Hey Everyone,
Check out mine and my friend's (Sara) website
Little Creations
We like to make cards and we thought we would try to sell some this year. All of the profit that I make will go toward our adoption. If you are interested in ordering some Christmas cards - order as soon as possible so we have plenty of time to make them (there should be some more choices posted soon). We also can make cards for any occasion. Just e-mail me or Sara - her e-mail address is on the website - and let us know what you would like. My e-mail is dcsbts307@yahoo.com
Thanks for looking!
Also, in the near future my parents will be having a garage sale to try to raise some money for our homestudy. If you are in the Nashville area be sure to stop by. I am taking a load of stuff down there this weekend for them to try to sell. I will also try to sell an assortment of cards at their sale. I will keep you posted on the date for that.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
Gathering Information
Well, I have spent the last couple of days gathering information, calling people to send references, credit references, and making sure we are not registered on any child abuse registries!
Next week we will go to the seminary clinic to have a tine test (for TB) and have the doctor fill out a form for us! Thank goodness the clinic will do this for us - we will save so much money going to the clinic - we will spend a total of $16 dollars there - that is less than my co-pay alone! It turns out we will not have to get a chest x-ray we can just do the TB test!
Tonight I have been gathering pictures! I am looking for pictures of us at home, work, school, with our families, scrapbooking, playing football, our puppy, and our nieces and nephews. The problem is all of my best pictures are already in scrapbooks so I have to dig out my negatives - the problem with that is I had this crazy idea to put all of my negatives at my parents' house in case my scrapbooks were to ever get damaged here - like if we had a fire or something. But I will get those negatives hopefully this weekend. I plan to work on the scrapbook this weekend while I am with Melanie and Johnna (my sisters-in-law) we all like to scrapbook.
The advice we were given was to play on our strengths in the scrapbook. I guess our biggest strength is we love kids so much and we have a plethora of pictures of us with kids. I think we are going to have a nieces and nephews page and then a page with the other kids in our lives - (Maddie, Joshua and Lucas,Isaac, Hannah, etc.). Our other big strength is our family because of the size and the amount of time we spend with our families. I have some great family shots from Grandma and Grandpa Littleton's annivesary and a good shot of the Littleton's playing RISK at Thanksgiving. I am currently looking for the perfect picture of the Davis brothers - if any of you sisters-in-law have the perfect picture let me know.
HAHAHAHA - I found a way to use plethora in my blog! That is my favorite word! Just in case you ever wondered what my favorite word is.
A note to our brothers - after tomorrow the adoption agency knows all about you - how old you are, your education, your occupation, and whether or not you have children. They leave no stone unturned!
Next week we will go to the seminary clinic to have a tine test (for TB) and have the doctor fill out a form for us! Thank goodness the clinic will do this for us - we will save so much money going to the clinic - we will spend a total of $16 dollars there - that is less than my co-pay alone! It turns out we will not have to get a chest x-ray we can just do the TB test!
Tonight I have been gathering pictures! I am looking for pictures of us at home, work, school, with our families, scrapbooking, playing football, our puppy, and our nieces and nephews. The problem is all of my best pictures are already in scrapbooks so I have to dig out my negatives - the problem with that is I had this crazy idea to put all of my negatives at my parents' house in case my scrapbooks were to ever get damaged here - like if we had a fire or something. But I will get those negatives hopefully this weekend. I plan to work on the scrapbook this weekend while I am with Melanie and Johnna (my sisters-in-law) we all like to scrapbook.
The advice we were given was to play on our strengths in the scrapbook. I guess our biggest strength is we love kids so much and we have a plethora of pictures of us with kids. I think we are going to have a nieces and nephews page and then a page with the other kids in our lives - (Maddie, Joshua and Lucas,Isaac, Hannah, etc.). Our other big strength is our family because of the size and the amount of time we spend with our families. I have some great family shots from Grandma and Grandpa Littleton's annivesary and a good shot of the Littleton's playing RISK at Thanksgiving. I am currently looking for the perfect picture of the Davis brothers - if any of you sisters-in-law have the perfect picture let me know.
