December 2010
1 post
Adoption 101
This is just a few things I compiled a few months ago to educate those who may be unfamiliar with the adoption process…
What exactly is domestic infant adoption?
This is the adoption of a newborn or very young child whose birthparent has made a difficult decision that she is unable to parent at that point. These parents love and wish that they could parent their children but feel that...
November 2010
1 post
Remember us?!
Has it been that long already. Apparently it’s been 91 days since my last post. Oops. And since it’s National Adoption Month I thought I’d give the official update on our adoption journey. Truth be told, it’s a whole lot of nothing. Just waiting. We are looking at about a year wait (from last August) give or take. Crossing fingers for something sooner… maybe in the...
August 2010
1 post
June 2010
1 post
Adoption Update:
We’ve had several people ask us exactly what is going on with our adoption, and to be quite honest, not much. We finished up our home study on May 28th (which went very smooth). The following day we left for a mini-vacation and then I enjoyed a couple of weeks of freedom from deadlines… adoption deadlines. I didn’t touch, read, or write anything related to our adoption. I know we...
April 2010
1 post
Our neighbor massacred our flowers...
True story. They really did just that… they mowed right over them before they even had a chance to bloom. Now, there are only stubs where long green leaves once stood. Looking back, that should have been my first clue that yesterday was going to be a “memorable” one.
I have felt pretty good about about our decision to adopt. Since the moment we made our decision final...
March 2010
10 posts
Great News for Adoptive Parents!
One of the biggest reasons people decide not to adopt is for financial reasons. There is all this talk about how expensive it can be and while international adoptions can break the bank there are certainly more affordable options. Ours is about the cost of a car… and we’re not talking luxury. Not to mention the Adoption Tax Credit that has been in effect for a few years now giving...
Endometriosis Awareness Month
I have suffered for years with Endometriosis and am currently trying to find the right treatment for this incurable disease. It brings about frustration, heartache, pain… but there is support out there for women! If you have irregular, painful periods… if you have ever had to miss an event (i.e. work, school… or just your daily routine) due to menstrual pain then please read this...
First Interview...
On the one hand, our interview was pretty short and sweet, on the other hand, it was quite a lot of information to take in. I have to be honest, I felt a little nervous going in but our social worker is so sweet I felt at ease as soon as I saw her. And for anyone wondering, the first interview is pretty easy. Nothing to worry about at all. It’s the second one, the individual one, that asks a...
Expect the unexpected...
We are finding out more and more that treading through the adoption process you must learn to be flexible. Working with our two schedules and the agencies schedule can sometimes be challenging. Case in point, I receive a voicemail today (cell phone service is so spotty today) from our Agency letting us know that something may be interfering with our interview this afternoon. A baby had been born...
Back to school...
I’ve never welcomed a class so much in my life ;) We have now scheduled our two mandatory Educational Workshops (4/5 & 4/8 - 6:30p-9p) that have to be completed with our home study. We jumped on the opportunity as the next set of workshops are not offered until September (quite a gap). Oh! and only two more days till our interview… would you believe I’m not even...
Brutal Honesty...
Lady: So you are married? I see your ring... do you have any children?
Me: No not yet, we are in the process of adopting...
Lady: Oh that is just great! So tell me how long does that sort of thing take?
Me: Well it depends... if we were trying for a caucasian baby it could take up to 2 years... but we are trying for a bi-racial baby with a much shorter wait time...
Lady: Oh I would never do that! Nope.
Me: ......... well it's not for everyone I suppose. (wow)
Now we're cookin'...
Next Friday the 12th at 11am we are scheduled for our first interview. Prayers welcome ;)
February 2010
6 posts
Thank God that's over...well almost.
Had the pleasure of working with the worst lab technician ever on Tuesday. It’s people like her that make me freak out about giving blood. I seriously hope I never have to do that again in their office… it always ends badly. So now Dave has a sore arm from a Tetanus shot (random I know) and I have a very bruised and sore arm from giving blood. Grrrr. Anywho… we still have to find...
Time for the drug test...
We are so close to being done with our formal application. I only have one question left in our self-study…Dave has about 12. It seriously has been so difficult. I started out writing pretty formal…like you’re trained to do in school. But this is our “brochure” so to speak. So I rewrote just about everything last night…made it more like “me” :) We...
It pays to just ask...
So after the whole vital records debacle, I decided to contact the case worker just to be sure this headache was worth it. Thank goodness I did…we only need photocopies…nothing notarized. So that big mistake I thought I had made was actually a blessing in disguise…saving us about $25. I’m feeling better already :)
Adoption
This video at Catalyst last year wrecked me, rocked me, inspired me… and gave me hope of being a father.
January 2010
9 posts
Not So Happy Anniversary.
Officially starting the process for us yesterday was a BIG DEAL. Today marked the one year anniversary of Kim’s surgery that was confirming our nightmare of not being able to conceive. On top of that there was a scare that what they found could be cancerous. There was not a large threat but hey, isn’t any threat too large!!
Anyway, to hand in that application and begin our new journey of...
Our first official adoption meeting...
So if I could just bottle a little bit of the excitement I experienced last night I would (as I’m sure I’ll need it for the rough patches ahead). The meeting went far better than I expected. It was a packed room full of people who I imagine share similar stories to ours. Some had done this before but many were hearing things for the first time just like us. We have timelines, pricing guides,...
Adoption as an option...
Here is another post from my blog dated June of 2009:
(Now before I get into what I’ve been pondering I want to clarify that this my personal opinion concerning my life. I am the very proud aunt to three gorgeous IVF babies…so I’m not against it in any way.)
I have really struggled with reasons why I’ve been burdened with infertility. Something that “should”come so naturally by God’s design...
Infertility.
I had a laparoscopy surgery back in January 2009 which confirmed stage IV Endometriosis and Polycystic ovaries. Not only that but it was quite obvious my fallopian tubes were damaged as well. The RE initially thought it was due to an infection but after the lap realized it was just a side effect of the endo. Since one of my tubes is completely blocked my risk of ectopic pregnancy has increased...
A Little Backstory...
There are some folks that may not know the story of how adoption became the plan for our family. I thought it would be appropriate to share from a post I wrote after learning the news of our infertility in November of 2008 (from a personal blog.):
Not only did I reschedule an appointment for a Monday morning, I also thought it was wise to accept an 8am slot. This was to be my first visit to a...