Tuesday, November 30, 2010

10 days left for the slipper fundraiser

There are only 10 days left for the slipper fundraiser, so if you would like to enter the drawing for one of these prizes, be sure to donate before then.

Prizes


Digital 10" photo frame (holds 2500 photos)
$40 basket from Bath & Body Works
$25 Gift Card - Outback

You will also get a chance to send a pair of  beautiful slippers to an orphan in Priscilla's orphanage. And of course help us to bring our little girl home. 



Friday, November 26, 2010

Random thoughts...

I know I must write something, so I don't leave everyone hanging, things are just difficult right now, and I don't know what to write about, since things seem up in the air. We are moving forward though, just slowly, since we have to wait for our home study to be completed. Our social worker says any day.

Malika has been talking about Priscilla a lot lately. This morning, she sat down next to Josh, and I overheard her say " Will you pray for Priscilla with me, Daddy?" So sweet. I'm not sure what she really thinks about her. She has a baby doll with the same name, and sometimes when we are talking about Priscilla, I think she is referring to her baby doll, rather than her sister. But, we put up a picture of Priscilla on our mantle, and she knows that is her sister.

I just can't wait for her to come home. I am constantly thinking about her.

Yesterday we went to my Mom and Dad's house for Thanksgiving, I can't help but think about next year. What it will be like to have 3 kids, and that will be Priscilla's first Thanksgiving. We went to the park yesterday afternoon, and it was very windy. Josh and I were talking about how she may not even know what wind feels like, or what it feels like to get in a pool. We are so excited and ready to go pick her up and bring her home, to begin her life. And to enjoy all of her firsts with her.

And then, all these thoughts come crashing down, when I think about the vote.

Somedays, I have faith to move that mountain, and other days, I can't see anything but that mountain. All I know, is that we want her home, and we are going to fight until she is here.

So, Priscilla, just hold on. Mommy and Daddy are coming for you.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

News on the vote

I just read on the RR group about the upcoming vote. It is scheduled to be read for the week of December 14-17th, and it is said to be very last on the list.

So, hoping that it either will not be read, or that it won't get passed.

If it does get read and does pass, then pray that they will not stop adoptions that are already in the process, or those with special needs children.

This is taken from the RR yahoo site, about the Hague convention, and why it could be good :

For those of you not familiar with the Hague convention and what the laws say that govern Hague, I just wanted to add that the reason you hear many of us saying "Hague would be a blessing!" (and it WOULD) is because the Hague convention would ensure that ALL orphans in "Priscilla's country" are registered for adoption and that children can NOT be placed in an orphanage indefinite without parental rights being terminated (which happens to a lot of children...hence the reason "Priscilla's country" has so many older children in orphanages that are not registered for adoption or just became registered for adoption at a much older age). It would also GREATLY improve the process....no unknown, unpredictable length of travel, no expediting fees or surprise expenses, no secrecy to the process and what's actually going on while you wait in a car, no unexpected paper work changes and 40 pages worth of documents in triplicate :) It would STREAMLINE all adoptions.

Also, for those of you in process, the Hague treaty specifically says that countries should NOT stop their adoption programs while working to become Hague compliant. So, the Joint Council WILL encourage "Priscilla's country" to keep their adoption program OPEN should they express a desire to "shut down to become Hague compliant". They are actually already doing this!

Finally, I do want to add one other thing to clarify a little about why you hear us talk a lot about the children with special needs specifically. The Hague treaty also says that countries that are members of the Hague convention should FIRST do everything possible to keep the children in THEIR OWN COUNTRY. Those programs start with the "young and healthy" kids. While we certainly hope and pray that it will also one day include the children with special needs (hence Connecting The Rainbow), the reality is that "Priscilla's country" (and other countries in Eastern Europe)are years away from those programs filtering to include children with special needs. That is why you hear the urging to not stop the adoptions of children with special needs (and older kids...who also aren't included in those programs right at the start). It is NOT because we don't think ALL children deserve a family...we DO.


Thank you to all of you praying and sending letters. I have a huge peace about this right now.
I'm not sure what God's plans are for the future of our little girl, but I do know that He placed her in our hearts for a reason, and I also know that He loves her way more than I ever could. So, we are just trusting that He knows best, even if it doesn't turn out the way we would like it. 


Saying all that, I still have a peace about it. And strangely, I still feel like she will be coming home in the spring. So, I am just going on that little piece of hope that I have. We are just moving forward as though nothing will stop us. 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Why???

Why not? Ok, just kidding, I just couldn't think of a better title.

Yesterday, I tried to take my mind off of the stress with everything going on, so I found this cool blog, and made this tissue box cover. Well, it didn't really help me take my mind off the stress, but at least I got a cute tissue box cover out of it.




