Found this book for our little one...it is the sweetest thing! We can mail packages and leave things when we go and this book will be perfect...plus having a book read to him/her in country by caretakers will be something familiar when arriving home when we read it. We also plan to leave a blanket when we go the first time as that will be another "comfort"and a camera/video camera to document our time missed in between visits. The agency supports the caretakers/orphanage in between our court dates with formula, food, diapers, etc. because the baby will not move to a "transition home" like in Ethiopia. It's good to know he/she will not be going back to impoverished conditions like before court.
Also ordered 2 more books that have awesome reviews..
I know some of these posts are of no semblance to many, but this is our "baby book" of all things adoption!
Nothing new to speak of...just getting all of my dossier compiled to send in this week--almost have everything done...just need to snap a couple of family shots in front of our home, we didn't need that for Ethiopia.
Checklist for Uganda Dossier
Last 3 years of 1040 tax returns, notarized
2 pictures of family in front of home
Copies of passports, notarized
Completed Homestudy Revision (homestudy documents are already done thank goodness!)
I600a US Immigration revision approval
Medical Physicals for John and I, notarized
Employment Verification letters, notarized
Bank letter, notarized
Marriage certificate, certified
Criminal Background checks, notarized
The Uganda Dossier is much, MUCH less involved than the Ethiopia Dossier, however, I had to get all of the papers redone and notarized , etc...they all must be in blue ink and the notary's commission must not expire for 12 months, which many in my old dossier did expire.
When we get this sent off and the home study revision completed we will officially be "referral ready" again!
We are almost at the end of compiling our Uganda dossier and have our meeting on Monday to update our home study with our social worker. Hoping to get it turned in next week where we can move forward! The great thing is, there are quite a few people in the works in the Ugandan program, but since we are ahead with all of the paperwork, it doesn't look like we will even be placed on a wait list, which means we will me the next Ugandan referral (if the stars align and I get all of this stuff notarized, in blue ink, blah blah blah, PERFECTION!)
We are resubmitting approval to immigration for Uganda for 2 children (in case you find out later there is a sibling, etc) BOY or GIRL , aged 6 months -2. Eli just turned 3 so we just asked that they be at least 1 year apart in age and to keep the birth order. This shouldn't take as long as it did the first time.
I got the baby's future nursery painted today and it is a very neutral light gray for either gender:) I love not knowing, it makes it more fun. We didn't know the gender of Gray before he was born and it was the best surprise!
Please continue to pray for our family--I spoke with our coordinator at our new agency yesterday and I found out that we will be going to court with our baby, the baby's parents (unless they are either deceased or unknown), the caretakers (whether it be orphanage agency or foster parents), the attorney, judge, etc...it is much more formal in Uganda, as there were only 200 adoptions last year there. She said this is rather emotional for everyone. Please pray specifically for John and I on this court date to be as prepared mentally and emotionally as we can be and as always thank you for your support!
I am in a constant state of researching Uganda at this point, just learning what I can..absorbing their culture as much as I can..and I keep running across pictures of 3 little boys together....So many different ones! I posted a couple of them below. Every time I see an image with 3 boys, I think "What if those were MY boys?"
What if I couldn't feed them when they were hungry? What if I couldn't take them to the Dr. when they get sick? What if I had to leave them at home alone for hours to try and hunt for food and water for them to be able to even have energy to run and play? What if I had no support, no freedom, and no hope for the future, but wanted so badly for my boys to have all of these, but had no means to provide it?
It's easy to look at pictures and feel bad, tear up, shake my head, and move on. But, to make it personal, when envisioning myself in this position with MY BABIES...it makes the situation seem a bit more urgent.
The truth is, these boys could have been my boys. I, by the grace of God, am a very lucky girl and I wasn't born into poverty. If I were, would it be fair to watch one of my children die purely based upon his inability to receive help from one person who could have helped him? I think not.
A few of my favorite verses..
Matthew 25:35-40
'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
one.org is a great organization where you can become involved in Congress changing /passing laws, etc. And apparently there are some people in leadership roles who still believe in sacrificing to save a life! Check out the article below...amazing.
The President of Malawi has her priorities straight! http://www.one.org/us/2013/01/31/the-president-of-malawi-wants-to-sell-you-her-jet/
It's so funny how somehow adoption from a third world country at times gets glamorized..like it's this noble thing to do. And it is, don't get me wrong, but I feel like if anyone is noble and courageous it is these children whose lives will change in a moment, although for the better, it's still so much to process in their little brains. For one...all of the little girls heads are shaved due to the prominence of head lice..to fight off this yucky little bug, they shave the heads of the children and put the red dirt (clay) on their heads.
Red clay doesn't hide this sweet little face!
Then there are parasites-- Very treatable, yet children living in conditions where they can barely afford to eat, don't get meds that could easily treat this. Dehydration, emotional issues, burns, developmental delays, attachment issues once adopted, therapy (speech, etc.) ....seriously I think I could fill up a page of all of the things I have read, studied, prayed, and worried about for not only our future child but ALL of them, millions and millions of them!! I am learning all of the not so pretty of this process and I know it will be hard..on the child, on everyone involved...but for me, focusing on the negative isn't healthy. I want to be educated and realistic, just as I prepared myself as best I could when I had my first child.
