax credit. Children all over the world and here in the US need forever homes and this tax credit helps many families make this possible.
The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213, would keep the adoption tax credit from being repealed, and may make the tax relief measure permanent.
It only takes a few minutes to email or call your senators and congressmen — it’s important for them to hear from families impacted by the tax credit.
Write your U.S. Representative
Write your U.S. Senator
We recently had the opportunity to visit with another couple who too will be adoptive parents. This couple has had the wonderful opportunity to travel to a Russia Orphanage on mission trip. Their stories and pictures spoke a thousand words to explain the need for families to continue to adopt. If only we could all see the faces of those children, they who would give anything to have a mom and dad. Please take a moment to write your congressmen. Let's keep helping families save the orphans of the world.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Is time going by fast or standing still?
It is amazing how fast time goes by, but yet at the same time it seems to stand still. Just yesterday I realized we were at the end of the month. We have almost 4 months behind us in our waiting. Wow, time goes by fast, right? Well, it does seem that time goes by fast, but it still seems we have a life time of waiting ahead of us and time is standing still.
We are currently awaiting our home study to be updated which includes having our background checks and child abuse registry clearance updated. I pray this process will not take to long.
I guess I don't have to tell you, but I will. I can't wait to know if our baby will be a boy or girl, how old will he/she be, what color hair he/she will have, and will they love us immediately or will it take a while. To those of you with all those 4D ultrasounds, I am jealous. Your babies haven't been born but you get to see your baby's facial features. I am excited for each! Cherish those ultrasounds. Keep praying for us, our baby, and that God will bring us together soon.
One other prayer request... A friend of mine has a little girl with Muscular Atrophy. They will be traveling to China in July for Stem Cell Treatments. Please remember little Rayanna and her mom in your prayers.
We are currently awaiting our home study to be updated which includes having our background checks and child abuse registry clearance updated. I pray this process will not take to long.
I guess I don't have to tell you, but I will. I can't wait to know if our baby will be a boy or girl, how old will he/she be, what color hair he/she will have, and will they love us immediately or will it take a while. To those of you with all those 4D ultrasounds, I am jealous. Your babies haven't been born but you get to see your baby's facial features. I am excited for each! Cherish those ultrasounds. Keep praying for us, our baby, and that God will bring us together soon.
One other prayer request... A friend of mine has a little girl with Muscular Atrophy. They will be traveling to China in July for Stem Cell Treatments. Please remember little Rayanna and her mom in your prayers.
Friday, April 17, 2009
3 months of waiting.
It has been a little while since we last updated everyone. Partly because there hasn't been much change and part due to Internet problems.
We have had an interesting few days. We received a very long, very complicated email update from the Russia Dept at our Adoption agency. It indicated that our wait could be up to a year or more. It also addressed that many children being referred have some medical issues, but all may not be serious. This information was given to make us more aware of the need to have the file reviewed by pediatric doctors. The email also included an update on the in country foster care system. It is because of the use of foster care that referrals have slowed down.
OK, with all that said, it is important to say that our adoption agency has a good standing in Russia and continues to receive referrals. We are now 3 months into our wait. We still have many months to wait, but we will make it. Here is a thought to ponder.....if it is a year from when we were registered, we will be traveling to Russia in January....... bitter cold Russia.
Our home study is being updated and revised to meet the latest requirements. Our social worker has worked hard to ensure that our home study will not be a problem. Our original home study agency has not yet been removed from the "list", but our social worker is contracting with another agency in order to meet the current requirements.
We have had an interesting few days. We received a very long, very complicated email update from the Russia Dept at our Adoption agency. It indicated that our wait could be up to a year or more. It also addressed that many children being referred have some medical issues, but all may not be serious. This information was given to make us more aware of the need to have the file reviewed by pediatric doctors. The email also included an update on the in country foster care system. It is because of the use of foster care that referrals have slowed down.
OK, with all that said, it is important to say that our adoption agency has a good standing in Russia and continues to receive referrals. We are now 3 months into our wait. We still have many months to wait, but we will make it. Here is a thought to ponder.....if it is a year from when we were registered, we will be traveling to Russia in January....... bitter cold Russia.