HAHAHAHA - I found a way to use plethora in my blog! That is my favorite word! Just in case you ever wondered what my favorite word is.
A note to our brothers - after tomorrow the adoption agency knows all about you - how old you are, your education, your occupation, and whether or not you have children. They leave no stone unturned!
Friday, September 23, 2005
Welcome to Holland
Someone gave me an article written by a mother of a disabled child. But as I was reading it I was thinking you can pretty much apply this to anything in your life that you planned and it didn't go quite how you planned. For instance in our case we planned on having biological children and things haven't gone as we planned but now there is a new plan and it is a good plan. Read the below analogy I think it is really neat.
"When you're going to have a baby, its like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italiain. It's all very exciting."
"After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, 'welcome to Holland'"
"HOLLAND?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
"But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay"
"The important thing is they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place."
"So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. and you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met"
"It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there awhile and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts."
"But everyone around you is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
"And the pain of that will never, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss"
"But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't go to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."
Written by Emily Perl Kingsley
"When you're going to have a baby, its like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italiain. It's all very exciting."
"After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, 'welcome to Holland'"
"HOLLAND?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
"But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay"
"The important thing is they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine, and disease. It's just a different place."
"So you must go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. and you will meet a whole new group of people you would have never met"
"It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there awhile and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts."
"But everyone around you is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
"And the pain of that will never, ever go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss"
"But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't go to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland."
Written by Emily Perl Kingsley
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Here we go!
Well, it is really late but I know some of you are curious about our meeting today so I will write about it. It was a three hour meeting so obviously I can't repeat everything right now.
First of all we really liked the agency director and the attorney. They made us feel very comfortable about the whole process. We met with each of them and they told us about the process, some of the kentucky laws, and the types of birth mothers they work with.
For now I'm just going to list some facts as they come to me:
- Something we did not know - we will have to hire our own attorney. The agency does not provide one for us. The attorney we met with today is the one that works with the birth parents. So that is another expense we were not including in our estimations.
- They primarily work with birthmothers who are ages 25-38. Most of these birthmothers already have children and they don't think they can care for another child, or the mother is married and the child is not her husband's and other scenarios like that.
- Once we fill out our packet of paperwork - which includes the forms for background checks, an official application that is very detailed, a questionnaire about how we were raised, how we plan to raise our children, how we feel about our marriage, how getting a child will effect our marriage, etc., reference letters, credit references, copies of marriage license, birth certificates, tax returns, budget/income information, etc., etc., etc. - then we will have orientation.
- She thinks the next orientation will be at the end of October or early November - there is actually one next week but there is no way to get all the paperwork in by then.
- Oh and we have to get a medical check which includes a chest x-ray - I doubt Daniel's current insurance will pay for a chest x-ray - I hope mine will! Hopefully UPS insurance will kick in before he has to get his chest x-ray done.
- At orientation we will get three forms - one for our attorney to sign, one that has a questionnaire of what type of child we are willing to adopt and we rate each category as - definitely would adopt to not on my life (she worded it that way but said it was much more professional sounding on the form) and then I forgot the third form but maybe Daniel remembers.
- The orientation will include about 6 other couples. Whoever gets their form signed by the attorney first and faxed in to the office will get first pick of the date of the homestudy.
- She thought she would probably do our homestudy in November or December.
- Once the homestudy is completed they will begin showing our profile to birthmoms.
- Our profiles is basically a scrapbook of our lives. You all know I love to make scrapbooks! So that will be fun for me but we have to get 5 copies of it made, laminated and bound, so again there is another expense. But that is okay, it is worth it.
- Since we are willing to adopt pretty much any race - we will probably have a match by early spring. The birthmother could be 3 months pregnant or 9 months pregnant when we are matched - it really just depends
- We will probably meet her and she will probably have our cell phone number (they suggest cell phone because you can easily change that number after the adoption). We will be at the hospital when the baby is born. We will stay there for 48 hours but no family members or friends are allowed to come visit. Then after 48 hours we bring the baby home.