The more I learn about these women, the more inspired I am by them. Their definition of beauty is so different from how we define it here. It is deeply rooted in how strong they are, the love for their family and God, and their ideals of happiness. I pray I can take just a little of that home with me when I visit Uganda.
Mama wearing her baby
Every single face has a unique story
It's amazing to me how every child looks so different but one common theme is their deep, dark eyes. They say so much! They tell you so much without a word- if they are happy, sad, mad, hopeless, curious, excited...
We got wonderful news today that our old agency is agreeing to do an amendment to the home study (which they have to come to my home to do, but not as time consuming this time.) and to go into an inter-agency agreement. This saves us soooo much money and time so this was THE best news! The stars are aligning and I am so thankful to our God who has orchestrated this entire process. All the good and bad must happen to get us to OUR precious child.
I spoke with our new adoption coordinator and went over all the things that need to be done paperwork wise on our end...which is having our social worker from our old agency add an amendment to our home study with the new country specifications and also for our old agency to agree to an "interagency agreement" which just basically says they will allow to put on paper that I can use my old homestudy. We are waiting to hear back to see if they are agreeing so specifically pray for that please!
Also, big news...she is pretty confident we will receive a referral of our little one by April/May since we are ahead of the game because we are so far ahead on paperwork! I was a little shocked/excited/nervous by this news! Lots of things settling in..I spoke with my mom about the 24 hour plane trip to Uganda and traveling home with a baby in tow and it all kind of sank in that this is happening!
Throughout these past months I have saved many quotes that I love..just thought I would share a few...the first one I have printed and read daily as it is in an accessible place. I love the last line of this..it is such a prayer I would never think to pray if I hadn't read this. "Make us uncomfortable as we bear the burden of what breaks your heart." This also reminds me of the book (my favorite book ever ), "Kisses From Katie" and how she (Katie) prays this throughout the entire book... to make her life so hard and to work so hard for His glory that she has nothing in her left but a prayer. Gives me goosebumps every time I read it! Now that we are going to Uganda, how cool would it be to visit Amazima--her school for all of her girls?!
Wow, where do I begin? We have been on a bit of a roller coaster of emotions over the past few weeks, feeling a little bit "off" concerning our agency and their transparency through this process. To not get too personal out of respect for our agency, I am going to be a bit vague. We sensed some issues on their end regarding referrals, orphanages they are approved through, etc...and after looking a little further into it, realized my hunch was indeed correct. Our agency has ALL referrals on hold as of now. I would not have known this if I had not checked in. I quickly began researching other agencies, speaking to different program directors, etc. and realized that Ethiopian adoptions, although very strict, are still progressing. My immediate concern when switching agencies is starting all over, and having to start at the beginning of another wait list. I spoke with John and we both decided that we are open to any country in Africa and not to be closed minded to a new plan. So, after discussing and thinking and researching and praying and everything in between...we decided to make the switch to a new agency.
This agency handles within Ethiopia, DR Congo, and Uganda. I was very interested in Uganda and Haiti in the beginning of this entire process. Haiti was out, due to the fact we had not been married for 10 years. Uganda was as well, as you had to live there for 3 years after the adoption of your child....until recently! The Ugandan courts are now granting guardianship to adoptive parents if it is in the best interest of the child and our agency has successfully completed many adoptions this past year and was granted guardianship every time without any problems, then the full adoption takes place once you return to the states. So, we decided to change countries to Uganda, and God willing, this will be where our future child is from! Even better news, since this is a new program for them (just over a year old), since we are "paper ready", we will most likely not be waitlisted (there are 14 in the middle of the paper chase for Uganda...) and he thinks there is no reason we wouldn't have our referral of our child by this July (maybe before) and have traveled to Uganda and back home with our child for good by this Christmas! Sidenote: No one has any control over timing...this is just an estimate...anything can happen that is beyond the scope of our agency's control but this is very promising nonetheless!
I truly think everything happens for a reason, and this entire process is not in my hands, so if we are not willing to roll with the punches and trust God's Will in all of this, it will make you a little bonkers to say the least! We feel very confident about our decision, and just ask for your prayers and support as we navigate through this change and anticipate our sweet child sooner than we imagined!
For everyone who has donated money, clothing, diapers, formula, etc...no worries, the children who need it will still be receiving, just in Uganda rather than Ethiopia! Again, thank you for your support, this process is so much easier knowing we have so many people who already love this baby! I will keep you updated all along the way!! xo
Spiritual Warfare by Ron DiCianni | Christian Art - Christian Framed Prints | Tapestry Productions
In the car the other day, I somehow landed on a station with the artist, "Ron DiCianni" speaking with the renowned "James Dobson", who wrote so many books I can't even count on Christian parenting. They spoke in particular about Spiritual warfare and how prayer is our best defense against the physical realm of sin, government, etc..Dr. Dobson mentioned he had this print in the hallway to his children's room, and seeing it nightly was a reminder to pray over his children..at at time of day when we are all tired, many times frustrated, that the best and only way to have a united front at home is to pray with and over your children. The artist went on to describe the painting in depth, and enough so that I just had to come home and google it to see it! I fell in love with it, especially after hearing the story behind it. He mentioned the window pane forming a cross in the background as the father kneels over his child in prayer and he painted this in a time when artists weren't exactly "popular" if their work pertained to Christianity and religion. I am not an "artsy" person but this one is so special, it has to be in my home! Just wanted to pass along to any others who might be interested:)
