A few of you have requested an update on our Adoption Journey, so rather than write the same story 3 or 4 times, please forgive me for just writing a cover all blog!
This week we finished the last of our interviews for our home study and PASSED our home inspection. Our Redding Social Worker called last night to say that she mailed off our paperwork to our other social worker in Modesto, so now all that is left is to get our insurance form from Brian's work and we will mail off the rest of our paperwork to Bethany.
THEN...the first of the BIG fees. So if you can all continue to keep us in prayer about the adoption finances that would be greatly appreciated!
After that fee is paid then Mona will write the other half of our home study down in Modesto, and then my understanding is that by August we will be making our books and having potential Mamas look at our profile.
So we are in the HURRY UP mode, so hopefully soon we will be in the wait mode!
So that is all of the news for now. We are just really relaxed this time around and feeling really blessed to be working with an agency that is Christ centered. Hope this answers everyone's questions! : )
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Paper Pregnant
I cannot deny that I am looking forward to being done with the paperwork of adoption, but at the same time its all a part of this pregnancy...paper pregnancy that is. I am being told on a regular basis by those that have adopted to be patient with every step of the process. I have to say as in my other two pregnancies that I went through some of the same things. I am dying to shop for crib bedding, and other baby odds and ends, but without knowing the sex of the baby I'm not sure what I want to buy.
I've been researching all of the new baby stuff (its been a while since I had an infant in the house), and I am surprised by some of the products on the market. Boogie wipes??? Back when I had Brianna that was either a wet wipe, or a burp cloth. Pee Pee Tee Pee?? REALLY??? Some of this stuff is just way to funny for words. My personal favorite was a crib for $4,000...Someone obviously has more sense than money!!! All in all though it has been fun looking and making my baby wish lists.
Brian and I are wading through this paperwork together and sometimes it just sucks and then sometimes it is fun like when they ask you questions like, "How do you get along with your in-laws?" or the questions about your sex life, or "What are your spouses strengths? Weaknesses?". I swear every couple who is having a baby should have to answer these questions. They really get you thinking, and in my case appreciating what a wonderful man I am married to.
Anyway, so here is where we are at. We will be done with our homestudy meetings AND home inspection by May 31st, then it will have to be written up...THEN we will really need your prayers as we apply for grants and try to get financially creative in order to bring our pumpkin home.
God is good, and as always is faithful to the Call Family.
I've been researching all of the new baby stuff (its been a while since I had an infant in the house), and I am surprised by some of the products on the market. Boogie wipes??? Back when I had Brianna that was either a wet wipe, or a burp cloth. Pee Pee Tee Pee?? REALLY??? Some of this stuff is just way to funny for words. My personal favorite was a crib for $4,000...Someone obviously has more sense than money!!! All in all though it has been fun looking and making my baby wish lists.
Brian and I are wading through this paperwork together and sometimes it just sucks and then sometimes it is fun like when they ask you questions like, "How do you get along with your in-laws?" or the questions about your sex life, or "What are your spouses strengths? Weaknesses?". I swear every couple who is having a baby should have to answer these questions. They really get you thinking, and in my case appreciating what a wonderful man I am married to.
Anyway, so here is where we are at. We will be done with our homestudy meetings AND home inspection by May 31st, then it will have to be written up...THEN we will really need your prayers as we apply for grants and try to get financially creative in order to bring our pumpkin home.
God is good, and as always is faithful to the Call Family.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...
Well, I am just swimming along here through my adoption check list, and I'm feeling so much more relaxed this time around. I just feel at peace. I am resting in the fact that God already has our child picked out for us, and so nothing I do will make our baby come faster, and nothing I do will mess up God's perfect timing. I know I get scared sometimes, but it is so nice to know that the Lord is in control. It makes this process so much easier KNOWING that HE has it under control. Now I know this doesn't mean that I might not have a freak out here or there along the way, but it is awesome how calm I feel at this moment. I keep praying for my child's birth family, and I pray for him (or her) as well. I swear I might actually be enjoying the process this time. Its kind of like a pregnancy in so many ways, but without the morning sickness, bloating, and swollen ankles...it does have pain of its own though. I'm just so thankful for all of the support we have been getting through this process from our friends. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. May He continue to teach me and mold me during this long and sometimes difficult process. So like Dory (in Finding Nemo) I will "just keep swimming, just keep swimming" through the process, and pray daily to remain surrendered to the Lord not only through this process, but long after its over.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wading through paperwork...again
So we e-mailed our adoption application last night, it was exciting, but also kind of exhausting. We've already done this once before, and I am NOT looking forward to all of the paperwork that is to come, and not to mention MORE classes, although I am happy that this time they are on-line...PRAISE GOD!! The benefit of having done this before is that I kind of know what is coming. Although we didn't end up adopting with the county I DO feel that I am more prepared for what is to come. The down side to this is that the county process pretty much wore me down, and this time around I don't have the energy and excitement for the process that I did last time.
