Our auction is posted! We have two albums up so far on our Facebook auction. Album 1 HERE and album 2 HERE. The auction runs through July 21st! You can also like the main auction page HERE! We have gift cards, jewelry, clothing, and more fun stuff!
I also have a huge thank you to extend to Julia at Micah Six Eight. She played a big part in our family finding and adopting our son Barton. She is gathering donations for a giveaway to benefit our family and another waiting child. Go find out more HERE!
We have been waiting to see when immigration will be granting our approval. The good news is that they will be expediting our approval! The bad news is that we received the dreaded RFE "Request for Evidence." These used to be very rare, but they have been cropping up for a lot of families lately. Luckily ours looks like we just need to resend some documents to them. There was a mix-up with us sending our application ahead of our homestudy and not all of our supporting documents were received. We also need to include a small update because Barton is over 18. If he gets into any legal trouble he has a duty to inform USCIS. Plus he would totally be grounded! Which is all beside the point because he is hardly a troublemaker!
So it will add another week or so, but everything should be easy to take care of. We have supplied everything on our end and our agency should be sending that on to USCIS right away. We should have our approval soon, but I won't be counting on that until it is in our mailbox!
The next step following receiving our approval will be sending our final documents over to be translated and have our dossier submitted. Right now times are looking like 6-8 weeks from submitting to your referral date. That means we are really closing in on our travel time and our funding needs! Thank you all for all of your support!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
Scottie and Elsbeth Are Aging Out!
Don't forget to look back at recent posts from the last few weeks after you read about the kids I am posting this week. There is still time to find families for some of these kids!
The kids I am talking about this week are in the same country we have adopted from. I am definitely familiar with the aging out process for these kids! Here is what they need. A family needs to mail their I-600A form and fees to USCIS before the child's birthday. You can start a homestudy after that! Get more information about the adoption process by emailing childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org!
These children are in the same country. They are both aging out. Their lives and their futures if not adopted will be very different, but both futures are not good.
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UPDATE: Scottie currently does not wish to be adopted. It is possible that he will change his mind, and if he does it sounds like there are multiple families who have been considering adopting him. Out of respect for his decision I have removed his information. If you were thinking of adopting Scottie, there are other children available with similar needs who DO still need families. Devon (Brian), Eric, Avery, Haines, and other children are still waiting.
Especially for an older neurotypical child, whether or not to be adopted is completely the child's decision. Right now I am hopeful that Scottie will have a better chance of receiving support within his own country than the average child thanks to families who have spent time with him and want to see him succeed.
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Our other child this week is Elsbeth. She is also eligible for a $10,000 older child grant. Elsbeth has Down syndrome. Because Elsbeth has Down syndrome, her possible future will be different than Scottie's. Elsbeth's future would be remaining in an institution forever. Her profile is very brief. I don't know if anyone has met her, but I don't believe so. She needs a family to step up and take a chance so that she can have a chance at a real life. I look at the everyday things my own kids can do here in America that they never would have been able to do in an institution in their own country. Elsbeth deserves the chance to know that kind of freedom too. If a family doesn't send those papers in by her birthday in August, she will lose that chance forever.
http://reecesrainbow.org/79023/elsbeth
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Go HERE to see more aging out children. They all need families ready to move quickly and adopt them before it is too late!
The kids I am talking about this week are in the same country we have adopted from. I am definitely familiar with the aging out process for these kids! Here is what they need. A family needs to mail their I-600A form and fees to USCIS before the child's birthday. You can start a homestudy after that! Get more information about the adoption process by emailing childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org!
These children are in the same country. They are both aging out. Their lives and their futures if not adopted will be very different, but both futures are not good.
___
UPDATE: Scottie currently does not wish to be adopted. It is possible that he will change his mind, and if he does it sounds like there are multiple families who have been considering adopting him. Out of respect for his decision I have removed his information. If you were thinking of adopting Scottie, there are other children available with similar needs who DO still need families. Devon (Brian), Eric, Avery, Haines, and other children are still waiting.
