Back to school!

August 27, 2014 – a Wednesday. So our boys started back to school last Wednesday! Hallelujah! I told everyone that I was going to simply TAKE A NAP every day for two weeks. While, I have yet to get my nap in, there have been no tears for this Mama! We were all ready! Little O is enjoying first grade. His favorite part – no naps! Seriously! He has only had about 3 naps since he turned two, so he was pretty serious about that statement. Jonah is thriving in pre-K. He most definitely was ready for full-time “big boy” school. His favorite thing – his snacks! And, he gets to see Olaf at times throughout the day. These boys really love one another. We are all enjoying their new school and making new friends! No complaints in this department.

On the “sister” side of things it is a bit of a rollercoaster (at least for me). Yay – the government received our petition and took our money. This means that things are moving. While this is exciting, the bland part about it all is that we have not yet met our little one. We are all excited to receive her, we pray for her daily, but now we just want to see her sweet face. The ball is rolling, if you will, in this country, but I am ready to get this approved and finally send our gigantic dossier to Uganda, so that the will know that we are serious. But, really, just really, we yearn to see the face of our daughter.

Another lesson in patience, I know. God’s timing is best. I am succeeding in keeping myself busy while we wait for our “match”. The Big O and I have amped up production in our block business in anticipation of some upcoming shows and the “selling season”. So, I get to sand, spray, price and package blocks daily. Also, while LOVING the quietness of our home while the boys are away, I am keeping this place clean and doing all of the things that need to be done in a home. In fact, on the boys first day of school, I spent 4 hours cleaning out their room! Three bags of yard sale items and one bag of trash later, I was done. Nothing like seeing the entire bedroom floor that will make me smile. Oh yeah, it was serious. I even had my husband move a small dresser into their closet. Now, the boys are totally both in one room. It is nice. Now, to motivate them to keep it clean, this is the exhausting part.

So, this was another “here we are” post in the process of gaining a daughter. We hope that she will be able to learn and accept how much she was loved and wanted before we even knew her. 

A Real Update!

August 18, 2014 – an early Monday morning. I am writing to you at 2:56AM, yes, really. I am not a “night owl”, or whatever this is by nature; however, after waking myself up sneezing  around 10,  have not been able to go back to sleep. I have tried it all – praying, reading my Bible, reading another chapter in one of our adoption books, Pinterest-ing, just lying there…… nada. I think that it is the excitement of taking another real STEP in getting our daughter that keeps me from slumber. It’s like trying to sleep the night before starting back to school – anticipation, a new adventure, just AWAKE!

So, after literally hours of being awake, here I am, writing an exciting update about what we plan to do today! First of all, we received our long awaited official Home Study in the mail on Saturday!! This was a big deal! So, yesterday, the Big O and I completed our I-600A form to send to the USCIS! We will send this thick package to their Dallas office tomorrow – after we take pictures, of course! The package includes our official Home Study, documents proving our identity, marriage & nationality, the actual form and two checks – one for $720 (to process the application) and the other is $170 (biometric fees for the Big O and myself). I have LOTS to say about biometrics fees; however, I will save that rant for another day. While I have not shared amounts of costs bills in the past, I am comfortable sharing these as they are public knowledge. This application is a petition to bring an orphan from overseas into the USA in the future. This will also petition the government to treat her as an immediate family member. Very Official – wouldn’t you say?!!!

Our understanding is that once this big dog is approved, we will then get to send our official dossier to Uganda. The approved application from the US government, along with an official Home Study (that thing is no joke!), photos, a first installment payment and other bits of documentation, will alert the nation of Uganda that we are serious about adopting in their country and wish to formerly be considered once a match is confirmed. We are still waiting on a “match” for our family. This is both difficult for me and not. It is hard because I long to see my child’s sweet face. I already imagine her playing here with her big brothers. At the same time though, seeing her face & knowing that she is waiting on us may make this wait even longer. Who knows? I try very hard to stay focused on the big picture, while moving one step at a time.

In the meantime (meaning, after we mail off this application and get the boys back to school), I will be applying for any and all of the adoption grants that we qualify for. This could take weeks, but I am determined and we are praying for God’s provision for this adoption. We will do what it takes to bring our little girl home. When God gives you a vision, He will provide for it, as well. This is His child that He is giving us to raise. A few friends have donated funds to us via their businesses - we are so grateful. He will provide the funds needed to make this plan, His plan, come to fruition. We are called to be faithful, believe, and work with what He gives us. We do and we are.

Looking forward to when the rest of the family wakes up so that we can go send this application off for Sister, together!! Only 3-4 hours until our little boys wake up and start their day! Thank you for joining us on this journey!

