OTHER ADOPTIVE FAMILIES

It is a comforting feeling meeting other families that are adopting.
It is a comforting and exciting feeling to meet other adoptive
families who are adopting from the same orphanage as you are.
It makes you wonder if the children know each other ?
Do they play together ?  They might not be siblings by blood,
but they are siblings by being in the same orphanage....
playing together, eating together, possibly sleeping in the same
crib or bed.   Just cann't wait to bring HOPE home.

During our long wait to bring Rohana home, we talked about

that subject.  Adopting another child from the same orphanage

that Rohana is from because they are bonded to each other.

I have to say that mentioning that to our social worker was 

not the thing to do.      I think she thought I am crazy !!!

sometime I wonder myself and finally decide that I am not !!

TIRED

Last night was awesome.......watching the new video clip
for Compassion.  Sponsored children talk about their sponsor
who was a teenager or a younger child who stepped up to
give a child in need something they could not get...food,
water, school, JESUS, etc.   We found out during briefing
that a young man that was volunteering with us was a
Compassion sponsored child. Yep, someone chose to
sponsor him from the age of 8 to 18. It was great to hear
first hand how it impacted his life . Would love to meet
our sponsored children some day.

The concert was awesome. I do not think my teenager
 heard his mother hoot and holler so much (well,
outside of  home) The things I sign my husband up for,
he did not complain but he was tired and sore from work.
He was excited to volunteer.

Car pooling with a church family that was going to the
concert was also awesome. They also had a great time !

Adoption: DS-230 email to the Embassy.... waiting again
for the nest step.

Tired: nanny today maybe I'll catch up tomorrow.

LONG DAY

Well our oldest son went to work with dad today.
He had to get up with Dad @ 5 am
Father and son carpooling to work, who ever thought.
I wonder if Austin is really interested or just happy
to miss school today ? I am sure he will come home all excited.
Maybe he will choose to work there when he graduates ?
Right now he does not want to go to college, but that can change.

Even more excited to volunteer for Compassion International
tonight At the Jeremy Camp Concert in Portland.

Yes, we are still waiting to hear from a Embassy to
keep this paper trail moving.   #@!#@!


COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE...........

COURT CLOSING

Looking at other families timelines I was trying to
estimate my timeline until Yesterday. I realized that
The High Court will close on May 14 until June 10.
But there is still hope that we could be in India in
August (her birthday).  PRAYING !!

I know that we are not other families and If

we have to wait longer, then we wait longer.

We  also realized yesterday that if we are granted
a full adoption in India that Hope will receive her
COC (Certificate of Citizenship) without any other
paperwork or fees ($550.00)   wow.

LOVE

I love this article.. This lady uses her winnings to open orphanages in India.
http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/03/25/news/local_news/doc4f6f95785eac2721671158.txt

We (Dave, Austin and me) will be helping Compassion International
at the Jeremy Camp / Francesca Battistelli / Adam Cappa concert  on Thursday night.

And I am  waiting to received our email from the US Embassy in India .....

WAITING

We are currently waiting for an email from the Embassy
asking us to send in our DS-230.  They really need to 
speed up to stay in my timeline. ha, ha. 

I find this time around (2 adoption) I am not as stressed
about the wait/ timeline. And the 2nd time around will
be a totally different process.  Change is good ?

I have faith that it is really going to happen.

We have an awesome GOD !!!!

I-800 / PROVISIONAL APPROVAL

I still get a little nervous when I see a letter from
Department of Homeland Security.  But this time
I was sooo excited to see our Provisional approval !!!

Next:
DS-230
Article 5
NOC
Court (1 or 2 trips ?)
Visa
Then we get to hold another little blessing that God has
given us.   WOW, feeling so blessed !

SUMMER WEATHER

Sooo nice outside. Out to lunch with the family then
 a very windy walk on the beach.  As I was helping
Rohana  walk down the steps to the beach I was
thinking about HOPE, how will she react to the beach
the first time she sees it ? Will she be afraid of the wind
like Rohana is ?  Found myself wishing I was
helping two little girls down the stairs.  Cann't wait
to bring you home baby girl.

