MAYBE LOVE

Maybe there will be a love in the future.
Faith, Hope and Love... our girls middle names are
Faith and Hope. We have talked about adopting again in the future.
So the next child's middle names will be Love. I keep joking about
a boy having the middle name "Love". My husband said "we can
not do that to a boy."
Nathan said"next time, he would like a little brother."

I have been asking around to find out the rules about adoption from a
Hague Country...China, Bulgaria, Lithuania, India again????
I did find out that our Home Study Agency only needs to be Accredited
by the Council on Accreditation and that the Placing Agency has to be
Hague Accredited for  those Countries.   yes,yes !!

As of January 1, 2013 Americans can no longer adopt from Russia.


Our first visit with our Social Worker is tomorrow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve Morning, I opened my email to see that someone had donated
to our adoption fund..... The exact amount the we need for the extra
Post Placement Bond $4000.00 (2 Lakhs)  I started to cry not only because
of the gift but because of the person(s) who gave it to us..  You see he went to
be with the Lord about a month  ago. This family is a great example of living
a Christian Life and loving the Lord.    Thank You Jesus, for our friends and family.

I have more to say, just no time to type it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS BLOG FRIENDS.

  

WELCOME HOME CALL

Had our welcome home call from our agency yesterday.
They wanted to know how our trip went and how Hrutuja is doing?
We stayed at the Marriot in Mumbai and the Hilton Garden Inn in New Delhi,
DFL Place, Saket. It has 3 malls attached to it and two play areas
for children, food court, and two food stores.(we went to their website
and it said no rooms were available so we booked it thru AAA)

This child is amazing !!  So far we have found no special need but
she will still be going to see a neurologist.
During our conversation I brought up the two Lakhs that is written in
our Court documents that we have to deposit in Hrutujas name as part
of our Post Placement requirements. Our worker said " you should get
that done in the next 3 or 4 weeks and send the proof to us and we will
send it on to the Court.  la, la, la,.............FAITH

Some other news that we did not share is  in our home study we were
approved for 2 children. Since we were referred one child we are still
approved for another child which we can split our I-800 App. 
Only being home for a couple weeks we are unsure about hopping back
on the horse so soon, but we wanted to keep the door open. A little while
ago learned our home study agency is no longer Hague Accredited.
So now we do not know if we can keep the door open. ????
I am sure that God has a plan for us.!!


4 days to Christmas Eve.

 

AMAZING

The  journey to bring these two beautiful girls home have been amazing.

Each totally different.

Hrutuja is doing amazingly well. And Rohana is trying so hard to be a BIG sister.

Feeling soooo Blessed !!

NOT fully funded

While updating our expenses I realized I jumped the gun when
I said "we were fully funded", I forgot about the $4000.00 that
goes with the Post Placement Report........  FAITH

Since we got home Hrutuja has been Daddy glue except when
I put her to bed Thursday night. Yesterday morning she was all 
happy and smiling when she woke up. She does not like being 
in a car seat. And she still likes to take walks.
Our Mooky has been a real issue. hollering, screaming, and
caring on when she sees the dog. We have been trying to pat the dog
and play with the dog so she can see us doing it. Today she reached
over and touched the dog and then went back and was patting her.
today mom delt with the melt down when dad told her "no". 

She was screaming and kicking her feet, etc. finally I said to her 
"Hrutuja you need to stop",  so said "no", I said yes",  then she started 
playing with the cars and trucks with me. she let me pick her up and I 
gave her a kiss without a complaint ?? Wow, this is different.
Then she walked around, touched the dog again and played 
play dough with Rohana for a while.  She is just amazing !

LAST DAYS

Tuesday
we were going to have breakfast at the India Grill
(The hotel restaurant) but Hrutuja was having a melt down so
 we decided to just get room service. We just played with Hrutuja
most of the morning. McDonald's f.f. and veg burger (they are ok)
for lunch. Dave went Back to the Embassy to get her Visa/Passport.
I started packing (needed to see how much room I had in the suitcase)
After Dave got back we walked the mall again, It's raining and very
cold out. Tried finding outfits for our two Indian Princesses but they
did not have size 6 outfits (must be the popular size?)  We can always
go to Boston and buy outfits there (it will cost more). oh, well.
I am starting to not feel well, I think I am just tired.
Wednesday
We got up @ 12:30 am to leave for the Airport. The New Delhi Police
dept. had a lot of road blocks up. Now starts a long security checks.
Our plane left late because they could not get clearance from London ??
All three of us dozed off and on for the first three to hours. Still a long
flight. When we finally landed in London we sat on the landing strip for
one hour.(our hop is two hours, so we have two hours to make it to our
next plane) The Captain said there was freezing fog/drizzle so we had no
place to park yet and that some flights were being cancelled like the one
to JFK, (OH, NO NOT THE US !!) we are flying into Boston.
If our flight gets cancelled we can not leave the airport because Hrutuja 
has an Indian passport and she does not have our last name yet !!!
Once we were off the plane we found out our flight was still going to
happen we had 40 min to take the buss to the other part of the Airport.
When we got to the gate Dave had to go thru yet another extensive
pat down/security check. all the other passengers were already on the
plane before they let us board. This flight was really hard. Hrutuja was
board and very tired. She fell asleep about 3 hours before Boston and
woke up an hour later and started to cry soo loud so we had to give in
and give her the sleep aid the Doc said to give her so she can rest.
She has been soo good.
We landed in Boston around 1 o'clock and would hopefully catch the
the 2 O'clock bus to NH, then drive home.
Done with Immigration around 1:40 and went to get our luggage,(ha, ha)
guess what is still in LONDON ? So we had to fill out the form and run to
the bus stop we were there @ 1:53 but the bus did not show up til 2:30 and
there was only 3 seats and 6 people waiting, luckily they had a back up
bus waiting so we had to transfer at the next stop.   Woo Hoo, HOME
Hrutuja was not afraid of anyone (just mooky) thanks to skpe and photo books.
We received a tracking number for our luggage and they said " It will be
delivered between 6 - 11 pm". We are soo tired I hope it is early. Dave stayed
up til 12:30 and fell asleep. The phone rang around 1:45 AM they forgot
to drop it off earlier.

This child is amazingly brave ! Truely a Blessing.