- We are considered foster parents until the court date. They try to get the court date within 2-4 weeks. It just depends on which county the baby is born in. If it is small county with a judge that only is there once a month that becomes a little more difficult. They said since we live in Louisville they will try to get the birthmother to come here for court because louisville is fast.
- She said they have a less than 1 in 5 rate of birthmothers changing their minds. If they do it is usually at the hospital before you take the baby home. And we will probably lose any fees we paid for the birthmothers costs. But we will not lose the adoption fee because we don't pay it until placement.
Well, for now that is about all I can remember to say. Please ask questions and it will remind me. I will post more specifics soon about what they will look for in a homestudy, what they suggest we include in our profile, and whatever else I forgot to mention.
Sorry this turned out to be so long!
First of all we really liked the agency director and the attorney. They made us feel very comfortable about the whole process. We met with each of them and they told us about the process, some of the kentucky laws, and the types of birth mothers they work with.
For now I'm just going to list some facts as they come to me:
- Something we did not know - we will have to hire our own attorney. The agency does not provide one for us. The attorney we met with today is the one that works with the birth parents. So that is another expense we were not including in our estimations.
- They primarily work with birthmothers who are ages 25-38. Most of these birthmothers already have children and they don't think they can care for another child, or the mother is married and the child is not her husband's and other scenarios like that.
- Once we fill out our packet of paperwork - which includes the forms for background checks, an official application that is very detailed, a questionnaire about how we were raised, how we plan to raise our children, how we feel about our marriage, how getting a child will effect our marriage, etc., reference letters, credit references, copies of marriage license, birth certificates, tax returns, budget/income information, etc., etc., etc. - then we will have orientation.
- She thinks the next orientation will be at the end of October or early November - there is actually one next week but there is no way to get all the paperwork in by then.
- Oh and we have to get a medical check which includes a chest x-ray - I doubt Daniel's current insurance will pay for a chest x-ray - I hope mine will! Hopefully UPS insurance will kick in before he has to get his chest x-ray done.
- At orientation we will get three forms - one for our attorney to sign, one that has a questionnaire of what type of child we are willing to adopt and we rate each category as - definitely would adopt to not on my life (she worded it that way but said it was much more professional sounding on the form) and then I forgot the third form but maybe Daniel remembers.
- The orientation will include about 6 other couples. Whoever gets their form signed by the attorney first and faxed in to the office will get first pick of the date of the homestudy.
- She thought she would probably do our homestudy in November or December.
- Once the homestudy is completed they will begin showing our profile to birthmoms.
- Our profiles is basically a scrapbook of our lives. You all know I love to make scrapbooks! So that will be fun for me but we have to get 5 copies of it made, laminated and bound, so again there is another expense. But that is okay, it is worth it.
- Since we are willing to adopt pretty much any race - we will probably have a match by early spring. The birthmother could be 3 months pregnant or 9 months pregnant when we are matched - it really just depends
- We will probably meet her and she will probably have our cell phone number (they suggest cell phone because you can easily change that number after the adoption). We will be at the hospital when the baby is born. We will stay there for 48 hours but no family members or friends are allowed to come visit. Then after 48 hours we bring the baby home.
- We are considered foster parents until the court date. They try to get the court date within 2-4 weeks. It just depends on which county the baby is born in. If it is small county with a judge that only is there once a month that becomes a little more difficult. They said since we live in Louisville they will try to get the birthmother to come here for court because louisville is fast.
- She said they have a less than 1 in 5 rate of birthmothers changing their minds. If they do it is usually at the hospital before you take the baby home. And we will probably lose any fees we paid for the birthmothers costs. But we will not lose the adoption fee because we don't pay it until placement.
Well, for now that is about all I can remember to say. Please ask questions and it will remind me. I will post more specifics soon about what they will look for in a homestudy, what they suggest we include in our profile, and whatever else I forgot to mention.
Sorry this turned out to be so long!
