A kinda weird post title, but so cool!
See, when we get our referral, we also get a couple movies. But, wait! , they're not just movies, they're movies of our babies!
One of the best things about HAVING a baby, (like expecting a baby physically), is that you can watch them grow up. From newborn to however old. But that's one thing you sometimes miss when you adopt. Not always! But usually! You miss their baby stuff: first sit-up, roll over, standing, step, and word.
But our adoption agency has two DVD's. The first is of the area where the baby was found or lived. The second DVD is of the baby in the orphanage.
I think this is so cool and special. You can see glimpses of your baby before they were home. So you don't miss ALL of your baby's life before you held them.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
In Ethiopia
I'm not sure whether I've shared this already, but I have been working and saving my money for a plane ticket so that I can go with my parents to Ethiopia to get our baby/babies.
When we receive our referral, (Oh let that day come SOON), we have to wait to pass court in Ethiopia. That can take a while, and we might not even pass the first time. So that will probably take SEVERAL weeks. We then must wait a couple more weeks before we actually leave the U.S!
When we arrive in Ethiopia, we will be taken to a guest house and the guest house is a whole 'nother post! The next day we will meet our new family members. OH HOORAY! We spend more time with the babies the next day. Sunday is spent actually visiting any living family members of the babies and visiting the area where they were found or lived. Another day we have to go to court for all the official days. We also will have a chance to go to an Ethiopian market, shop, and visit a restaurant. At the end, there is a good bye ceremony. We go home after a week or so. We will bring home the babies and will actually have to stay at home for months before we can go out in public with the babies or introduce them to family and friends! This is to ensure bonding.
Also, (this will be very hard for me, in fact I was really upset when Mom told me this), the babies need to attatch to Dad and Mom, so although I will definitely be helping all the time with the babies, I cannot allow them to become EXTREMELY close to me because it's best they be most attatched to Dad and Mom as I will be off to college in a couple years. I know bonding is EXTREMELY important, but I know I will find this hard. Miss Bossy is so excited. It is so cute! She keeps asking if we can PLEASE get our babies today
When we receive our referral, (Oh let that day come SOON), we have to wait to pass court in Ethiopia. That can take a while, and we might not even pass the first time. So that will probably take SEVERAL weeks. We then must wait a couple more weeks before we actually leave the U.S!
When we arrive in Ethiopia, we will be taken to a guest house and the guest house is a whole 'nother post! The next day we will meet our new family members. OH HOORAY! We spend more time with the babies the next day. Sunday is spent actually visiting any living family members of the babies and visiting the area where they were found or lived. Another day we have to go to court for all the official days. We also will have a chance to go to an Ethiopian market, shop, and visit a restaurant. At the end, there is a good bye ceremony. We go home after a week or so. We will bring home the babies and will actually have to stay at home for months before we can go out in public with the babies or introduce them to family and friends! This is to ensure bonding.
Also, (this will be very hard for me, in fact I was really upset when Mom told me this), the babies need to attatch to Dad and Mom, so although I will definitely be helping all the time with the babies, I cannot allow them to become EXTREMELY close to me because it's best they be most attatched to Dad and Mom as I will be off to college in a couple years. I know bonding is EXTREMELY important, but I know I will find this hard. Miss Bossy is so excited. It is so cute! She keeps asking if we can PLEASE get our babies today
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Laugh!
We are so excited to get our babies. And our excitement must be contagious because even our pets are looking forward to the day when we finally bring home our new brother(s) and/or sister(s).
This is Woody. He is our Yellow Lab dog. He is 8 years old and starting to look and act old. He's even starting to do things he'd never do before, (like lie on a couch pillow).
We caught Woody like this one day. What is he doing?
He has volunteered to babysit Miss Bossy's doll for a few minutes while she does something. Miss Bossy set him up with even a carrier. Doesn't he look like the perfect babysitter?!
Well, maybe not. Ouch... that looks painful and the babysitter looks bored.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Our adoption
We are using a local adoption agency to do our homestudy and follow-up meetings. Family Adoption Consultants.
FAC does not have an Ethiopian program, so we are using Children's Home Society and Family Services to do the international part.
We chose FAC because we had worked through them before with Miss Bossy. Unfortunately, the agency we used with Sports Dude no longer exists.
We also a couple years or so ago, began a foster care program with another agency in our area. After a year of going through the process, we discovered that the workers actually had no idea what we were doing. We took that as a sign from God that we should not be going through the program. Then we began with CHSFS and FAC for an international adoption.
I am going to paste an e-mail Mom sent me about why they chose CHSFS and FAC. It was easier if Mom wrote to me, rather than telling me and me forgetting or me having to type the whole thing up. And of course, she and Dad are the ones who made the decision, so she knows what she's saying more than me! :) So here is what Mom says....
First, we chose the country before the agency. So after we knew we should switch from foster care adoption to Ethiopia, we started looking at agencies. We prayed! We knew a family who had adopted from Ethiopia and took their advice regarding which agencies to avoid and which seemed to be reputable. We looked at the ones who had established (not new) Ethiopia programs. A big factor for us was the agency’s ethics, in particular how their policies reflected their view of adoption and children. Children’s Home Society and Family Services (of Minnesota) had an established Ethiopia program, a good reputation, and had policies that reflected good ethics. One of their policies was that they did not allow artificial twinning. That is when two babies are placed with the same family even though the babies are not related. Babies go through so many changes before and during the adoption process, that they do not need any more challenges such as Mom and Dad trying to parent two babies at the same time. Also, they would have to deal with people asking questions constantly about whether they were twins and why not, etc. At first we didn’t like the policy, but then we realized it was better for the children and the agency cared more about the children’s adjustment and successful adoption than about the desires of potential adoptive parents. We also found out more about the care center in Ethiopia and the high standard of care the children received there. As we looked into the agency more we found out that they only had one partnering agency here in Michigan for the home study portion and that agency was in Kalamazoo! And we had used that very agency for our last adoption! Since we had been praying for direction as we researched, we took that as confirmation that we should move forward with CHSFS.