Our home study is being updated and revised to meet the latest requirements. Our social worker has worked hard to ensure that our home study will not be a problem. Our original home study agency has not yet been removed from the "list", but our social worker is contracting with another agency in order to meet the current requirements.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Thoughts on Waiting
There is something that adoption does for a person. Something you might not think of. It brings out a child like quality of wanting to ask "are we there yet?" Except our question would be "When will they call?" or "Did we get any news today?"
Do you remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait for Christmas morning. You would shake all the presents hoping to get a hint of what was to come. You knew it was going to be great, but you just couldn't wait. Maybe you begged your mom or dad to give you a hint. Or, there is some we know who would sneak a peek..........we shouldn't name any names.
Well just take all those child like memories of impatience, apprehension and excitement and apply it to adopting. Every day we check the email, discussion boards, and JCICS website for just a hint of what is to come. Imagine all those things are presents and we have shaken each many times.
We know that we have a long wait ahead. Unfortunately there isn't a set day for us to count down to. So it is truly like what a kid thinks..."Will Christmas ever get here." except it is ....."Will they ever call with a referral?"
Just some thoughts for today. Again thanks for all of your support and encouragement. It means more than each of you will ever know.
As we go into this Easter week lets us all remember how great our Lord is and how much he loves each of us; as He has already given us the greatest gift of all, Jesus. This is one gift we don't have to wait for; it has already be given to us. We were reminded of this wonderful scripture and promise this morning Romans 5:8 " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Do you remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait for Christmas morning. You would shake all the presents hoping to get a hint of what was to come. You knew it was going to be great, but you just couldn't wait. Maybe you begged your mom or dad to give you a hint. Or, there is some we know who would sneak a peek..........we shouldn't name any names.
Well just take all those child like memories of impatience, apprehension and excitement and apply it to adopting. Every day we check the email, discussion boards, and JCICS website for just a hint of what is to come. Imagine all those things are presents and we have shaken each many times.
We know that we have a long wait ahead. Unfortunately there isn't a set day for us to count down to. So it is truly like what a kid thinks..."Will Christmas ever get here." except it is ....."Will they ever call with a referral?"
Just some thoughts for today. Again thanks for all of your support and encouragement. It means more than each of you will ever know.
As we go into this Easter week lets us all remember how great our Lord is and how much he loves each of us; as He has already given us the greatest gift of all, Jesus. This is one gift we don't have to wait for; it has already be given to us. We were reminded of this wonderful scripture and promise this morning Romans 5:8 " But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Friday, April 3, 2009
Potentially Good News
We received potentially good news today. There is a strong possibility that a home study agency in Shreveport will help us out with our home study. We will know more Monday or Tuesday.
I am glad to receive this news, as is Kinko's, the State Dept, and Fed-Ex. You see after the home study is amended with a new agency's name we will have to make multiple copies and have it re-apostilled to send to Russia. Fed-ex comes in because they are so kind as to make all those trips to Baton Rouge and North Carolina for us. A win-win situation for all involved. We get an approved home study and all the others get more of our money.
I know, don't quit my day job. I am no comedian, but I have to try to keep a sense of humor.
Thanks for your prayers. I know God is hearing all of us. Please also remember all the other families that are adopting and having similar troubles. A new friend and future adoptive mom passed this verse on to me this week. It is a good one. Thanks Leigh.
Micah 7:7 is a wonderful promise that says "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."
I am glad to receive this news, as is Kinko's, the State Dept, and Fed-Ex. You see after the home study is amended with a new agency's name we will have to make multiple copies and have it re-apostilled to send to Russia. Fed-ex comes in because they are so kind as to make all those trips to Baton Rouge and North Carolina for us. A win-win situation for all involved. We get an approved home study and all the others get more of our money.
I know, don't quit my day job. I am no comedian, but I have to try to keep a sense of humor.
Thanks for your prayers. I know God is hearing all of us. Please also remember all the other families that are adopting and having similar troubles. A new friend and future adoptive mom passed this verse on to me this week. It is a good one. Thanks Leigh.
Micah 7:7 is a wonderful promise that says "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
And we continue to wait
I have been on the phone and emailing both our adoption agency and home study agency for the last few days. The news is slim and not very exciting. I mentioned in a prior post that our social worker was trying to form an agreement with another home study agency in our area. Well, she received the final verdict today. The administrator, for whatever reason, did not feel his agency could help us. She was hoping they would allow her to resubmit our home study under their agency. So back to the drawing board. She has found another agency in Shreveport that she is trying to work something out with. Hopefully, they will sign off on our home study or work with us in some way. If they can't work with our current home study, we will just have to redo it.