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
Step Number One
Well, Tuesday is the beginning of our journey. It is step number one. We will have our first meeting with the adoption agency then. Many of you probably do not realize all there is to adopting. There are background checks, medical checks, financial checks, home visits etc. Nothing you would have to do before having a baby - is it fair? I don't know - in a way it is understandable- but in a way it is annoying, aggrevating, etc. No one is asking my friends how much money they make and saying well you can't get pregnant because you don't make X amount of money. No one is getting them fingerprinted before they allow the baby to be born. Anyway you get the drift. And you can tell I'm not bitter about it at all! :)
But anyway, I thought I would outline a bit of what our meeting will entail. It is a 3 hour meeting starting at 1:00 Tuesday afternoon (Dr. Cook graciously is allowing Daniel to move a test - Dr. Cook is our pastor and also a seminary professor).
An office conference is scheduled with the prospective adoptive parent(s) at which time they will meet with the agency attorney, the agency Director, the Placement Director, Executive Assistant, and possibly an adoption coordinator. They will discuss the following:
1. The law and the legal process for the birth parent, who birth parents are, why they are placing the baby for adoption, the risks, and the costs
2. The agency process including particular requirements, the paperwork required to be completed before the home study, the home study itself, the orientation and training, the support groups and the agency’s requirement of attendance
The post-placement visits and requirements
3.How the agency can be of assistance in any continued contacts with the birthparents
4. How to help the birth mother and the adoption coordinator who is assisting the birth mother (discussed if a coordinator is present at the meeting)
The adoptive parent(s) must complete the packet of paperwork, including background criminal records checks, child abuse registry checks, copies of marriage license, any divorce decrees, medicals on all in the household, financial information, copies of any previous adoption decrees, and other personal information requested by the agency.
So there is the basic outline. I'll let you know what we find out on Tuesday.
But anyway, I thought I would outline a bit of what our meeting will entail. It is a 3 hour meeting starting at 1:00 Tuesday afternoon (Dr. Cook graciously is allowing Daniel to move a test - Dr. Cook is our pastor and also a seminary professor).
An office conference is scheduled with the prospective adoptive parent(s) at which time they will meet with the agency attorney, the agency Director, the Placement Director, Executive Assistant, and possibly an adoption coordinator. They will discuss the following:
1. The law and the legal process for the birth parent, who birth parents are, why they are placing the baby for adoption, the risks, and the costs
2. The agency process including particular requirements, the paperwork required to be completed before the home study, the home study itself, the orientation and training, the support groups and the agency’s requirement of attendance
The post-placement visits and requirements
3.How the agency can be of assistance in any continued contacts with the birthparents
4. How to help the birth mother and the adoption coordinator who is assisting the birth mother (discussed if a coordinator is present at the meeting)
The adoptive parent(s) must complete the packet of paperwork, including background criminal records checks, child abuse registry checks, copies of marriage license, any divorce decrees, medicals on all in the household, financial information, copies of any previous adoption decrees, and other personal information requested by the agency.
So there is the basic outline. I'll let you know what we find out on Tuesday.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Wow what an informative night!
Wow, three posts in a row - hopefully you can spread them out throughout the week! Anyway I was thinking I never gave you the website to the agency we are working with. The website is very informative about the process we will go through.
www.adoptionsofkentucky.org
I tried to put the link on the right hand side of the screen where is says links but somehow I messed that up and I don't know how to fix it. Instead of putting the links I wanted there I deleted them!
Oh Well!
I better get to bed! Have a good week!
Christy
www.adoptionsofkentucky.org
I tried to put the link on the right hand side of the screen where is says links but somehow I messed that up and I don't know how to fix it. Instead of putting the links I wanted there I deleted them!
Oh Well!
I better get to bed! Have a good week!
Christy
Another Informative Article
Another article I ran across is called Sound Advice? - Communicating Sympathy to Infertile Couples - I'm not necessarily putting it on here so you have things to say to us but just to make you aware and more sensitive to people.
For instance people don't usually think before they say - "so when are you guys going to have kids" you might be putting someone in an akward position by asking that. Maybe they are trying and haven't been able to...just think about it. Really I don't know how to better ask that question so it might be best to just mind your own business (is that a little harsh - if it is sorry!)