And, the current theme is.....

August 13, 2014 - a Wednesday. Forgive me, it’s been a while. Here is what we have going on now. Our adoption agency has sent an “Oversight letter” to us which will accompany our form to the US government.  At this point, we are waiting on our official Home Study to show up at our doorstep (any day now). Once received, I will pop that 41-page document (yes, really), the oversight letter (which makes everything Hague-approved, thus legal for international adoption), the Form I-600A (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) and two checks to the USCIS for approval. Whew. Lots of action. It has taken a lot to get to this point; however, we are still not considered to be “not that far in”. Crazy, right?. I thought so.

So, after getting this fat package in the mail and then sending it off again, with some hefty fees, we will get to practice the fine art of waiting. Oh, waiting, how I loathe thee. The absence of no control just pushes me beyond my little box of comfort. Yes, I do realize that I actually have no control over anything in this life, except for my own actions. But, this is still uncomfortable.  I am betting that having no control here in the USA may somehow be better than when we send off all of our stuff to Uganda and have to wait for them. At that point, I will have no control and no way of knowing about it – Agh! Type A person nightmare!

So, big official action coming up, waiting, then REAL big action will happen! And. Then. More. Waiting. Notice a theme here? I should come out of this journey a truly patient, contented person. Think saintly-like women in a long, flowing dress and perfect hair. Only time will tell – OH, killing myself! So, this is it. We will be sure to post and write about when we send off our official form asking to bring an orphan from overseas into our country. Until then, I am off to wait on the mail truck. 

Next step, mistep

August 6, 2014 – a Wednesday. Yesterday, I was so so happy when I found out that our Home Study was completed and would soon be in-route to our Adoption Agency. I saw only blue skies, sunshine and a sweet little girl in our future. Today, after speaking with our case worker, I was saddened to learn that we must first file an I-600A with the USCIS, get that approved (2-3 month wait) and THEN send our official dossier and first monetary installment to Uganda. Ugh. Hit in the gut.

Perhaps, I had misunderstood the process? I am not mad at anyone. This is no one’s fault. It is just not what I thought the next step was. Type A’s like me have to take a minute and get a grip when plans change. After years of learning the art of flexibility – due to child rearing – this one still hurt. I admit it, I cried. This is a good form of stress relief for me, though.

After my messy tears and lots of hugs from my boys (love these guys), I can see a portion of the blessing of more time. The longer we wait before sending our dossier in, the more time that we have to save and raise money. We have been given time to read and learn more about international adoption and the many issues that topic entails. We now have more time to talk to other adoptive parents.

I admit I just want to go and bring our little girl home now. I have not seen her face; however, I love this child. We already have plans for her. We miss her and want her to experience life with us. We want to introduce her to new foods and life with adoring brothers. I am already seeing updated family photos in our future, buying little girl sandals and learning how to do her hair. Oh, this aches. We are in love with a child that we have never even met (or seen a picture of), but she already has our hearts.

So for now, I will wait for our Home Study to be officially approved, then apply for the necessary government forms, then wait. Life goes on, this I know. Just missing that little girl. 

Unexpected gift

 July 31, 2014 - a Thursday. This week our little boys are enjoying their third and final VBS of the summer. They always have a great time with friends their age while learning more about Jesus, and this Mama sure does enjoy a little “break” from all of the fun of being at home. This week also had me bidding farewell to my best girlfriend. She is about to go back home to Asia. Our time together was precious and my dear husband made sure that we got lots of it.

Yesterday (after sending my sweet friend off), I worked at a local consignment sale that takes place twice a year in my town. (The Big O and I have a block business and we will sell these blocks at events from time to time) I was surprised by how many people I actually knew. We have lived in Texas for almost a decade (so hard to believe!) and apparently that will bring one into contact with a LOT of people!

However, the gift that I received yesterday was coming into contact with friends and acquaintances who showered us with support for our adoption! Everyone expressed their excitement for our family and asked questions about our little sister. When is she coming? Have you seen her yet? Will you have to travel to go get her? It was encouraging and so fun to know that we have so many people cheering us on!

For anyone following, the answers are that we do not yet know when she is coming. We are estimating one year or less – hoping for a lot less! No, we have not yet been matched with a child, so we have no picture to share. Yes, my husband and I will both travel to Uganda when the time arises in order to apply for her visa, attend court and meet our daughter.

It can seem like forever, in the words of my boys, until we can bring sister home. While we need this time to educate ourselves and raise money, we all really want her home soon. But while we wait, thank you all for cheering us on, for waiting with us and for your love and support. It all means so much.