Gotcha Day ...

So yah, there has been very little time for online activity!  But here it is, Ruby's gotcha day video is up!!!

get ready guys ...

I leave in a week ... I've been asked how I'm feeling? am I scared, am I nervous? am I excited? to all of the above the answer is YES.

guys, I'm about to travel half way around the world ... to a country where I don't speak the language (I tried to learn, my brain can't seem to process it) as a first time adoptive mom and that's nerve wracking!

but more at the forefront of my mind is that half way around the world a little girl's entire world is about to flipped upside down, and we don't know if she is even aware of this. she's about to be taken away from everything she's ever known ... and as excited as I am to finally have her in my arms, I am so heartbroken for her.

the truth is that even though I do have fears (the facts are there, if you have educated yourself regarding adoption you are very aware that it is not the rainbows & sunshine gotcha day video that you saw ... don't get me wrong, those videos are beautiful and special - and heck yah we'll have one - but adoption is a big, huge deal full of unknowns, trauma, grieving, and so much more) I feel they pale in comparison to what our new daughter is about to go through.

please be in prayer for her precious spirit and heart. I want the heavens stormed for my beautiful girl! I want her to know that I am there to love her forever - that I am safe, that I will care for her, that we are hers!

and please pray for me too, in particular I need prayer that my emotions can stay in tact, I'm so nervous I will cry and freak her out! (I'm a crier, after all, and I just imagine finally seeing her in person is going to bring up every emotion from these eleven months!)

and know, I am choosing to go with strength and I would love it if you would pray along with me for that!
I have a theme song! I know, I know, me and my theme songs! (haha) but I am holding these words (aka: lyrics) close to my heart as prayers to get me through this journey. it's not a new song, but it's new to me and I more than love it!! lions by skillet

I am strong when I am weak,
I will trust, and overcome
I will defy my inhibition
by His power, I will go
I don't want safe and quiet, I don't want to run and hide
this is our time, I'm not gonna miss it
He's gone before us
I'll take it hard in faith - with every step I take
I will walk as a lion

celebrating Down syndrome awareness month ...

It's hard to believe it's been eight years since those anxious days as I awaited the results of my amniocentesis.  There were two indications of a possible chromosome abnormality - hydrocephalus and holes in the heart.  Initially I turned down an amnio, but ultimately went ahead with it so we would know if anything was going on.

October 22 was the day my doctor called and said "I'm sorry, your baby does have down syndrome".  Even then I was a little annoyed at his choice of words.  I remember when Zoey was a baby I wanted to go back and say "look - she's perfect, please don't tell any more moms you're sorry".  I never did, but I believe that simple sentence is a big part of what drove me to share our life with Zoey and what drives me to advocate that Down syndrome is nothing to ever be sorry for!

Fun news - I recently started a vlog channel on youtube!!!  (if you're reading this thinking - "what's a vlog?" ... it's a video blog!!!  it's funny because going through old videos I was reminded that I actually had this idea way back in 2008 but it just never happened!!)  I couldn't come up with a clever name, then I thought about how Zoey always calls our instagram page "the Zoey show" (it's so cute, her and daddy sit together and look at the pics and videos - she loves it) and I thought, this idea could work!  My channel is my perspective and my story of our kids and family, so why not The Mama Show.  Technically not a "show", but hey it's fun!

I'm just getting started, but wanted to do something for Down syndrome awareness month and to sort of introduce Zoey and our story with her as she's sure to be seen a lot on the vlog.  The two oldest kids are very particular about being filmed and shared, so I have a feeling there will be a lot of Liam, Zoey, & Ruby!!!
 

My hope is to post regularly (once things settle down after getting Ruby home) and I hope you'll join us, you can subscribe to our channel so you never miss a new video!!  And of course thumbs up, comments, and shares are very appreciated as we get going!!!

thanks so much friends, happy Down syndrome awareness month!!!

a Birthday wish ...

oh sweet, precious Ruby.  the day is approaching, I was determined to have you in my arms before your fifth birthday ... but it wasn't meant to be my love.

as I sit here, looking at your photos and watching the videos we've been given, I can't help but wonder what your birthday will look like.  will you have balloons and cake?  will you have presents?  will you be celebrated for the amazing girl you are?  I also can't help but wonder what each birthday has been for you ... I so desperately wish I could be there to make sure you know how loved and adored you are!!  

the good news is, our article 5 was picked up September 28 ... this means the next steps are travel approval and confirming a consulate appointment.  once we have those two things, we buy the plane tickets and I get ready to go bring you home!  

(just our luck, there was an 8 day holiday to hold that up, but it's almost over now and we should get good news this coming week!)

so that's where we're at in this big, long, heart wrenching journey to call you our daughter!

I hope you have a beautiful birthday baby girl!

Happy Birthday Ruby!

Reaching Ruby ...

Guess what guys, we're getting closer and closer to reaching our sweet girl and bringing her home!

