It hit me last night that this adoption process is real. So far it's been all paperwork and headaches. Yesterday, I received great news that our friends, Todd and Amy, who are also adopting from Ethiopia-passed court in ET-first time through-Amazing!! Which means the kids are officially part of their family. It's real. Now they just wait for the kids to get visas and passports and then they will travel to pick them up. I am so overwhelmed with joy for them. They also have had their complications with "paperwork". But now they are a family of 6. Wow. Check out Amy's blog to see their new son and daughter. So beautiful. There is a link to the blog on the lower right side of my page. Click on Blessed Beyond Measure to see their story.
They are the first family in our "group" to get through the process. So, it does happen. I have a much better outlook on this whole process now. :)
So go read their blog, enjoy and probably cry :)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Happy Dance
We have finally gotten a draft of our Home Study and I did a little happy dance. Now we rush to get approvals and then wait wait wait. The process is crazy, here is the basic run down.
Get Home Study (HS) draft, we approve and sent back to ICM
ICM sends HS to our agency, CCI.
CCI approves and sends back to ICM.
ICM send HS to DCFS, they approve and send back to ICM.
HS then goes to Immigration in Chicago....for approval.
When we get that approval....the I-171H, we can then send that to CCI and FINALLY get a referral for a child.
Try keeping that straight.......just wait until I explain the dossier..... :)
Get Home Study (HS) draft, we approve and sent back to ICM
ICM sends HS to our agency, CCI.
CCI approves and sends back to ICM.
ICM send HS to DCFS, they approve and send back to ICM.
HS then goes to Immigration in Chicago....for approval.
When we get that approval....the I-171H, we can then send that to CCI and FINALLY get a referral for a child.
Try keeping that straight.......just wait until I explain the dossier..... :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
WHAT?????????????
Ok, please excuse me while I jump on my soapbox........I have never heard something so ridiculous in my life.....
We were given a plea for help. Our pastor knows we are in the middle of adoption and his brother works with a church group that are trying to help the Haitian orphans. Supposedly, 300 orphans will arrive in Indy today or tomorrow and have no where to go. They need host families to take kids in for a month or so....or possibly adopt if no living family member claims them. My friend Jennifer, who is also adopting, called our social worker today and asked about helping these kids. Well, we can't. Yes, that's what I said. We can't. We have gone through multiple fingerprinting, state police, FBI, and Homeland Security clearance, filled out a gazillion, yes gazillion forms and DCFS would need more for us to help these kids in an emergency. WHAT??????????????????????
Well, we have an "adopt" license. You need a "foster" license to take in those kids. Again.......WHAT???? We have been approved to adopt a child, but we can't provide shelter, food, clothing and love to a child that just went through 2 earthquakes and has no idea if they have any living relatives?????? Seriously, the government has to get a clue. I have been told by multiple adoption agencies that Illinois is one of the worst states to try to adopt from because of all the hoops and red tape. How sad. To help these kids we would have to get a different license, take a foster parent class and change our home study......I have been at this adoption thing for 5 months....still don't have a license or home study......by the time those changes would take place those kids will be in an institution. As you can tell I am furious. I am shaking. I am so sad. Can you imagine how scared those kids are??? It just breaks my heart that there are 300 kids in need just 2 hours away from me and I can't go over there and bring some home to love on and make their lives better if not for just a little while.
There needs to be emergency procedures for this type of thing. If we have been approved to adopt, we should be able to be a temporary family for those kids.
At this point I don't know what to do.....pray I guess. I wish I could help. We have donated money, Darren is planning on going to Haiti in June --if they will let our group into the country....but I still don't feel like I have done enough. It's never enough.
If anyone reading this is a current foster licensed family...please consider helping these kids. Call me or email and I will give you all the contact information.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
I am trying......DCFS is just slowing me down.........
We were given a plea for help. Our pastor knows we are in the middle of adoption and his brother works with a church group that are trying to help the Haitian orphans. Supposedly, 300 orphans will arrive in Indy today or tomorrow and have no where to go. They need host families to take kids in for a month or so....or possibly adopt if no living family member claims them. My friend Jennifer, who is also adopting, called our social worker today and asked about helping these kids. Well, we can't. Yes, that's what I said. We can't. We have gone through multiple fingerprinting, state police, FBI, and Homeland Security clearance, filled out a gazillion, yes gazillion forms and DCFS would need more for us to help these kids in an emergency. WHAT??????????????????????