Especially for an older neurotypical child, whether or not to be adopted is completely the child's decision. Right now I am hopeful that Scottie will have a better chance of receiving support within his own country than the average child thanks to families who have spent time with him and want to see him succeed.
____
Our other child this week is Elsbeth. She is also eligible for a $10,000 older child grant. Elsbeth has Down syndrome. Because Elsbeth has Down syndrome, her possible future will be different than Scottie's. Elsbeth's future would be remaining in an institution forever. Her profile is very brief. I don't know if anyone has met her, but I don't believe so. She needs a family to step up and take a chance so that she can have a chance at a real life. I look at the everyday things my own kids can do here in America that they never would have been able to do in an institution in their own country. Elsbeth deserves the chance to know that kind of freedom too. If a family doesn't send those papers in by her birthday in August, she will lose that chance forever.
http://reecesrainbow.org/79023/elsbeth
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Go HERE to see more aging out children. They all need families ready to move quickly and adopt them before it is too late!
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Evan's Day With Our Family, Part 2 of the Bedridden Project!
Did you see Part 1 of the Bedridden Project? Go check it out! I talk about our son Evan and how far he has come in the last two years. I will be sharing more about what our family's life is like with Evan in it. I will also be sharing other amazing children waiting for adoption who are in laying down rooms like Evan once was!
Today I'm going to outline our basic day with Evan. Later on I will write up individual posts describing different parts of Evan's care in more detail. The one thing I really want to emphasize is how manageable things are. Our days are easy. Caring for Evan is easy. Providing what he needs is not an arduous task. We add some tasks to our daily routine and we do some things a little differently for him. Then we get on living our awesome life!
Let's start with waking up in the morning! Evan shares a room with Theo and Barton. They wake up a little earlier than he does and start their morning routines. Once they are ready and out of the room, I go in and get Evan ready for the day. I can tell if he is up earlier than usual because he will tap on the side of his bed to make noise and then laugh. He loves that sound!
We change him and get him dressed. He giggles through the whole thing. When he first came home he would sometimes enjoy getting dressed and sometimes find it uncomfortable. Now he always loves it. I talk through the whole process with him and we do some stretching to loosen up where his muscles have gotten tight from sleeping.
You might notice that he uses a daybed turned around against the wall. Different people use different beds. Some kids need fully enclosed special needs beds. Those are really cool! Some people use larger beds with regular safety rails. Other people use beds that are just about at floor level. It all depends on the needs of the particular child and family. We've tried a few different arrangements for Evan, and the daybed has been absolutely great. I can still lift him over the higher side rail at the weight he is now, but we can also pull the bed away from the wall to have access at an easy height for changing and dressing. I also pull the bed away from the wall and use the space on his bed as an exercise table for some of our therapy work.
Once Evan is ready, he joins everyone else for breakfast. In the beginning he would eat his own specially prepared formula or blended food in his bottle. He often eats the same breakfast as everyone else now. He has no problem eating cut up fried eggs, oatmeal, yogurt (I thicken that with baby rice cereal so I don't spill it on his shirt feeding it to him), protein cereal with peanut butter, just all kinds of things.
Today I'm going to outline our basic day with Evan. Later on I will write up individual posts describing different parts of Evan's care in more detail. The one thing I really want to emphasize is how manageable things are. Our days are easy. Caring for Evan is easy. Providing what he needs is not an arduous task. We add some tasks to our daily routine and we do some things a little differently for him. Then we get on living our awesome life!
Let's start with waking up in the morning! Evan shares a room with Theo and Barton. They wake up a little earlier than he does and start their morning routines. Once they are ready and out of the room, I go in and get Evan ready for the day. I can tell if he is up earlier than usual because he will tap on the side of his bed to make noise and then laugh. He loves that sound!
We change him and get him dressed. He giggles through the whole thing. When he first came home he would sometimes enjoy getting dressed and sometimes find it uncomfortable. Now he always loves it. I talk through the whole process with him and we do some stretching to loosen up where his muscles have gotten tight from sleeping.