Using a super fun timeline predictor, I'm able to guesstimate when I might travel ... and according to that, it's possible that I could be meeting Ruby as soon as mid October!!!  Guys - that's like six weeks away!!!  (and, of course, it could be longer than this {technically it could also be quicker} - the process goes how it goes and it is so unpredictable - but knowing there is even a possibility of it going quickly, I have one thing on my mind - making sure that the finances do not slow us down!)

I am so anxious and excited and all the things - LET'S GET OUR GIRL HOME!

The last time I broke down the financial pieces here, we had $8,190.54 to go to being fully funded.  We've come pretty far in just under three months, but we're still not quite there with the finances.  We also realized that some of the travel expenses are estimates and are highly likely to be more than anticipated.  With that knowledge, I bumped our fully funded goal up by $1000 - and I'm praying that will be enough to cover anything beyond what we expect.

I am thrilled to share that (counting some fundraising money that isn't actually into our fund yet, but we fully expect it to come through) we are now only about $3000 away from our fully funded goal!

So, remember that puzzle I launched way back in January?  I'm doing a relaunch!!!

This fundraiser was my most favorite idea of all the ones I found and I so desperately hoped it would be a huge success.  We still have more than half of the pieces unsponsored!  I am eager to finish it up so I can get it framed and put on our wall before Ruby comes home - this will be a forever treasured keepsake for her to be able to see so many people that helped to bring her home!

To sponsor a puzzle piece, simply donate $10 to our Reece's Rainbow FSP then send me a screen shot of your receipt and I will get your name on a puzzle piece!!!  I share these as a thank you and to see the progress our puzzle is making - and then share the puzzle once a week to watch the photos unveil as it comes together!

This is our puzzle right now ...

and to give you an idea of what's left ...

Total pieces: 252

Sponsored: 104

Available: 148

That's a bunch more photos to be revealed and those dollars will get us nearly half of what is still needed to bring our baby home!  AND as a bonus - every puzzle piece sponsored here will also unlock a piece of our virtual puzzle that is revealing our most recent photo of Ruby - and, I may be biased, but I definitely think you'll want to see her sweet face and how she has changed in just a few short months!

Here's a collage of where we're at with the virtual puzzle!  It has 63 pieces and so far 25 have been unlocked!

We so immensely appreciate everyone who has and will help us - we absolutely could not do this without each of you!  You are a part of something truly amazing and witnessing this process has been so eye opening and so beautiful for me.  I knew that I was this girl's mama in a moment ... reaching her has been the number one goal for the past ten months - then we can all begin our forever together!

Thank you!

another step closer & what comes next ...

Today I got this email:

and you better believe I was absolutely thrilled!!!  Yesterday I sort of had a feeling - I kept checking my email and thinking how cool it would be to get the I-800 approval on the hub's birthday ... and we did!!!  

So what's next?  I thought it might be helpful for me to do a little timeline here - let's start at the beginning and you can see where we're at!

China adoption timeline:

*Let me preface this by saying the first step (& therefore some subsequent steps) can look different for each family.  If you choose to adopt and let the agency match you to your child, then choosing an agency is step one.  As you all know, that was not us.  We were matched by divine intervention while looking at an advocacy site (Reece's Rainbow) and so for us, and many families, we "found the child first" and then signed with the agency she was listed with.  I will be sharing the steps as they've been for us! (*our dates)

1. submit pre-approval for identified child 

*December 7, 2016

2. wait for CCCWA to reach a decision (1-2 weeks)

3. receive pre-approval from CCCWA

*December 25, 2016 - we found out December 26, 2017

4. start home study (3-4 months to complete)

*January 23, 2017

5. simultaneously with #4, start dossier paperwork and gathering documents (3-4 months to complete)

*we started ordering documents in December 2016 and filling out paperwork as soon as we had pre-approval

6. complete home study

*March 21, 2017

7. submit I-800a (this is general approval from US immigration to adopt, 6-8 weeks to be processed)

*March 22, 2017

8. fingerprint appointment (you get a letter that your I-800a was received and then wait for a letter telling you your appointment to go in for fingerprints)

*April 14, 2017

9. DTC (send authenticated dossier to CCCWA, 1-2 weeks to log in)

*May 30, 2017

10. LID (log in date for dossier: the dossier gets logged into the system, then goes into translation, then is "in review" ... 8-10 weeks to LSC)

*June 13, 2017 LID   *June 23, 2017 I found out we were already "in process of review"

11. LSC (letter seeking confirmation: this is China's official approval to adopt the child and you sign to agree that you want to!)

*July 24, 2017

12. submit I-800 & signed LSC to CIS (this is immigration approval again, but for the specific child - you've been working on this while waiting for LSC ... 4-5 weeks to get this "provisional approval")

*August 2, 2017

13. I-800 provisional approval

*August 28, 2017 we received an RFE (request for evidence, I blogged about this - I somehow left a form out that then needed to be sent)

*August 31, 2017 I found out, via an email reply from our officer at the NBC (National Benefits Center) -I had emailed August 25- that we were granted provisional approval August 30!!!