OK, so that all sounded grim. There is a little bit of good, if we search hard and keep an open mind. After speaking to our case manager we found out our wait may be a little longer than we had hoped. Russia is encouraging foster care therefore adoptions have slowed down somewhat. Adoptions are still taking place, put the referral time seems to be a little longer. So you may be asking, where is the good news......Well, I said it was hard to find, but it is there. We have a little extra time to fix our home study problem. It would be terrible if we received our referral and was held up because of the paperwork technicalities. There is also still a chance our home study agency could have their name removed from the "list." That would be the best fix.
I ask that you continue to pray for us. It is hard some days to remain upbeat and optimistic. I know in my heart that someday we will bring our baby home, but I have to be careful to guard my heart. I am still holding out hope we will have our little one by Christmas, but at the same time trying to not get to attached to that idea. Especially after today's phone calls.
OK, so that all sounded grim. There is a little bit of good, if we search hard and keep an open mind. After speaking to our case manager we found out our wait may be a little longer than we had hoped. Russia is encouraging foster care therefore adoptions have slowed down somewhat. Adoptions are still taking place, put the referral time seems to be a little longer. So you may be asking, where is the good news......Well, I said it was hard to find, but it is there. We have a little extra time to fix our home study problem. It would be terrible if we received our referral and was held up because of the paperwork technicalities. There is also still a chance our home study agency could have their name removed from the "list." That would be the best fix.
I ask that you continue to pray for us. It is hard some days to remain upbeat and optimistic. I know in my heart that someday we will bring our baby home, but I have to be careful to guard my heart. I am still holding out hope we will have our little one by Christmas, but at the same time trying to not get to attached to that idea. Especially after today's phone calls.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Maybe no news is good news....
We are still waiting to hear from our home study agency. Hopefully our social worker will be able to work out a deal with another agency to be able to redo our home study.
While we are waiting, we are working on another part of our adoption education credits. Wow, there is so much to read. Most of the reading content is not new to us at this point. We have read the content in other resources, but we have to read the articles (some 55 pages long) selected by Hugae, sign off that we read it, and answer questions. I guess this is good to do now. It helps to distract us a little while we are waiting to find out about our home study and, oh yeah, while we are waiting for our Referral. I can't wait for that phone call.
While we are waiting, we are working on another part of our adoption education credits. Wow, there is so much to read. Most of the reading content is not new to us at this point. We have read the content in other resources, but we have to read the articles (some 55 pages long) selected by Hugae, sign off that we read it, and answer questions. I guess this is good to do now. It helps to distract us a little while we are waiting to find out about our home study and, oh yeah, while we are waiting for our Referral. I can't wait for that phone call.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Just when we think all is ok......
OK, so last week we said we had answered prayers. After reading this, one may not think prayers were answered, but we have faith that God is answering our prayers, it just may not always be in the way we think.
We received an update Monday that cancelled out our good news last week. We chose to wait a few days to pass this on, as we had hoped to get better news. The JCSIS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) and NCFA (National Council for Adoption) put out an official statement that if a family has used an agency on the "black list" the region will not receive a clearance letter to finalize an adoption. This overrides the news we received last week that our region would not delay us based on our home study provider since our case was registered prior to the release of the "black list."
I have been in frequent contact with our home study agency. They are trying very hard to have their name removed. The owner has made multiple trips to the Russian Consulate in Houston, and refiled all necessary paperwork. All this paperwork has been sent on to the MOE in Russia, however, there is no guarantee as to when the MOE will review it or update the list. This fact is what leaves us in limbo.
Our Social Worker is working with another more local adoption placement service to be able to redo our home study under their name. This agency provides a great service to our area's children. Hopefully they will find in their hearts to be able to extend a helping hand to us. There are many logistics to this that has to be worked out. Many "T's" have to be crossed and "I's" have to be dotted in order for this to work for us and for the other agency.
As you can see, we continue to need prayer. We appreciate each of you reading along on this roller coaster ride to bring our precious baby home. Someone said to me yesterday that it didn't seem that we have let this get us down. It does hurt and is discouraging, but we chose to have faith in God and to not be defeated by this challenge. With God on our side we know that we will bring our baby home.