This is Evan's bed set-up.
You might notice that he uses a daybed turned around against the wall. Different people use different beds. Some kids need fully enclosed special needs beds. Those are really cool! Some people use larger beds with regular safety rails. Other people use beds that are just about at floor level. It all depends on the needs of the particular child and family. We've tried a few different arrangements for Evan, and the daybed has been absolutely great. I can still lift him over the higher side rail at the weight he is now, but we can also pull the bed away from the wall to have access at an easy height for changing and dressing. I also pull the bed away from the wall and use the space on his bed as an exercise table for some of our therapy work.
Evan loves to work hard on getting stronger!
He takes a few medications. Medications are a really simple part of our routine. I drop the pills or tablets on top of his food and he swallows them easily. He takes a bottle of applesauce or juice with Miralax mixed in. He takes baclofen three times a day with each meal to help his muscles move more easily. He takes Prilosec for reflux once a day. He takes vitamin D once a day. It's all very easy once you're in the habit.
After breakfast the older kids do their showers and Evan will also get a bath if he needs one. While the older boys are getting cleaned up, our other kids start their homeschool work. Evan participates too! We do fingerplays for nursery rhymes and I help him through the motions. He listens to stories and music with us. We are working on expressive communication with Evan. He understands more than he can communicate, but we don't know how much more he understands. One of the foundations of our education for our children is exposure to beauty and exposure to great ideas. That is key for how we involve Evan in our days. Regardless of where his level of understanding is, Evan is given the chance to experience the same things. He is there relaxing on the couch or in his favorite big chair. He will sit there and listen to me read aloud, listen to classical music with us, listen to audiobooks while the other kids color, or watch educational tv. We also do his therapy work. He will laugh and get very excited when we ask him if he wants to do some of his favorite activities. Other things, like asking him if he wants to brush his teeth, don't get the same enthusiastic response!
We usually do an easy lunch in the afternoon. Evan will eat pasta or rice in sauce. He loves sweet potatoes, which are a frequent item on our lunch menu. Sometimes we add peanut butter to his for extra calories. After lunch we play and learn a little more, followed by a little quiet time. All of the kids do quiet time, but not all of the kids sleep. We leave a few toys in Evan's bed with him, but most of the time he will be tired and ready to rest. The other kids will finish up their schoolwork in their rooms, look at books and magazines, color, or play quietly. Quiet time being part of our routine is a sanity saver! Sometimes the meal helper will stay out and help me get dinner ready, but most of the time it is also a little quiet time for me to recover from the busy first half of our day!
Typical meal plus meds. Super easy! Plus that other daily necessity...my coffee.
After breakfast the older kids do their showers and Evan will also get a bath if he needs one. While the older boys are getting cleaned up, our other kids start their homeschool work. Evan participates too! We do fingerplays for nursery rhymes and I help him through the motions. He listens to stories and music with us. We are working on expressive communication with Evan. He understands more than he can communicate, but we don't know how much more he understands. One of the foundations of our education for our children is exposure to beauty and exposure to great ideas. That is key for how we involve Evan in our days. Regardless of where his level of understanding is, Evan is given the chance to experience the same things. He is there relaxing on the couch or in his favorite big chair. He will sit there and listen to me read aloud, listen to classical music with us, listen to audiobooks while the other kids color, or watch educational tv. We also do his therapy work. He will laugh and get very excited when we ask him if he wants to do some of his favorite activities. Other things, like asking him if he wants to brush his teeth, don't get the same enthusiastic response!
As you can see, Evan has no shortage of brothers and sisters to cuddle with on the couch. One on the left!
And another on the right! Everyone loves to play with him and sit with him.
As quiet time finishes up and dinner is almost ready, the kids start coming out and cleaning up around the house. Evan will usually be up by then and ready to go! I will give him a small meal or snack while dinner finishes up. A can of creamed corn mixed with mashed potatoes is one of his favorites around this time. It only takes a couple minutes to get ready, and it keeps him content until dinner is finished. With his background of being hungry, he will get upset and cry if he thinks he will have to wait to eat or if he thinks people are eating without him. We try to give him something ahead of time so that he knows he will be taken care of. When he is done he will play on a mat in the living room with the other kids, or sometimes everyone gets to watch something educational until dinner is served.
