Either I always have fresh flowers on the counter and cookies in the oven, or... we have our HOME STUDY TODAY!!!!
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home study. Show all posts
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Home Study: Take 2
Because I promised my sister pictures of our new apartment, and because we have our home study update scheduled for Thursday, and because this is one of the last 2 things we need before we can get back on the wait list(!!!)... I present to you, our home, complete with the beginnings of a nursery :)
My sisters have continued to send me flags for every month that we've been "waiting" since the original wait list date last June. Since we begin a new year this month, I get new fabrics :) Here's to getting wait listed in July and high hopes for this year!!!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Unexpected updates!!!
Fabric for the crib bedding :)As soon as I'd read that I had another e-mail, this one saying that we are APPROVED!!! Basically, that means that our agency, after reviewing all of our paperwork, agrees to work with us! Yaaaaayyyy!! So exciting, I so didn't expect this today! We're one big step closer to our baby!!!
So, all we have left is:
*Waiting on my FBI fingerprints
*Waiting on my birth certificate
*Waiting on CIS approval
*Send all the above to be authenticated with the rest of the dossier, then...
*Send it all to Ethiopia and start the wait!!!!
In other fun adoption news, earlier this week I was on the unofficial wait list I talked about last week, and noticed that some of the families were waiting on children under the age of 6 months. I hadn't known this was an option, and so asked my program assistant about it. Age preference in an application for adoption is a very personal decision to make, as is the decision about whether or not one is able and willing to care for a child with health problems. It is a decision that requires a lot of thought and prayer, and one each family must make after careful consideration of their desires and capabilities. I know for me the thing was that I kept secretly and almost unconsciously wishing for an infant under 6 months, and feeling guilty for wishing it. But no more guilt, that's for the birds, I have no time for it. As my friend Shelley says, there is nothing wrong with wanting to meet your baby as early as possible in his or her life. So i heard back from Susanne that we can request any age range we wish, and it's not too late for us to make a change, so we decided that this time, for our first baby, we want to go ahead and narrow our request down to an infant either gender 0-6 months at time of referral! Yay!
Thank you guys for caring, and for loving us. Thanks to all our sweet friends and family who continue to be so encouraging to us! We're pumped to be moving forward! Love you guys!
PS: check out this sweet JUNKPOSSE necklace giveaway here:
http://bottomlysandethiopia.blogspot.com April 7, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Piesole and other delays
Here's the deal y'all: I've been a little discouraged, just a tiny smidgen. I know I have no room to be so, seeing that our process has gone sooo much more quickly than normal, and seeing that God's in control. But I'm no good to anybody if I'm dishonest, and I want to remember what this whole thing was really like, so here it is: I've had a little bit of a rough week. Nothing major's happened or anything, just a few paperwork delays and unresolved life things, but since I'm a girl that likes to have all my ducks in a row, a lot of little loose ends can stress me out a little.
Following our home study I felt like I had just worked a night shift and never gone to sleep. I had that "I just ran into a brick wall, and you're gonna have to scrape me off the sidewalk" feeling. I think it's because this whole last month we've been pushing so hard to get paperwork done and completely put the apartment together, that the 4hr culmination of a home study just drained anything I had left. But I had to keep going. Somehow, the rest of the week was one of the busiest, errand-filled weeks I've had since I quit working, and yesterday had a few little surprises and realizations, some of which I'll talk about here and some I won't, that had me ready to just start over with a new day. Here's what it's looked like:
*Have you ever had a day when you just completely put your foot in your mouth all day long, and you just have to keep apologizing? It's like you've lost control, only you know that you really are saying those things, so you wish you weren't saying them, but you never know when the next one's gonna come out, and you'll realize a half second too late what you said, and that you meant it, and that you wish you'd just not. That was yesterday.
*I was photocopying my birth certificate yesterday, because I was about to send a bunch of papers in, and I noticed that my city of birth was misspelled. Whoopsy. I sent it back in to the Passport Vital Records Office with a notice of correction needed, which again is estimated to take 4-8weeks, but we'll see.
*I didn't get my FBI clearance back yesterday, which broke our one-week turn-around streak. No big, there are plenty of families who've been having to wait 13 weeks for theirs. I can't really trow a pity-party on this one, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had my hopes up.