We received an update Monday that cancelled out our good news last week. We chose to wait a few days to pass this on, as we had hoped to get better news. The JCSIS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) and NCFA (National Council for Adoption) put out an official statement that if a family has used an agency on the "black list" the region will not receive a clearance letter to finalize an adoption. This overrides the news we received last week that our region would not delay us based on our home study provider since our case was registered prior to the release of the "black list."
I have been in frequent contact with our home study agency. They are trying very hard to have their name removed. The owner has made multiple trips to the Russian Consulate in Houston, and refiled all necessary paperwork. All this paperwork has been sent on to the MOE in Russia, however, there is no guarantee as to when the MOE will review it or update the list. This fact is what leaves us in limbo.
Our Social Worker is working with another more local adoption placement service to be able to redo our home study under their name. This agency provides a great service to our area's children. Hopefully they will find in their hearts to be able to extend a helping hand to us. There are many logistics to this that has to be worked out. Many "T's" have to be crossed and "I's" have to be dotted in order for this to work for us and for the other agency.
As you can see, we continue to need prayer. We appreciate each of you reading along on this roller coaster ride to bring our precious baby home. Someone said to me yesterday that it didn't seem that we have let this get us down. It does hurt and is discouraging, but we chose to have faith in God and to not be defeated by this challenge. With God on our side we know that we will bring our baby home.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Prayers of Thanksgiving
Today's prayer, is one of Thanksgiving. We did receive good news today, as Ashley wrote in earlier.
The past few early mornings, as I have drove to work, I have prayed and talked to God. I asked God to be with those in control of our paperwork, for our baby's safety, and that most importantly his will to be done. I knew with each prayer that we had done all that we could do therefore we had to leave it in God's hands.
This morning we received emails and phone calls from our case manager stating the MOE (minister of education) in Russia stated that cases in our region registered before Jan 30th would no be effected by the "blacklist." Furthermore, we shouldn't have any problems with the judges either. I am not sure what changed in Russia or Nizhney in the past few days, but I know that God was in control.
So for now, we are still officially on the wait list. I know in my heart we aren't "just on a list", because my faith in God tells me that he has our baby chosen for us. He just has not sent word to us yet.
Thank you for your recent prayers, and keep them going. We aren't near finished with this journey. We still have funds to gather, many hours of travel, paperwork to finish and most important bringing our baby home. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
The past few early mornings, as I have drove to work, I have prayed and talked to God. I asked God to be with those in control of our paperwork, for our baby's safety, and that most importantly his will to be done. I knew with each prayer that we had done all that we could do therefore we had to leave it in God's hands.
This morning we received emails and phone calls from our case manager stating the MOE (minister of education) in Russia stated that cases in our region registered before Jan 30th would no be effected by the "blacklist." Furthermore, we shouldn't have any problems with the judges either. I am not sure what changed in Russia or Nizhney in the past few days, but I know that God was in control.
So for now, we are still officially on the wait list. I know in my heart we aren't "just on a list", because my faith in God tells me that he has our baby chosen for us. He just has not sent word to us yet.
Thank you for your recent prayers, and keep them going. We aren't near finished with this journey. We still have funds to gather, many hours of travel, paperwork to finish and most important bringing our baby home. So please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
"When Love Takes You In"
This song is beautiful and speaks so tenderly to me. I tear up each time I read the words. I actually found this song on another couple's blog. I thought that those of you reading our blog might better understand our journey and all our emotions a little better after reading these lyrics. I lie in bed at night wishing I could hold our baby, sing him/her a song, or read them a bed-time story. I pray and long for the day our baby is no longer alone to cry their self to sleep, but instead is home with Ashley and I. The singer/writer of this song can write such a wonderful song that adopting parents can relate to, because he has adopted as well.
Steven Curtis Chapman \ When Love Takes You In
I know you’ve heard the story
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
Steven Curtis Chapman \ When Love Takes You In
I know you’ve heard the story
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
Great News
I just received some very good news in an email a few minutes ago. according to the latest news, we will not have to redo our homestudy because of our agency being on the "blacklist." Our case facilitator in Nizhniy Novgorod explained that since we were already registered in the country, we have nothing to worry about with regards to our homstudy agency and we will not have to do our homestudy again.