Evan's snack and a little more coffee for me!
Evan eats most of the same foods with the family during dinner now. His portion is usually cut finely or has some small substitutions, but he has no problem eating it. Last night he ate pulled pork, mashed potatoes and applesauce when the rest of the family ate pulled pork sandwiches with salad. The night before he ate finely cut chicken, couscous and green bean casserole just like the rest of the family.
The other kids finish eating and clean up, then play for a little while before starting their bedtime routines. The older kids stay with me for a little while longer while the younger kids start their showers. Then the older kids head to bed too. Evan and our youngest get to stay up a little later than everyone else. It started out that Evan needed more time sitting upright after he finished his last meal due to his reflux. Plus he loves staying up! That's probably part of why he sleeps in some mornings!
Now, this is a typical day for us. In reality, every day is different. Our life requires our days to be flexible and fluid. Some days are just like this, a few are devoted to doctor's appointments and others are spent relaxing and playing when my husband is home. Evan fits into it all with ease.
These are other kids whose lives would be so much better if they were in your family. They can change your life for the better too! Evan is such an incredible part of our family. I want these children to have the chance to have everything that Evan has here with us. If you are interested in more information on any of these children please contact childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ASAP. They all need families as quickly as possible.
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The first is Phoenix. I love this kid. He loves to cuddle and his giggle just rocks. We spent time with him two years ago, but he has been transferred to a different institution. He was very unhappy in the latest video I've seen of him. It was such a change from that sweet smile we saw when he would play on the floor in the playroom at the old bedridden building he used to be in. He has so much potential! One of the charity-paid caregivers had been trying to teach him to stand and walk! He is not taken out of his crib now as far as we know. He would make a lucky family so happy! Please see this incredible boy. He was on our short list of kids we considered adopting, but we have our limits. He can't keep waiting. He is already 14, even though he is the size of a much younger child. He is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant!
http://reecesrainbow.org/59329/phoenix
http://reecesrainbow.org/59329/phoenix
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Next is Marla! Marla has been waiting for a long time as well. If you look at this series of photographs you can see how her condition is worsening over time. Her future is grim. I'm worried about Marla. It is very difficult to get updates on many bedridden children. Some institutions don't see the point in providing information on children they don't consider worth adopting. Once children have been transferred out of baby houses, the updates and information usually stop forever. If a family steps up for her they might be able to get more information! Sometimes facilitation teams are able to get updates on children as they process the family's paperwork before the family arrives in-country. More information or not, we already know that her situation is incredibly urgent. She looks like she has such a sweet spirit trapped in that crib, but she can't continue to survive without a family. She has some great people working hard to help her grant grow! Right now it is at $5931.
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This is Posey. Posey is beautiful. She has a very special place in my heart.
Two years ago when we were in-country, one of the older girls in the bedridden building reminded me so much of Posey. "T" was too old to be adopted. She was very thin. She was blind. I don't know what her life could have been like if she hadn't been sent to an institution. I know that there were many children in the documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children who were blind. (Go find the documentary on youtube and watch it. It is life-changing. Perspective changing. Watch Ukraine's Forgotten Children too.) The children gradually lost skills the longer they were kept in the institution. "T" had lost so much by spending her life in an institution too. She was in a bed rather than a crib, but that bed was her entire world.
Two years ago when we were in-country, one of the older girls in the bedridden building reminded me so much of Posey. "T" was too old to be adopted. She was very thin. She was blind. I don't know what her life could have been like if she hadn't been sent to an institution. I know that there were many children in the documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children who were blind. (Go find the documentary on youtube and watch it. It is life-changing. Perspective changing. Watch Ukraine's Forgotten Children too.) The children gradually lost skills the longer they were kept in the institution. "T" had lost so much by spending her life in an institution too. She was in a bed rather than a crib, but that bed was her entire world.
