Finally!
The email we've been waiting for has arrived.
Yesterday, our in-country social worker requested that we "start making travel plans". She wants us to make plans for the end of May to bring our little guy home (his country is slightly different in that the bulk of all of the paperwork and legal stuff is done before we get there, so the travel time is pretty short AND is very flexible).
We were told to start building an itinerary with our travel agent, and are just waiting for a final confirmation of what "end of May" means to our social worker (BE there for the end of May, as in, be there for the last week of May....or LEAVE the USA during the last week of May and be available in-country for the first week of June). It makes a big difference on our end with vacation time and expenses, so we want to make sure we understand everything correctly before committing ourselves to anything!
Please pray as we journey through these last weeks. Our little girl's official due date is 5/21, so this makes things a bit chaotic at home, but we've had all the support in place for quite a while, just waiting for the green light. Grandmas are scheduling their weeks here, babysitters are in place, and our village is committing to different forms of help when both the baby and our little guy are due to arrive. It will be a bit crazy, but we are surrounded by amazing people, and more than anything else.....God's got this under control.
We will keep you updated and share information as we get it - hold on, Theo, we're on our way!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
So...it's been a few weeks since the last update...
...and there has been a lot of back-and-forth work behind the scenes here at Bringing Theo Home. Now that everything has been questioned and answered and filled out and updated in the paperwork (it's been exactly 2 years now, so there was a lot of updating to do!), I felt like it was time to update you guys, too!
There's been a lot going on here recently.....
The biggest update, so the one that I'm going to put out there first, is this:
Theo's going to be a big brother, God-willing.
Yep. We're pregnant, as well as adopting. God has a sense of humour, doesn't He? I won't say that it was a surprise - we've gotten pregnant before and we know how it happens (haha) - but after miscarriages and fertility/medical issues, I will say that we are considering it a miracle that this little one is growing and healthy and seemingly doing well.
We told our overseeing agencies right away, as well as telling Theo's home country as soon as we knew that the pregnancy was seemingly healthy and sustainable. Obviously, things can change in an instant, but all the signs are pointing toward a little one joining us later this year. (please pray!) All of the agencies and Theo's country have asked questions and verified our community/family support, financial ability to care for TWO additional children, not just Theo, and everyone seems satisfied with the answers. It did put us back a couple of weeks as everyone asked their questions and waited for answers or researched the answers that we had given them, but we seem to be moving forward again. Originally, they were telling us to expect travel in March, and now we're being told we should be traveling within the next 8 weeks (that was a week or so ago, so sometime between now and mid-April, we're thinking). While we don't like the idea of waiting even longer, it was *very* important to us to be completely honest and upfront with this as soon as possible, and knew that it might have a negative influence on our timeline. It's such a miracle (to us) that this baby is even here and healthy, and are trusting in God's timing and plan.
Another big update was that Mike was awarded a promotion, of sorts, at work. He's now the medical director of his department at the hospital. This is a fantastic opportunity for him, at such a young age (he's only three years out of residency!), and we are very grateful for this chance. It does, however, mean more administrative time and work (aka meetings), and has necessitated other changes in our life....
.....like moving once again! We'll only be moving to a house about 30 minutes away, but it will cut Mike's commuting time from 30/35 minutes to 5 minutes. It will also allow him to spend his call shifts at home, instead of moving into the hospital every time he's on call. We're hopeful that the trade off in distance will allow for our family life to remain stable with the amount of time that Daddy is home with the kids. It will also allow for us to be more fully integrated into a larger community, with larger/more plentiful resources for Theo (additional therapies through the school system), and closer to our incredibly supportive church community. We won't be moving until AFTER Theo comes home and after we have some time to "cocoon" in our current house with him and get to know each other, but it is on the horizon.
Obviously, Theo's country had to be updated on all of these changes to0, since they all change some part of our home study. They've asked clarifying questions, and we've answered all of them. Most of them positively change our homestudy - the promotion meant a change in Mike's income slightly. Our support network in the other town is larger, as well as there being more available resources through the schools. Mike should be home more and more available, even when he is on call. Our only worry (that we'd understand, though!) is that his country will require an updated homestudy report based on the new house that we plan on moving into eventually. We'd understand that, but since it isn't ours yet (we just went under contract, so it'll be awhile before we own it, and even after we own it, we aren't planning on moving into it right away), it could throw that timeline for an even bigger loop. They are aware that we do not yet own it and could possibly not own it if something falls through with the contract, and aren't going to own it until possibly even after Theo comes home, so we are hopeful that our social worker's confirmation of the house we have identified will be enough. Pray!