I guess that is a blessing though because I am not hung up on time-lines right now, or rushing around trying to get to our baby closer and then ending up waiting and waiting. Just as with biological children, babies come when they are supposed to! I know my child has already been determined for us by God, so I am just going to plug along and TRY to relax and enjoy this journey. It is sooooo much like a pregnancy in so many ways. You have to take every thing in steps, and you really don't have a whole lot of control over what happens to you...you can only control how you RESPOND to what happens to you! : )
I am excited to hold our child in my arms, but I am ALSO excited about what else the Lord is going to teach me through this process. We started with the county in late 2008, and already the Lord has used it to mold us and shape us in so many ways! I am a better mother, and we are a better family because of some of the classes we have taken and some of the wonderful friends we have made.
So I guess I better pull up my waders, and keep wading through the paperwork!
I guess that is a blessing though because I am not hung up on time-lines right now, or rushing around trying to get to our baby closer and then ending up waiting and waiting. Just as with biological children, babies come when they are supposed to! I know my child has already been determined for us by God, so I am just going to plug along and TRY to relax and enjoy this journey. It is sooooo much like a pregnancy in so many ways. You have to take every thing in steps, and you really don't have a whole lot of control over what happens to you...you can only control how you RESPOND to what happens to you! : )
I am excited to hold our child in my arms, but I am ALSO excited about what else the Lord is going to teach me through this process. We started with the county in late 2008, and already the Lord has used it to mold us and shape us in so many ways! I am a better mother, and we are a better family because of some of the classes we have taken and some of the wonderful friends we have made.
So I guess I better pull up my waders, and keep wading through the paperwork!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Life is about the Journey???
Received a call from my Dad this morning, just checking in on us and to see if we still had his camera, and as we were about to hang up he said, "So I hear you are thinking about adopting again".
Of course I didn't lie and I asked who told him and he said my mom. At first I told him I didn't want to talk about it with them because I know that he and my mom wish we wouldn't add to the family, but I guess I was curious as to why.
We love our children so very much, and Brian and I have prayed about this decision, and we both really want to add another child to this family.
My dad said maybe it was his and my mom's selfish grandparent thing that if we added another that one of the kids might not get enough attention, or someone else would be overlooked if the child became sick, and that at least if there were two "no one would get left out".
I know they have concerns, and this is not a decision that Brian and I have come to lightly. I just don't like to hear it because it makes me worry about all of the what ifs...
Having thought back to my other pregnancies, I worried about the SAME things. What if I don't have enough love for both of my kids (I did, and do), What will I do if one gets sick and I can't be every where at once (God always works it out), What if something happens to one of my kids, how will I survive (All mommies worry about this)...I can't see the future and I don't want to ruin this journey with worries like I did with our county process.
I wish I had my parent's support on this, but I'm confident that through prayer, and with my discussion Brian and I are walking in the right direction, and if God changes that direction then we will move accordingly. I am also praying that God will change and soften their hearts.
The important thing is that I KNOW once our child arrives that my family will love this child just as it has our two others.
I'm a bit bummed, but not deterred : )
Of course I didn't lie and I asked who told him and he said my mom. At first I told him I didn't want to talk about it with them because I know that he and my mom wish we wouldn't add to the family, but I guess I was curious as to why.
We love our children so very much, and Brian and I have prayed about this decision, and we both really want to add another child to this family.
My dad said maybe it was his and my mom's selfish grandparent thing that if we added another that one of the kids might not get enough attention, or someone else would be overlooked if the child became sick, and that at least if there were two "no one would get left out".
I know they have concerns, and this is not a decision that Brian and I have come to lightly. I just don't like to hear it because it makes me worry about all of the what ifs...