Where we are TODAY: August 31, 2017

14. NVC letter (aka GUZ # ... 2-3 weeks)

15. complete DS-260 (more visa stuff, filed online)

16. article 5 submitted (more paperwork that must be dropped off at the US consulate and then picked up about 2 weeks later - it is then sent to CCCWA (4-5 weeks according to timeline from my agency)

17. Travel permission

18. agency requests CA (consulate appointment)

19. once CA is confirmed, you make your travel arrangements!

20. GO GET YOUR PRECIOUS BABE!!!

when ya mess up and how I feel ...

I was anxious all weekend, hoping that monday would bring with it an I800 approval.  Instead, it brought an RFE (Request for Evidence - which is the form you get when something is missing).  I'll be honest, I just wanted to cry.  I tried so hard not to mess up the I800 and here I managed to completely forget one of the forms.  I don't know how it happened, but all that can be done is to get it sent in (thank goodness the agency is able to do this - it should be to CIS by tomorrow!).

Can I say something super duper honest ... adoption is hard.  This is hard guys.

It's hard to wake up each day thinking of our daughter so far away and just wishing she was in our home, it's an ache that I've never known.  It's hard to keep from feeling stressed about the finances - I actually avoid sitting down to "do the figures" because it's just too much these days.  I don't want to have to think about how much money we still need, I'd much rather make a shopping list for Ruby and start checking things off so we have everything ready for her.  It's hard to feel alone.  Let me explain, because this is a tricky one.  In fact, I was feeling super guilty and like I must be crazy until a friend said to me "it's lonely".  Since then I've read several other people in the adoption community say the same thing - and it's not that we're literally alone, my goodness I am astounding every time I begin to think of the many people walking along side us just wanting to help us get our girl home.  This is a different sort of loneliness and I really can't explain it - but rest assured that every time I feel it, I pray and try to remember that there are so many people praying along with me!

So that's today's mini update, I hope to be back soon to exclaim that the next step is reached and we have our I800 approval - hopefully this week!

To those who have been following, praying, donating, participating in fundraisers, holding fundraisers ... my thanks is eternal.

Down syndrome makes life better ...

If you aren't part of the Down syndrome community, you may have missed the recent news reports regarding Iceland "eradicating Down syndrome".

How is this possible?  It isn't.

Let me just lay it out on the table, why beat around the bush?  Diseases can be eradicated, Down syndrome is not a disease.  It is not that Down syndrome is being eradicated, it is that human beings who have three copies of the 21st chromosome (trisomy 21/Down syndrome) are.  In Iceland the rate of abortion following a diagnosis of Down syndrome is nearly 100%.  Many country's rates are just a little lower, even in the U.S. it is approximately 67%.  Staggering and shocking statistics, but nothing I didn't already know.  The reasons vary, but in large part parents are given a very bleak outlook on what life will be for a child with Down syndrome.  Worst case scenarios are often provided as fact.

Meanwhile, my heart and soul have been poured into piles of paperwork.  Checks have been written, fundraisers held.  Countless prayers have been lifted.  I check my email repeatedly each day to see if I've finally received an update on the child who will join our family - and to see if there's news of progress in this long, heart wrenching process.  For over nine months now we have clung to hope and held onto faith as we walk through the journey of adoption.  At the center of all of this is a little girl with beautiful brown eyes, the most perfect rosebud lips, and an extra 21st chromosome.

She is wanted, chosen, treasured, adored ... she is worthy.  Worthy of everything it takes to bring her home.  Worthy of having a family she can call her own.  Worthy of LIFE!  

When we talked about adopting some day, we had no idea what it would look like for our family.  Foster to adopt or private adoption?  Domestic or international adoption?  Boy or girl?  But we were sure of one thing, we wanted a child with Down syndrome.  We have seven years of experience parenting a child with Down syndrome (our biological daughter).  We know what a beautiful journey it is to know and love someone "rockin that extra chromosome"!  

... and now you know too.  

LIFE is BETTER with Down syndrome.

There's a movement happening to share that life with Down syndrome is beautiful and amazing and so totally worth it - "30 days of sowing joy"!!!  It started when Annie Reid posted this video - a call to action for parents of children with Down syndrome to share photos with the hashtag, #lifeisbetterwithyou!  By the following day it was taking off and I had an idea, let's make a video!

Annie said it and I will reiterate, this is not just about those of us who are parenting a child with Down syndrome.  There's an entire army of us shouting the worth of our children on a daily basis, but in large part our shouts don't reach beyond our own circles.  Please, consider sharing our video.  Search that hashtag and see the brightness shining into this dark world.  Share with your friends, family, and on your social media platforms!  We need you to help us shout this to the all corners of the earth!  Down syndrome is not something to rid the world of, it is a gift to be treasured!

mini update ...

No new photo to share, just this same one - my most favorite - from the update we received in March.

Yesterday I emailed the agency to see if there was any word on the update I asked for (in early June) ... we were so spoiled last time, because we got an update in about a week.  I guess it's not usually so fast, as the agency's contact person is too far and so she actually has to contact the orphanage to have someone go out to the foster home to get updates.

The email I got back was not what I was expecting.  I was told that part of the delay in getting an update is that pink eye is "wide spread" in our girl's town ... and that she got it and is in the hospital being treated for it.