I will keep you all updated as we get closer and closer to Theo's homecoming. We appreciate all of your prayers as we navigate through the rest of this process!!
There's been a lot going on here recently.....
The biggest update, so the one that I'm going to put out there first, is this:
Theo's going to be a big brother, God-willing.
Yep. We're pregnant, as well as adopting. God has a sense of humour, doesn't He? I won't say that it was a surprise - we've gotten pregnant before and we know how it happens (haha) - but after miscarriages and fertility/medical issues, I will say that we are considering it a miracle that this little one is growing and healthy and seemingly doing well.
We told our overseeing agencies right away, as well as telling Theo's home country as soon as we knew that the pregnancy was seemingly healthy and sustainable. Obviously, things can change in an instant, but all the signs are pointing toward a little one joining us later this year. (please pray!) All of the agencies and Theo's country have asked questions and verified our community/family support, financial ability to care for TWO additional children, not just Theo, and everyone seems satisfied with the answers. It did put us back a couple of weeks as everyone asked their questions and waited for answers or researched the answers that we had given them, but we seem to be moving forward again. Originally, they were telling us to expect travel in March, and now we're being told we should be traveling within the next 8 weeks (that was a week or so ago, so sometime between now and mid-April, we're thinking). While we don't like the idea of waiting even longer, it was *very* important to us to be completely honest and upfront with this as soon as possible, and knew that it might have a negative influence on our timeline. It's such a miracle (to us) that this baby is even here and healthy, and are trusting in God's timing and plan.
Another big update was that Mike was awarded a promotion, of sorts, at work. He's now the medical director of his department at the hospital. This is a fantastic opportunity for him, at such a young age (he's only three years out of residency!), and we are very grateful for this chance. It does, however, mean more administrative time and work (aka meetings), and has necessitated other changes in our life....
.....like moving once again! We'll only be moving to a house about 30 minutes away, but it will cut Mike's commuting time from 30/35 minutes to 5 minutes. It will also allow him to spend his call shifts at home, instead of moving into the hospital every time he's on call. We're hopeful that the trade off in distance will allow for our family life to remain stable with the amount of time that Daddy is home with the kids. It will also allow for us to be more fully integrated into a larger community, with larger/more plentiful resources for Theo (additional therapies through the school system), and closer to our incredibly supportive church community. We won't be moving until AFTER Theo comes home and after we have some time to "cocoon" in our current house with him and get to know each other, but it is on the horizon.
Obviously, Theo's country had to be updated on all of these changes to0, since they all change some part of our home study. They've asked clarifying questions, and we've answered all of them. Most of them positively change our homestudy - the promotion meant a change in Mike's income slightly. Our support network in the other town is larger, as well as there being more available resources through the schools. Mike should be home more and more available, even when he is on call. Our only worry (that we'd understand, though!) is that his country will require an updated homestudy report based on the new house that we plan on moving into eventually. We'd understand that, but since it isn't ours yet (we just went under contract, so it'll be awhile before we own it, and even after we own it, we aren't planning on moving into it right away), it could throw that timeline for an even bigger loop. They are aware that we do not yet own it and could possibly not own it if something falls through with the contract, and aren't going to own it until possibly even after Theo comes home, so we are hopeful that our social worker's confirmation of the house we have identified will be enough. Pray!
I will keep you all updated as we get closer and closer to Theo's homecoming. We appreciate all of your prayers as we navigate through the rest of this process!!
Friday, February 7, 2014
Tick Tock Goes the Clock.....
Click.
Scroll.
Click.
That's us, obsessively checking our emails.
Over and over and over again. For pretty much the past month. Well, we did pause for a short period, because his country was closed for a government holiday, but man, we kicked it back into high gear immediately after they reopened.
