 |
 |
| Customize your own digital collage |
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Collecting Wishes
To welcome new life, a tradition exists in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei (100 good wishes quilt). Family and friends are invited to contribute a square of cloth along with a good wish for the baby. The squares of cloth are all sewn together into a quilt, and the good wishes are put into a scrapbook for the child. The quilt symbolizes wrapping the child in the good wishes of family and friends.
If you'd like to help me out, here’s what you need to do:
1.Choose a 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can come from a quilting or fabric store, fabric you already have, or something that is special to you like an old piece of significant clothing, etc.
2.Wash the material if it is new to let it shrink before it is cut.
3.Cut a square measuring about 8" by 8"
4.Write your wish for the baby. The wish can be your own words or thoughts, a favorite poem or quote, a blessing, a prayer, or a favorite scripture—whatever keepsake words you would like her to have from you. From these, I will compile a scrapbook for her. A picture of you or your family would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance for your participation! I cannot wait to introduce her to all of you and to explain how each of you helped to bring her home through your prayers and support.
If you'd like to help me out, here’s what you need to do:
1.Choose a 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can come from a quilting or fabric store, fabric you already have, or something that is special to you like an old piece of significant clothing, etc.
2.Wash the material if it is new to let it shrink before it is cut.
3.Cut a square measuring about 8" by 8"
4.Write your wish for the baby. The wish can be your own words or thoughts, a favorite poem or quote, a blessing, a prayer, or a favorite scripture—whatever keepsake words you would like her to have from you. From these, I will compile a scrapbook for her. A picture of you or your family would be appreciated as well.
Thanks in advance for your participation! I cannot wait to introduce her to all of you and to explain how each of you helped to bring her home through your prayers and support.
Monday, July 19, 2010
WC Program
As of today Scott and I have officially entered AW's "Waiting Child Program". This means that we have requested permission to review referrals of children with minor or correctable special needs. Our paperwork will remain on the "normal" track unless we accept one of the WC referrals. Adopting a child with a medical special need has always been on our radar and with the wait time up to 51-52 months and increasing a month each month for the past three years, we just feel God leading us in this direction. It took a lot of prayer and discussion to come to this conclusion because although the growing wait time is a good motivation to take a deeper look into this program, it is not a good reason to go forward with it. We ask for continued prayer as we are committed to staying united as a couple and within God's will. We always knew that the process would involve reviewing and accepting a referral but we assumed it would be a "yes" for a healthy baby. Now we have to take a real look at what our family can handle with God's grace and be willing to say "no". I know that won't be easy so we're praying that God guides the AW staff and gives us clear indication on who our daughter is. It's exciting folks.. nerve-racking-overwhelming-make-me-giddy-and-scared-and-stressed-all-at-the-same-time...but exciting.
We haven't heard much about the first Gansu trip just that it went well and they are planning another one in the fall. If the staff who went identified a child who they thought would fit with our family, they have not told us. They could have a baby in mind for us but either the paperwork isn't ready or they are waiting until they get it just to be sure she is available and ready.
On a seperate note, our current children are doing so wonderfully and we find much joy daily in raising them. It's hard for me to imagine Colston as a big brother but we have confidence he'll step up to the plate when duty calls. Thinking about three kids brings me some anxiety but after speaking with my many expecting loved ones, they all feel similiar. So it's not an adoption thing I guess and I figure I will step up to the plate when duty calls as well.
We haven't heard much about the first Gansu trip just that it went well and they are planning another one in the fall. If the staff who went identified a child who they thought would fit with our family, they have not told us. They could have a baby in mind for us but either the paperwork isn't ready or they are waiting until they get it just to be sure she is available and ready.