God is so amazing!   When we started this adoption we still owed money for
our first adoption. Dave was wondering where the money would come from for 
this one and I kept saying "FAITH, If God wants this to happen , he will provide.
And provide he did (grants and OT for Dave) Looking at our charges for our trip
it looks like we are FULLY FUNDED !! and the first adoption is also PAID IN FULL !!

ADOPTION ROCKS !! 

MONDAY

Daddy was up during the night...not feeling to good. He can't keep
anything down

EMBASSY DAY !!!     A lot of praying going on.

We finally got to the front desk around 8 am. We asked for a hotel
driver because Dave is sick and can't deal with drivers who over
charge or can't find the address. hRU decides she was going to have
a melt down while we were waiting.....you want to see people scramble
just let a child start crying,,
On the way to the Embassy in the median strip saw a little one, no diaper
or shoes just a jacket on and her brother (maybe 4 years old) standing in the
road close to the cars waiting  at a red light. A gentle man in the car next
to us got out of his car and talked to the boy and went over and sat the baby
down so she could not fall into the road.     Pullin on my heart strings

We do not have a cell phone so our driver gave us his extra one to call
him when we were done. Got right in @ 8:30,we were told that the
passport photo fo hRU has to be a white back ground !! so we will need
to get photo done again ?*#!   we left the Embassy aorund 10. Our driver
found the place right away.. got that done in 5 min. So we went back to the
Embassy to drop off the photos and they told Dave to have a seat because
they can not find the file ???       STILL PRAYING !! 
The driver and I were wondering why it was taking so long. They told
Dave to come back tomorrow @ 3 pm to get the passport/visa

Thanking God all the way back to the hotel for helping us get thru
this morning. I gave Dave a probotic pills this morning and he has held
that down so now he gets a Cipro.

Bubbles while daddy napped

 

SUNDAY

hRU and I were the late sleepers today. YAY
I borrowed Nathans travel Bible to bring with me. hRU picked it
up and was turning the pages and found the family photo I put in there
and got excited and was pointing to faces and smiling.

Before today hRU hardly cried or was upset. She kept all her belongings
in her backpack that the RIPA gave her. she would take something out
and play with it and put it back when she was done. Today she put her
stuff in a drawer. We have kept snacks around for anytime she wants
one (choc. cookies,chips,p.crackers,...food is comfort)  Today she is
saying no to somethings. We also had to start using the NO word
when she decided to jump on the bed or swing her balloon stick at
daddy and turning the light off and on 20 times in 20 seconds.
Little melt down are happening because of correcting her or not
letting her do it  herself.
This adoption has been totally different experience with bonding
and grieving. This child is so brave. She does let me hold her
when she is crying.

This morning we went to the hotel business office to print out the
appointment letter from the Embassy (the Doc asked for it)
Hru wanted to go out the door that the outside pool is at, so we
did. she put her feet in the hot tub. we went back to the room and
put swim suits on and played in the hot tub for a few mins.



 

SATURDAY

Well it was a lay around morning.
The doctor at the Med Center said to come back Saturday @ 11:30
and the Doc who administered the TB test said 12:15. We got down to the
front desk around 11 and was told it would take 20-25 min. for a car so we
waited. hRU was getting impatient because she wanted to go for a car ride.
So she was crying while we were waiting....chocolate !

I think our driver name was Jeff Gordon or Jimmy Johnson, he was flying
thru traffic, hRU was holding on tight.. We were on the South side of the
street instead of North side. We finally got to the Med Center on the North side
at 12:30. We found the Lab to read hRU arm them they sent us down stairs
to Immigration, the room was full and smelled of sweat.The Doc handed Dave the
paper work for a different child. Got that cleared up quick The doc came over to
check her arm again then the doc told Dave to run upstairs to get the paperwork
photo copied because it would take forever if he doesn't. So after an hour and half
we had our paperwork and were on our way back to the hotel with Jeff/Jimmy.

We had Subway for lunch.. I was thinking while eating it's not the same.
Domino's(no garlic crust, Dunks( no flavor shots), Subway (no Ital. herb+cheese)
The thought of American food almost makes you think it's good but It's not
what we are use to in America maybe I am getting home sick.

we walked the three malls again because hRU enjoys being outside.
Daddy bought her a heart balloon.

we enjoyed skyping with the children @ home after dinner (India time)
Hru has a photo album with everyones picture in it so she reconized them
and kept smiling at everyone. The children at home watched her play bubbles
with daddy.




 

SLEEP

I actually slept 7 hours strait.
Maybe because I went shopping last night, it really relaxed me. (jk)
We are up way to early to do anything in India. Shops do not open until
10 and the mall does not open until 11. Really they open when the
owner/worker decides to get there.
We noticed that 95% of  store workers are male and that when you stop
 to look at something you have 5 people by your side immediately to help you.

So we just hung out in the room until 10 and walked around all three
mall buildings. hRU loves to be outside (no dogs in her sight).
Had Thai/Indian food for lunch ....HOT !!!
Went out for Ice cream while our room got cleaned (yes,before dinner)
I think my body wants to get some of the sleep it has lost.


 

AMAZING DAY

Last night we remembered that we needed to get passport photos of hRU.
So we asked at the front desk about an one hour photo shop and got
a name of a place. This morning we were a little stressed about getting
the one hour photo and being at our appointment @ the Med Center @ 11.
After breakfast we got ready and took a taxi to the shop which we could
not find and the cabie said that shops do not open until 10 am !@#?
We went back to our hotel (it's only 9 am here).We will try again @ 10.
at 10 we went down and ended up with a hotel driver for the afternoon !!!
When we got to the photo shop @10:15, they were not open yet ??
But there was another photo shop close by and they were open, YES!!
And the one hour photo only took 15 mins !!! awesome
We were 10 mins. early for our appointment at the Med Center but the
Doc. did not come in until 11:45. ( deja vu,with Rohanas adoption,
the Doc came in late and I held a crying child way to long)
Did I also say that I forgot to remind Dave that he needed to bring 1870 Rupees
to pay for this Medical visa interview (thankfully he had enough on him)
We also forgot to bring her huge medical file but we had the most current update.
What we thought was going to turn into a aweful day turned out pretty
amazing. Us girls had ice cream before lunch today and Dominos
pizza and soda..........DUNKS COFFEE !!!!!

hRu started interacting with daddy today, she let him help her out of the car .
They played ball, toys, coloring.  A couple days ago I thought since I am the
security than daddy needs to be the giver of chocolates and food.