Posey was in the baby house in the same region. Her younger photo reminded me instantly of "T." If Posey was not adopted, she was destined for the same fate "T" had been sentenced to so many years before. "T" was transferred with the other bedridden children to the new institution while we were there. Time passed and Posey was not adopted. She was too old to stay at the baby house. She was transferred as well. Right now Posey and "T" are in the same exact room, maybe ten feet apart. I prayed so, so hard for Posey to be spared before transfer, but she wasn't. Unlike "T," Posey can still be adopted. She still has a chance. But she needs a family right away. If she is not adopted she will stay in the same crib, in the same room as "T," until they both die. I'm holding onto hope that even though "T" will never escape, Posey still can.
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Lastly for today, this is Athens. I look at Athens, and I see a boy who could do incredible things in a family. He looks like he could make a stunning amount of progress with therapy. He seeks out toys and looks like he can manipulate them really well. Athens' time is spent either in his crib or laying on a beanbag or on the floor in a room with about a dozen other children with various special needs. He is one of the smaller and less mobile children in that group. I think Athens would really flourish with attention and care. His smile just shines and he has such dark, handsome eyes. I think he would be capable of so much in a family.
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Monday, July 4, 2016
Blessings In Disguise
We have had a few of these during this adoption process, these blessings in disguise. Everything seems to be going wrong, but it turns out for the best.
There have been changes to the adoption process since the last time we adopted. One of the changes is the dossier requirement for federal background checks rather than state background checks. Last time we could request the state background check and get apostilles with our other paperwork in our home state. (For those who don't know, apostilles are a state or federal certification to send to a foreign government verifying the notary or official who signed the document.) Now the adoption authority in Eastern Europe requires an FBI background check. These are more complicated. You need to send your fingerprints to the FBI itself and then you need to get an apostille from Washington DC. Both of those take a lot longer.
Now, the good news on the fingerprints is that there are also approved fingerprint channelers who can process your fingerprints for the FBI, speeding up that part of the paperwork. Apostilles are more complicated. It takes a long time to receive them if you mail them yourself, so most people use couriers. The main courier recommended by the fingerprint channeler has been taking a very long time to obtain apostilles and return documents. One family waited nearly five weeks!
One of the stacks of paperwork I gave my husband to mail was our package to send to that courier. And then I started talking with other families. They were waiting and waiting for paperwork! What were we going to do? We are hoping for a fast approval from immigration. I was worried we would have our approval and still be waiting on those background checks to get their apostilles. Another family had used a different, much faster, courier with their last adoption. I fretted. I grumbled. My husband came home and I complained some more. Then he had something to tell me.
It turns out that my package hadn't been sent out. It was sitting in the back of the car. Between his very busy work schedule and other appointments and general life craziness, it was still in the car. We mailed it to the other courier and had our papers back in a week. The company is called Caring Hands and they were great. Their prices were slightly less than the other courier. They were super fast and they even called to make sure we would be home for Saturday delivery! We would still be waiting if our documents had been sent out as planned! I was so thankful this time that things didn't go as planned!
We had another blessing in disguise moment getting apostilles here in our state. Our medical papers took many, many tries to get right this time. Some redos were for our homestudy and some were for our dossier. We were told the regular person who does forms went out of the country, and we spent a lot of time fixing small errors. The problem with the dossier forms is that they are very specific. The notary for the medical complex was hard to track down and didn't follow the correct format. For the last redo we needed to hire our own notary to come to the office. We were given an available date of the next day by the doctor's office staff so we needed our notary on short notice! We were able to find one who could come after she finished a house closing in a different city.
The day of the appointment was super busy! In the morning we walked in to immigration to get fingerprints done for myself, my husband and Barton. Barton was nervous, but he did a great job. Everyone there was so good with him. Then I needed to head to the doctor's office for these papers. After that my husband was taking them to get apostilles.