Well, we have an "adopt" license. You need a "foster" license to take in those kids. Again.......WHAT???? We have been approved to adopt a child, but we can't provide shelter, food, clothing and love to a child that just went through 2 earthquakes and has no idea if they have any living relatives?????? Seriously, the government has to get a clue. I have been told by multiple adoption agencies that Illinois is one of the worst states to try to adopt from because of all the hoops and red tape. How sad. To help these kids we would have to get a different license, take a foster parent class and change our home study......I have been at this adoption thing for 5 months....still don't have a license or home study......by the time those changes would take place those kids will be in an institution. As you can tell I am furious. I am shaking. I am so sad. Can you imagine how scared those kids are??? It just breaks my heart that there are 300 kids in need just 2 hours away from me and I can't go over there and bring some home to love on and make their lives better if not for just a little while.
There needs to be emergency procedures for this type of thing. If we have been approved to adopt, we should be able to be a temporary family for those kids.
At this point I don't know what to do.....pray I guess. I wish I could help. We have donated money, Darren is planning on going to Haiti in June --if they will let our group into the country....but I still don't feel like I have done enough. It's never enough.
If anyone reading this is a current foster licensed family...please consider helping these kids. Call me or email and I will give you all the contact information.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
I am trying......DCFS is just slowing me down.........
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Two steps forward!
Well, we got some more good news today. We received notice that Homeland Security has received our I600-a and it is now pending until they get our home study. Good Good Good. I also received our biometric fingerprint appointment today!! Another step in the right direction. We will go to Indy on February 10th for fingerprinting. Our last set of fingerprints. I am feeling pretty good right now. I can check two more things off the long list of steps that need to happen before we can go and get our daughter. I am all the more anxious with the tragedy in Haiti, although I heard on the news today the are getting kids out of the country and dealing with paperwork later. I am sooo happy for those families. The wait for a Haitian orphan is around 2 years. Can you imagine if you were so close to getting your child and then this happen??? How scary.
I also heard my new favorite song on the radio tonight. It fits perfect for the situation of adoption and how we feel about it, and why we are doing it. I will print some of the lyrics and hopefully I can figure out how to put the actual song on our blog. I may have to call in reinforcements....my teenage tech savvy daughter......
FOLLOW YOU ---BY LEELAND
You live among the least of these,
the weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away
All my needs You have supplied
When I was dead You gave me life
How could I not give it away so freely?
And I'll follow You into the homes of the broken
I'll follow You into the world
I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy God
I'll follow You into the world
That pretty much says it all.........
I also heard my new favorite song on the radio tonight. It fits perfect for the situation of adoption and how we feel about it, and why we are doing it. I will print some of the lyrics and hopefully I can figure out how to put the actual song on our blog. I may have to call in reinforcements....my teenage tech savvy daughter......
FOLLOW YOU ---BY LEELAND
You live among the least of these,
the weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away
All my needs You have supplied
When I was dead You gave me life
How could I not give it away so freely?
And I'll follow You into the homes of the broken
I'll follow You into the world
I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy God
I'll follow You into the world
That pretty much says it all.........
Thursday, January 14, 2010
One step forward
Well, we received some good news today. Our home study agency emailed and said they have received the paperwork they needed to get our license in order to adopt through DCFS. Basically, that means we have everything we need to complete our home study and send it to DCFS for approval. Now we just need that home study.......
Our social worker will write the HS, send me a draft-I will proof it and if it's ok, he will send it on to our agency for them to proof. If it meets all of their requirements it can go to DCFS for final approval. Once we have an approved HS, we can finish up our dossier and sent it off to get authenticated and get it on it's way to Ethiopia.
I know, I know.......so many steps. It's mind blowing. It's really a shame that there are so many steps and hoops to jump through. I know that it scares many people and that is one reason why they don't adopt. So sad. There are millions of orphans who need homes and just not enough families that will go through the steps to get them. Believe me, this has been so hard. I have been an emotional wreck but I know I am doing the right thing. God would not want me to give up because of paperwork, so I must keep going and plugging away day to day. For those of you maybe considering adoption, just do it. Don't let the craziness stop you. I know it will be so worth it when I see the child God has picked out for our family. With every step closer, I get more and more excited about meeting our child.