Amy will update more tonight when she gets time, but i wanted to post this news and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
ashley
Amy will update more tonight when she gets time, but i wanted to post this news and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers.
ashley
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A little good news.
No new news on the home study agency getting their name off the "list," but we are still optimistic that it will happen soon. I have emailed our case manager to see how much longer we should wait before we start a new home study. I pray that the agency's name is quickly removed, as starting a new home study will cost us precious time and funds.
But on the flip side, we did receive good news this weekend. We received our advance approval for the the petition of adopting an orphan from immigration. This may not sound like much, but it is because without it we couldn't bring our baby home. We were a little surprised to get it this soon. The estimated time was 3-6 months and seeing as we had to resubmit a second copy of our home study and had to have our fingerprinting done at separate times; we figured it would take longer. As it turned out it only took about 3 months.
All this said............We are another step closer to bringing "Vladimir" home. Who knows, this mostly will not be our baby's Russian name, but for now it has stuck.
But on the flip side, we did receive good news this weekend. We received our advance approval for the the petition of adopting an orphan from immigration. This may not sound like much, but it is because without it we couldn't bring our baby home. We were a little surprised to get it this soon. The estimated time was 3-6 months and seeing as we had to resubmit a second copy of our home study and had to have our fingerprinting done at separate times; we figured it would take longer. As it turned out it only took about 3 months.
All this said............We are another step closer to bringing "Vladimir" home. Who knows, this mostly will not be our baby's Russian name, but for now it has stuck.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Keep the Prayers going....
Please keep the prayers going for us. I know we keep asking for prayers, but our journey will not be possible without all of our prayers.
Last week we were given the impression that our home study would be ok. That isn't entirely the situation. As it turns out our Adoption agency is still a little leery of the situation. What we really need to happen is for the home study agency to get their name off the list. They are really trying to get this done. They have resubmitted the delinquent report and written the Minster of Education in Russia via the Russian Consulate in Houston to get their name removed. I just pray the MOE will see that our agency has done what they were required and see that they are great agency.
It seems so crazy that our baby is lying somewhere in Russia waiting for us to come and get him/her while we are here shuffling papers. I want so badly to hold and rock our baby. Oh, how I pray that our baby has loving caretakers. You can hear so many bad stories regarding orphanages, and it upsets me when I think our baby could in one of those orphanages.
Last week we were given the impression that our home study would be ok. That isn't entirely the situation. As it turns out our Adoption agency is still a little leery of the situation. What we really need to happen is for the home study agency to get their name off the list. They are really trying to get this done. They have resubmitted the delinquent report and written the Minster of Education in Russia via the Russian Consulate in Houston to get their name removed. I just pray the MOE will see that our agency has done what they were required and see that they are great agency.
It seems so crazy that our baby is lying somewhere in Russia waiting for us to come and get him/her while we are here shuffling papers. I want so badly to hold and rock our baby. Oh, how I pray that our baby has loving caretakers. You can hear so many bad stories regarding orphanages, and it upsets me when I think our baby could in one of those orphanages.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Answered Prayers
Finally after another day of waiting for a update on Friday's events, we have news. GOOD News.
First: The State Duma in Russia has not moved forward on the moratorium and does not plan to at this time. The discussion never made it to the legislature in Russia. YEAH!!
Second: The Home Study Agency issue, should not affect our case. Our home study was accepted and registered prior to Jan 30. As it stands now, if home studies were accepted prior to Jan 30 there should not be a problem. We will, however, continue monitoring to make sure our agency gets their name removed.
Third: There are families who are receiving referrals and traveling to bring home their children. This is a positive sign. ........ Just think, the more families that get referrals, the sooner we will move up on the list.
Thank you for all your prayer this week. Prayer is powerful, as this update shows. Continue to pray that God will watch over the baby he has chosen for us and will provide our baby with loving caretakers until we can get there.
Interesting side note: Ashley's brother joked with us and called our baby Vladimir. Tuesday while at the Christian book store I looked a name book that gives meaning of names and a scripture with the name. As I picked the book up, it opened straight to "V".......Vladimir. Guess what the scripture was..... Jeremiah 29:13 NCV "When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!"