On a seperate note, our current children are doing so wonderfully and we find much joy daily in raising them. It's hard for me to imagine Colston as a big brother but we have confidence he'll step up to the plate when duty calls. Thinking about three kids brings me some anxiety but after speaking with my many expecting loved ones, they all feel similiar. So it's not an adoption thing I guess and I figure I will step up to the plate when duty calls as well.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Gansu June Trip Status
After much thought, discussion and prayer Scott and I decided that we will not be traveling in June to the orphanage in Gansu. I know some of you may be disappointed but it is the only decision we feel is right for us. HOWEVER, this does not mean that we will not be adopting shortly from this region. America World staff going on this first trip will be bringing back information on the children there and we have made it clear that we are ready and willing to proceed forward with an adoption if one is identified to fit with our family. This means we could still be traveling in the fall to pick him/her up. So please keep praying! Thanks for caring for us through this whole process. We have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement all of you have given us. Life is full, God is good, we are blessed.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
BIG NEWS
Some of you may know that Scott and I were talking about applying for the Waiting Child Program and requesting to view referrals of babies with minor medical special needs. Our tentative plan was to do this around Colston's 2nd birthday in September knowing that a referral could follow shortly. On Friday we got a call from AW telling us that we've been selected to be part of a pilot program in which five families would travel to an orphanage and be given the opportunity to identify a child for adoption. The orphanage is located in the Gansu Province near Mongolia and will be partnered with AW in order to find parents for the special needs orphans who reside there. The trip is scheduled for June 20th and we need to make our decision by June 1st! There are so many factors to consider...
PROS: Serving with Scott in an orphanage would be amazing, getting the opportunity to select a child in person and bonding with her, getting way more information about her past and current life then most adoptive parents are able to do, they have very young babies available so the chance to bring home a six month old would be incredible (early medical intervention, less developmental delays, I wouldn't miss my favorite infant stage), this is most likely the fastest way we could bring a child home and having her home by September would be SO great...we've waited 37 months already!
CONS: MONEY$$$, it would add an additional 5k to our $25k process (this coming days AFTER we just made a car purchase, it was a good deal but we could've got less car if we had known this opportunity was coming) and what if we go and don't bond with a child?, it requires two 8 day trips away from Colston and Oakley instead of one 12 day trip away from them, it's a pilot program so of course we will be ironing out the kinks for AW and there are risks involved (things like the timeframes), having to prepare and pack for a trip to China on such short notice won't be easy especially for Scott since it is week 2 of camp, although it might seem cool to be able to see a large group of children and select one the reality of that is much harder, I know I've been. What we don't want to do is make an emotional decision, we want what God wants. If that is not made clear to us during the trip it will be VERY difficult.
If we don't go there is a trip tentatively planned in the fall that will be available to us. Or we could apply to the regular Waiting Child Program and wait to receive a paper referral that way. Or we could just remain on the healthy track and wait an indefinite amount of time (currently the wait is 50 months and has yet to remain steady but instead has gone up a month each month).
So there is so much to think about and so little time to think it over, we need your help and prayers. My thoughts are consumed by this decision and we want above all else to do what God wants us to do. If you have thoughts and/or words of wisdom we are open. If you could also pray that the decision we make is one we both feel at peace about I'd appreciate it too.
We love all of you and are so grateful for your support and presence in our life!
PROS: Serving with Scott in an orphanage would be amazing, getting the opportunity to select a child in person and bonding with her, getting way more information about her past and current life then most adoptive parents are able to do, they have very young babies available so the chance to bring home a six month old would be incredible (early medical intervention, less developmental delays, I wouldn't miss my favorite infant stage), this is most likely the fastest way we could bring a child home and having her home by September would be SO great...we've waited 37 months already!
CONS: MONEY$$$, it would add an additional 5k to our $25k process (this coming days AFTER we just made a car purchase, it was a good deal but we could've got less car if we had known this opportunity was coming) and what if we go and don't bond with a child?, it requires two 8 day trips away from Colston and Oakley instead of one 12 day trip away from them, it's a pilot program so of course we will be ironing out the kinks for AW and there are risks involved (things like the timeframes), having to prepare and pack for a trip to China on such short notice won't be easy especially for Scott since it is week 2 of camp, although it might seem cool to be able to see a large group of children and select one the reality of that is much harder, I know I've been. What we don't want to do is make an emotional decision, we want what God wants. If that is not made clear to us during the trip it will be VERY difficult.
If we don't go there is a trip tentatively planned in the fall that will be available to us. Or we could apply to the regular Waiting Child Program and wait to receive a paper referral that way. Or we could just remain on the healthy track and wait an indefinite amount of time (currently the wait is 50 months and has yet to remain steady but instead has gone up a month each month).
So there is so much to think about and so little time to think it over, we need your help and prayers. My thoughts are consumed by this decision and we want above all else to do what God wants us to do. If you have thoughts and/or words of wisdom we are open. If you could also pray that the decision we make is one we both feel at peace about I'd appreciate it too.
We love all of you and are so grateful for your support and presence in our life!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
So What IS Happening?
Wed. February 24, 2010
The short answer? Not much.