No updates yet, except that we know they are processing our travel dates. Based on when we got our Article 5 (officially - there was a delay, thanks to a bug in the new computer system the consulate was using. All of us families were delayed a few weeks), we are about halfway into our travel date wait. It's looking like March traveling is more and more likely for our little guy's homecoming, although there is a slight chance we could still travel this month, as everyone claims that we are being "expedited" somehow, because of all of our delays. We are cautiously optimistic that by our birthdays this year (April 13th for me, Heidi, and April 25th for Mike), our little Theo will be home with his forever family.
As we get closer and closer to his homecoming, people have started asking how they can help, both our friends here locally and those across the world. To be honest, this is a difficult question! We truly appreciate everyone's support and willingness to help throughout this whole, long, difficult, emotional process. I honestly cannot put into words just how much your support has meant to us. We've become blubbering fools more times than I can count, just overwhelmed with the love, compassion, and generosity that has been shown to us.
We think we have some things pretty well prepared for our little guy. We have both a small bed and a crib, waiting for him (we'll wait to see what he's using in his country and do the same here). We have buckets of clothes stored away for him (one way the delays actually helped us - he should be wearing the same clothing size Rascal #3 was when we started this process, based on the latest weight/height measurements we were given, which means we have a TON of stuff saved for him). We have generous donations of toys and books waiting. We have an incredible team of medical professionals and therapists who are ready and waiting for his homecoming, so they can help us evaluate what he needs and get us started relatively quickly with helping him. We have child care providers waiting in the wings, ready to step in and help with Rascals 1, 2, and 3, so they can continue their daily routines and activities while we care for and bond with Theo.
So, when we're asked "How can we help?," I really have a hard time coming up with an answer. My hesitation is two-fold, honestly. We've been so touched by the help we've been shown so far that it is hard to ask for or accept more. Secondly, what would be most useful for us at this point in time is hard to ask for.
About a year ago, we announced that we were fully-funded. That was true at the time. But then we had to redo our homestudies. And our fingerprint clearances for the state and federal approvals. And update and renew our USCIS approvals. And get new doctor's clearances for the whole family, which also meant new things like x-rays and blood tests. Not because anything had changed.....but because they'd expired. All of that added up to quite a large amount of money.
To be completely honest, the way I would like to answer the "How can I help?" question is with....well.....money. We have our physical needs and local, physical support needs filled (as best we can predict, of course). The biggest unknown factor right now really is the money. Theo's country has a habit of giving very little turnaround time to adoptive families - often you are given a week's notice to book flights and hotels and make arrangements. We'd built a "buffer" (if you will) into our budget to accommodate that possibility, since last-minute travel can be so incredibly more expensive than planned travel. However, with all of those delays and renewals......that buffer is gone. We weren't planning on asking for financial help - we were just going to figure out a way to make it work, somehow - but if I'm going to be completely honest in response to the "How can I help?" question.....money would help. It would help us with our travel costs, and it would help us provide for more immediate care and help once we get home with our little guy.
This is NOT, in any way, a direct plea for financial assistance. This is, however, an honest answer to the question we keep being asked by our family, friends, and community. If you do want to help by donating, we would greatly appreciate it.
Any donations that come in above and beyond what we end up using for travel costs and our last round of agency fees, we will donate to the adoption costs of another family who is also adopting from Theo's country. That amount will just depend on how much notice we are given and what our travel costs end up being.
Thank you so much for all of your love and support, from the very bottom of our hearts.
********
There are two ways to donate:
- Reece's Rainbow (tax-deductible donation)
- Through our personal Paypal button, which is on the right hand side of our blog, just under Theo's picture.
Scroll.
Click.
That's us, obsessively checking our emails.
Over and over and over again. For pretty much the past month. Well, we did pause for a short period, because his country was closed for a government holiday, but man, we kicked it back into high gear immediately after they reopened.
No updates yet, except that we know they are processing our travel dates. Based on when we got our Article 5 (officially - there was a delay, thanks to a bug in the new computer system the consulate was using. All of us families were delayed a few weeks), we are about halfway into our travel date wait. It's looking like March traveling is more and more likely for our little guy's homecoming, although there is a slight chance we could still travel this month, as everyone claims that we are being "expedited" somehow, because of all of our delays. We are cautiously optimistic that by our birthdays this year (April 13th for me, Heidi, and April 25th for Mike), our little Theo will be home with his forever family.