*And finally, I haven't done any serious form of exercise in a month. I've theoretically been saving it on my to-do list for the waiting months, but I think maybe it's time to go ahead and start that process, cause y'all know how you start to feel... :)
Ok, now for a happy thought: I also realized this week that God already knows our baby. How sweet is that!?!?! He already knows who he/she is, He can see them even when we can't, even before anyone can see them cause they're hidden. And He already really knows them. He knows our baby's personality, He knows what he/she looks like, what he/she's gonna love to do in this life, even the foods he/she's gonna refuse to eat!! Soooo... this whole process is gonna go just as fast (or slow) as it needs to go to get us to the right batch of referrals, with the perfect little babe for us. My husband told me that my job for today is to not worry about anything. Ok, I give.
Following our home study I felt like I had just worked a night shift and never gone to sleep. I had that "I just ran into a brick wall, and you're gonna have to scrape me off the sidewalk" feeling. I think it's because this whole last month we've been pushing so hard to get paperwork done and completely put the apartment together, that the 4hr culmination of a home study just drained anything I had left. But I had to keep going. Somehow, the rest of the week was one of the busiest, errand-filled weeks I've had since I quit working, and yesterday had a few little surprises and realizations, some of which I'll talk about here and some I won't, that had me ready to just start over with a new day. Here's what it's looked like:
*Have you ever had a day when you just completely put your foot in your mouth all day long, and you just have to keep apologizing? It's like you've lost control, only you know that you really are saying those things, so you wish you weren't saying them, but you never know when the next one's gonna come out, and you'll realize a half second too late what you said, and that you meant it, and that you wish you'd just not. That was yesterday.
*I was photocopying my birth certificate yesterday, because I was about to send a bunch of papers in, and I noticed that my city of birth was misspelled. Whoopsy. I sent it back in to the Passport Vital Records Office with a notice of correction needed, which again is estimated to take 4-8weeks, but we'll see.
*I didn't get my FBI clearance back yesterday, which broke our one-week turn-around streak. No big, there are plenty of families who've been having to wait 13 weeks for theirs. I can't really trow a pity-party on this one, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had my hopes up.
*And finally, I haven't done any serious form of exercise in a month. I've theoretically been saving it on my to-do list for the waiting months, but I think maybe it's time to go ahead and start that process, cause y'all know how you start to feel... :)
Ok, now for a happy thought: I also realized this week that God already knows our baby. How sweet is that!?!?! He already knows who he/she is, He can see them even when we can't, even before anyone can see them cause they're hidden. And He already really knows them. He knows our baby's personality, He knows what he/she looks like, what he/she's gonna love to do in this life, even the foods he/she's gonna refuse to eat!! Soooo... this whole process is gonna go just as fast (or slow) as it needs to go to get us to the right batch of referrals, with the perfect little babe for us. My husband told me that my job for today is to not worry about anything. Ok, I give.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Home study: check!
It's done!!! We had our home study this morning at 10:30! Our social worker came from Greenville and we had a great time. All the things I was worried about last night (and I did have just a minor minor break down) were no big deal, everything's great, and a my friend of mine said, we're one step closer to our baby!!!
It's funny, I think I expected to be scrutinized a lot more closely than we actually were. I mean, don't get me wrong, she was thorough and it took a good 4hrs as predicted, but what I didn't expect was that she was a human, and not a drill-sargent, robot, crumb-detector, child-proofing dictator. Quite the opposite in fact, she was totally supportive and nurturing, really out to set us up for success. We had a great day with her!
All that being said, I wanted to post pictures of the last-minute home improvements and details that we put together in preparation for the visit!!! All fun stuff that I'm glad we did, even if some of it was over the top... but really, how often does a girl get to use her fine china?
I got a fern for our front patio. I think it made the apartment look more homey. First impressions, you know.
Our big flowerpot finally found a place to live right outside out front door.
The nursery/office as-is right now. Notice the giant crib-sized space on the right!!! :)
Our couches: the final look!
Pretty little pictures all in a row! Ethiopian landscape on the left, and Italy on the right.
Curtains to hide our DVD player and movies!!!
Setting the mood with daffodils and tulips, cause my sis says they're seasonal.
More flowers. It was fun to pretend like it was no big deal, but inwardly feel so fancy for having flowers around the house!
Aaaaand, the breakfast spread! Thanks friends for the banana bread just in time!
It's funny, I think I expected to be scrutinized a lot more closely than we actually were. I mean, don't get me wrong, she was thorough and it took a good 4hrs as predicted, but what I didn't expect was that she was a human, and not a drill-sargent, robot, crumb-detector, child-proofing dictator. Quite the opposite in fact, she was totally supportive and nurturing, really out to set us up for success. We had a great day with her!
