Week 12: 240 puzzle pieces funded 760 more to go!

Thank you Krals, Duffing kids, Uncle Joe and Aunt Anne and Stacey Evans!!!!

My Dream

We have watched all the adoption videos and I printed certificates off! Whoohooo!



We are moving right along...



Thursday is the night Rhonda comes to evaluate our home. If you don't know who Rhonda is, she's our assigned adoption specialist through Bethany. We just finished all the classes and all the paperwork so it’s no surprise I dream about it. Last night I dreamt I was reading a book to my daughter in the rocking chair in her room. Now this room is our current office but in my dream it was transformed to a Pinterest post I recently pinned. She quietly stopped and pointed to the framed puzzle on the wall above our heads and asked, “Mommy tell me again about the puzzle pieces." I don't remember what I said but I remember what her sweet voice sounded like as she sincerely asked such a simple request. In the dream I see her small chubby hand pointing at the completed framed puzzle and I quickly remember what my life was like before she became reality. Then a chill traced through my body, like I was asking my subconscious if this was real or not. Automatically my heart over filled with joy and love and immediately warmed my whole being. As her curious eyes trace over the names I remember thinking, “I wonder if all these people know how precious this puzzle is?” There was so much love in that frame. My dream ended with me telling a story about someone on a puzzle piece. Might have been about Louie Dog, who knows?

Then I heard  this: “Buzz!”

I said this: “Ugh, it’s morning already?”

When you give to this puzzle you help fund the adoption but most importantly you will be part of this child’s adoption journey. It is so much more than money it’s a part of her journey into our family. It’s our job to make sure she understands her story and this puzzle along with other things will help us tell it. So thanks for being a part of it.

To tell you the truth this adoption is just like this giant 1000 piece puzzle. We are are figuring out how the pieces fit together one piece at a time.

 

OUR ADOPTION COST

A couple of people have asked about the cost of the home study and the cost of our adoption. They wanted me to break down the numbers on the blog.



Of course I can.

The cost of the home study is $3950.00 to complete.
We have raised $2290.00 so far.
We still need $1660.00 to finalize the home study! We have to pay this full amount by March 28th.

The remaining cost is 11,825.00. But after the home study we can apply for grants and loans. This amount has to paid for a child or children to be placed with us.

Hope that helps!!

Be Glad and Rejoice but I don't WANNA!

This weekend I was invited to a wonderful women’s retreat that my friend Tracey talked me into. I received this jar full of journal entries. It’s called a journal in a jar. It’s very clever!! So today I picked a topic. Here it is: How will I rejoice and be glad in this day that God has made?

 
To be honest I’m tired.  It doesn’t help I’m getting over a ghastly sinus infection. Tim had the privilege of sleeping in and I had to work. In his defense he did get home around 2am after driving all night from a coaching clinic in Charlotte, NC.  Its 4:27pm and I am feeding the dog, figuring our dinner and coloring my hair (7 minutes to go!) and writing this blog while Tim is napping.  Now remember I just got back from a busy day in a kindergarten class. I’m exhausted! I really don’t want to rejoice I just want a NAP! I think a lot of women feel like this especially if they have more responsibilities than I do.  I’m anxious because we still need to get our 3 online adoption classes done (2hours each plus a short test) and do some small projects around the house for the last part of the home study  here at our house in TWO WEEKS, February 28^th at 6pm to be exact!! I’m trying to stay calm but I have a headache. Maybe its from all my whining. LOL!  Truthfully once I wrote my entry my worries didn't seem so overwhelming.

So back to the question at hand,  what can I rejoice and be glad in?

I am glad that tomorrow is a new day.

I am glad the adoption paperwork that has taken on a mind of its own is almost done.

I am glad we both found a church we can grow our faith in.

I am excited to see what God has in store for Tim and I.

I am grateful for the opportunities that moving to Tennessee have opened up.

I rejoice that my faith has grown with the trials of this LIFE.

 

<I wonder what my divine purpose is?>

.still trying to figure that out.

 

Finally, we are grateful for all the support we have received so far!

 

Hope you find a little peace in your night.

 

Greta

229 puzzle pieces funded and 771 to go!

Thank you Renee Heagy for your donation!!

 If you are having trouble using PayPal let me know. A couple of people were having trouble donating. Remember you can always mail a check!


 

 

 

 

 

Edometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial tissue, normally found in the uterus, is found elsewhere in the pelvic region, most often in the pelvic cul-de-sac behind the uterus and pelvic sidewalls, ovaries, and even over the bowel and bladder. In addition to discomfort, endometriosis can lead to chronic pelvic pain, adhesions, and even infertility.  This from The Center for Endometriosis

This what I have. It's been almost a year since I found out this was the root of all the agony and pain in my life. When it takes so much from you and you are told there is no cure, naturally curiosity takes over. Curiosity for a better life doesn't kill the cat. Not finding answers might. I found this place named after my disease on the 'World Wide Web' and wanted to go there but guess what people my insurance at the time didn't cover any of the doctors at the center. So I did the best I could with what I had, and received care that didn't amount to the results I was hoping for.