As we get closer and closer to his homecoming, people have started asking how they can help, both our friends here locally and those across the world. To be honest, this is a difficult question! We truly appreciate everyone's support and willingness to help throughout this whole, long, difficult, emotional process. I honestly cannot put into words just how much your support has meant to us. We've become blubbering fools more times than I can count, just overwhelmed with the love, compassion, and generosity that has been shown to us.
We think we have some things pretty well prepared for our little guy. We have both a small bed and a crib, waiting for him (we'll wait to see what he's using in his country and do the same here). We have buckets of clothes stored away for him (one way the delays actually helped us - he should be wearing the same clothing size Rascal #3 was when we started this process, based on the latest weight/height measurements we were given, which means we have a TON of stuff saved for him). We have generous donations of toys and books waiting. We have an incredible team of medical professionals and therapists who are ready and waiting for his homecoming, so they can help us evaluate what he needs and get us started relatively quickly with helping him. We have child care providers waiting in the wings, ready to step in and help with Rascals 1, 2, and 3, so they can continue their daily routines and activities while we care for and bond with Theo.
So, when we're asked "How can we help?," I really have a hard time coming up with an answer. My hesitation is two-fold, honestly. We've been so touched by the help we've been shown so far that it is hard to ask for or accept more. Secondly, what would be most useful for us at this point in time is hard to ask for.
About a year ago, we announced that we were fully-funded. That was true at the time. But then we had to redo our homestudies. And our fingerprint clearances for the state and federal approvals. And update and renew our USCIS approvals. And get new doctor's clearances for the whole family, which also meant new things like x-rays and blood tests. Not because anything had changed.....but because they'd expired. All of that added up to quite a large amount of money.
To be completely honest, the way I would like to answer the "How can I help?" question is with....well.....money. We have our physical needs and local, physical support needs filled (as best we can predict, of course). The biggest unknown factor right now really is the money. Theo's country has a habit of giving very little turnaround time to adoptive families - often you are given a week's notice to book flights and hotels and make arrangements. We'd built a "buffer" (if you will) into our budget to accommodate that possibility, since last-minute travel can be so incredibly more expensive than planned travel. However, with all of those delays and renewals......that buffer is gone. We weren't planning on asking for financial help - we were just going to figure out a way to make it work, somehow - but if I'm going to be completely honest in response to the "How can I help?" question.....money would help. It would help us with our travel costs, and it would help us provide for more immediate care and help once we get home with our little guy.
This is NOT, in any way, a direct plea for financial assistance. This is, however, an honest answer to the question we keep being asked by our family, friends, and community. If you do want to help by donating, we would greatly appreciate it.
Any donations that come in above and beyond what we end up using for travel costs and our last round of agency fees, we will donate to the adoption costs of another family who is also adopting from Theo's country. That amount will just depend on how much notice we are given and what our travel costs end up being.
Thank you so much for all of your love and support, from the very bottom of our hearts.
********
There are two ways to donate:
- Reece's Rainbow (tax-deductible donation)
- Through our personal Paypal button, which is on the right hand side of our blog, just under Theo's picture.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Another update!
It's been awhile! Sorry for the silence - we've hit that part of the adoption process that really doesn't have much going on. We've done a lot of waiting over the past few months, but are now finally moving forward!
In late November, we were told that we had gotten our approval from the US immigration that was specific to Theo. Before that point, we'd been given permission from the government to adopt from his country, but once we were actually "matched" to our little guy, we had to get approval that was specific to him (his name, his date of birth, etc). We got that, but his country was still waiting for the official documentation from the US Consulate.
That documentation took 5 weeks to get into the hands of the right people, and we just found out last week that it's all where it needs to be now! Yay!
So now we wait....once again....for the final steps to happen.
We know that the government in Theo's country is processing our case: they've asked for additional paperwork and copies of various things. So, we know we're moving forward. This process normally takes about 10-12 weeks before court orders are issued by his country, so we know we're in that last stretch.