Having thought back to my other pregnancies, I worried about the SAME things. What if I don't have enough love for both of my kids (I did, and do), What will I do if one gets sick and I can't be every where at once (God always works it out), What if something happens to one of my kids, how will I survive (All mommies worry about this)...I can't see the future and I don't want to ruin this journey with worries like I did with our county process.
I wish I had my parent's support on this, but I'm confident that through prayer, and with my discussion Brian and I are walking in the right direction, and if God changes that direction then we will move accordingly. I am also praying that God will change and soften their hearts.
The important thing is that I KNOW once our child arrives that my family will love this child just as it has our two others.
I'm a bit bummed, but not deterred : )
Monday, February 14, 2011
Another Time, Another Place.
Its Valentine's Day...For us its just another day. We aren't big Valentine's Day celebrators at our house. We just love each other every day, and call it good! : )
Anyway, last night I was on the phone with my husband (he's out of town on business), and I started talking to him about our relationship and how far we've come. Its probably all of the Valentine's talk that got me thinking about it.
The other day I was on my way to Target and stopped at the stoplight (by Taco Bell, and the Movie Theater), and it hit me how about 14 years ago (approx...I've had two children, my brain is mush) my mom and I were at the same stoplight in my car getting ready to go to chapel at Simpson. Josh McDowell was the guest speaker, and was one of my mom's favorite, so I brought her along to hear him speak. (I'll get back to the stoplight in a second) Anyway, Brian and I were having issues in our friendship, and we just never could get it right. I KNEW at the age of 16, that I wanted to marry Brian.
I have been in love with Brian since 1993, and he says "I always knew it was you", but it took us years to get it together, and getting back to that stoplight, Brian and I were going through a rough patch in our friendship (shortly after he found out he was going to be a father).
I was really upset, and told my Mom that I was so frustrated that we just couldn't get it together, and she made the comment that it probably wasn't God's Will for us to be together even though that is what I wanted. At the time I was devastated.
All of these years later I can see how the Lord grew us, and changed us, and made us ready for each other.
Brian and I were talking about this last night because of our adoption. We wanted to add a child since '08 and have had major times of frustration, but we can see how God has opened and closed different gates. When we started I was CLOSED to anything but a foreign adoption, and slowly those doors closed, and our family member who was going through the county offered to watch our kids for the classes so we could adopt through the county.
I wasn't excited about the county because I STILL had my heart set on a Korean adoption. I prayed. Lord if it is your will for us to adopt here in the states let their be an Asian baby in the county (because at time I was convinced that there were only white babies here)
Anyway, for the first time in our marriage Brian had a regular schedule that allowed him to attend classes, we had a babysitter, AND on the first night of class there was a beautiful little Asian girl there with our instructor Raylene. Not only was this baby Asian, but she was KOREAN.
I was so excited and felt confident we were on the right track. At home we were struggling with our oldest daughter, and I wasn't sure if it was right for us, and just felt so uncertain about the county, but continued to go to class. Out of those classes, my heart was opened to an OPEN adoption, which NEVER EVER would have been possible.
I never felt settled with the county, and after a year and a couple of "almost" babies we decided to close our license, and Brian who because of cost was never open to anything other than the county started to look into stuff with me.
We came across Bethany Christian Services because years ago a friend mentioned it to me after the birth of Brianna, and we were considering adoption because my pregnancy had been so rough. The name came to me again, and so I sent for info, and to my surprise I felt at peace, and so did Brian after he researched some of the funding options.
EMOTIONALLY I get scared and go back and forth, and have made the mistake of sharing that with my family who despite their love for us can't truly understand the emotions of it all because they haven't gone through this. About the only people who get it are my friends who have adopted and my sister-in-law who is still going through this process, and is a great listener to my UPS AND DOWNS.
So for now, as we pray, I continue to ask God to lead me through the doors I am supposed to go through. One day I will be able to look back and see how the Lord led us to where we are supposed to be. If that leads us to another child (which I'm not going to lie is my desire), then awesome, and if it doesn't I am already blessed beyond measure!!
Anyway, last night I was on the phone with my husband (he's out of town on business), and I started talking to him about our relationship and how far we've come. Its probably all of the Valentine's talk that got me thinking about it.