The notary was running behind. There was an accident on the highway and she lost time to traffic on her way to the appointment. It is an hour and a half to the office where we get the apostilles. My husband hit the road with the finished papers with barely enough time to make it before they closed. But he hit traffic too. He arrived a couple minutes past closing.
The woman working in the office was about to lock the door when he walked in. He didn't have one or two papers. This wasn't going to be a couple extra minutes. He had almost all of our dossier. She hemmed and hawed for a moment, then asked to see what they were for. She took a look at the documents. She saw they were papers for adoption of children with special needs. She came out from behind the desk, hugged my husband, and said she could get them done.
When she finished and checked all of the apostilles, she hugged my husband again and talked to him. She told him that she had spent the whole afternoon frustrated that she was running behind and wouldn't be done right at closing. She usually has the computer and payment system turned off for the night right when they close. But she saw my husband walk up, saw what our papers were for, and said she knew that God had placed her there to be able to help us.
Wow. I didn't want to redo those medical forms. I was worried as we waited for the notary. I was hoping my husband didn't get a speeding ticket on his way to the apostille office! But it worked out for the best. My husband was able to share with her about the kids we have adopted and are planning to adopt. And she is now part of the amazing story of our kids and their adoption. That interaction was really powerful on both sides!
I'm hoping for more blessings in disguise. We've had a lot of struggles during this adoption process. Many of them are typical things that crop up for most families. Some haven't been!
Some of them have been financial. Rather than needing one or two appliance repairs, all of ours have needed to be repaired or replaced in the last six months. Rather than a few car repairs, my husband's work car was stolen the night before our homestudy visit. It was later totaled by the insurance company. Theo's awesome foot surgery was very successful, but we also needed to pay for it up front rather than be billed after the fact. We were planning on fencing our yard later, but our social worker preferred it to happen sooner.
One of our bigger financial struggles has been realizing that we will need to fundraise the remaining amount toward this adoption. We had planned to use the equity in our house to fund a lot of our remaining need. The bank has added additional requirements to us qualifying for that loan. Our home won't be eligible until next year, long after we need the money.
We have had struggles in the adoption process. We've shared many of these large and small struggles within a few adoption groups. The biggest one right now is our wait for our immigration approval. Amos turned 16 back in December. Typically families adopting older children are moved more quickly through the immigration process. Unfortunately we have not been at this point. In fact, according to what our officer said two weeks ago, our file likely hasn't even been viewed yet. We had hoped to have our approval by now.
We need that approval quickly. Last time we adopted Barton from the same court that Amos will go through. Instead of the typical timeline of less than two months, it was almost six months from my husband meeting Barton to bringing him home. That is an eternity for adoptions from this country! Another family who adopted from this area had an even lengthier court process than ours. We need all the time we can get if we are going to bring Amos home!
Right now all of these delays and obstacles are causing frustration. I'm truly hoping for the time that we will look back and see that these events were guiding us where we need to be. We have battled long and hard on the adoption path before. We've done it to get our kids home, especially Barton with his excruciatingly long process. We have worked to help our kids recover from neglect and trauma once they have come home. It has been worth it a million times over for us to have Theo, Orion, Barton and Evan in our family. I know the day will be coming when we complete this adoption and see how everything worked out and became a part of our family's story.
There have been changes to the adoption process since the last time we adopted. One of the changes is the dossier requirement for federal background checks rather than state background checks. Last time we could request the state background check and get apostilles with our other paperwork in our home state. (For those who don't know, apostilles are a state or federal certification to send to a foreign government verifying the notary or official who signed the document.) Now the adoption authority in Eastern Europe requires an FBI background check. These are more complicated. You need to send your fingerprints to the FBI itself and then you need to get an apostille from Washington DC. Both of those take a lot longer.
Now, the good news on the fingerprints is that there are also approved fingerprint channelers who can process your fingerprints for the FBI, speeding up that part of the paperwork. Apostilles are more complicated. It takes a long time to receive them if you mail them yourself, so most people use couriers. The main courier recommended by the fingerprint channeler has been taking a very long time to obtain apostilles and return documents. One family waited nearly five weeks!