We also discovered today that she does not like dogs !!


 

SILENT TREATMENT

Today we are checking out to go to New Delhi.
hRU decided to have different foods again today.
After breakfast we started to get our stuff together.
Another game of kick ball and coloring and reading books.
Checking out was easy, I pointed the water garden out to hRu
and her eyes got big and she shook her head no.  But she pointed to
outside, she wanted to go outside.  The taxi ride to the airport was
quiet and she kept looking out the window. After getting thru security
we decided to eat lunch, well mom thought the food was tooo hot and
said "wait" to hRU and I got the silent treatment, she would not look at me.
About 10 Min's later I gave her a chocolate and she decided to forgive me
and wanted my Dominoes pizza instead of  her rice and Dal.
The plane ride was a little scary on take of but she did well.
We are just amazed at her.
On the plane she said "chocolate" and "apple".
We walked around the mall (yes, mall) for about an hour or so.
hRu saw a lolly pop and pointed to it so I asked "do you want one?' and she
shook her  head" yes." We also had to pay a hefty price for some Hersey's
miniatures (600 INR). We need chocolates. Are you concerned about all the
chocolate she gets? hRU has beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile.
Us parents are really tired because we are not sleeping good so bed @
8pm here in India.





 

CHOCOLATE

After skyping we went down to breakfast. hRU did
not want some of the foods we were told she likes?
The hostess asked "did you adopt her ?" we said "yes"
then she was all excited for us and let us know that at
this age kids get lots of chocolates and guess what arrived
at our table a bowl of chocolates !

The cooks cooked her a Mickey Mouse pancake with choc
 eyes and mouth, yum !
 My first sip of coffee suprised me, instant coffee !?*#
After breakfast we went back to our room.   Throwing  the
beach ball turned into a kick ball game. hRu was smiling
and laughing. I am so amazed at her bravery and she has
shown us her playful side. She totally enjoyed coloring with
daddy. We were told she loves going to school.

At lunch time we went down to the coffee shop to see what
they had and the hostess gave hRU  white choc bark with almonds.
Then coloring pages and crayons. She started talking to hRu about the
doggie (security dog). hRu was looking out the window and then
she said something about sharing her chocolate?? (half in English
and half in Marathi ?   hRU started to cry and daddy picked her
up which sent her into a melt down. So we went back to our room
and ordered room service. Now she is shut down to dad but we have
a plan to try to turn that around.
Anxious to see what today will bring from our little Blessing.

Made from towels for our little princess.




 

BRAVE

At some point my body will crave the sleep I just can not seem get.
I was wide awake at 1am India time after a 5 hour power nap anxiously
waiting to skype the children back at home at 5 am India time.

After enjoying a buffet breakfast we inquired about a car/taxi for our
drive to the RIPA later. Finding out that a regular taxi is less Rupees
than the hotel car and when we told the gentleman that we are adopting
a girl from that RIPA he put his hand to his heart and was excited for us.
He found us a driver for even less and he waited for us and drove us back
and talked to Hrutuja when she started crying and she stopped right away.

She is such a brave little girl. She has cried some but I have been able to
comfort her and she stops. It was said that she is a talker but we have not
heard any yet. I started using the sign language with the words
that we learned for Rohana and I an getting head nods for answers.
Progress and she is letting both of us feed her.

feeling so blessed.
 

INDIA

We are here in India. Long plane ride !!
When we stepped off the plane the sights and smells
were just as I remembered them. I love India !!
We will meet the little princess tomorrow.

Really missing my children who are back in maine.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME.

LOST TIME

I can not believe I have not posted in 8 days ???

It has been really busy around here, trying to get
bills prepaid (post date everything)
child care is all worked out (hopefully)
Christmas decorations up
Some Christmas shopping done  (ya, right)
food shopping done, etc. Maybe I am doing to much
to make it easier for my oldest daughter to stay with
her siblings (hopefully she will do it again) I love my
children and it is very hard to leave them anywhere or
with anyone. Praying that this will grow me and our children,
It is growing our family !

In 40 hours we are leaving to meet our newest daughter,
And I am still in awe of everything !  Amazing God we have.

When I got home from my colonyucky yesterday I told my husband
"great news, we can adopt again.    No colon cancer !!!!!!

THANKSGIVING

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise:
give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good
and his love endures forever: his faithfulness continues through
all generations.    Psalms 100:4-5

There is sooo much that I am thankful for...
Our Heavenly Father who is forever faithful,
My husband, our children, our parents,
our siblings, and I could go on forever.   Sincerely thankful.

Nathan turned 12 yesterday, WOW that went by fast.
Taking time to see a Christmas parade with the kids on Saturday
and then possibly a tree lighting. I am glad that we will not
totally miss all the Christmas events.



 

CLOUD 9

I am so bubbly inside, still in AWE, and praising GOD for another opportunity
to bring another blessings into our family !

Last night we attended The Root Cellar Fundraiser here in Portland, Maine.
Totally enjoyed the Pihcintu Choir and the Royal Burindi Drum Ensemble.
Ran into some friends and caught up with them.

On the way home I was thinking this has been an awesome year.
Enjoyed a lot of  fun things with the kids this year. We missed Dad when he was
gone on trips but skyped with him daily.
We have had so many opportunities  to help other people by volunteering at
concerts for Compassion International and Showhope and enjoying
an Steven Curtis Chapman concert here in OOB, Maine. Sooo  blessed !!
The best part is going to India to bring our daughter home !

I dream about adopting children until our quiver is full.
I have faith that God will make the money available.
As I learn our agency (home study) has given up their Hague Accreditation
I am now wondering direction but I guess I will not find out until  2013.

Just excited to be going to India soon !

WAITING ........

Well, tickets are purchased, hotels are picked, appointments are made.
youngest son will be 12 next week, so a birthday party!
Then  time to enjoy Thanksgiving with the family.
And then a pretty busy weeks before we travel.

I am sooo excited to finally meet our beautiful daughter !!
I am also excited to go back to India.