Anyway - back to the article. This is more of an article of how to communicate now that you know someone is infertile (infertile - inability to conceive after one year of trying- paraphrased textbook definition).
It is an interesting article and it explains how we as Christians should respond.
http://www.cbhd.org/resources/reproductive/eppinnette_2005-05-13
Sorry I have tried to make the links take you directly but for now you will have to copy and paste.
For those of you reading this that are struggling with infertility here are some resources for you:
Stepping Stones: www.bethany.org/step This is a website that has articles, books, chat rooms, etc. for those who are experiencing infertility or loss of a pregnancy. They also have a newsletter they send out bi-monthly (does that mean every other month because that is what I mean by bi-monthly)
www.reslove.org - The National Infertility Association - they have lots of articles and resource and fact sheets.
Books:
Infertility: Finding God's Peace in the Journey by Lois Flower
The Infertility Companion: Hope and Help for Couples Facing Infertility by Sandra Glahn and William Cutrer (Dr. Cutrer is a professor at the seminary) they also have another book I think it is called When Empty Arms Become a Heavy Burden - it is a good book too and they have a new book that I have not read The Contraception Guidebook: Options, Risks, and Answers for Christian Couples
Adoption after Infertility by Patricia Johnston
If you want more information just e-mail me dcsbts307@yahoo.com I have read a lot of books about infertility and adoption.
For instance people don't usually think before they say - "so when are you guys going to have kids" you might be putting someone in an akward position by asking that. Maybe they are trying and haven't been able to...just think about it. Really I don't know how to better ask that question so it might be best to just mind your own business (is that a little harsh - if it is sorry!)
Anyway - back to the article. This is more of an article of how to communicate now that you know someone is infertile (infertile - inability to conceive after one year of trying- paraphrased textbook definition).
It is an interesting article and it explains how we as Christians should respond.
http://www.cbhd.org/resources/reproductive/eppinnette_2005-05-13
Sorry I have tried to make the links take you directly but for now you will have to copy and paste.
For those of you reading this that are struggling with infertility here are some resources for you:
Stepping Stones: www.bethany.org/step This is a website that has articles, books, chat rooms, etc. for those who are experiencing infertility or loss of a pregnancy. They also have a newsletter they send out bi-monthly (does that mean every other month because that is what I mean by bi-monthly)
www.reslove.org - The National Infertility Association - they have lots of articles and resource and fact sheets.
Books:
Infertility: Finding God's Peace in the Journey by Lois Flower
The Infertility Companion: Hope and Help for Couples Facing Infertility by Sandra Glahn and William Cutrer (Dr. Cutrer is a professor at the seminary) they also have another book I think it is called When Empty Arms Become a Heavy Burden - it is a good book too and they have a new book that I have not read The Contraception Guidebook: Options, Risks, and Answers for Christian Couples
Adoption after Infertility by Patricia Johnston
If you want more information just e-mail me dcsbts307@yahoo.com I have read a lot of books about infertility and adoption.
Does she cry in Korean? And other questions parents get.
I found this article about things people ask adoptive parents. The article not only tells you what not to ask but how you can be more sensitive when you ask about the kids. I have already had some of these questions asked of me and don't worry I have yet to be offended but it is always good to think a question through before you ask.
Well, I tried to get the the article and it is gone so I will just highlight some of the article here. My comments are in bold):
Adoptive parents of foreign-born kids (I'm sure it is the same with any adopted child) get these questions all the time:
Is she your real daughter?
How will you teach him English?
How much did she cost?
Kris Huson of Children's Home Society and Family Services in St. Paul calls these "the grocery store questions." Though usually well-intended, they can make an adoptive parent cringe.
Other questions in the article that you would be amazed people ask/say:
One mother had a co-worker say "its amazing that you were able to get such a beautiful child from such a poor country" (the child was from India)
Kristin Vonnegut's mother asked "Are you going to become Buddhist?"after Vonnegut decided to adopt from India. "Which is funny," says Vonnegut "because most Indians aren't Buddist." Vonnegut's father-in-law wondered why she wasn't adopting from Mexico, where "they are much more docile."