The long answer...well, it's hard to explain. We've been waiting 34 months. Our paperwork is sitting at the CCAA and has gone through the review room with no complications. Now it will be passed to the matching room where hundreds of parent's dossiers are matched with hundreds of orphan's paperwork. However, for many reasons, China is moving very slowly with that process. Why? No one really knows for sure. They claim that with the loosening of the one child policy in some regions and the promotion of domestic adoption within China, there are just not as many orphans available to meet the high demand. Although this may be true, the fact remains that the CCAA only works with a few of the many orphanages scattered throughout the country. It would be very easy and cost effective for them to improve services and staffing at all the orphanages in order to get all the available orphans a chance to be adopted. I can only speculate why they don't do this.
So what does this mean for us? A very long wait with no ability to predict when a referral will come if we stay on the healthy, infant track. The current wait is 46 months and subject to go up. This month we have had to work hard to renew our INS (USCIS) paperwork and update our New York home study report. Obviously this takes extra energy and money but we still feel the Lord has us on this path and we are trusting in Him to lead us if we are meant to change our plans. So please keep us in your prayers, that our hearts remain open and our wills remain obedient.
Colston (now 18 mo.) and Oakley (almost five) are doing wonderfully and continue to bless us. Daddy and the kids are content in the wait but mommy is starting to get more emotionally engaged and desiring to hold another little girl in her arms.
The short answer? Not much.
The long answer...well, it's hard to explain. We've been waiting 34 months. Our paperwork is sitting at the CCAA and has gone through the review room with no complications. Now it will be passed to the matching room where hundreds of parent's dossiers are matched with hundreds of orphan's paperwork. However, for many reasons, China is moving very slowly with that process. Why? No one really knows for sure. They claim that with the loosening of the one child policy in some regions and the promotion of domestic adoption within China, there are just not as many orphans available to meet the high demand. Although this may be true, the fact remains that the CCAA only works with a few of the many orphanages scattered throughout the country. It would be very easy and cost effective for them to improve services and staffing at all the orphanages in order to get all the available orphans a chance to be adopted. I can only speculate why they don't do this.
So what does this mean for us? A very long wait with no ability to predict when a referral will come if we stay on the healthy, infant track. The current wait is 46 months and subject to go up. This month we have had to work hard to renew our INS (USCIS) paperwork and update our New York home study report. Obviously this takes extra energy and money but we still feel the Lord has us on this path and we are trusting in Him to lead us if we are meant to change our plans. So please keep us in your prayers, that our hearts remain open and our wills remain obedient.
Colston (now 18 mo.) and Oakley (almost five) are doing wonderfully and continue to bless us. Daddy and the kids are content in the wait but mommy is starting to get more emotionally engaged and desiring to hold another little girl in her arms.
I'm Pregnant
Friday, February 15, 2008
I'm making the official announcement that Scott and I are expecting our second baby in late September. We are VERY excited and feeling so grateful. The pregnancy has been good so far, only about three weeks of nausea (though no actually sickness) and two months of fatigue..but still much easier then what most women have to go through.
Yes, we are still going through with the adoption from China. However it looks like we have at least 2+ years to wait for our referral. With the increased wait time Scott and I prayed, discussed and sought counsel about what we should do and came to the decision of a bio baby for 2. It's important to us that Oakley have a sibling somewhat close in age and soon (they will be about 3 1/2 years apart) and I'd rather be pregnant younger then older. It's not easy on the body!
Anyways, we want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. We are anxious to see what God has planned for our family but we WON"T be finding out boy or girl until birth. Honestly we are into either possibility.
Thanks for caring!
I'm making the official announcement that Scott and I are expecting our second baby in late September. We are VERY excited and feeling so grateful. The pregnancy has been good so far, only about three weeks of nausea (though no actually sickness) and two months of fatigue..but still much easier then what most women have to go through.
Yes, we are still going through with the adoption from China. However it looks like we have at least 2+ years to wait for our referral. With the increased wait time Scott and I prayed, discussed and sought counsel about what we should do and came to the decision of a bio baby for 2. It's important to us that Oakley have a sibling somewhat close in age and soon (they will be about 3 1/2 years apart) and I'd rather be pregnant younger then older. It's not easy on the body!
Anyways, we want to thank you all for your support and encouragement. We are anxious to see what God has planned for our family but we WON"T be finding out boy or girl until birth. Honestly we are into either possibility.
Thanks for caring!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)