It's hard to put into words how this feels.  I just want to be there and see her for myself and know that she's ok.  The 6,543 miles that separate us feel even further right now.

Please join us in praying for Ruby's health.  That she will heal quickly and be back to her healthy self.

DTC & LID ...

We had some big news come on May 30 - DTC!!!

what's DTC?

DTC is an acronym for "dossier to China"!

ok, so what does this mean?

this means that on May 30, 2017 our dossier began it's journey to China!

the dossier is all the documents, all the forms, the home study - everything we've put our heart and soul into these past few months ... it was all for this point when we could send it off to it's destination.  Once there it gets logged into the system, then it gets translated, then it gets reviewed ... and then, THEN we get officially approval to adopt this sweet girl we now call Ruby!

usually people get LID within a few days, but for some reason ours took two entire weeks - 14 agonizing days.  We finally got work on June 13 that we were LID, an acronym for "log in date"!

I tried to be patient, but after a week and a half of not hearing of any progress (many people get updates for the stages of "in translation" and "out of translation, and our agency had said they would keep us up to date on where our dossier was at) I decided to email yesterday.  I was thrilled to read the reply email that said we are now in process of review!!!!

This is the longest stage for the dossier, as all that information has to be read and thoroughly examined!  Never the less, I was pleasantly surprised that translation went faster than I thought and progress always makes me happy.

Every step, no matter how big or how small, is one step closer to her.

One step closer to having her in our arms.

One step closer to bring her home.

One step closer to our forever.

The bottom line ...

So, I've tried to keep up with the financial part of this adoption.  I have tracked each fundraiser, each donation, I have made charts, I have spent hours figuring out the math of it all - which is actually quite confusing when you're trying to keep track of every little thing!

Along the way I think there's been a few math mistakes (it's super confusing when people want me to track money that is "on the way" and maybe those amounts got double counted?  I can't seem to pin point the mess up, I just know that we're not as far along as I thought we were)  And I can't deny the fact that originally we were under the impression that $25,000 was the total we would need - but I've come to the conclusion that perhaps that original estimate was to cover just the agency portion.

I've been getting some questions, I get it.

You want to know where we're at with the total, how close are we to that fully funded finish line?!

Some people want to know why it costs so much?  Some people want to know why people are adopting if they can't afford it?  Some people want to know where all this money goes?

That's what this post is for!  I hope I can answer all these questions. (and if you have more, please leave a comment!)

THE BREAKDOWN

So far we have paid two invoices to our agency, totaling $12,210.00

*this has covered 2/3 of the program fee, the home study, the dossier finalization fee, the humanitarian aid fee, the dossier submission fee, admin fee, in country coord (coordinator?) fee, dossier authentication, and dossier state certification.

In upcoming invoices, we will owe our agency $9,725.00

*this covers 1/3 of the program fee, in-state post adoption fees, visa processing fee, and the estimated in country travel package.

We also have in-country fees and travel expenses, totaling $13,665.00

*this covers the orphanage donation, notary fee, registration fee, application fee, passport application fee, incidental fees, medical exam fee, airfare, visa application fee, miscellany (taxis, tips. laundry, etc.)

So that's all the expenses broken down, "where the money goes"!  (& I'll mention this doesn't include the incidentals on this side of it, like mailing paperwork to the agency, fingerprints, etc.)


WHERE WE'RE AT

So if you're following, we've paid in $12,210.00 and have upcoming $23,390.00 (and yes, that means the grand total is $35,600.00 to fully fund this adoption - not including some incidentals!)

We currently have $8,773.50 credit at our agency (from paying ahead), we have $4027.14 in our Reece's Rainbow FSP, and $2,398.82 saved.  This means that of that $23,390.00 left to pay, we have $15,199.46 towards it.  That leaves $8,190.54 to come up with.

I am confident we CAN DO THIS!  We've come so far already!

$8,190.54 to go ... let's do this!!!


WORTH IT

Why?  My quick answer to all the "why" questions is, because she's worth it.

"why does it cost so much" ... I don't know, but I know she's worth it.  (and to be clear, we are not buying our daughter - we are simply paying all the legal & otherwise necessary fees and expenses to make her a member of our family.)

"why are you adopting if you can't afford it" ... because she's worth it.  She's worth working hard to fundraise, she's worth humbling ourselves to say we can't do this alone, she's worth limiting our spending to necessities (in January & February I literally bought nothing but gas, food, and personal needs - I've since eased up, but I'm still budgeting!  And no, all this money I've talked about was not all fundraised/donated - it came from us too!)  We can absolutely afford to take care of another child, that's what really matters here.  Having over $35K on hand is quite another story.

"why China?" ... because that's where our daughter is, and regardless of location all children deserve a family where they can know love and realize their worth!


So that's where we're at friends.  Our dossier was sent May 30 and we're anxiously awaiting to hear that it's been logged in to the system.  We long for the day Ruby is here, home with us.  We talk about her all the time, we wonder out loud what she'll think of us and life in America ... and to settle my heart just a tad, each day I watch her videos.  Meanwhile, we just focus on crossing that financial finish line - reaching the top of that mountain!

