Saturday, July 31, 2010
I'm a Mommy Again!!!
I'm just the worst at posting anymore! Just wanted to share that we had our court date July 7. The adoption was made official on July 19, and we just brought our sweet Charlie home yesterday!!! He is beautiful, wonderful and precious, and he's perfect for our family. I plan to post more details soon about our crazy journey to Charlie, but in the meantime, here are some pics of our little sweetheart!
Monday, February 15, 2010
WE'RE GOING TO RUSSIA...FINALLY!!!!!!!
Oh, dear friends (and you wonderful people I don't know but wish I did!),
This is the day we've waited to experience for three long years, and now we have no idea what to do with ourselves!!!!!! We got the phone call today (at 11:11, which is another story I'll mention in a minute), telling us that the Adoption Committee has extended a formal invitation to us to travel to Russia and meet our little boy!!!!!
There are not enough exclamation points in the world to portray my excitement!
A couple of years ago, we began seeing 11:11 twice a day, almost everyday on the clock. It wasn't as if we were watching for it, it just kept happening. It became almost creepy, and I told several close friends and family members that something big was going to happen for us either at 11:11, on November 11 or in November of 2011. I was half-joking, but this was such a cool thing today when I took the call, got the news, looked at the clock and....Whoa!
We have been given a few weeks notice (more than a lot of people receive), and even though we want to jump on a plane NOW, this preparation time is wonderful. We will be able to get cheaper flights and visas, make arrangements for my parents to come stay with the boys and get everything together that we want to take to our little sweetheart and to the other Russian children we've come to love along the way in this process.
We have been putting one foot in front of the other, plodding along, through so many setbacks because we didn't feel like God had given us permission to give up yet. I realize today that I must have lost hope somewhere along the way, though. I was shocked by the wonderful news this morning!
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I need to start brushing up on my Russian and buying presents for my little guy and....and....and....
:D
This is the day we've waited to experience for three long years, and now we have no idea what to do with ourselves!!!!!! We got the phone call today (at 11:11, which is another story I'll mention in a minute), telling us that the Adoption Committee has extended a formal invitation to us to travel to Russia and meet our little boy!!!!!
There are not enough exclamation points in the world to portray my excitement!
A couple of years ago, we began seeing 11:11 twice a day, almost everyday on the clock. It wasn't as if we were watching for it, it just kept happening. It became almost creepy, and I told several close friends and family members that something big was going to happen for us either at 11:11, on November 11 or in November of 2011. I was half-joking, but this was such a cool thing today when I took the call, got the news, looked at the clock and....Whoa!
We have been given a few weeks notice (more than a lot of people receive), and even though we want to jump on a plane NOW, this preparation time is wonderful. We will be able to get cheaper flights and visas, make arrangements for my parents to come stay with the boys and get everything together that we want to take to our little sweetheart and to the other Russian children we've come to love along the way in this process.
We have been putting one foot in front of the other, plodding along, through so many setbacks because we didn't feel like God had given us permission to give up yet. I realize today that I must have lost hope somewhere along the way, though. I was shocked by the wonderful news this morning!
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I need to start brushing up on my Russian and buying presents for my little guy and....and....and....
:D
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Delays & Red Tape
As I look at my last post, I realize that it's been two months since we expected travel dates any day. In keeping with the routine of Russian adoption, the Committee requested additional paperwork and a slight change to our home study. We sent everything in just before Christmas, but as some of you know, Russia basically shuts down for the first two weeks in January as they celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Our amended paperwork was submitted two days ago, and yet another document has been requested. It is, thankfully, a very simple one to provide. We have it notarized, and I will be making the two-hour drive to our state capitol to have it apostilled and overnighted to our agency. The Committee promised to issue travel dates as soon as they receive it, so (at least in theory, but we know how that goes already) we should have travel dates in the next few weeks. I'll believe it when I see it. We remain hopeful but skeptical after three years on this journey. We'll get there eventually!