This morning I justified buying Rohana 3 pairs of shoes
because she will have a younger sister to wear her shoes
after her also she needs two different sizes because she
has to wear a shoe on her foot that has the brace. So she
wears a size 8 on one foot and a size 9 on the other

wise words of the day: 
To conquer your flaws, you must first accept them.   
    Like what , I have flaws ?  Oh boy do I have flaws !

HELPING OTHER FAMILIES

Copied and pasted from a friends blog.........www.padgettadoption.com

Two More Boys Coming Home . . . with Your Help?

My last post was to challenge people to help the Sanders bring home two boys (Dusty & Jayden) from China.  As I write this post, this family is on their way to China: changing lives for the Lord one boy at a time. Thank you all for making this possible; they raised all the needed funds. Now, two more families have stepped forward to adopt two more older boys,who were close friends with Dusty.  Miraculously, these three boys (one being the Sanders’ oldest: Dusty) will be living within a fifty mile radius. Will you help? I am remembered how Jeff and I set out to show that even $10 makes a difference; in November of 2010, 911 people donated $10 which raised the needed funds for us to adopt Joelle.

http://www.losseisverhulsts.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.twochinadolls.blogspot.com/

You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more.

Psalms 10:14,17-18

FAST

Well our results are back already... No HIV ...
No Hep B... but we also are not immuned  to Hep B
so shot here we come.
I feel like everything is moving soo fast right now !!
We should hear something about our I-800 soon
(14 business days is Friday) I think Article 5 will
come days after that.
NOC by the end of the month ? (maybe)


Happy that everything is moving along.
And we are all happy to have daddy home.


GOD IS GOOD . . . . .

EXCITEMENT

Today is the day that Dave comes home.  YAY !!
It has been 30 days since "Daddy" has been home
and the kids are very excited!  Ok, me too !

We will get the rest of the papers signed and sent off
to our agency today.  Have our  HIV/Hep B test
done today (seriously do not know why this was
not required in the beginning)  Wait a week or two
for the results, then send it to agency.

Dave will get to see Rohana do her Hippotherapy.
She will tell you that the horse is Dee. She loves it.

Well, got to run busy day starts NOW.

TRIPS AND TRAVEL

When Dave first talked about doing trips I had
said "no trips until we get our referral papers"
And when he got this trip we joked about getting
the papers while he was gone.  ha,ha
It's a good thing that we joked about it because we
ended up talking about  how we would handle it
if that happened.    Good thing.
As it turns out we were asked to send the extra paperwork
ASAP so the RIPA can get in line with CARA ???????
Special needs adoptions are suppose to be fast tracked
with the new system.    yeessss !!!

This is the second time I have heard that there is
a new Judge at the High Court and that he will not
require adoptive parents to be present at the Court
hearing. ??         Only one trip ?? 
Can it be true ??    we'll have to wait and see.






 

A LETTER

A letter from the Department of Homeland Security caught
my attention in the pile of mail today. Good news or bad ?
As the excitement builds, ......
Do we have approval ? 
Oh no,do they need additional paperwork ?
Mixed emotions come with this journey of adoption.

Finally I opened it. It stated that our application was received
at the USCIS lockbox and will be forwarded to the
Hague Adoption Unit. Please allow 10-14 business days
for shipping and processing.    Not my timeline !
I told Dave last week that I wanted to have Article 5
by the end of April. He kind of chuckled  " we'll see".
remember this is what I want my timeline to be. 
Article 5 is our government telling India that we are approved
for this adoption.  Then NOC (no objection certificate) from
CARA, then on to the court process. First trip to meet our
daughter (August) and then return 60+ days later (October)
 to pick her up.  Just figured I put what I  want out there.
We"ll just have to wait and see.

The whole thing feels real now that we are moving along !