I woke up this morning with Priscilla on my mind. So, I got out this little dress that my friend, Judy gave to us for our little girl. It even has a cute matching baby doll outfit. I want her to wear it for her 2nd birthday. Please, oh please come home by your second birthday.
Even Justus wants her to come home to wear her dress.


Today has been so hard. I'm not sure what is going on right now. I will go re-mail the documents. All is not lost in that, I think. My heart is just really torn up. I tried to go shopping tonight, to see if it would help get my mind off our little girl, it didn't. Everywhere I turned, I thought of her.

I feel like I am pregnant and the doctor just told me they aren't sure how my pregnancy will end, they aren't sure if the baby will make it. And even if the baby does make it, I could be very overdue. I may never see her beautiful little face or hold her hand or look into her eyes. I love her beyond any words could ever say. I don't know how this has happened, when all I have of her is a picture. I just know it happened.

Unless God says in a huge audible voice to stop, we will keep trudging along, we aren't giving up. I don't think I can give up. But, in all honesty, I don't want to do this anymore. I just want my life back. There, I said it. Now, isn't that selfish of me.

I don't even want to go to bed tonight, because then I will just have to wake up tomorrow. Ok, I'm not depressed, just sad.

I am so beyond mad right now...

...because, guess what showed up in the mail today? My documents that I sent to EE, 2 months ago!!

They weren't supposed to come back. Arghhh, I am so upset. Because, not only does Priscilla's country not even know that I am trying to adopt her, now I will have to re-pay to send these. And they aren't cheap.

Just praying that things will work out in the end. We are NOT giving up. We will bring her home.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Something that can be done

Today, I have been thinking and praying all day about this vote that is going to be passed. I have been very sad, because I just have this bad feeling about it. I posted on a chat group for other adopting parents from Reece's Rainbow, and someone posted a link to someones blog, this post gave me a little hope, at least to know that there is something I can do.

This is the post:


Even if you don't feel the call to adopt, you can get involved in orphan care. And here's a simple way to get involved today...

By now, most of you have probably heard about the decision in Ukraine to go forward with a vote to halt international adoption until an inter-country agreement is in place. Please take a moment to write to your senators & congressmen, then encourage your friends and family to contact do the same!

Below you'll find a letter that you can use, or write your own.
To send a letter to your congressman:

To send a letter to your senator just click on the state and follow the link:

Please help us get the word out!!
________________________________________________________

Dear (name),

I am writing to you today regarding a VERY urgent situation. Many families in the US are currently in the process of adopting children from orphanages in Ukraine. Most of these children are older or disabled. American families adopting these children offer them what may be their only opportunity at a normal and productive life free of crime, prostitution, or institutionalization due to illnesses that are treatable in the United States. I personally know one of these families.

On November 3, 2010, the Ukrainian parliament voted to proceed with voting on legislation that would halt all international adoptions until inter-country adoption agreements are in place (see the State Dept. announcement at http://adoption.state.gov/news/ukraine.html) . At this point, all that is needed for this to become law is one more vote in Ukrainian parliament and a signature by the Ukrainian president. This could happen any day. If it does, many families and innocent children will be greatly affected. I personally know one of these families.

I am writing to you to urge you to act quickly on this matter by 1. Contacting your Ukrainian cohorts and requesting a consideration of revision of the law to allow adoptions to proceed while the agreement is being drafted (as was done in Russia) and 2. Work with your colleagues in congress to begin drafting this agreement so that it is ready to go in the event the law passes.

Thank you for your timely consideration of this urgent matter!

Please take the time to write these letters. Please forward this to all your friends and families. Post on facebook or twitter or wherever else people may read it and help out.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pray,pray,pray....Here we go again

We need prayer again, desperately. Ok, not just us, but all families adopting from Priscilla's country. I have known about this for a little while, but haven't said much to anyone, because it seems I am asking people to pray constantly. And I guess I was hoping it would go away, but it hasn't.

Remember last month or so, I asked everyone to pray about the bill they were trying to pass in EE, that would stop all adoptions. Well, they have been up to it again. I don't know the full details, but it seems there is another bill. This one is to stop adoptions, in order to clean up how they adopt. From what I hear, they want to become a Hague country, basically this is just a set of rules in order to protect the children who are being adopted. You can read more about it here. This could be a good thing, but if they do this now, then ALL adoptions would be stopped. There are about 75 families adopting, at least through Reece's Rainbow, with about 100 children involved, with most of the children having medical needs.

If they pass this bill now, these children's lives would be in jeopardy. Also, adopting families have an expiration date on all paperwork being done, so everything that we have worked so hard on would be void, and we would have to start over.