Where we're at, take two ...

today's BIG news:

we got our I800A approval!!!

(just as a little reminder what this is about, I found this info:  "The I-800A allows the USCIS to make a preliminary determination of the prospective parents' fitness to bring an orphan into the United States. The USCIS looks at the application, the attached homestudy report, and the other requested documents in making the determination.")  So, in simple terms, this is the US government saying we meet the criteria and have approval to adopt a child from a Hague country!

and ...

how about some fundraiser updates!

TEE SHIRT CAMPAIGN

we launched our first tee shirt campaign in the wee hours of the morning!

a little about that ...

Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust.  Having hope has bee a huge part of this journey for me.  My hope began the moment I saw her precious face!

Saying yes to this girl was easy, knowing we are meant to be hers ... but also scary, not knowing where the needed finances would come from.  It was without a doubt the biggest leap of faith we've ever taken!

There are so many things in life that require that stepping out, taking that leap - holding on to the hope that it will all work out!  This is what inspired our tee design!

Please click here to check it out!

We must meet a minimum for these to print, plus the more we sell the more we make - so please also feel free to share!

Our Puzzle Fundraiser

last week we lowered the price to sponsor a puzzle piece,

this week was our second largest yet - with sixteen new pieces sponsored!

We now have 95 puzzle pieces sponsored - and 157 left!!!

I am so enjoying seeing the puzzle come together!

I can't wait for it to be complete so I can frame it and hang it on our wall!

would you like to sponsor a piece of our puzzle?

it's $10 a piece, simple click here to donate and we will add your name to a piece!

this puzzle is going to be such a treasure for us to have and for Ruby to see so 

many names of amazing people who helped to bring her home!

Nana's Yardsale

can we talk about the many amazing people who have come along side us on this journey, so eager to help in whatever ways they possibly can.

the outpouring of love & support is stunning, it takes my breath away.

when we said yes, we did so knowing we needed an army behind us ... 

but also knowing that having any expectations could be crushing.

again, a leap of faith!

we have been surprised to see so much support coming from strangers and people we only know through social media, such a testament to the power of community ... but we also have some friends and family that have gone above and beyond anything we could have dreamed!

this weekend my mom, aka: Nana, had a big yardsale fundraiser.

to the many people who pitched in - donating items, helping set up, helping during the sale, helping clean up, praying for success ... thank you!

our fundraising efforts will continue until we hit our fully funded goal.

I excitedly anticipate that day, not just because of the huge impact for us - to be at the top of this gigantic financial mountain ... but also because once we've met our goal and no longer need to put every extra penny towards our own adoption, we can pay it forward - I can't wait!!!

and ...

we've been offered another matching grant!!!

what's a matching grant?
it's when someone offers to match a certain dollar amount of donations!
for instance, if someone offers a $100 dollar matching grant:
that means that you now need to hustle to get $100 in new donations (often there's a time limit in which to meet this), and then they will match that - adding another $100 donation!
sometimes the numbers are confusing, it's just because we calculate the fees (so, for instance, $100 in donations would be a raise of $97 in our FSP)

our Reece's Rainbow FSP currently reads $2,828.74 ...

we were offered a $500 matching grant!!!

our FSP needs to read $3,313.74 by May 13

*EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS & MAKE A DIFFERENCE*

if you feel led to help us meet this matching grant, please click here:

Angel for the Job Family

prayers & shares are always welcome!!!

AND ...

how about we end this post with an updated fund-o-meter!!!

I couldn't believe it when I worked all the figures and saw we were at a little over $26,000 ...
so I'm sending in $1000 to bump it to over $27,000!!!

not quite $8,000 to go and we are there - at the top of the mountain, fully funded!

 keep up the prayers & shares, friends!
we can feel your love & support!
THANK YOU!!!

we are yours ...

oh sweet girl, we still have a ways to go until it is official ...

but you know I knew from that moment I saw you, that I was yours.

I hope I never forget how I felt that night ...

it was like nothing I've ever experienced before.  to see your little face and suddenly feel a

 connection that can only be expressed as knowing I was your mama.  suddenly I felt so sad 

and so scared, that I had a piece of my heart so far away ... that is when the hope began.

we have come SO far in just three and a half months.  I pray I never let myself forget how amazing it is to see God's mighty hand in this journey, and how touching it is to see the true beauty of so many good people reaching out to help us.  God is so, so good!

and now sweet girl, we have a name for you ...

it felt important to me not to take anything away from you, but equally as 

important that we give you a name just as we have the four children before you.

you are so precious to us,

Ruby ********* Sonya

We all agree, she is Ruby!  We are keeping her Chinese name as her first middle name and are giving her my mom's, her new Nana's, name as her second middle name!!!