Not all comments are amusing...the last came from a co-worker who said "People will think he's a terroist," prompting Jenkins to ask, "how can a 20 month old be a terrorist?" Can you imagine the nerve of people! Just because of the skin color they assume people will assume the baby is a terroist or will be!
Further down in the article:
So what is the right thing to ask? First, know that adoptive parents aren't hypersensitive souls who parse every statement, looking for something offensive. We love talking about our kids. And we understand the most people aren't trying to be insensitive; they just don't know how, or sometimes what, to ask.
Still when addressing and adoptive parent you might want to rethink the following questions:
How much did he cost?
What you probably mean is "How much did the adoption process cost?" That varies, with most of the cost going to administrative fees. Some parents find this question intrusive, others are happy to answer, but none of us likes to think of our kids as having price tags on their foreheads.
What happened to her real mom?
We know you mean "birth" or "biological" mom, but it is still a sore subject. Adoptive parents are real parents and some can be really touchy about this. Try to use the b-words, birth or biological, and we will try to understand when you forget.
Why was he put up for adoption?
A fair questions, but don't be offended if we decline to answer. Many parents consider the details private, and want the child, when he or she is old enough to understand, to know the information before others do.
So anyway it is an interesting article - sorry I can't get you the whole thing - if you want it I can make a copy of it for you. It was written by Bill Dawson for the Star Tribune and they delet articles after 3 weeks.
Well, I tried to get the the article and it is gone so I will just highlight some of the article here. My comments are in bold):
Adoptive parents of foreign-born kids (I'm sure it is the same with any adopted child) get these questions all the time:
Is she your real daughter?
How will you teach him English?
How much did she cost?
Kris Huson of Children's Home Society and Family Services in St. Paul calls these "the grocery store questions." Though usually well-intended, they can make an adoptive parent cringe.
Other questions in the article that you would be amazed people ask/say:
One mother had a co-worker say "its amazing that you were able to get such a beautiful child from such a poor country" (the child was from India)
Kristin Vonnegut's mother asked "Are you going to become Buddhist?"after Vonnegut decided to adopt from India. "Which is funny," says Vonnegut "because most Indians aren't Buddist." Vonnegut's father-in-law wondered why she wasn't adopting from Mexico, where "they are much more docile."
Not all comments are amusing...the last came from a co-worker who said "People will think he's a terroist," prompting Jenkins to ask, "how can a 20 month old be a terrorist?" Can you imagine the nerve of people! Just because of the skin color they assume people will assume the baby is a terroist or will be!
Further down in the article:
So what is the right thing to ask? First, know that adoptive parents aren't hypersensitive souls who parse every statement, looking for something offensive. We love talking about our kids. And we understand the most people aren't trying to be insensitive; they just don't know how, or sometimes what, to ask.
Still when addressing and adoptive parent you might want to rethink the following questions:
How much did he cost?
What you probably mean is "How much did the adoption process cost?" That varies, with most of the cost going to administrative fees. Some parents find this question intrusive, others are happy to answer, but none of us likes to think of our kids as having price tags on their foreheads.
What happened to her real mom?
We know you mean "birth" or "biological" mom, but it is still a sore subject. Adoptive parents are real parents and some can be really touchy about this. Try to use the b-words, birth or biological, and we will try to understand when you forget.
Why was he put up for adoption?
A fair questions, but don't be offended if we decline to answer. Many parents consider the details private, and want the child, when he or she is old enough to understand, to know the information before others do.
So anyway it is an interesting article - sorry I can't get you the whole thing - if you want it I can make a copy of it for you. It was written by Bill Dawson for the Star Tribune and they delet articles after 3 weeks.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Steven Curtis and Adoption
I don't know if you guys know this but Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife have adopted 3 girls from China. They have set up a website with adoption resources. It is www.shaohannahshope.org
They have just set up a new website as well with useful information - I know some people reading this blog are also considering adoption so I thought I would share the information - which was shared with me by a friend.