We're hoping for a February/March travel date, when we can finally go meet our little guy and bring him home to his forever family! It's been a very long two years, with lots of delays along the way, and lots of costs we were not anticipating (all of our paperwork or government clearances expired at least once along the way, some of them twice, and all of that cost money to renew or have re-done). We're holding strong, though, and are hopeful that winter travel costs will outweigh any of the expenses that we've accrued during the delays. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, we're working on gathering a team of medical providers who will be ready to help as soon as Theo comes home. We know a bit more about his personal health and abilities at this point, and have been working on creating a team of doctors, therapists, interpreters, and support who are aware of his needs (as far as we know them, obviously) and who are prepared to help us evaluate and decide upon the best treatment for our little man. Our goal is and has always been to love him and help him thrive and develop to his fullest potential, whatever that may be. These providers are right there, at our side already, fully committed to giving Theo all that he needs. We are so lucky and blessed to be living where we are, surrounded by so many compassionate people!
We appreciate any and all prayers you can send our way - that we're officially in the last steps of our adoption process, for smooth travel, and for the ability to bring our little guy home as soon as possible!
In late November, we were told that we had gotten our approval from the US immigration that was specific to Theo. Before that point, we'd been given permission from the government to adopt from his country, but once we were actually "matched" to our little guy, we had to get approval that was specific to him (his name, his date of birth, etc). We got that, but his country was still waiting for the official documentation from the US Consulate.
That documentation took 5 weeks to get into the hands of the right people, and we just found out last week that it's all where it needs to be now! Yay!
So now we wait....once again....for the final steps to happen.
We know that the government in Theo's country is processing our case: they've asked for additional paperwork and copies of various things. So, we know we're moving forward. This process normally takes about 10-12 weeks before court orders are issued by his country, so we know we're in that last stretch.
We're hoping for a February/March travel date, when we can finally go meet our little guy and bring him home to his forever family! It's been a very long two years, with lots of delays along the way, and lots of costs we were not anticipating (all of our paperwork or government clearances expired at least once along the way, some of them twice, and all of that cost money to renew or have re-done). We're holding strong, though, and are hopeful that winter travel costs will outweigh any of the expenses that we've accrued during the delays. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, we're working on gathering a team of medical providers who will be ready to help as soon as Theo comes home. We know a bit more about his personal health and abilities at this point, and have been working on creating a team of doctors, therapists, interpreters, and support who are aware of his needs (as far as we know them, obviously) and who are prepared to help us evaluate and decide upon the best treatment for our little man. Our goal is and has always been to love him and help him thrive and develop to his fullest potential, whatever that may be. These providers are right there, at our side already, fully committed to giving Theo all that he needs. We are so lucky and blessed to be living where we are, surrounded by so many compassionate people!
We appreciate any and all prayers you can send our way - that we're officially in the last steps of our adoption process, for smooth travel, and for the ability to bring our little guy home as soon as possible!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Getting Closer!!!
Wow, we have a lot to update.....so much has happened since our last post!!
On October 3rd we learned that we were officially matched with our little man!! We were waiting for his country to officially say he could be ours!
That started another round of paperwork, and also allowed us to learn more about our beautiful little man. He hasn't known who we are during this whole process, but we were able to send him a photo book of our family introducing ourselves, along with other gifts to help him learn about us and Maine!! This was so exciting!!
We also were asked what his American name would be, as they wanted to help with the transition and start calling him by his new name. That is where it gets interesting...
Apparently there is already another Peter in his foster home, and they were concerned that it would confuse them to have the same name!! So after much debate our little man will be called Theo (Theodore - Gift from God). He is truly a gift from God, and we are so blessed that he will be joining us soon!
We are waiting for Article 5 at the moment (which is the official US paperwork allowing him to become a member of our family). Once we get that our wait should be about 10-12 weeks. We are anticipating receiving that in the next week or so.
Prayers for a smooth process would be much appreciated, and we could be traveling in the end of Jan/beginning of February!!
On October 3rd we learned that we were officially matched with our little man!! We were waiting for his country to officially say he could be ours!
That started another round of paperwork, and also allowed us to learn more about our beautiful little man. He hasn't known who we are during this whole process, but we were able to send him a photo book of our family introducing ourselves, along with other gifts to help him learn about us and Maine!! This was so exciting!!
We also were asked what his American name would be, as they wanted to help with the transition and start calling him by his new name. That is where it gets interesting...