... we are coming for you precious Ruby, just as fast as we possibly can!

so many things ...

a long over due update.
clearly regular blogging escapes me these days.

so let's see, where did I leave off ...

my last post was a lot about the aspects of financing an adoption, a huge undertaking for sure.  we continue to climb that financial mountain and we're a little over half way now.  so amazing!

where we're at right now ...

our home study is complete, woohoo!!!  our I800A has been sent in (this is the application for determination of suitability to adopt a child from a convention country) and we just got our official letter that it was received on March 22!  now we wait for our letter with fingerprint appointment.  once that's all done and we have our I800A approval, we can send our dossier to China - a big, huge piece of this journey!!!

and little sister ...

well, we were able to get an update (this came on the perfect day, 3/21 - world down syndrome day) through our agency.  this included a few photos, a new video, and answers to some questions we had.  we found out her favorite snacks are: milk, cookies, french fries, and candy.  the more we find out about her, the more we see that she's bound to fit right in around here!

then a few nights ago I received an email from the lady of the courier we used to send little sister's care package (we weren't allowed to send ourselves, we had to use a third party courier).  it was answers to the questions we asked as part of our letter to little sister and her caregivers.  so now I have two sets of answers to our questions, and though they are fairly short & sweet answers - I still adore a little insight.  so I was able to confirm that she did indeed get her care package.  my heart was so happy to know this!

and some super fun news - we've finally settled on a name for "little sister"!  we aren't ready to reveal it quite yet, but stay tuned because we're going to make the reveal extra fun.

please continue to keep us in your prayers.  specifically, please continue to pray for the funding.  also of utmost importance is to pray for the adjustment when she is finally home!  please pray for our sweet little one.  she needs to be with her forever family, but for her this will be so confusing and scary.  please pray peace and comfort for her when the transition arrives!

thank you all, many blessings

Where we're at ...

It has continued to be a bit of a whirlwind around here ... there has been homeschool, Zoey's therapies & school services, gymnastics (paid for by the school), the "little kids" started back at swim lessons (also paid for by the school), AWANA, Annicka decided to switch schools and will be homeschooling ... oh and yes, adoption, adoption, adoption!

We've gathered documents, we've filled out forms, we've been to the doctor - and the lab, we've met with the social worker (9 & a half hours so far - one more visit to go), we've worked on our education hours (reading & online courses so far, going to a workshop this weekend) ... and, indeed, we have been working on fundraising - hoping and praying that finances won't slow us down at any point in this process!

When we said yes, we truly were stepping out in faith.  We chose to recognize this as God's timing and so after a lot of prayer, we took that step!  We absolutely know we are this sweet girl's family, but I'd be lying if I said that meant saying "yes" to her didn't come with worries and reservations.  Those worries & reservations all had to do with paying for the adoption!  We knew that the financial aspect was going to be the hardest part, as far as the initial adoption process goes (we are aware of the many potential challenges once we have her in our arms, but first we tackle the challenge of getting to her!).  We kicked off the fundraising immediately.  We were off with a bang - lots of enthusiastic folks joining in along side us, helping us raise money in whatever way they could ... at this point, that has all slowed down greatly!

I wanted to talk about that a little bit today.  I wanted to make it clear that we have a lot going on, as far as fundraisers, because there is a lot of money needed to complete the adoption.  There are points we will hit where finances could not only slow us down, but stop us in our tracks - stuck until we could cover whatever expense was needed at the time.  And no matter what, I will not be allowed to travel until everything -everything- is paid in full!

With that said, I wanted to say that I believe sharing our story is a powerful tool.  I am trying hard to keep everyone up to date on how things are progressing, I feel as though that is one small thing I can do as a thank you to the many who have donated money toward bringing our sweet girl home, as well as poured out so much love on us!

Every prayer makes a difference.  

Every dollar makes a difference.  

Every share makes a difference.

Please, please feel free to share our story and help us spread the word.  We need the continued prayers and support - it's awesome to know we are not marching alone on this journey!

and if you would like to help financially, here are our fundraisers:

Reeces Rainbow FSP

this is the perfect place to donate, as your donations are tax deductible!

ReecesRainbowBringHomeLittleSister

GoFundMe

*we have now closed our GoFundMe*

it's more than a place to donate money!  we use our GoFundMe page to track all fund-raised monies, as well as post updates on how things are going as we move along!

GoFundMeBringingHomeLittleSister

Heart of Hope Designs

this is a little shop I put together to sell things I make, all proceeds go towards our adoption!

HeartofHopeDesigns

Be a Piece of Our Puzzle

This idea was one I loved the moment I learned of it, I knew that I would do a puzzle fundraiser - this one means a lot to me and I hope many will be able to join in and be a piece of our puzzle!

How it works:

I created a very special puzzle, 252 pieces!  As pieces are "purchased" (sponsored) we will write the sponsor's name/names on the back.  Then, once a week we will work on putting those pieces together, revealing the puzzle as we go!  (I share puzzle progress each week on our instagram page: bringinghomelittlesister as well as sharing each sponsored piece in instagram stories on all our instagram pages ( ItsaBellaZoey & cathartic513 ) and on our facebook page: BringingHomeLittleSister!

Each puzzle piece is $20!  

You can sponsor 1, 2, 3 - no limits!  You can even split it - maybe you & a friend want to each give $10!

Donate to our paypal link: paypal.me/littlesisterhome

*be sure to leave us a note stating your name/names - or we'll just use what paypal shows us!