All that being said, I wanted to post pictures of the last-minute home improvements and details that we put together in preparation for the visit!!! All fun stuff that I'm glad we did, even if some of it was over the top... but really, how often does a girl get to use her fine china?
I got a fern for our front patio. I think it made the apartment look more homey. First impressions, you know.
Our big flowerpot finally found a place to live right outside out front door.
The nursery/office as-is right now. Notice the giant crib-sized space on the right!!! :)
Our couches: the final look!
Pretty little pictures all in a row! Ethiopian landscape on the left, and Italy on the right.
Curtains to hide our DVD player and movies!!!
Setting the mood with daffodils and tulips, cause my sis says they're seasonal.
More flowers. It was fun to pretend like it was no big deal, but inwardly feel so fancy for having flowers around the house!
Aaaaand, the breakfast spread! Thanks friends for the banana bread just in time!
I'm pretty tired this afternoon, but I have a real peace deep down in my soul. I'm not generally one to put words into God's mouth that He didn't say, or claim that I know His intentions, but I sure do appreciate the blessings He's giving us along the way!!! I prayed this morning that our SW would be a Christian, because I wanted to be able to relate to her on that level. Because I felt like that would make a giant difference in her understanding us as a couple. She totally was!!! Not only that, but she'd gone to Young Life when she was a high school student, so she totally understood what my husband's job was about!! I'm so thankful for that, it makes me cry a little as I write this. And guess what else, I got my birth certificate at the end of last week. It took it two and a half weeks to get here. It was supposed to take 4-8 weeks. Praise the Lord, I'm thankful for these blessings as they come.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The paperchase: an adoptive parent's labor
Emily:Today I bought our fire extinguisher, smoke detectors, and some child-proofing stuff for the home study on Monday. I have the rest of today and tomorrow to get everything ready. Namely, make curtain rods for the TV stand, get a box spring for the bed in the nursery, and generally make the nursery less office-y. I feel fairly confident about the rest of the apartment, but this room makes me tired every time I think about it :)
On Tuesday we spent the night in Durham so that we could get our fingerprints done at the USCIS (US center of immigration services) on Wednesday morning. Praise the Lord that the USCIS office was in Durham, and we could just spend the night at Graham's parents' house! I was so excited/nervous about the appointment that I woke up at 4:30am and couldn't sleep. Once we got to the office for our 7am appointment I was so jacked up, and poor Graham was so sleepy, the contrast was laughable! The office didn't open till 8, no big deal, we had a lovely experience overall. It's a running joke amongst adoptive parents that the personnel at these offices are VERY serious, bordering on grumpy. Homeland security is no laughing matter. However, I'd like to report that I made one laugh!!! I was asking him if we were set to leave, and if he needed the form in my hand or if we were done with it. He assured us we were done, but suggested "you may want to keep it for your own records, though." Bless his heart, there was so much concern in his voice, he had no idea who he was dealing with. I assured him "OH, I KEEP!!!" We laughed, it was miraculous.
Today I shipped off:*Graham's FBI clearance letter (I'm getting my fingerprints redone for the second time tomorrow)
*All of our employer letters/rental income letter
*our family/apartment photos
*2 more reference letters (they're all in!!!)
*and proof that the government received our I-600a petition (to bring an immigrant into the US)
We're getting there! I have to admit I'm a little over it today. I think we're both ready to be done with paperwork and officially "waiting". God has blessed us so much. From an empty parking space in front of the court house downtown with time left on the meter, to getting FBI results back in 1 week instead of 13, to finding pillows that match our couches perfectly for free, to getting physicals and insurance letters (the two things everyone said take the longest) almost as soon as I ask for them, it's seems He's laying this out for us. Praise the Lord!!! I want to give Him all the credit He deserves in front of everybody!
So, all we have left to send in is:
*my FBI clearance
*my birth certificate (waiting for it in the mail)
*our home study and associated documents
*our bank letter/financial statement (waiting on it from the bank)
*and our USCIS approval letter (waiting for it in the mail)
We're so close!!! Yay! Thanks for caring! And a giant THANKS! to everyone who's helped us along the way, given encouragement, written a letter!!! Thanks to our family! Thanks to Lee, Liz, Katey, Sam, Marty, Parks, Dr. Holdsworth, Roland, Christy, Samantha, Shelley, Debra, Susanne, Natalie, Kate, Sandra, and Maria!!! And thanks to everyone else for all the love!!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
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