Garin is in now in afternoon preschool with our district, receiving occupational and speech therapy. He's in a classroom with two other children who have mild ASD, and he LOVES it! We've only had a couple of adjustment issues: 1) He has to walk through a noisy cafeteria to get to his classroom, and 2) he really was unhappy to see me waiting for him at the end of school because he wanted to ride the yellow bus! We have taught him to prepare himself and cover his ears to prevent overstimulation during the cafeteria walk-through, and he's done fine with that. And as for the bus, he is riding it home after school, and everyday he steps off with a look on his face that says, "I am so big, and I am so cool!" He loves it! We continue to see great progress in him, and his therapists are very pleased, as are we.
Matt continues to work hard as he finishes up his senior year (sniff) and has almost decided on a college. I'll wait to reveal that choice until he's sure, but he is starting to get excited about the adventures on which his new life will take him.
Karl has been working crazy hours since this Haiti earthquake. He's on a crisis team that is responsible for getting the relief missions scheduled to deliver troops and supplies. I know he's proud to be contributing, but he's exhausted.
I'm just plugging away on the homefront, trying to keep up with the house and kids and plan worship for our wonderful church!
I'll let you know when we get those travel dates!
Garin is in now in afternoon preschool with our district, receiving occupational and speech therapy. He's in a classroom with two other children who have mild ASD, and he LOVES it! We've only had a couple of adjustment issues: 1) He has to walk through a noisy cafeteria to get to his classroom, and 2) he really was unhappy to see me waiting for him at the end of school because he wanted to ride the yellow bus! We have taught him to prepare himself and cover his ears to prevent overstimulation during the cafeteria walk-through, and he's done fine with that. And as for the bus, he is riding it home after school, and everyday he steps off with a look on his face that says, "I am so big, and I am so cool!" He loves it! We continue to see great progress in him, and his therapists are very pleased, as are we.
Matt continues to work hard as he finishes up his senior year (sniff) and has almost decided on a college. I'll wait to reveal that choice until he's sure, but he is starting to get excited about the adventures on which his new life will take him.
Karl has been working crazy hours since this Haiti earthquake. He's on a crisis team that is responsible for getting the relief missions scheduled to deliver troops and supplies. I know he's proud to be contributing, but he's exhausted.
I'm just plugging away on the homefront, trying to keep up with the house and kids and plan worship for our wonderful church!
I'll let you know when we get those travel dates!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Anybody Still Out There???
It's been far too long, I know! We've had an eventful few months, but I just haven't had the heart to share our journey. It's been hard, but we're starting to find our way out of the fog and see our direction more clearly!
After we lost the chance to adopt D & K, we spent some time thinking and praying about whether we wanted to continue the adoption process in Russia or if that would be too painful. In the end, we decided that our hearts were still with Russia, so we had our home study updated, and our dossier was registered last week in St. Petersburg. Within the next week, we hope to hear from the Committee with travel dates to go meet our little one!
We also received a diagnosis this summer that, although it was not a surprise, required some adjustment of our lives. Our little guy, Garin, has autism. It's amazing how the very thing we expected to hear the doctor say still threw us for a loop when the words were actually spoken. Suddenly, after seeing friends struggle with autism diagnoses for their children and watching countless television interviews during Autism Awareness Month, we were in the club. The club no one WANTS to be in, but at the same time, a club that we feel privileged to be part of. These are amazing people who learn to cope with the most overwhelming circumstances, and not only cope but thrive. These are kids and adults who fight hard for what most people completely take for granted. These folks may not behave in ways we consider acceptable, but they behave far better than the rest of us would, given their challenges. The more I understand about autism, the more I admire my son's abilities to adapt.
We have started ABA therapy twice a week and have seen him make incredible strides in the one month he has been doing it! His language development has taken off, and he is beginning to understand feelings that he couldn't identify before. We're also making rapid progress toward potty training, which previously was a source of terror and tears. There is great potential and great hope! Every day is a new awakening for us, and we are thankful for it. I wouldn't change who he is and what he is teaching us. He is a joy!