I will ask for prayers for Haiti in the aftermath of the horrible earth quake. Darren is/was planning a mission trip to Haiti this summer to work at an orphanage. We have gotten word from God's Littlest Angels orphanage that they are all safe right now. But the future is scary...they rely on volunteers to come and take care of the babies and children. But no one will be allowed in and out of the country for some time. We are not sure if they have electricity, which they need for the incubators for some of the sick babies. At this point we have no way to contact the orphanage and we are not sure if our church group will be able to go in June or not. Please pray for Haiti and all who are there now and for those going to help with the rescue.
Our social worker will write the HS, send me a draft-I will proof it and if it's ok, he will send it on to our agency for them to proof. If it meets all of their requirements it can go to DCFS for final approval. Once we have an approved HS, we can finish up our dossier and sent it off to get authenticated and get it on it's way to Ethiopia.
I know, I know.......so many steps. It's mind blowing. It's really a shame that there are so many steps and hoops to jump through. I know that it scares many people and that is one reason why they don't adopt. So sad. There are millions of orphans who need homes and just not enough families that will go through the steps to get them. Believe me, this has been so hard. I have been an emotional wreck but I know I am doing the right thing. God would not want me to give up because of paperwork, so I must keep going and plugging away day to day. For those of you maybe considering adoption, just do it. Don't let the craziness stop you. I know it will be so worth it when I see the child God has picked out for our family. With every step closer, I get more and more excited about meeting our child.
I will ask for prayers for Haiti in the aftermath of the horrible earth quake. Darren is/was planning a mission trip to Haiti this summer to work at an orphanage. We have gotten word from God's Littlest Angels orphanage that they are all safe right now. But the future is scary...they rely on volunteers to come and take care of the babies and children. But no one will be allowed in and out of the country for some time. We are not sure if they have electricity, which they need for the incubators for some of the sick babies. At this point we have no way to contact the orphanage and we are not sure if our church group will be able to go in June or not. Please pray for Haiti and all who are there now and for those going to help with the rescue.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Slowly moving forward
Well, it's been awhile since I have updated the blog. Honestly, not much to report other than paperwork. December was a very long month. Lots of calls back and forth to our social worker. Papers lost, time lost, my mind.....lost. I had no idea this part of the adoption process would be so stressful. It's been awful, I've been awful. Grumpy, judgmental and completely crazy. I will admit it, I am a control freak and not having any control over this process is so very hard for me. But it is even worse when things go wrong and there is no good reason for it but other people making mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT perfect--it's just so hard to understand. This is a child we are talking about. A girl, boy or both is/are waiting for us to come bring them home. And we are way behind on our timeline. But through many phone calls and emails hopefully, we have things back on track. We are now waiting on our license and our home study. I am hoping to get good news tomorrow that our home study is written.
I keep telling myself that I am going to have a better attitude but I am so anxious to meet my baby!!! I have been an emotional wreck. A friend of mine, that also recently adopted, jokingly said to my husband last night "give her a break, she's pregnant." That's how I feel, those hormone rages, one minute you are laughing, next you are crying. I've heard the adoption expression, "paper pregnant" well, it's so true.
I know God has a plan for our family, maybe the child He has in mind for us isn't even born yet, so He is slowing things down....I hope that's it. I must rely on Him. I must put my trust in Him. I know it will all work out--in His time. Not mine. For my friends out there reading this, just keep reminding me of that.
I keep telling myself that I am going to have a better attitude but I am so anxious to meet my baby!!! I have been an emotional wreck. A friend of mine, that also recently adopted, jokingly said to my husband last night "give her a break, she's pregnant." That's how I feel, those hormone rages, one minute you are laughing, next you are crying. I've heard the adoption expression, "paper pregnant" well, it's so true.
I know God has a plan for our family, maybe the child He has in mind for us isn't even born yet, so He is slowing things down....I hope that's it. I must rely on Him. I must put my trust in Him. I know it will all work out--in His time. Not mine. For my friends out there reading this, just keep reminding me of that.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
At a Stand Still
Well, for those of you checking on our blog...not much to report. We are pretty much at a stand still right now. We have finished our home visits but are trying to find somewhere to get our 10 hours of international adoption training......No one seems to be holding classes right now. So I am freaking out. We have to have those classes before our home study can be officially done. Still waiting on our foster/adopt license to show up and still waiting for MY fingerprints to show up. Darren's came back but mine are no where to be found........As you can tell all of these things are out of my control and I don't like that at all. Do you think God is trying to teach me something? It is just so frustrating.....I'm ready to be a new momma and we are no where close to getting our baby. Makes me so sad. But I will continue to pray and count all of my blessings, live in the moment and patiently wait....
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