One of the stacks of paperwork I gave my husband to mail was our package to send to that courier. And then I started talking with other families. They were waiting and waiting for paperwork! What were we going to do? We are hoping for a fast approval from immigration. I was worried we would have our approval and still be waiting on those background checks to get their apostilles. Another family had used a different, much faster, courier with their last adoption. I fretted. I grumbled. My husband came home and I complained some more. Then he had something to tell me.
It turns out that my package hadn't been sent out. It was sitting in the back of the car. Between his very busy work schedule and other appointments and general life craziness, it was still in the car. We mailed it to the other courier and had our papers back in a week. The company is called Caring Hands and they were great. Their prices were slightly less than the other courier. They were super fast and they even called to make sure we would be home for Saturday delivery! We would still be waiting if our documents had been sent out as planned! I was so thankful this time that things didn't go as planned!
We had another blessing in disguise moment getting apostilles here in our state. Our medical papers took many, many tries to get right this time. Some redos were for our homestudy and some were for our dossier. We were told the regular person who does forms went out of the country, and we spent a lot of time fixing small errors. The problem with the dossier forms is that they are very specific. The notary for the medical complex was hard to track down and didn't follow the correct format. For the last redo we needed to hire our own notary to come to the office. We were given an available date of the next day by the doctor's office staff so we needed our notary on short notice! We were able to find one who could come after she finished a house closing in a different city.
The day of the appointment was super busy! In the morning we walked in to immigration to get fingerprints done for myself, my husband and Barton. Barton was nervous, but he did a great job. Everyone there was so good with him. Then I needed to head to the doctor's office for these papers. After that my husband was taking them to get apostilles.
The notary was running behind. There was an accident on the highway and she lost time to traffic on her way to the appointment. It is an hour and a half to the office where we get the apostilles. My husband hit the road with the finished papers with barely enough time to make it before they closed. But he hit traffic too. He arrived a couple minutes past closing.
The woman working in the office was about to lock the door when he walked in. He didn't have one or two papers. This wasn't going to be a couple extra minutes. He had almost all of our dossier. She hemmed and hawed for a moment, then asked to see what they were for. She took a look at the documents. She saw they were papers for adoption of children with special needs. She came out from behind the desk, hugged my husband, and said she could get them done.
When she finished and checked all of the apostilles, she hugged my husband again and talked to him. She told him that she had spent the whole afternoon frustrated that she was running behind and wouldn't be done right at closing. She usually has the computer and payment system turned off for the night right when they close. But she saw my husband walk up, saw what our papers were for, and said she knew that God had placed her there to be able to help us.
Wow. I didn't want to redo those medical forms. I was worried as we waited for the notary. I was hoping my husband didn't get a speeding ticket on his way to the apostille office! But it worked out for the best. My husband was able to share with her about the kids we have adopted and are planning to adopt. And she is now part of the amazing story of our kids and their adoption. That interaction was really powerful on both sides!
I'm hoping for more blessings in disguise. We've had a lot of struggles during this adoption process. Many of them are typical things that crop up for most families. Some haven't been!
Some of them have been financial. Rather than needing one or two appliance repairs, all of ours have needed to be repaired or replaced in the last six months. Rather than a few car repairs, my husband's work car was stolen the night before our homestudy visit. It was later totaled by the insurance company. Theo's awesome foot surgery was very successful, but we also needed to pay for it up front rather than be billed after the fact. We were planning on fencing our yard later, but our social worker preferred it to happen sooner.
One of our bigger financial struggles has been realizing that we will need to fundraise the remaining amount toward this adoption. We had planned to use the equity in our house to fund a lot of our remaining need. The bank has added additional requirements to us qualifying for that loan. Our home won't be eligible until next year, long after we need the money.
We have had struggles in the adoption process. We've shared many of these large and small struggles within a few adoption groups. The biggest one right now is our wait for our immigration approval. Amos turned 16 back in December. Typically families adopting older children are moved more quickly through the immigration process. Unfortunately we have not been at this point. In fact, according to what our officer said two weeks ago, our file likely hasn't even been viewed yet. We had hoped to have our approval by now.