Matt is up to his eyeballs in senior-year fun! He went to State in cross country, which was a great way to finish his high-school career. His Hi-Q team goes to semi-finals and finals in a couple of weeks, and then the regular Scholar Bowl season starts. The last couple of months have provided precious little free time, as he has also been writing college application essays and getting them in. I must brag that he got a 33 on his ACT! I'm hoping for lots of scholarships!
So I'm back into the blog world to chronicle this newest leg of our adoption journey, as well as the events of our lives....if anybody's reading....
After we lost the chance to adopt D & K, we spent some time thinking and praying about whether we wanted to continue the adoption process in Russia or if that would be too painful. In the end, we decided that our hearts were still with Russia, so we had our home study updated, and our dossier was registered last week in St. Petersburg. Within the next week, we hope to hear from the Committee with travel dates to go meet our little one!
We also received a diagnosis this summer that, although it was not a surprise, required some adjustment of our lives. Our little guy, Garin, has autism. It's amazing how the very thing we expected to hear the doctor say still threw us for a loop when the words were actually spoken. Suddenly, after seeing friends struggle with autism diagnoses for their children and watching countless television interviews during Autism Awareness Month, we were in the club. The club no one WANTS to be in, but at the same time, a club that we feel privileged to be part of. These are amazing people who learn to cope with the most overwhelming circumstances, and not only cope but thrive. These are kids and adults who fight hard for what most people completely take for granted. These folks may not behave in ways we consider acceptable, but they behave far better than the rest of us would, given their challenges. The more I understand about autism, the more I admire my son's abilities to adapt.
We have started ABA therapy twice a week and have seen him make incredible strides in the one month he has been doing it! His language development has taken off, and he is beginning to understand feelings that he couldn't identify before. We're also making rapid progress toward potty training, which previously was a source of terror and tears. There is great potential and great hope! Every day is a new awakening for us, and we are thankful for it. I wouldn't change who he is and what he is teaching us. He is a joy!
Matt is up to his eyeballs in senior-year fun! He went to State in cross country, which was a great way to finish his high-school career. His Hi-Q team goes to semi-finals and finals in a couple of weeks, and then the regular Scholar Bowl season starts. The last couple of months have provided precious little free time, as he has also been writing college application essays and getting them in. I must brag that he got a 33 on his ACT! I'm hoping for lots of scholarships!
So I'm back into the blog world to chronicle this newest leg of our adoption journey, as well as the events of our lives....if anybody's reading....
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Dear Friends,
I've been putting off blogging in the hope that my next entry would be sharing the excellent news that we were traveling to Russia to meet our children. We were expecting that to happen in March, after our paperwork was accepted by the adoption committee. Without going into too many details, I must share with you that this trip will not happen. Although the government of Russia is willing to move forward, as we have been for over two years now, there are others who have the power to halt the process by not providing the necessary documents for the adoption. Unfortunately, because of their own negative opinions about Russian children being adopted by American families (whether for economic, political or personal reasons, we'll never know), they have chosen to make it impossible for D & K to be adopted. Our hearts are broken, but we know that God has a plan for us and for them, and we will trust His will. We know that we are called to adopt, and we will. For now, we are trying to grieve this loss and figure out where we are supposed to go from here.
I've started a part-time job as Music Administrator at our church. I'm responsible for scheduling the praise team and planning all the music for worship, among other things. I am so blessed to be able to work with people who are so special to me, and it doesn't feel like work so much as fun.
Life is great for us, overall. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to decide when, where and how we will adopt and add to our family.
I've started a part-time job as Music Administrator at our church. I'm responsible for scheduling the praise team and planning all the music for worship, among other things. I am so blessed to be able to work with people who are so special to me, and it doesn't feel like work so much as fun.
Life is great for us, overall. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to decide when, where and how we will adopt and add to our family.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pray for Stellan
Friends,
It has been a busy time, and there is so much to update, but this is not the moment for it. I would ask those of you who pray to do so now for little Stellan, whose life hangs in the balance (again) today. You can read his miraculous story and updates here:
It has been a busy time, and there is so much to update, but this is not the moment for it. I would ask those of you who pray to do so now for little Stellan, whose life hangs in the balance (again) today. You can read his miraculous story and updates here:
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