I just do not know what to say, just in AWE
Feel like a little kid waiting for something BIG !!

PASSPORT !!!

Hope's passport has arrived in her country.
now we will make our plans to go bring her home !!
I am so excited, can not wait to meet her.

Today is my last class for DSP.

WHAT TO DO ??

confused, frustrated....Still waiting for Hopes passport !!!
Our Indian program worker wanted to know our Tentative
travel dates ????    Tickets to travel 7 - 14 days after purchase from
Boston, Mass to Mumbai, then Mumbai to new Delhi, then New Delhi
back to  Boston, Mass is the price we paid for half this adoption..
crazy, crazy, crazy.................
We were thinking maybe the beginning of December we would travel ??
now we find out that her passport SHOULD be there in 14 days.
( I know of another family that waited another 2 weeks after SHOULD)
Funny 14 days puts at Thanksgiving day and I am sure our agency
will be closed that day and the next day so maybe on Nov.26 or 27th
we might find out...

We really should wait until her passport arrives at the RIPA before
purchasing tickets.   Maybe we will travel in 2013.

VOTE

The calls "please vote for me", everywhere on the t.v, the internet,
newspapers, etc. I dislike voting years because the news media,
the ads on tv.. cutting the other person down.....exhausting !!!

Then Tuesday (voting day) I start getting calls, "have you voted ?
"who  or what did you vote for" ?!?!    seriously !!!

This morning I got up to  find that President Obama was voted
into office again (ok) then I find out that Maine passed same sex
marriage (ouch!)




I just now realized I never went back and finished my post, ha, ha

ORPHAN SUNDAY

 In my DSP class we watched a film on how disabled children/people
were sent to institutions to live out their lives (right here in America).
It was something that was not talked about, a family secret.
I began to silently cry because they were showing children/people with 
no clothes on, sitting in their own feces, they did not know how to feed 
them selves, they had no one to hold them, tell them they are loved, they
did not get the medication they needed or therapies they needed,No school, etc.
As I sat there and watched in horror I was thanking GOD that we do not
do that anymore here in America, there is help out there for families now.
But I started to cry again when I realized that is how children with disabilities
 are treated in other countries, they go to orphanages or institutions.



Proverbs 24:12 tells us, "Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."

"My friends, adoption is redemption.  It's costly , exhausting, expensive, and outrageous.  Buying back lives costs so much.  When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him."

~Derek Loux

 

 

 

 

 

HALO-WEEN

Children get excited to dress up but mostly FREE
candy (expensive this year!) The excitement is the candy !

Walked Rohana to her class room yesterday and when she saw one
of her teachers with a clown mask on she was not going into that classroom !
After dinner Nathan wanted to go trick or treating so I got Rohana ready to go also.
She had her princess crown and her magic wand.  I put her in the stroller
because she does not like walking a long distance. She did not want to say
 "trick or treat", she was not very friendly to anyone who spoke to her.
She did not want to walk up any stairs. twords the end she started to say
" thank you" and "have fun".
I struggle thru Halloween for my children. This year I am thinking about
the children who have disabilities (Rohana) who might not be excited to see
all the mask and costumes, etc.

SANDY2

 I turned our scanner on so we could hear what was going on.
There were a lot of trees down and power lines down
during the height of the storm. Wells beach residence
were being told they should evacuate (not mandatory)
People had to be told they should not be surfing or walking on the
Getty during this storm.... ?!?!?
Residence were also being told to stay home after 5 pm.
I had to drive over to check on my mom... for some reason
our cell phones were not working ? lots of branches and leaves
in the road ( this is the first time I really miss our pickup truck,
we traded it in when we bought our 12 passenger van)
We did not loose power at all (usually we loose power when a leaf falls)
Woke up to find out the kids do have school today. Did not see a lot of
damage while I drove the kids to school but was thinking about all the
people whose lives are disrupted because of SANDY (praying for you)

Our teenager will always remember hurricane SANDY because he
went for his road test the day after the storm and PASSED !!!

 Had a great time at the Newsboys concert with Building 429 and Luminate.
Compassions had 49 children sponsored that night.   AWESOME !!

Still no new news on Hope's passport..... still waiting.

SANDY

Got the kids ready for school and out the door. Arrived at Rohana's
school to find absolutely no one their except for other parents that
did not know about "no school today ".  The boys went to school
knowing that they would be getting out at noon time because of
"SANDY" I think she is a hurricane, Cat 1...
While I sit here waiting for the boys to arrive from their car pool
from school I see that some towns have already lost power.
The winds are getting louder and stronger.

DIRECTION

While we are still waiting for news to travel..... :( 

I received news about up coming classes that I am interested
in and what is even better they will be Saturday classes. !!
So in February or March which is even better. We will have time
to get Hope settled in a little and caught up on sleep, which it will be
great to be awake in class.      Oh ya, everything has a label
BHP/CPR = Behavioral Health Professional.
Which is a class on children's behaviors.

I told my husband "I am kind of excited to see what GOD has planned
for me".....  Direction ?

Still focusing on home projects, while also waiting for the storm
of all storms that is suppose to hit New England next week.
Praying that SANDY aka FRANKENSTORM  does not cause to much damage.

QUIET

Still quiet on the adoption (WAITING) line.

Busy week and not getting much done on the home projects .
I am hoping it will all come together before we travel....

WE WERE CHOSEN TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE
NEWSBOYS CONCERT !!!!

KNOW BETTER ?

This waiting is getting to me......yes, I should KNOW BETTER then
expect a certain timeline............ I just want to go now !!!
My husband said "you know we can not leave as soon as we hear about her
passport". Me " ya, I know, I need to make appointments at the Med Center
and the Embassy first." My husband, "I do have to give some type of
notice at work."    Me, "OH YA , but I just want to go now!!!!!
I do realize it will be better for the children and sitters for late Nov. or
early Dec. travel dates.

Today we received an email for Compassion International, they are looking
for volunteers at the NEWSBOYS, Building 429 and Luminate concert.
I so hope they pick us again !!!