You may no think anything of that, but it spoke loudly to me. And my prayer is that somehow our baby will rest easy knowing we are searching for him/her. So maybe it was coincidence, but may be Vladimir is nestled somewhere deep in Russia waiting on us to find him.
First: The State Duma in Russia has not moved forward on the moratorium and does not plan to at this time. The discussion never made it to the legislature in Russia. YEAH!!
Second: The Home Study Agency issue, should not affect our case. Our home study was accepted and registered prior to Jan 30. As it stands now, if home studies were accepted prior to Jan 30 there should not be a problem. We will, however, continue monitoring to make sure our agency gets their name removed.
Third: There are families who are receiving referrals and traveling to bring home their children. This is a positive sign. ........ Just think, the more families that get referrals, the sooner we will move up on the list.
Thank you for all your prayer this week. Prayer is powerful, as this update shows. Continue to pray that God will watch over the baby he has chosen for us and will provide our baby with loving caretakers until we can get there.
Interesting side note: Ashley's brother joked with us and called our baby Vladimir. Tuesday while at the Christian book store I looked a name book that gives meaning of names and a scripture with the name. As I picked the book up, it opened straight to "V".......Vladimir. Guess what the scripture was..... Jeremiah 29:13 NCV "When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!"
You may no think anything of that, but it spoke loudly to me. And my prayer is that somehow our baby will rest easy knowing we are searching for him/her. So maybe it was coincidence, but may be Vladimir is nestled somewhere deep in Russia waiting on us to find him.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Today's News
Unfortunately there isn't much to tell. I spoke with our Case Manager and she reassured me that no immediate actions have been taken to stop adoptions at this time. There is, however, always a risk that Russia could close their doors. The proposal I mentioned earlier is just in the discussion stage and hopefully will go no further. There will be another meeting this week and hopefully it will bring good news or at least not bad news.
As far as the the issue with the home study agency, things are looking better. I spoke with our social worker and her agency is working diligently to resolve the matter. They have 1 post placement report that is unaccounted for in Russia. It was done, but somehow either the family's adoption agency did not forward it on, or it was lost in transit. Hopefully within a week or two our home study agency will be able to get their name removed.
Please keep us in your prayers as well as any international adoptions. We have become linked to several families adopting in Russia, and they are facing the same challenges.
As far as the the issue with the home study agency, things are looking better. I spoke with our social worker and her agency is working diligently to resolve the matter. They have 1 post placement report that is unaccounted for in Russia. It was done, but somehow either the family's adoption agency did not forward it on, or it was lost in transit. Hopefully within a week or two our home study agency will be able to get their name removed.
Please keep us in your prayers as well as any international adoptions. We have become linked to several families adopting in Russia, and they are facing the same challenges.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Just a little Trivia
Weather Today in Nizhny Novgorod:
High 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Low 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit
This is a warm day tomorrow it will be colder.
If you are interested in reading more about Nizhny this is a link to the the city's website.
http://www.admcity.nnov.ru/english/historynn_eng.html
High 17.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Low 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit
This is a warm day tomorrow it will be colder.
If you are interested in reading more about Nizhny this is a link to the the city's website.
http://www.admcity.nnov.ru/english/historynn_eng.html
Saturday, February 21, 2009
More Information
Tonight, my heart is heavy. Today many times I have thought of the recent news from Russia. I started searching tonight for more information, but have come up short. I did however find a few more couple's blogs. They too need our prayers, as they are facing the same challenges that we are facing.
I am adding a link that you can go to read about the current Russia adoption news.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/world/europe/04adopt.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/A/Adoptions
At this time we are resolving to not give up, not expect the worse, but instead to trust in God.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"
I keep this verse close to me, because it reminds me God is on our side, and he has a plan for us and our future family.
I am adding a link that you can go to read about the current Russia adoption news.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/world/europe/04adopt.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/A/Adoptions
At this time we are resolving to not give up, not expect the worse, but instead to trust in God.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"
I keep this verse close to me, because it reminds me God is on our side, and he has a plan for us and our future family.
Friday, February 20, 2009
More News Today
Ok... if the news this morning wasn't bad enough, here is more. I just received an email about 30 mins ago form our agency. A Russian official has made a proposal to put a temporary moratorium on the adoption of Russian children with those outside the country. This proposal has been made in an effort to protect the children in light of the recent U.S. cases of Russian Federation adopted children being abused or neglected after adoption. The agency stated that proposals like this one have been made in the past and never made it further than discussion.