FAC does not have an Ethiopian program, so we are using Children's Home Society and Family Services to do the international part.
We chose FAC because we had worked through them before with Miss Bossy. Unfortunately, the agency we used with Sports Dude no longer exists.
We also a couple years or so ago, began a foster care program with another agency in our area. After a year of going through the process, we discovered that the workers actually had no idea what we were doing. We took that as a sign from God that we should not be going through the program. Then we began with CHSFS and FAC for an international adoption.
I am going to paste an e-mail Mom sent me about why they chose CHSFS and FAC. It was easier if Mom wrote to me, rather than telling me and me forgetting or me having to type the whole thing up. And of course, she and Dad are the ones who made the decision, so she knows what she's saying more than me! :) So here is what Mom says....
First, we chose the country before the agency. So after we knew we should switch from foster care adoption to Ethiopia, we started looking at agencies. We prayed! We knew a family who had adopted from Ethiopia and took their advice regarding which agencies to avoid and which seemed to be reputable. We looked at the ones who had established (not new) Ethiopia programs. A big factor for us was the agency’s ethics, in particular how their policies reflected their view of adoption and children. Children’s Home Society and Family Services (of Minnesota) had an established Ethiopia program, a good reputation, and had policies that reflected good ethics. One of their policies was that they did not allow artificial twinning. That is when two babies are placed with the same family even though the babies are not related. Babies go through so many changes before and during the adoption process, that they do not need any more challenges such as Mom and Dad trying to parent two babies at the same time. Also, they would have to deal with people asking questions constantly about whether they were twins and why not, etc. At first we didn’t like the policy, but then we realized it was better for the children and the agency cared more about the children’s adjustment and successful adoption than about the desires of potential adoptive parents. We also found out more about the care center in Ethiopia and the high standard of care the children received there. As we looked into the agency more we found out that they only had one partnering agency here in Michigan for the home study portion and that agency was in Kalamazoo! And we had used that very agency for our last adoption! Since we had been praying for direction as we researched, we took that as confirmation that we should move forward with CHSFS.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Today
Today I was searching for something to write about on this blog, so I went to our adoption agency's website and looked at the Ethiopian program. Then I saw a family album page. I clicked on it and was excited to find lots of pictures of kids already adopted from Ethiopia. I scrolled down. My eyes searching for.... twins. And I found twins and triplets. I was very excited. It's just exciting to see babies from Ethiopia. The thought of, my little brothers or sisters might look like this, goes through my head.
Miss Bossy is really excited about having a baby brother or sister. The other day she told me that she was going to share her big wheel with her baby brother or sister. We all are really excited. The boys and Miss Bossy are not looking forward to diaper changing. That will probably end up being done by Mom and I.
Well, I will try to think up more to write soon.
Miss Bossy is really excited about having a baby brother or sister. The other day she told me that she was going to share her big wheel with her baby brother or sister. We all are really excited. The boys and Miss Bossy are not looking forward to diaper changing. That will probably end up being done by Mom and I.
Well, I will try to think up more to write soon.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
How we felt called to Ethiopia
How did we decide that we were being called to adopt from Ethiopia? After all, we had done two domesic adoptions before.
We chose Ethiopia because we felt God was leading us towards Ethiopia. We prayed a lot and Dad and Mom felt Him giving them a push toward Africa.
We had friends who had already adopted from Ethiopia. We also had friends who were going into the process of adopting from Ethiopia. I think that really encouraged Dad and Mom to look into Ethiopia.
When Dad and Mom looked into Ethiopia, they found that they could afford it, and that the requirements fit our family really well. (Some countries have really strict requirements. Like not being overweight, only so many biological children, etc.)
One more plus for adopting from Ethiopia is that Ethiopians have dark skin like Sport's Dude and Miss Bossy. That will make it easier for Sport's Dude and Miss Bossy in the future, we hope.
We chose Ethiopia because we felt God was leading us towards Ethiopia. We prayed a lot and Dad and Mom felt Him giving them a push toward Africa.
We had friends who had already adopted from Ethiopia. We also had friends who were going into the process of adopting from Ethiopia. I think that really encouraged Dad and Mom to look into Ethiopia.
When Dad and Mom looked into Ethiopia, they found that they could afford it, and that the requirements fit our family really well. (Some countries have really strict requirements. Like not being overweight, only so many biological children, etc.)
One more plus for adopting from Ethiopia is that Ethiopians have dark skin like Sport's Dude and Miss Bossy. That will make it easier for Sport's Dude and Miss Bossy in the future, we hope.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Time
When we began our adoption to Ethiopia, they gave us an estimated amount of time that we might receive our referral. They told us a year and a half.
Well, last Thursday marks 6 months of waiting. So our wait is down to a year! Hooray! Woo hoo!!
Hope to write more soon.
Well, last Thursday marks 6 months of waiting. So our wait is down to a year! Hooray! Woo hoo!!
Hope to write more soon.
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