Newsboys The Newsboys are coming to the campus of the University of Portland/Gorham for one night only. Join us for a night of FUN! Not only will we be rocking to this Christian Supergroup with numerous #1 hits in their past, but TLE wants to make this event a night for the whole family, so we're bringing in bounce houses and we'll have treats and candy for everyone! Saturday, October 27th - 6pm University Southern Maine - Gorham Costello Sports Arena 37 College Avenue - Portland, ME "Gold Circle" tickets have sold out! Hurry and buy your general admission tickets now!!! $22 - General Admission $17 - Group Rate (must buy 10 or more)

We sent in for the teenagers Road test date last week (it use to take about 2 months
 to get a date back)  Well he will be taking his road test in a couple weeks  !! ?? wooo .
I really do not know weather to be excited for him or scared for us.

EARTHQUAKE

WOW, just experienced my first, with Nathan by my side telling me..
"that was an EARTHQUAKE !"        That was a little scary..

The not so smart mother said "where should we sleep tonight ?"
"what if there are after shocks ?"   :(

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake you probably felt around 7:10 PM Monday night was a 4.5 magnitude quake centered around Waterboro.  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ at00mc0dsp#summary

DSP

Direct Support Professional: is someone who works directly
with someone who has a disability (as I type this I am thinking
I am already a DSP because Rohana has Cerebral Palsy)

 when I read the information on the classes and the dates of the
classes, I thought yes, I will do  this,  I  can fit this in before we travel
(because nothing is set in stone with International Adoption)

On orientation day the teacher was sick and of course I thought only
 the worse thoughts....I will not be able to finish if the dates change, etc.

 At our first class we were told that the dates will not change,  we
just need to work harder.!?   since then I have been trying to get as much
 homework done in  between taking kids to different schools, child sitting,
cleaning job, and running a house hold  and my husband is on 10 hour shifts.

So when I walk by stuff that needs to get done :(  I tell my self I will get to it
on a certain day, ha, ha.  What was I thinking? I can do this . I CAN DO THIS !!

I know from experience that when we get home with HOPE  I will need 
at least a month before sleep will be caught up on and getting back to 
everyday scheduling, needs. I just want to bring HOPE home.  ASAP !!

HOLIDAY WEEKEND

What a weekend...
My great husband tackled ripping out the rug in the big bedroom
and laying wood flooring, everything is done but the closet.
Which will have to wait a week because he will be speaking at Church
this Sunday and he needs to prepare.
While he was doing that I was sealing the cement floors in 2 bedrooms
so we can put carpeting down. I could envision getting out of bed and 
having your feet freeze to the floor, not anymore ! Almost got that done
but the little one  is showing signs of a cold (sneezing snots out of her 
nose sorry, TMI and a slight fever) Well, we skipped Church, I am sure a lot of moms
will thank me maybe ?.
Monday I had the littles (2 children care for while mom and dad are at work.
They did not like the loud noise the saw made.
Got thru the day and spent some time with my older daughter and my mother.

Everyday I am just in awe of the things that God has make and the things that
he has done and doing in our family .

TRAVEL VISA

We finally got our act together and applied for our travel
visa for Ind*a last week.   And today we received them back.

So just waiting on the words....YOU CAN PURCHASE
YOUR TICKETS TO GO GET YOUR DAUGHTER !!

We are doing home projects this weekend to get the girls
bedroom done and anything else that we will not get to after
we come home.

Feeling sooo blessed today.   Just awesome !!

FRYEBURG

We got a late start to the Fryeburg Fair yesterday. The weather
is saying that it will be a great day. The traffic was long, we
sat in traffic for 40 minutes (longest time ever).  So we started
joking about getting up early and leaving early next year, just
grab breakfast on the way !! Sounds like a great idea but I do
not think we can pull it off.  We'll see next year.

Everyone was really excited ! We started at Old Mc Donalds Farm.
Then she started,  MELT DOWN... thinking she is just over whelmed ,
But no the day went on like that, MELT DOWN, ANGER, HITTING ME,
SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER, and NO, NO, No, nothing could
comfort her. "I wanna go home" she said to me.

We did get thru the day with her melt downs.     Sometimes I wonder
what the people staring at us are thinking ?.... spoiled child?
what are they doing to her ? what is wrong with her ? especially when she
wears a brace on her left leg because of her Cerebral Palsy.

Just like any other commitment...for better or worse, good and the bad..
I love her just like my other children, sometimes parenting is hard, just pray.

OCTOBER

A few more days and it will be  October.
Leaves turning colors and falling from the trees, the feel of cold
air nipping at your toes around summer flip flops.
Going to the fair this week. 
I think the reality is sinking in ... we have another daughter..
thinking about all the things I need to get done..
Rug comes up and wood flooring goes down in the Girls
(bigger) bedroom.  Hope will need winter clothing....
Poor girl she will come to Maine in the winter time and see
snow for the first time in her life... there will be a lot of first time
things in her life..  I am really getting excited to travel.
October will fly by especially since I am adding classes to my
already busy schedule.


STILL  IN  AWE  !!




 

CLAIRITY ?

Ok, so talked to our worker again and she said.
I really think you will be traveling in Nov. so lets hold
off on filing the extension for now.


YES, YES, YES  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TRAVEL CALL

Yesterday  we  had  our  travel  call  with  our  Agency's
India  person,  she  is  new  to  us  so  it  was nice  to  get
to  know  her.

First,  apply  for  our travel visa......yay !!!
(that  should  take 1-2 weeks) then  you should  plan  on
traveling 5-6  after  that....yay !!!,  Oh your  fingerprints
expire in Jan. we'll  have  to file  an  extension ?

I do  not  know  about you but I  am a  Big calender person,
everything  goes  on  my  calender (I will forget if I do not
write it on my calender.)  mentally two weeks  puts us in
October, 3 weeks after that is the end of  October, and 3 more
weeks after that is Thanksgiving week, give or take a week
End of Nov.  And if we are suppose to travel in Nov. or Dec.
why would we need to file our extension (expires Jan.)
because we want our fingerprints updated before we travel.

We also know that our agency has no one in country to help
us along so we are on our own over there.


                   EXCITING !!

LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK

                                   MY NIECE HAS STAGE 4 LYMPHOMA

                   WE HAD SHIRTS MADE UP SUPPORTING HER AND RAISED
                     FUNDS FOR THE CAUSE.
                    IT WAS AN AWESOME NIGHT FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED.