Once all the pieces are sponsored and the puzzle is complete, we will put it in a floating frame - so we can see the back as well as the front!  We will hang it on our wall and cherish the visual reminder of the many people who helped us bring little sister home, the people who are a piece of our puzzle!

Dollar Campaign

This campaign was born out of the requests for something that more people could participate in!  We're putting hearts on our living room wall, with the names of sponsors!  Each heart is just one dollar!!  donate here paypal.me/littlesisterhome and leave us a note with what name you'd like us to put on the heart!  We also share this on instagram!

the best Nana

if you know my mom, feel free to reach out to her regarding her fundraisers!

she's doing a quilt, similar to our puzzle fundraiser - you sponsor a square on a quilt being made for sweet little sister (what a treasure!)!

she's also in the process of planning a yard sale!

she's currently taking donations for the yard sale, so if you have stuff that needs a new home - let her know!  I believe the sale will be late April and she's also looking for a few people to help out with the sale as well as help to advertise!

we are super excited that we have now turned in everything necessary for the homestudy!  now we get to begin the dossier paperwork - yay!

from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

we honestly can't do this alone and as I said before everything helps!

Moving forward ...

It's been a whirlwind of gathering documents & filling out forms to send to our agency.  On monday we were able to go do our livescans (fingerprints), so now our backgrounds checks are underway.  There are letters to be written, forms to have notarized, my follow up doctor appointment (doc said he'd lose the paperwork - so had me schedule a follow up to finish it after my lab results come in ... he wanted to do ALL the suggested tests - I think 11 vials of blood may be my record - and they only had to stick me twice to get it, woohoo!!!)

We're expecting to hear from our social worker this week and finally officially begin the homestudy!  I've been reading The Connected Child and researching other ways to cover our education requirements (and learn as much as I possibly can), since the classes at our agency would be quite a drive!  Every day I try to accomplish something (or remind someone that they have something to accomplish, haha)!

Meanwhile, little sister never leaves my thoughts or prayers.

Every day, I say out loud "we're coming for you sweetheart" ...

and I hope and pray that she can feel the love of her family - 

so far away, but longing to bring her home!

every thing accomplished, checked off on the done list, is a step closer to her!

continue to pray friends, we have some big mountains to climb in the next few weeks!

How this journey began ...

Before I delve into this, I want to preface by saying our journey began long before we even knew it!  What do I mean?  I mean, God has been working on this for a long time ... but I only now see all those pieces!  I can now see that His hand was guiding this for over a year before He brought our little girl to our attention!

I can go back as far as my own childhood, we had several families within our church that adopted (both domestically and internationally) and I believe seeing those families was the first stirring in my heart that adoption was a good, good thing.  My trip to Australia in 2015,  without that trip I would not have had a passport - something required to put in a letter of intent to adopt. (I might add, my cousin paid for my plane tickets AND accommodations, otherwise I could not have gone)  Though I have always had a heart to adopt, without personally knowing other families who have adopted (and all of us being able to spend some time with them) - the rest of my family may have had a harder time with the idea.  If I had not decided (I truly believe it was God prompting, He knew) to get serious about weight loss, my bmi would have exceeded China's requirement - an even bigger deal now as waivers are not being granted and people who had waivers at PA (pre-approval) are not getting their LOA (official approval after all documents are in).  These are just a few examples, there's so many more pieces ... but number one, to me:  if we had not had our little girl, Zoey, and known the absolute joy of parenting a child with down syndrome - we may not have had such open hearts.  It is not highly likely we would have even been aware of children with special needs needing forever families.  I am so thankful for each of my children and the lessons their lives have and continue to teach me ...  and I am so thankful for that extra chromosome of Zoey's and how having a child with down syndrome has changed our lives in such beautiful and amazing ways!

and now, how this journey began ...

On November 8, 2016 I decided to look at Reece's Rainbow (an online advocacy site for waiting children).  This is something I do often, seeing those sweet faces touches my heart and I always pray they will find their forever families!  I had started with the list of kiddos in the Miracle of Christmas Campaign (definitely look that up later this year, November 1) looking for a child we could donate to.   You get an ornament to hang on your tree and I thought that was so neat ... and sometimes that sweet face hanging on your tree ends up being a child you add to your family.  I felt a stir in my heart and had the thought ... what if that happened for us?  I quickly pushed the thought aside and remembered the point was to donate to help a child get home to their family, this wasn't the time for our family.  I got a little distracted (or so I thought) and eventually ended up in the section of little ones with down syndrome, imagine that ... I had scrolled through the "babies", ages 0-2.  I thought to myself "oh, I'll come back in the morning and look more at the MACC list to find a child to sponsor" ... then I clicked into the kids ages 3-5 with down syndrome, I couldn't resist I guess.  Face after face of adorableness - as usual, I'm always "in love" with every single sweetie!

and then it happened ...

~first glimpse of our girl~

I came to "Angel", as she's called on RR.

I honestly can't explain it, but I couldn't look away.

I read her bio, not a whole lot of information ...

but I felt an immediate connection to this little girl!  

