still waiting...

November is almost over and we are heading into December with no real news or updates. I was hoping to have something to share before the holidays but nothing yet.

I did drop the ball and had a pretty big panic attack back in August. I missed the fact that our fingerprints expired and our I600-A was getting close to expiring. After Ethan made a couple of phone calls and after some much needed encouraging words from our agency everything got straightened out. The paperwork got filled out and mailed in, we got our fingerprinting done and I600-A approval came in the mail... WHEW!

I am having a hard time keeping up with dates, paperwork and anything adoption related this time around. It's not that I don't have the time for it, I guess I'm just having a hard time because the wait is so long now. It's hard to be optimistic when it seems like we'll never get a referral.

I'm trying to focus all my energy on Parker and organizing the house. The house thing isn't going so great but I am loving my 4 year old! I can't believe he is 4 years old already! I am amazed every day by him. He loves preschool, cars, airplanes and of course PSY!

For now I am going to sit back and enjoy the rest of the year.

August happenings

Summer is almost over and I have no clue where it went. I feel like we were running everywhere but we really didn't do much at all. Ethan and I did celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary with a nice night out.

We also celebrated our 3rd year as a family of 3! It's hard to believe Parker has been home 3 years now. Where did that time go? We were able to spend our special day with some wonderful friends at the beach. It was a bit chilly, but still very nice.

Parker is starting school in 2 weeks. I'm not ready to get back into "school mode" quite yet. I've been enjoying sleeping in those 15 - 20 extra minutes. I think Parker is pretty excited to go back though. He's been talking about school for over a month.

We are still waiting for a referral. Things are quite slow on that right now. We're dealing with it as best we can. Having Parker is keeping our minds off the waiting most of the time.

I have also been making the hair clips. I am working on a 'Fall Collection'  and plan to start working on Winter soon. Lyn Phillips Salon has been helping out and letting me sell the clips there. I also plan on selling them at a craft show yet this year. I will try to have pictures of the Fall ones soon.

I hope that we will have some sort of referral news the next time I post!

motherhood

I came across this yesterday when I was looking through some old files. I had forgotten how much I loved it, until I read it again.

THOUGHTS ON BECOMING A MOTHER 

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.  I will be better not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.  I have longed and waited.  I have cried and prayed.  I have endured and planned over and over again.  Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.  I will notice everything about my child.  I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover.  I will marvel at this miracle everyday for the rest of my life.  I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream.  My dream will be crying for me.  I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.  Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.  I will be a better mother for all that I have endured.  I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.  I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body.  I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.  I have prevailed.  I have succeeded.  I have won.  So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort.  I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs.  I listen.  And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely.  I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard, I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.  I have learned to appreciate life.  Yes I will be a better mother.  

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

heritage camp

a couple of weeks ago Parker went to Heritage Camp. I wasn't sure if he'd like it or how he would do. he  did great and LOVED it! it was a wonderful experience for him and he made new friends that he will hopefully see every year now. I was very impressed by the whole thing. there was assemblies, ethnic food, some shopping for me and most important Parker was around other kids that look like him. we are definitely going to go back next year!

fundraiser dinner

we are having a benefit dinner June 1st with our friends to help with our adoption expenses. Joel and Becca Wachter are in the final stage of their adoption and just waiting for a TC (travel call) to go meet their daughter in China. they are holding a "giveaway" for a Kindle Fire, please visit their blog for details, a chance to win a Kindle Fire and help this family meet their goal before traveling to China! http://wholeworldinhishands.blogspot.com/

brief update

okay, so it's May already!  where did the time go?  I haven't had much time to sit down and post, and really haven't had much to post about.  Parker is done with his first school year!  it went great.  we are so proud of him and how he has grown.  I hope to post some pictures soon.

some very dear friends of ours asked Ethan and I to have a co-benefit dinner as a fundraiser, so we have been working hard on that.  our friends are waiting to bring their daughter home from China.  check out their blog wholeworldinhishands.blogspot.com.  the dinner is scheduled for Friday June 1st at Watermark Church in Grand Haven.  already we have gotten so much support from friends, family and the public.  I will post a flyer on the fundraising page here. 

I have also been making hair clips to sell as a fundraiser.  I should have a paypal account set up soon.  if you are interested in getting some adorable hair clips, message me here.  I'll get a better link set up soon for ordering.

as for an update with #2... nothing to report as of now.  we're still waiting. 

hurry up and wait

When I was a kid I couldn’t wait for anything.  I couldn’t wait for Christmas, my birthday, summer vacation and so on.  I wanted time to go super fast.  As I got a little older, it didn’t seem as important and I could wait.  In school I wanted time to drag out so I wouldn’t have to go to that dreaded next class or take that awful test.  As a young adult, time started going by way too fast.  The weekends, vacations, time spent with friends just flew by.  While waiting for a referral the first time around, time was sort of a blur.  Most days seemed way too long.  Now I’m at a totally new place, an uncertain place and a not so happy place.  I am caught in a place where I want time to stand still so I can be with Parker as much as possible.  I want him to stop growing up so fast.  I want him to be a baby again so I can hold him like I did such a short time ago.  I also want time to go faster each day.  Waiting for a referral this time, the days, weeks and months can’t go fast enough.  By around 10:00am, I figure I’m not getting a phone call telling me I have a baby, so I’m ready for the day to be over.  It’s the same by Wednesday and around the middle of the month.  Last year was pretty much a blur because I wanted time to hurry up.  I already want January to be over so we can move on to a new month and hopefully a referral. 

I've seen this a couple place now and thought is was too cool not post.