The other day I was on my way to Target and stopped at the stoplight (by Taco Bell, and the Movie Theater), and it hit me how about 14 years ago (approx...I've had two children, my brain is mush) my mom and I were at the same stoplight in my car getting ready to go to chapel at Simpson. Josh McDowell was the guest speaker, and was one of my mom's favorite, so I brought her along to hear him speak. (I'll get back to the stoplight in a second) Anyway, Brian and I were having issues in our friendship, and we just never could get it right. I KNEW at the age of 16, that I wanted to marry Brian.
I have been in love with Brian since 1993, and he says "I always knew it was you", but it took us years to get it together, and getting back to that stoplight, Brian and I were going through a rough patch in our friendship (shortly after he found out he was going to be a father).
I was really upset, and told my Mom that I was so frustrated that we just couldn't get it together, and she made the comment that it probably wasn't God's Will for us to be together even though that is what I wanted. At the time I was devastated.
All of these years later I can see how the Lord grew us, and changed us, and made us ready for each other.
Brian and I were talking about this last night because of our adoption. We wanted to add a child since '08 and have had major times of frustration, but we can see how God has opened and closed different gates. When we started I was CLOSED to anything but a foreign adoption, and slowly those doors closed, and our family member who was going through the county offered to watch our kids for the classes so we could adopt through the county.
I wasn't excited about the county because I STILL had my heart set on a Korean adoption. I prayed. Lord if it is your will for us to adopt here in the states let their be an Asian baby in the county (because at time I was convinced that there were only white babies here)
Anyway, for the first time in our marriage Brian had a regular schedule that allowed him to attend classes, we had a babysitter, AND on the first night of class there was a beautiful little Asian girl there with our instructor Raylene. Not only was this baby Asian, but she was KOREAN.
I was so excited and felt confident we were on the right track. At home we were struggling with our oldest daughter, and I wasn't sure if it was right for us, and just felt so uncertain about the county, but continued to go to class. Out of those classes, my heart was opened to an OPEN adoption, which NEVER EVER would have been possible.
I never felt settled with the county, and after a year and a couple of "almost" babies we decided to close our license, and Brian who because of cost was never open to anything other than the county started to look into stuff with me.
We came across Bethany Christian Services because years ago a friend mentioned it to me after the birth of Brianna, and we were considering adoption because my pregnancy had been so rough. The name came to me again, and so I sent for info, and to my surprise I felt at peace, and so did Brian after he researched some of the funding options.
EMOTIONALLY I get scared and go back and forth, and have made the mistake of sharing that with my family who despite their love for us can't truly understand the emotions of it all because they haven't gone through this. About the only people who get it are my friends who have adopted and my sister-in-law who is still going through this process, and is a great listener to my UPS AND DOWNS.
So for now, as we pray, I continue to ask God to lead me through the doors I am supposed to go through. One day I will be able to look back and see how the Lord led us to where we are supposed to be. If that leads us to another child (which I'm not going to lie is my desire), then awesome, and if it doesn't I am already blessed beyond measure!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wife, Mom, and Nurse????
Well, most of you know my husband was in a motorcyle accident last Friday (he was NOT at fault), so since last Friday I have been playing nurse to my hubby! I am so relieved that the Lord spared him and the crash was not life threatening, but I often wonder when I look back at this if I will see what the Lord's plan was in all of this.
In the past I have been blessed to be able to look back at situations and see the Lord's hand in every little detail. I know that He is at work even now in our lives, so I will be interested to see what His plan for us was in this accident.
For now we are dealing with Brian's injuries, and getting him better, as he is not really all that mobile right now, so as he recovers I look forward to see how He is going to work in our lives. FOR NOW...we are going to have to put our adoption plans aside until Brian gets better, so it looks like unless things change we are going to have to move our start date until after all of this accident and insurance stuff is taking care of.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope!!
God is good!!!!!!!
In the past I have been blessed to be able to look back at situations and see the Lord's hand in every little detail. I know that He is at work even now in our lives, so I will be interested to see what His plan for us was in this accident.
For now we are dealing with Brian's injuries, and getting him better, as he is not really all that mobile right now, so as he recovers I look forward to see how He is going to work in our lives. FOR NOW...we are going to have to put our adoption plans aside until Brian gets better, so it looks like unless things change we are going to have to move our start date until after all of this accident and insurance stuff is taking care of.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope!!
God is good!!!!!!!
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