Monday, March 11, 2013

Spring Fun

I think Spring is here! I planted flowers around the mailbox and in the front step planters this weekend. I love the colors and life there now! Even though we really don't get harsh winters here, ever, I am just SO done feeling cold and wet from all the rain. I'm ready for nice spring days and hot summers!

We are gearing up for Easter and Champ's birthday, which actually fall on the same weekend, so that will be fun! I think a lot of egg hunts will be taking place in the yard, yay!

I can feel the anticipation of school getting out; JR's preschool is taking graduation photos soon, in their cute little caps and gowns. My, this year went quickly! And next year HE starts kindergarten and Little Dude goes to FIRST GRADE. How in the world could it be that this school year ends in just a few short months?

And, it has been over a year since we first started trying to adopt, and 10 months, 3 weeks and 3 days since we changed to our current agency and formally started applications for our Princess. It has gone by so quickly, it seems hard to believe time has gone by that fast, too (and yet at the same time, it has taken forever, haha). And I feel guilty complaining, because some families have been waiting multiple YEARS because of the huge changes that occurred with Hauge and CARA and until those changes got finalized later last year, many people were just stuck in limbo. We are pretty lucky we got in on the tail end of those changes, and haven't had to wait too long for movement in the Ind*a adoption world to start again. And with the meeting that just occurred, it looks like we can be pretty confident of things happening for lots of families that have been waiting-and that is so super exciting! Hopefully on April first we can get registered-and next Wed we have our 1800a fingerprinting-plus we only have two more forms for our Dossier to be done-the letter from Bill's boss and our guardianship letter. Both I'm hoping will be done in the next week. I REALLY want to send it before April, but we will see.

Now on the other side of the Dossier, it actually wasn't too bad. Though that first day I saw the huge list of documents I needed to hunt down completely overwhelmed me, now on this side I feel like I could do it again, and even faster the next time. Though honestly, four kids will probably be plenty for our home, at least for a good number of years. There is a tiny part of me that wishes very much that we could also adopt our Princess's best friend in the orphanage. She is a little girl with Down's and apparently she and our girl are the BEST of buds. I hope our girl's buddy finds a family, but there is a part of me that wishes it could be us, even though I know, deep in side, that bringing home two toddlers, and even if her friend didn't have Downs, would be just too much for us to consider currently. And I have such little experience with Downs, I really don't know that I would be a good enough mom to give what she would need, especially with four other children, but still, I wish. I'm sure though, when we go over, there will be many children that pull at our hearts.

But, we are prepping for "worst case" behavior and needs, and trying to focus on everything we can do to help our princess feel at home with us. She will be going through so many changes, I hope we can do a good job and give her the support she deserves while she learns a new culture and family.

And in the meantime, I am trying to learn the language she will speak and enjoy this amazing Spring. Life is just so wonderful and joyous when you watch the little plants start to stretch for the sky and finally feel a warm breeze in the air.

I love the fresh start of Spring.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Champ is Turning Two

Oh my goodness, my littlest man is turning two at the end of the month!! HOW in the world did that happen? I feel like it was just yesterday we brought him home.

He is a full on toddler now, with tons of cute words, sayings, and definately cute attitude. His huge thing now is to cross hims arms, pout his lips and say "hm" or "oh" when he isn't getting his way. CUTEST thing ever. We shouldn't encourage the attitude, but it is so very hard not to give in. It is true what people say about the baby getting spoiled; I want to soak up every second with him and it is so hard to say no, even though I have to.

He is just too cute!

And for his birthday we are having a Thomas the Train them mixed with an Easter Egg hunt in the backyard-should be loads of fun for him and his little friends! I'm excited for him to really get into the presents. This year he kinda got Christmas, but I think now he will REALLY be into the gifts-especially once he realizes there are a number of trains for the train table that will now be ALL his! I'm so excited to see his excitement. I can't imagine a more wonderful job than being a mama-and I am so very blessed to have the privilege to watch these three wonderful little guys grow before my eyes.

Champ as Baby Ironman. We have quite the team of super heroes living at my house, didn't you know?


Friday, March 1, 2013

Getting Registered

Our agency is going to try to register us as adoptive parents and get us on the list to receive referrals....OMG!

BUT, Ind*a will only allow so many new families to be registered world wide on the first of each month, and this is the first month they have been open to registering since Oct or Nov of last year....so there are probably TONS of people world wide trying to register. Please pray that we get registered today, because our sweet girl's declarations have been submitted, and that means that now she is available to be given as a referral.

Also, our agency told us that with our registration information, they are submitting a request for our little special needs angel and that after the huge adoptiong meeting CARA had last month, it was declared that CARA would do their best to fulfill adoption requests for specific needs, with the emphasis given for special needs.

So, pray our file gets in today. Pray that CARA agrees to allow us to have our sweet girl. Two huge hurdles, but I know that God can take care of it for us. It will happen if He wants it to. I just have to rest knowing we have done all that we can to reach this point, and from here out it is up to Him.

***Update: CARA registrations didn't open, for some reason, so our agency couldn't register us or any of the other families waiting. I feel sad, and panic-y and just pretty down about it. We didn't even have a chance, it didn't even OPEN. What if it doesn't open again next month, or the month after? Sigh. Our girl is on there, her file is there, and I'm so scared we will lose her. We are no closer to brining our girl home than we were a year ago. And we now have to wait a whole month more to try to be registered again.

An entire month more of just waiting to even get in the system, which actually makes me feel like laugh hysterically because of the horrible show down we had with my mother in law, which oddly enough was centered on her feeling embarrassed/left out/like shes a bad mom/how dare you do this to me/that she didn't know we were serious, when we told her Dec 2011 we were interested in adopting. How dare we wait til now to share the offical news, because, you know, we JUST got our homestudy approved, had to figure out medicial issues our princess had at that same time,  get the dossier together, have a ton of late night heart to heart crying moments to figure out if we REALLY were ready to do this, and then send all the money. And that all happen in the last few weeks, and then right after we told her. Sigh.

And we are no where closer to where we had been. we aren't registered, we can't get referrals, we can't get matched. But we do have a huge pile of paperwork, some grant applications and one annoyed mother/mother in law.

Sweet eh? I'm having a hard time staying positive, though I am trying. Next month will be the month-and on the plus side, we will be completely "paper ready" at that point, meaning that IF some miracle occured, we could get our referral, guardianship, passports, visas and courtdates assigned right then an there. BUT. Even with a miracle, I doubt it. We will be just focusing on the hope of getting registered  for our referral NEXT MONTH.  I feel like I'll be saying that a lot. Sigh.


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