I can understand their concern, but any child no matter if they are adopted by U.S. citizens or anybody else can be abused or neglected. There is no magic test to predict what parent will eventually abuse or neglect their child. I am sure there are parents in Russia who abuse or neglect their children.
This news is a little unsettling to us. I just have pray and hope that this proposal will not pass. I know that in my heart we could never hurt a child.
I know we have asked many times, but please keep praying for our adoption. Pray for those persons involved in our case. Prayer is powerful and with GOD on our side anything is possible.
I can understand their concern, but any child no matter if they are adopted by U.S. citizens or anybody else can be abused or neglected. There is no magic test to predict what parent will eventually abuse or neglect their child. I am sure there are parents in Russia who abuse or neglect their children.
This news is a little unsettling to us. I just have pray and hope that this proposal will not pass. I know that in my heart we could never hurt a child.
I know we have asked many times, but please keep praying for our adoption. Pray for those persons involved in our case. Prayer is powerful and with GOD on our side anything is possible.
The latest news.....
Well, here is the deal as we understand it. Each adoption is required to have post-adoption reports done as specified by the country you are adopting from. It is up to the home study agency and families to ensure that these are done. The agencies on the list that was released may have delinquent post-adoption reports. This does not mean that the agency is not a good agency, it may not be any fault of the agency at all. After speaking to our case manager she explained that sometimes it is the families who do not comply. The agencies on the list may have one delinquent report or hundreds, the list doesn't specify. Each agency will have to find and submit these reports in order to have their names removed.
What this means for us: I have talked with our social worker who will be in contact with her boss. Hopefully it will only be a few reports or less and they will be able to clear their name. If they do, no problem for us. However, if in a week or so if they have not been able to clear their agency, we will start a new home study with another agency. We will still be registered and waiting. We will just need a new home study before we go before the judge. The judge may not have a problem with our current home study, but if he is strict and followes the letter of their law, he could deny the current one.
So hopefully our current agency can resolve this quickly and there will be no need for a new home study. Home studies can take several months to complete, so I pray this will be resolved with out the need for a new one. I would for this to delay us. The good thing is we are newly registered so that fact buys us a little time to get this resolved.
What this means for us: I have talked with our social worker who will be in contact with her boss. Hopefully it will only be a few reports or less and they will be able to clear their name. If they do, no problem for us. However, if in a week or so if they have not been able to clear their agency, we will start a new home study with another agency. We will still be registered and waiting. We will just need a new home study before we go before the judge. The judge may not have a problem with our current home study, but if he is strict and followes the letter of their law, he could deny the current one.
So hopefully our current agency can resolve this quickly and there will be no need for a new home study. Home studies can take several months to complete, so I pray this will be resolved with out the need for a new one. I would for this to delay us. The good thing is we are newly registered so that fact buys us a little time to get this resolved.
New release from Russia
I just received an update on Russian Adoptions in general. The Russian Federation just released a list of home study agencies that have to make some corrections or changes in order for the paperwork to be accepted. It is just our luck that our home study agency is on that 7 page list of agencies. Right now, I am unsure how this will ultimately affect us. It is possible that because our documents were submitted prior to this release, that we may not be affected. I have contacted our home study agency this morning and they will be reviewing the new statement, hopefully be able to fix the problem, and be able to be removed from the list. Worst case scenario the home study would have to redone and resubmitted by another agency.
I will admit this is a little discouraging. It seems it is two steps forward then 3 back. The worst part is knowing that our baby could already be born and lying in a crib somewhere with no one to love or hold them. I pray that this technicality will be resolved quickly and we will still be able to receive our referral this year sometime.
I will say I am grateful our adoption agency stays on top of these releases and notifies us immediately. I hope to talk to our case manager today. I will post again when I know more.
I will admit this is a little discouraging. It seems it is two steps forward then 3 back. The worst part is knowing that our baby could already be born and lying in a crib somewhere with no one to love or hold them. I pray that this technicality will be resolved quickly and we will still be able to receive our referral this year sometime.
I will say I am grateful our adoption agency stays on top of these releases and notifies us immediately. I hope to talk to our case manager today. I will post again when I know more.