Anyway, you need something to read until I have more information on our personal situation.
Here is the new website info:
FREE TRUSTED ADOPTION INFORMATION IN ONE EASY TO ACCESS PLACE.
>
>We are pleased to announce the launch of HowToAdopt.org, an additional
>resource provided by Shaohannah's Hope for those prayerfully considering
>adoption. This website was created expressly for families seeking unbiased
>information and a general guide into the wonderful world of adoption. Visit
>howtoadopt.org today, and pass the information to this free site along to
>friends seeking trusted adoption information. www.howtoadopt.org
>
They have just set up a new website as well with useful information - I know some people reading this blog are also considering adoption so I thought I would share the information - which was shared with me by a friend.
Anyway, you need something to read until I have more information on our personal situation.
Here is the new website info:
FREE TRUSTED ADOPTION INFORMATION IN ONE EASY TO ACCESS PLACE.
>
>We are pleased to announce the launch of HowToAdopt.org, an additional
>resource provided by Shaohannah's Hope for those prayerfully considering
>adoption. This website was created expressly for families seeking unbiased
>information and a general guide into the wonderful world of adoption. Visit
>howtoadopt.org today, and pass the information to this free site along to
>friends seeking trusted adoption information. www.howtoadopt.org
>
Monday, September 05, 2005
The Truth About Domestic Adoption
Well, I have already heard comments such as - why domestic, won't it take forever?! I read a great article not to long ago about Domestic Adoption Myths. Here is the link to the article: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=522 (if you can't click on it just copy and paste the link).
Here is a preview to the article:
The Truth About Domestic Adoption
I keep hearing that adopting in the U.S. is rare, expensive, and risky. The statistics—and my own experience—argue otherwise. by Eliza Newlin Carney
Myth #1: There are no infants available for adoption in the U.S.
Myth #2: endless wait and prohibitive cost
I think this article will answer many questions for those of you who are curious. If you would like to read more articles on adoption go to www.adoptivefamilies.com
Here is a preview to the article:
The Truth About Domestic Adoption
I keep hearing that adopting in the U.S. is rare, expensive, and risky. The statistics—and my own experience—argue otherwise. by Eliza Newlin Carney
Myth #1: There are no infants available for adoption in the U.S.
Myth #2: endless wait and prohibitive cost
I think this article will answer many questions for those of you who are curious. If you would like to read more articles on adoption go to www.adoptivefamilies.com
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Job's Name and Many E-mails
Hello again!
We are so appreciative of all of the e-mails we have gotten today! So many have e-mailed to congratulate us and tell us that they are praying for us. It is so nice to hear from everyone.
Also, I have been meaning to explain why we named our puppy Job. Lots of people look at us funny when we say our puppy's name is Job. They say things like "oh, I hope he is not afflicted like Job" or "are you expecting him to have a lot of trials" but actually the name was for us. Not to remind us of affliction at all (although we have had rough times) but to remind us that Job was faithful to God despite all of the things that went wrong in his life. And God was faithful to Job! And to remind us that "Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be twarted." (Job 42:1) God is in control of all things and we can rejoice in that!
So anyway just in case you were wondering why Job. And his middle name is Obadiah becaues that just flows! I call him Jobadiah. My Mom said she is glad we're not naming kids right now!
We are so appreciative of all of the e-mails we have gotten today! So many have e-mailed to congratulate us and tell us that they are praying for us. It is so nice to hear from everyone.
Also, I have been meaning to explain why we named our puppy Job. Lots of people look at us funny when we say our puppy's name is Job. They say things like "oh, I hope he is not afflicted like Job" or "are you expecting him to have a lot of trials" but actually the name was for us. Not to remind us of affliction at all (although we have had rough times) but to remind us that Job was faithful to God despite all of the things that went wrong in his life. And God was faithful to Job! And to remind us that "Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be twarted." (Job 42:1) God is in control of all things and we can rejoice in that!
So anyway just in case you were wondering why Job. And his middle name is Obadiah becaues that just flows! I call him Jobadiah. My Mom said she is glad we're not naming kids right now!
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