GRANT

Got an email today:

You have been awarded a grant from  GIFT OF ADOPTION FUND
 in the amount of $1,500.00....
This is awesome, every little penny counts now that we have an extra
$4,000 to pay on our our post placement.

I am still in awe of all the grants we have received for this adoption!
one trip instead of two, no fee extension,
full adoption saves us money on Hopes Certificate of Citizenship.


Got a text today:

Extended by one day, will send info soon.
Yes, only one day that is awesome !!!!  Hubby will be home soon.




 

ARTICLE 23

YAY,  The  US  Embassy  in  Ind*a  said"  they  have  received
the  Article 23  from  CARA  to  just  let  them  know  when  we want
to  schedule the  Visa  interview"  .......Passport....... Travel......

So, as we wait for another 3 - 4 months to bring our newest
member of our family home. I will start nesting.




 

LAKHS

Looking over our Adoption Court papers found this:

The said minor will have all legal rights including the rights of inheritance
as that of a natural born child of the proposed adopters and in view of the fact
that the proposed adopters undertake to invest a sum equivalent of Indian Rupees 
2,00,000 (two lakhs only) in the name of and for the benefit of the child in their
country and undertake to file proof of such investment and as the proposed Adopters
undertake to renew /reinvest the said amount invested, on maturity, till the child 
becomes a major and further agree and undertake not to withdraw these investments
 till the child attains the age of majority and to handover the same to the child on the 
child attaining majority..........................

I looked it up and two lakhs is $4100.00 US dollars.

So part of our post placement we will have to do this for Hope.

Children are worth way more than any amount of money.
We will put this on the back burner until we get her home.

Husband = Extended  :(

FULL

The happy tears are flowing !!  GOD IS GOOD !!
Just found out that we were granted Full adoption !!

HOPE  H  MCCHESNEY 

waiting to hug you and bring you home.
 

PLANS

 I returned the uncashable Bank Bond to the Bank that I
bought it at and it is a whole process to figure out what it is worth.
So the Bank will call me when they find out that information.....

Today, I finally went to see my Beautiful niece who has Lymphoma.
She has lost all her  hair because of the chemo.
I told her that she is still beautiful without her hair. I am use to
baldness because my husband shaves his head. I do not know what
Gods plans are for her or her one year old son but I do know that this
process will grow her in ways which she never thought she could.
On Sept.22 we are doing a 'LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK" to raise
funds for her in York, ME.  You can donate at  www.lightthenight.org
"team Michelle" and if you can not donate can you pray for her.


Can't wait to hug my husband in 9 days !!
And really can't wait to meet, hug HOPE !!

SEPTEMBER

Today is September 9th and finally my brain is in September.
The whole first week of September I was thinking it was still August.
I am so enjoying the cooler weather, more rain and School, yes the
kids are back in school ! Busy schedule this year.  Actually, it is the
same as last year just add two little ones that I watch two or three
times a week.  Ya, I can envision us being a large family..............

Thinking about HOPE alot lately.
 Just like "WOW" we have another daughter!
I wonder if she knows ?  what have they told her ? 
Just want to hug her and tell her we love her !

Still  no news on Court papers but we have received the unused
Bond back, now I'll find out how much money we lost.   Oh, well.  




 

EXPIRING

No, no word on the Court papers.
But we have been told that our fingerprints  and I-800A
will expire before or during travel and they need to be curent
at the US Embassy to adopt.
First thought..... Why can't this happen faster?
Second thought...... finger prints .... $180.00 ??
Third thought..........I-800A..............$720.00 ??
Fourth thought......Oh my gosh, we are bringing another daughter home !!

We have been so blessed with this adoption with Grants and the money
has always been there when needed.     Our God is an awesome God !
Then we were told that the first extension for the I-800A  and fingerprinting
is suppose to be FREE !!  (again I need to see it to believe it.)
So we will be filling out our extension paperwork while we wait for
the Court paperwork.

Fifteen days until daddy comes home !!!



 

CONCERT

Totally enjoyed the Steven Curtis Chapman concert last night
at the Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach. Just Steve and
his keyboard player and a new Christian singer. 
Dave has always listened to his songs and that is how the boys
know his songs. I looked at Nathan who had his fingers in his
ears because it was too loud (sensory issues) and Austin the teenager
was getting right into it and Rohana was on Nicoles lap playing
with her 4G phone.      I am so thankful for my children.
Being Nicole's first time at a Christian Concert she said she liked it
and loved the Cinderella song and hes pretty funny.
Listening to Steven talk about his family and Showhope and Adoption
I hope that Nicole understands more about her mothers drive to adopt
and doesn't just think that her mother is crazy!
We did not have a lot of time for dinner so we stopped at Wendys on
the way home and Nicole says" this is great, I feel like we are on a road trip"
(for one insane moment you wish your older children were young again)
All of a sudden we hear thunder and see lightning and then the rain comes.
Nathan is very nervous in storms because he learned all about it in
school, the don't do this and don't do that.......
the whole time I felt like something was missing so we Skyped daddy
when we got home. (Yes, all my children were still up at 11 pm)
Only 19 more days till he returns. Hope it goes by fast !
And 3-4 months and we will bring our new daughter home !!
Praying Hopes passport comes in quicker !!


As Steve said last night " sloooww down in life and spend the
time with your children and your soul mate and family and friends,
this is why you are here."            

AWE

Busy week so far... Today we will go visit Dave's sister and her family
at the lake ( ha,ha,..it is currently raining here in Maine) hope it stops raining!
Tomorrow is the first day of school for the boys !! YAY, they are ready....me to.

Friday we will go see Steven Curtis Chapman in concert at the
Seaside Pavilion in Old Orchard Beach. Everyone is very excited to go
but we wish Daddy was here to go with us since he was the one who
REALLY wanted to go.

Currently waiting for paperwork from the Court to reach the RIPA.
wondering if we will be granted FULL adoption or GUARDIANSHIP ?
other adoptive parents tell me it will be FULL, but I need to see it
for myself.   We will add her to our Insurance before we leave
for Ind*a.   Then we will be waiting for Passport and travel .

It all seems real now, we have another daughter that we will be bringing home
soon. We have an AWESOME GOD !! 