I know, I know it has been a huge roller coaster. I wish they would just get their act together and stop scaring us. I hope that they will consider the children in this matter. So, please pray.

I have even thought, wouldn't it be nice that they could set a date in the future, like say, the end of 2011 to do this, so that adopting families can finish adoptions, and future families will know before committing to a child.

I have not been too worried about it, until now. So, maybe that is the Lord's grace or His way of showing me it will be ok, I don't know. But, I do know enough to have people praying. I think the bill may be voted on next week or so (actually it was already voted on and passed, but has to be voted on again).

Monday, November 8, 2010

Hmmm...don't have a title

Well, nothing new is going on, just a big waiting game now. I do hope everything comes back in time to submit in February. I really don't know what I was thinking when I thought there was a chance to submit this year. Everything becomes clearer by the day. :)

I emailed a lady who adopted from the same orphanage we are adopting from. She said it was one of the better orphanages and that the children are very well taken care of and loved. She said I would be happy with how well taken care of they are. That makes me so happy, to know that Priscilla is being loved and fed properly. So, maybe she won't be as little as I was thinking.

Oh yeah, and we have raised half of the money we need already! Praise God!

Friday, November 5, 2010

impatient

Yesterday, we had our last home study appointment. I also thought we would be done with it, and it could be sent to USCIS, but our social worker said it would not be completed until the end of the month.

I am really trying to just trust in the Lord and not worry about things, and just hope it will all get taken care of in time. At least we have the winter break and I won't be stressing over it (too much).

I am so impatient today. I just want to hold her and take her home so bad. I am glad things are not quite so stressful right now. We are nearly done with getting the dossier ready, and there is not much to do on our end, except wait. Sounds good, but is kind of torture. At least to me. I thought I would rather like it without stress and busyness, but now, all I do is think about our little baby, and how we are missing out on this time with her.

Aside from my impatience, today has been a good day. It has been very normal, we stayed home and just enjoyed life. I absolutely adore my children, and I am so grateful for this time to spend with them. My hope is that the next few months go by quickly, but not too quickly that I forget the children I already have. :)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

We have the document!

Well, as some of you know, we have had a very difficult time getting a document for our dossier. The Proof of home ownership. This is one document that we had no idea it would be difficult to get, we have owned our home for quite some time, and even pay taxes on it! 

I won't go into detail about what we went through to get this document, but I will say, we have been quite busy getting this one little piece of paper. We went to the courthouse a total of 4 times, went to the mayors office once, to a lawyers office twice (to get a new deed to our house), and I was on the phone many times to many different people trying to get it resolved. 

I have to say thanks to my friend, Jill's dad, Senator Tom Butler, for his help. I called him last week to ask him for help with something else, not expecting this to come up. So, anyway, he called me back and I told him of the problems I have had, he said to email him everything and he would take care of it. 

And he did! 

Senator Butler forwarded my email to a lady in the legislative office. She called me and wanted to know in detail everything that happened. She said she would take care of it. So, about 30 minutes later she calls and said she found someone to do it for me, and that when she told this person of all that we had been through, she said she would be happy to help us. 

I was so nervous, but I once again went down to the courthouse. I was afraid this lady was going to be mean, too. She was the nicest lady. When I went into her office, she even said it was so nice to meet me, and she said "so, I've heard you have been through a lot". Then she asked what I needed her to do. Then, just like that, she did it. No questions, nothing. When I opened up my folder with all the papers, she saw Priscilla's picture, and said she was beautiful, and that she wanted me to bring her back to meet her.  I'm still in shock that it was so easy. After I left her office, I couldn't believe it, and kept looking at the paper, just to make sure I really had it. :)

Praise Jesus! 

Monday, November 1, 2010

A family for Vika

I've just read about this sweet little girl on someone else's blog. Her name is Vika, she is 4 years old and has just been moved to a mental institution. You can read about her here. This post breaks my heart, please go read it. Just to think that she would cry when taken away from a mommy and daddy that she so hoped was hers. I can't even imagine what she is going through right now. To be taken away from the only home she has ever known, and thrown into a mental institution, where they are forgotten. 85% of the children moved there will die within the first year, please consider donating to Vika's account, so she will not be one of them. Help her find a forever family.

Many people want to adopt, but the cost is the biggest thing that holds them back, so please donate to her account. Give up your coffee for a day, or your soda. Fast at lunch and donate what you would have spent. Remember, it is all tax deductable too. It doesn't take too long to donate on line, don't put it off until later, she may not have a "later"

Her blog link is here. Every $5 donated will be entered into a drawing to recieve an $800 gift card to Best Buy.