Monday, February 9, 2009
And the wait continues
Many have asked if we have received any news. Well, not really. We probably will not get many updates until we receive our referral. Occasionally the facilitator in Russia will update our case manager on how things are flowing in Russia, but who knows when those updates will come.
In trying to keep our spirits up, I am looking at it this way. We almost have one month of waiting behind us. On Valentines it will be one month. So if it takes 6 months, we only have 5 months left. But again, there is no way to know how long it will take.
We are still waiting for immigration approval, and they are very particular. Just this week we received a letter stating it appeared that some of the pages in the home study appeared to be photocopies instead of originals. We are in the process of clearing that up. But again in a effort to keep my spirits up I am choosing to look at this way, at least they are working on our case instead of it sitting on a desk somewhere.
Please continue to pray for our baby and for all those who are working to bring our baby home.
In trying to keep our spirits up, I am looking at it this way. We almost have one month of waiting behind us. On Valentines it will be one month. So if it takes 6 months, we only have 5 months left. But again, there is no way to know how long it will take.
We are still waiting for immigration approval, and they are very particular. Just this week we received a letter stating it appeared that some of the pages in the home study appeared to be photocopies instead of originals. We are in the process of clearing that up. But again in a effort to keep my spirits up I am choosing to look at this way, at least they are working on our case instead of it sitting on a desk somewhere.
Please continue to pray for our baby and for all those who are working to bring our baby home.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Delays Already
Well, a little bad new just came in as I have been working to put this blog together. ( oh, yeah I don't recommend using dial-up while working on a blog.)
I just recieved an email from the Agency. It looks like the referral process has become longer than the 4 wks to 4 months we were told. It looks to be at least 6 months but possiblely longer. There were a couple of stated reasons. 1) Russia is trying to place more children domestically. 2) The result of the Harrison Russian Adoption case. 3) A change in the paper process.
The Good News is we were already was preparing ourself for longer than 4 months.
Just please pray that God will continue to keep our baby safe until we can get there.
I just recieved an email from the Agency. It looks like the referral process has become longer than the 4 wks to 4 months we were told. It looks to be at least 6 months but possiblely longer. There were a couple of stated reasons. 1) Russia is trying to place more children domestically. 2) The result of the Harrison Russian Adoption case. 3) A change in the paper process.
The Good News is we were already was preparing ourself for longer than 4 months.
Just please pray that God will continue to keep our baby safe until we can get there.
The Process in a Nutshell
As I said earlier, we sent our first application in June of 2008. We were shocked at how fast things would get started. Within days we had our first agency "To Do List." We began to scramble to get passports, prepare the house for the home study, and prepare ourselves for the home study. The home study has been the most terrifying part so far, but as it turned out it was not bad at all. The home study was finished in October, and we started to get all the document ready to go to Russia. What a process that was. Each document had to be notarized and apostilled separately. (apostilled: the state dept. has to verify that each notary is legitimate) After this is done, then the agency had to review all the documents before sending them to Russia. And wouldn't you know, we had to redo some of these forms. So to make this long story a little shorter our documents were sent to Russia just before Christmas. Oh yeah, did I tell you that the Russia government takes a holiday from Dec 15 to Jan 12. Well they do. I believe our facilitator worked to get the documents translated during this time though. We found out this week that we have officially been registered in Russia since January 14th.
To Russia WIth Love
Here is our story and how we have come to love a Russian baby we have not yet seen. We have known since early in our relationship that we wanted to adopt. We didn't necessarily know when or from where, but we knew it was in our hearts. After a year of marriage we decided we were ready to start our family; however, God has had other plans. Most of those close to us know that the past 5 years have been trying ones, as we have lost multiple pregnancies. Those were very hard times, but it has brought us to here. Over the past 5 years we have requested numerous adoption packets and researched many countries. Each time we decided on a agency and a country something would happen to change those plans. I guess it just was not in Gods timing. This past June we sat together one night and discussed once again adopting. I'm not real sure why we looked up the agency we choose, but we did. We looked at all the countries again and again. There was just something about Russia. The statistics on the number of orphan children were unbelievable to say the least. It was at that moment that something began to tug at my heart and the tears began to roll. We talked about it, filled out the form, and hit submit. WOW, it was just that easy. That night I began to feel such a peace. A peace that God was working in my life and that finally we were getting closer to have the family we have dreamed of. So here we go "To Russia with love."
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