DEPOSITED

I received word that the Bond was deposited with the Court.
A couple more weeks till the RIPA receives the paper work
from the Court and then applies for the Visa......
Time nothing but time.........................
Maybe we will travel in December or January ??

Around here summer is winding down, School starts next week !!
We are all missing daddy..alot
Fall means Pumpkin coffee at Dunks.... oh ya
and leaf piles, Fryburg fair, cooler nights. so ready for that.
Going to see Willy Wonka at Prescott Park tonight with the kids.

WONDERING

What a busy week. Nathan and Rohana enjoyed VBS ,Nathan had
a sleep over,Rohana had a birthday.  We skipped camping with the Church
this year (dad is out of town) because I am supper busy with fund raisers
for Austins Educational tours trip and child watching and then Sunday
rolled along and I have a sick child !
So we also had to skip the Church BBQ yesterday and this morning I get to skip
Moms Bible study because I am waiting for the furnace guy to come see
if he can dry out our furnace because the sick child had water floating on
the floor while taking a bath and water went thru the floor and got the
furnace wet !     Well at least that week is behind me.
Well the furnace is running, bill will come in the mail.

And I am still wondering if our replacement Court Bond has been received
at the RIPA yet ?? 

GIFT

 HAPPY  5TH  BIRTHDAY ROHANA FAITH !!

Two years ago we met this little gift and she actually gave me a hug and sat
in my lap. We played with the children everyday (I wanted to bring them all home)
I remember holding her on my lap (no car seats) as we drove away from the
RIPA (orphanage) not one tear, she was interested in looking out the window.
Her first plane ride was from Kolkota  to New Delhi she was very good.
We decided to get to the Doc office early so we would not have to wait to long
with her  ha,ha.  The Doc came in 2 hours late that day and Rohana was not happy,
I held her outside singing the wheels on the bus for 1 1/2 hours in the heat.  And she
had to have a shot because we did not get the wavier notarized (told we did not have to)
After that she was daddy glue, daddy could not do anything without having Rohana in
his arms.  On her Birthday we were at the US Embassy in India.
We took toys and little books with us to the Embassy appointment
and she sat there playing while we waited 3+ hours (misplaced paperwork?)
She did great on the long plane ride home as long as she did not have to put her seat
belt on and could sit in dads lap and eat his food because she did not like the kids meal.

                     THE WHOLE THING WAS JUST AMAZING !!

NEW HATS

BIRTHDAYS

A week ago on Sunday, Hope turned 4 years old and this friday
Rohana Turns 5 years old. So for 12 days they are both 4 years old.
Amazing ! If you talk to Rohana about Hope she will tell you that Hope
has a bed in her room and that she will share her toys and babies and stroller.
I  hope that they hit it off instantly but I am sure being children that
there will be a few disagreements.   I cannot wait to bring Hope home.

If I could bring her home without a passport and visa I would be on the

 next flight to ind*a !   But since I can not, I will continue to wait.


 

EXPIRATION

I asked the Department of Homeland Security a question today
and received a awesome answer but was also reminded that
our fingerprints expire in October 2012 and our I-800 A expires
in January 2013.  What are the chances that we will travel in October ?

ha, ha, I do not see that happening.  Maybe by January but I think that

would be cutting it too close.
So we will need to redo our fingerprints again and apply for an Extention
for our I-800A. Things expiring and we have not applied for our Ind*a visa yet.

With Rohana's adoption I went out and bought her stuff that in the end we
had to give away because it was to small by the time we brought her home.
So I have been putting shopping off til we get closer. Today I had to buy
pants for the boys for school. Nathan had a massive growth spurt so he does
not have any long pants that fit him. We did find pants that Nathan felt
comfortable wearing. I also looked in the girls section and found clearance
clothing for the girls...JCPenney had size 5t shirts, skorts, leggings all on clearance
$2.00 each  and Kmart had summer stuff on sale for next year. I did purchase
some matching dresses so I can dress them as twins sometimes. maybe ?

I am getting excited to go meet our new daughter Hope R  McChesney.

ARGGGG

We managed to get some of our errands done before our lunch
date with Memere. After our delicious lunch I wanted to take a nap
but we needed to finish our errands. Finally home around 3 o'clock.
While checking my emails I noticed an email from our India coordinator
assistant (coordinator is on vaca)  ha,ha

The Bond Draft was returned to the RIPA because it did not have enough 
information on it for the Court to cash it.  ha,ha

The assistant really did not know what to do, some how they needed this replaced
and fedex to them by tomorrow because she will also be out of the office for the
rest of the week. If I can not fedex it today then I will have to figure out how to send it
to the RIPA in India.   ha,ha ...ya, we have loads of money in the bank.! ?#
and Fedex last pick up is at 5 today. ??

I am thinking about how to pull this off the whole time I am talking to her. Finally I
looked at the clock and told her I had to go so I could see if I can get this done, it's
already 3:15 banks close at 4.  At 4:30 my email to her read: replaced and on it's 
way to you fedex, you will received it tomorrow !

Thank you Lord for the strength to get through every emergency.

WEEKEND

After our road trip with the kids we headed out to Soulfest
(just the two of us)  Friday night and all day Saturday.
The concerts were great. I think Casting Crowns is awesome,
they really do make you think about your life with their songs.
It was really nice to spend time together and also talking
without distractions was bonus !

We talked about traveling to Ind*a, I think it really sunk in that we
will be traveling to bring another daughter home. just amazing.
Dave said "something about his baby" (Rohana) and then said
 "wow, can't say that she is not the youngest anymore"
waiting to see that court papers that say that we are her parents now !!

Then Sunday was a nephews daughter Ava's 4th birthday party at the
lake, which is always a great family gathering. It was great until
the National Weather Service announced severe weather coming
our way in minutes, ha, ha, we did what we could to get everything
packed up and to the vehicles before intense rain, thunder and lighting.
Some adults were very wet but at least the children were dry and safe.

And today, I drove my soul mate to the airport again for another trip.

GUESS WHAT

We left on Tuesday morning for a two day road trip..
had a great time with the family. I discovered at the hotel
that their internet did not like my Kindlefire.......ha,ha
figured no big deal I'll see emails when we get home.
So when I read my emails Wednesday night. I had an email
 from our caseworker and the subject line said  
            "YOU PASSES COURT !!!"
I did start hooting and hollaring ! 