Apparently there is already another Peter in his foster home, and they were concerned that it would confuse them to have the same name!! So after much debate our little man will be called Theo (Theodore - Gift from God). He is truly a gift from God, and we are so blessed that he will be joining us soon!
We are waiting for Article 5 at the moment (which is the official US paperwork allowing him to become a member of our family). Once we get that our wait should be about 10-12 weeks. We are anticipating receiving that in the next week or so.
Prayers for a smooth process would be much appreciated, and we could be traveling in the end of Jan/beginning of February!!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Quick Update
Quick update.....
Just wanted to keep everyone as updated as possible.
The last few months have been a true emotional roller coaster. Adoption is definitely not for the faint of heart.... but we are holding on, and holding close to prayer and trusting His plan for us and for Peter.
We finally received supplemental questions from his country yesterday. This is an expected step along the journey to Matching Approval. We were not certain that this would ever come, but it finally has. So we at least know now that his country is finally processing our application.
We still think we are a long way from bringing him home, but we trust that God will protect him and us.
Please keep the prayers coming!!!!!!!! Thank-you for hanging in there with us.
Just wanted to keep everyone as updated as possible.
The last few months have been a true emotional roller coaster. Adoption is definitely not for the faint of heart.... but we are holding on, and holding close to prayer and trusting His plan for us and for Peter.
We finally received supplemental questions from his country yesterday. This is an expected step along the journey to Matching Approval. We were not certain that this would ever come, but it finally has. So we at least know now that his country is finally processing our application.
We still think we are a long way from bringing him home, but we trust that God will protect him and us.
Please keep the prayers coming!!!!!!!! Thank-you for hanging in there with us.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
On Growing Weary...
I've been avoiding the blog again. Sorry, folks. It's not that I don't WANT to blog or talk to you....it's just that I'm tired.
I'm tired of waiting.
I'm tired of praying for news.
I'm tired of playing email-tag.
I'm tired of the rush-rush-rush to fill out one more form (that we already filled out months ago).
I'm tired of wondering just when our little boy is going to be in my arms.
I'm tired of trying to answer the question "When do you go get him?"
I'm just tired. And so I don't blog. I don't talk about him. I don't talk about where we are in the process. I don't give out updates. I'm emotionally exhausted.
It's been 17 months now since we first committed to this process. SEVENTEEN MONTHS. That's a long time, y'all. We knew going into it that it could take this long......what I didn't know was how much of a toll this waiting process was going to take on us.
The emotional roller coaster of moving forward a step.....and then back two.....then forward again.....then standing still......it's exhausting.
Every week, I wake up thinking, "Maybe this is it - maybe this is the week that we get matched to him!"
And then it doesn't happen and the crash at the end of the week is torture.
We get little glimmers of hope:
"He's still available for adoption and the agency is officially recommending your family."
(That was last week's email)
Then nothing.
More silence.
More questions to answer with answers that I don't have.
And I don't feel comfortable talking about any of this with anyone. Those who aren't adopting have a hard time understanding just what the process is even like. Our friends who are adopting are struggling with the same thing, and their children are often in horrible situations - overcrowded orphanages where their child never leaves his/her crib. They don't need to hear it from me, too, when it's already playing on repeat in their own minds. Peter's in a good place - he's being well cared for. He's receiving wonderful medical care and treatment. How could I be so incredibly inconsiderate to complain about MY situation when Peter's in a good place....and they're dealing with the same emotional roller coaster and mound of paperwork and stress and they don't have the reassurance that their child is being well-cared for?
And so I don't say anything. And I don't blog. I just keep trying to help their fundraising efforts, be there to listen to them cry and stress, keep praying for their children every night.
I don't tell anyone about the stress of finding child care when our trip comes. I don't tell anyone about the stress of timing - how I want to go as soon as possible to pick him up, but worry about the cost if we travel in the summer vs the winter as we originally thought we would be. (Plane tickets are twice the cost if we travel this summer.....and that's a lot of money).
I try to hold on to the little glimmers of hope. The fact that he's available. The fact that our referral is awaiting official approval by the government and could come any day.
I try to push through the days like today, where all I want to do is go back to bed and cry because I'm just so tired of waiting.
I just keep plugging along....trying to focus on the positives.
It's just so tiring.
I'm weary.
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