I took some screen shots, I just felt like I needed to hold onto her a little bit - then I went to bed.  Over the next week, I couldn't stop thinking about little "Angel".  I kept returning to her RR page to see her and read her bio - over and over.  She was growing so strongly in my heart.  I knew there had to be a reason, maybe God was telling me she needs prayer?  

... so, November 15th I printed her photo, wrote a "pray for Angel" note and tacked both to our wall.  That would be my reminder to not just waste this connection, but to lift up prayers for her each time she came to my mind.  I was sure of one thing:  there was definitely some reason she was so heavily on my heart.

The next day we ended up donating to her RR fund.  It was actually G's (that's my hubby) idea.  When he saw the RR page on the computer (I had forgotten to close it) he asked if I had donated, I hadn't yet and he suggested we do.  "Angel" wasn't part of the MACC program - but I knew she was who I wanted to donate to, and so we did.

I want to pause for a moment to talk about some things that happened that first week of having this precious girl's photo on our wall ... to put it simply, we all fell in love with her.  I don't want to name names, but I had two children that had never been real open to the idea of adoption - but here they were asking if we could adopt her, talking about names we could give her, I was witnessing transformation right before my very eyes and it was astounding!  Again, God's hand.

... November 18th I was talking with the boys and they shared some thoughts - and it was confirmed, the three older kiddos were completely on board with having a new sister.  Zoey was even making mention of being a big sister!  ... and I will say, I had felt like her mama since the moment I first saw her.  I never told anyone this, I mean - I didn't want sound like a crazy person!  But, it's the reality ... the connection I felt that very first night was like nothing I've ever experienced before.  By now I had reached out to a few friends for prayer, I didn't want to take control and especially in such a huge decision, adoption, I wanted to know this was absolutely from God.  

Now I will say, my G is a man of few words.  I could tell though that he was falling in love (so to say) just as much as the rest of us.  Being a practical thinker his concern was how to come up with the funds to finance an adoption.  So there, we were stuck.

... what happened from November 19th to December 2nd was a LOT of prayer.

I had asked my closest friends to pray and I had shared with some of my friends who have adopted what was going on.  I prayed a lot and I will say God gave me so much peace, despite the fact that waiting for answers is not my strength.

By now I had also reached out to Reece's Rainbow for more information and they had put me in contact with an adoption agency that had "Angel's" file.  However, it turned out that she actually wasn't listed with them anymore.  Somehow or another I ended up in several adoption groups on facebook, I made mention of our sweet girl and someone pointed me in the direction of the agency she is listed with.  I had her file and a few photos and was in contact with a few ladies from the agency.  I now knew that "Angel" was four years old, the information on RR was a bit outdated.  Not too much else was new information.  We got to see a video from October 2016, sweet girl is so quiet ... and they had shaved her head - no one knows why.

December 3, 2016

A day I will never, ever forget.

At this point we were all on board, but G was still thinking about his final answer (those darn finances, I will say it's not to be taken lightly as it is truly a daunting figure).  I was sharing some new information with G, when he asked me "what's her name?".

I started saying "well, she's 'Angel' on Reeces Rainbow and 'S----' at the agency".  He said again, "but what's her name?".  "I'm not sure how to pronounce her Chinese name (we can't share that, either, fyi)" I said, and he replied "well, she has to have a name".  So we started having a conversation about names!  I shared the ones I liked, of course he didn't care for any of them - haha.  Then he shared one he liked, it was ok ... I told him "I like ----, but I'm not so sure about ---- (the nickname he mentioned)".  That's when it all shifted, as he replied ...

"come on, you know I always get the name"

I'll level with you, I was oblivious.  I was so confused.  "What do you mean you always get the name?" ... to which he answered ...

"I always name them"

(meaning, he always names our children)

Naturally, I questioned "what are you saying?" as my face failed to hide the joy about to erupt!  

... and he said, "ok".

That was it folks, the biggest yes I think we've ever said!

Of course I started crying tears of joy!

a special prayer ...

It didn't take me long to jump on my phone to start sharing the news with close family & friends.  I didn't want to just leave it in messenger and of course no one was around, but I managed to catch one of my closest friends online and told her!  Here's where things get pretty incredible, yet again!  Her and I had chatted earlier that day and I had shared that I was still (not so patiently) waiting for my hubby's decision.  (Again, his hang up was the giant leap of faith it would be financially - I don't want anyone thinking anything otherwise)  She asked if that decision had just been made, between when we had talked earlier and now ... she also asked "are you freakin kiding me?" haha!  I told her I was not kidding!  She went on to share that after we talked she had been praying.  She was specifically praying that we would have a clear path and that G would either "get on board" or "close the door" for me.  Talk about confirmation.  That right there folks gave me chills ... and more tears of joy!  It had seemed like his answer had come out of nowhere, but now I knew it was once again God's hand!

so, that's how this journey began. 

We sent in our agency application & pre-approval paper work that week.  It was difficult receiving PA during Christmas as everyone was closed, but now we've hit the ground running with ordering documents, filling out forms, and trying to get organized to get everything done as quickly as possible!

keep praying for us everyone, we can feel it - we've had so much support already!  

I can absolutely feel the love!