I am so excited to bring  another child into our family. 
           SOOOO  BLESSED.







 

SENT

Today we asked and were told that our Court Bond will be
in Ind*a tomorrow (yay !!) So anytime you are ready Honorable
High Court Judge we are ready to pass the Court part of this process.

Please let it be soon !  Other families who are also waiting to pass
Court (hopefully in one hearing) are also praying that it be soon. 

I wanted to be there with HOPE for her Birthday next month and it
looks like that will not happen. My new timeline is before the year ends.

TELL EVERYONE

When I have to get things done for adoption. I love telling people
that we are adopting and it has nothing to do with pride it is
LOVE.    I like telling people about adoption to try to spark an interest
or drop an idea their way and to let them know that we already LOVE
this little girl.
So yesterday while at a bank (two hours  and 15 mins.) getting my Court Bond done.
which was printed out the same day so I could get it mailed !!!!!
I enjoyed answering questions about International Adoption and Foster Adoption.

Praying this process moves along so we can bring HOPE home . ASAP




 

JUST ONE

Just one makes a difference

This child drew a picture on the floor of his Momma for comfort. Look at the one arm up to hold him. 

Can you help makes a difference to one?  

Can you advocate for orphans ?

Can you financially support a family who is adopting ?  

 

 

 

 

LA, LA, LA

OK, so I thought I had a local bank to do this for me but they could not give
me the extra information.  la,la,la,la,la......
Can't talk to my Agency worker because she is out of the office today.   la,la,la

Oh, well I guess I will just have to enjoy my family for the rest of the day and

make a phone call tomorrow.

FORSEEN

We have been told that we must pay a Bond to the Court and we have
known this for a while but we were just waiting for more information
on how to do this.  ha,ha need to laugh about this and not stress.
We have to find a bank in the USA that has a partner bank in Ind*a because
 it has to be a demand draft (payable on demand in Ind*a).
 I have looked on the Internet and have been told that you need to
be a customer at their bank because they need an account number to get
it from and no they will not take it off a credit card especially over the phone
it needs to be done in person. So I have some calls into banks and people
and hopefully we will find out today if we need to drive to NY to get this done.

Hope this will not hold up our process !

It has been a long three weeks and my awesome hubby comes home tomorrow !!

Praying that the process will keep moving and quickly.

NAMES

Yes, I just checked the website for the Court and our names are already on there !!!!!!!  
 I figures it would be at least a couple weeks before we saw that.   Just AWESOME !!
 Praying for only one hearing and that we get passed on the same day.
 I am in awe.    Something exciting in the middle of everything gone wrong day.
Which reminds me....... Praise in everything not just the good.

COURT PAPERS

Email said "court papers filed today."   Yahoooo !!
Acknowledgement - this is really happening ?!
cann't wait to see our names on Court Documentation..
It is really great  feeling knowing that we are moving forward.



Along with this great news we also received news that we will
have to pay the 60,000 Rupees  to the Court.  ha,ha.
We had an idea that this would happen when we got here.

I need to go back to filling out grant applications.

Excited but know it will still be a while before we bring HOPE home.

DOUBT

I am amazed, the things that I worry about that end up turning
out all right.  Sometimes I ask myself why I even worried ??
I should have more faith and pray more, HE is amazing !!


I was soo excited when I actually paid my bills this week.
We have paid the last payments on two bills that we were paying monthly
for this adoption.  And, really excited now !! we have finally paid off our travel
for our first adoption !!  So moving forward because everything behind us is paid in full.
We still have to pay for travel and post placement activity and visits for this adoption and finalization.     I should have more faith and pray more, HE is amazing !! 

Just wanted to share my excitement. It feels like we are getting somewhere and we are
praying that things will start to move quicker.

We have an amazing GOD !!

HOPE UPDATE

We waited to skype with daddy before leaving for a nice
day at the lake. We even took our dog. Rohana loved the
water and had no fear but got cold as soon as her toes
touched the water. Soo relaxing it was really nice.
We stopped for Ice cream on the way home.

I checked my emails and was surprised to see an email from
our agency.  WOOHOO  an update on HOPE and a video !
Cann't share anything yet.   She is a beautiful little girl !!
We loved watching the video and kept hitting the replay button.

I cann't wait to go to I*dia to meet her and bring her home.

AN EVENING

An Evening with Steven Curtis Chapman

Friday, August 31                       SEASIDE PAVILION
7:00 pm                                   OLD ORCHARD BEACH,  ME

His music a cross between '70s-style light rock and orchestrated pop, Steven Curtis Chapman is one of the most prominent performers of contemporary Christian music.

Get your tickets early as they're sure to sell out! Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend an evening with Steven Curtis Chapman.


 Love his music and his familys heart for orphans. It was there at a Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns concert (years ago) that helped us think about adoption.
And we are very thankful for a showhope grant this time around.

EXCITING IDEA

 When asked what NOC is , this was someones answer:

The No Objection Certificate issued by CARA, the central authority
in Delhi that oversees all intercountry adoptions out of India.
 Only when you have the CARA NOC, can your attorney proceed to file
an adoption petition in the Indian courts. Once you've received the NOC,
you can also take fostercare custody of your child while waiting for legal
formalities to complete. (you'd have to reside in India during the period)

I realized: Oh my gosh, I can go to *ndia and hold and hug my baby girl !!
but then :         while waiting for legal formalities to complete
              (you'd have to  reside in India during the period)

We are waiting for the court process and the RIPA to received the passport.
Which could be another 6 - 9 months (quoted by agency) 

While an exciting idea i do not think my children and husband would 

appreciate me being gone that long. Ok, Ok I would miss them also.
I need to stay here and continue to pray about the process.



 

THREE LETTERS

Three letters i love ..NOC..!!!
Our NOC was received today by our agency.
Yesterday, I said to Dave "I just have this feeling that
our NOC is here." But I did not hear anything from our
agency ?   Tonight we received a call from our agency, YES !
I am soo excited  !!
Praying we bring her home this year.

My husband is currently packing his things, another trip for work.

Blessed with another blessing from our awesome GOD !

NOC = No Objection Certificate from CARA

(Central Adoption Resource Agency ) 

Operates as part of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India and deals with all the matters concerning adoption in India.

 Now on to the High Court !!