This last Thursday we went to Center For Endometriosis (it's now covered under my new insurance) and both Tim and I were amazed at the knowledge, skill and technology this center had. We met with the Director and we came up with a plan to improve my quality of life. Bottom line I should not be taking so many over the counter pain relievers to mask the pain I feel every month, it is not normal.  A doctor finally understood. I mean I am in the prime of my life! *wink, wink*
I will be a mother someday (here soon) and I want to be an active mom not a mom that has to take a week off every month.

So you might be asking...
Can Endometriosis be prevented with early diagnosis and complete excision?
Read the article above and find out.


It was a great day! I am glad we made the drive. Totally worth it.

Week 10: 228 puzzle pieces funded 772 more to go!

Thank you Janet Dobbs!!!

the steps...

Adoption Journey outlines the steps in an infant adoption very well. I know some of you always want to know where we are in the process. We are still working on the home study as of today. Here are the steps in the process:


http://www.adoptionjourney.com/thinking-about-adoption/process

Adoption is not a neatly wrapped package...

So I received a very sweet children’s book in the mail from my friend Jan. The title is A Blessing from Above and it’s about a kangaroo that longed to carry a baby in her pouch. It watches every animal have their own children until one day a baby bird falls from its nest into her pouch. The mama bird is overwhelmed with her nest of baby birds that she’s happy that her baby bird is happy and warm in the kangaroo’s care. Then the kangaroo and the baby bird live happily ever after together and give thanks for each other every night before bed.  It’s a very cute story. I love it but adoption is not that easy for most. So many things go into adopting a child. You don’t fill out paperwork pay your money and a baby appears at your door step. Tim and I might be waiting for years for a child or children (I hope not!) Adoption is a tangled continuum of pleasure and pain, fulfillment and frustration according to Adoption Nation. One thing we understand is adoption will always be a part of our lives and most importantly our kids.  As we are reading we have learned how the adoption process has changed over the years. Laws have changed and trends like open adoptions have grown.  These adoption facts will give you a better grasp of the workings and realities of this sometimes confusing process.

·         In the U.S. the average age for prospective adoptive parents is the late 30s to middle 40s. (We are younger than that! J)

·         The largest adoptive parent group is couples who have been married for three years or longer. Even though this is still the norm, interracial, single-parent, and gay-parent adoptions are gaining in popularity.

·         Adoption laws in the U.S. are enacted and monitored by the states. This means that the laws can vary quite a bit from one state to another. Laws can change too. If you're planning on adopting, it pays to do your homework and stay current on changing trends.

·         There are typically two broad categories of adoption, open and closed. A closed adoption is one in which the identities of the parties involved are withheld. In an open (or semi-open) adoption, certain information is shared. What and how much can vary from state to state and agency to agency. There are advantages and disadvantages to either method. The trick is to find an agency and process that works for you.

·         State adoption agencies are usually of two types, public and private. Public agencies are run by the states themselves, where private agencies are only licensed by the states. Public agencies typically have lower costs involved in adoption where private agencies can sometimes charge a great deal.

·         Adopted children can and often do grow up well-adjusted and happy. A 1994 study conducted by the Search Institute in Minneapolis evaluated 881 adopted adolescents and their adoptive parents over four years. The teens scored higher than their non-adopted counterparts in caring and social competency. (Well, that’s good to know.)

·         Although there may be lots of reasons to adopt a child, the overwhelming motivator in 95 percent of cases is infertility. (That’s us!)

·         The average adoption takes -- well, there is no average adoption timeframe. Times can vary anywhere from a few months to five years or more depending on the circumstances.

·         As of the 2000 census, about 1.6 million children in the U.S. under the age of 18 were adopted. Of those, around 98,000 were one year old or less (this includes foreign adoptions).

·         Using those same 2000 census figures, there were almost a half-million adopted adults living in the U.S. (473,000).

There are so many unknowns. I have worries. But I try not to worry for too long because I will go CRAZY!  With all this newfound knowledge we have met parents that have adopted. With their story they all say it’s worth it when "the gift" arrives.

 Well with that said I found this article on Parenting.com about an open adoption; a mom gained a beloved daughter -- and the girl's birth mother.  http://www.parenting.com/article/open-adoption?page=0,0

(This will be a topic of a future blog post, I'm sure)

 
Just in…another snow day for us! That means another 2-hour adoption video to watch along with a big heaping bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup.

 

 

SWEET!

218 puzzle pieces funded 782 pieces to go! (Week 9)

Thank you Carrie Reich, Kara Liddle and Lindsay Williams!!!