We need that approval quickly. Last time we adopted Barton from the same court that Amos will go through. Instead of the typical timeline of less than two months, it was almost six months from my husband meeting Barton to bringing him home. That is an eternity for adoptions from this country! Another family who adopted from this area had an even lengthier court process than ours. We need all the time we can get if we are going to bring Amos home!
Right now all of these delays and obstacles are causing frustration. I'm truly hoping for the time that we will look back and see that these events were guiding us where we need to be. We have battled long and hard on the adoption path before. We've done it to get our kids home, especially Barton with his excruciatingly long process. We have worked to help our kids recover from neglect and trauma once they have come home. It has been worth it a million times over for us to have Theo, Orion, Barton and Evan in our family. I know the day will be coming when we complete this adoption and see how everything worked out and became a part of our family's story.
Me with Theo, Barton, Orion and Evan! Always worth the fight!
If you would like to help us get Amos, Daisy, Lee and Violet home, we would greatly appreciate any support you can offer. We need our FSP to read $27,500. The mountain ahead of us looks tall, but we will climb it. You can make a tax-deductible donation to our FSP HERE. We will also be having an auction in one week! Go check it out HERE! We are still accepting donations!
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Families Adopting Aging Out Kids!
I'd like to start out by introducing this beautiful blog post about two aging out kids. Please go read it.
http://childrenpreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/2016/06/two-names-two-lives-one-race-against.html
Today I'm talking about aging out kids who have families trying to bring them home as quickly as possible. A crucial part of advocating for kids who need families is to continue supporting the families that step up for them! These are all families in process to adopt aging out kids! Please help support them to make it easier for them to bring home these kids. The more support there is for families who decide to race the clock and adopt an aging out kid, the more families will be willing to leap in! These are the kids we are advocating for! Our job isn't done until they are home safely with their new families. Let's do this!
(Don't forget them when they get home either! That is a hard time of transition, and any way you can help a family who has recently completed any adoption is very appreciated. Think about what you would do for a new mom who had just given birth, from offering a casserole to babysitting the other kids to just a simple hug or "I'm thinking of you" card.)
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This is the Rubenstein family! They are adopting 3 children. Joy will be turning 14 in August, meaning their adoption needs to be completed by that point. Please help support them! There is no wiggle room for adoptions in this country to be completed. They have worked very hard to be able to add Joy to their adoption, and I can't wait for them to be able to bring her home. Their FSP only reads $853 right now. Let's help it grow!
http://reecesrainbow.org/105450/sponsorrubenstein-2
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This is the McQuinn family! Guys, they are awesome. I love them. You need to go check out their blog. There is a link on their FSP or you can go straight HERE. The aging out child they are adopting is Ricky. He will turn 16 this summer. Funding is a need for this family. They are stepping out for more than one child in more than one region, and it will increase their expenses. They know how badly these kids need families and they are committed to working hard to raise that money. They have an auction HERE on Facebook. They are also selling shirts within the Reece's Rainbow Facebook group! Right now their FSP is at $174. We can help them raise the funds they need to bring their kids home. They are working so hard and I really want to help them succeed!
http://reecesrainbow.org/107851/sponsormcquinn
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This is the Wiggs family! They are adopting 3 older kids. Lazarus turns 16 this month! That sweet tiny boy. Yep. Can you see how important it is for them to bring him, and their other kids, home? This is an experienced family who has completed multiple adoptions and can't wait to bring these kids home too. Their dossier has already been submitted so they are only waiting on travel dates! Money is more important than ever as you get down to the wire! Please help this family raise the final funds to bring all three of these older kids home!
http://reecesrainbow.org/102076/sponsorwiggs-2
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This is the Schultz family. They are adopting 4 older kids! They turned in their paperwork in time for Ross James's 16th birthday last year, but he is now nearly 17! Victoria will also be turning 16 soon. They have their travel dates, and it is crucial that funding is not an issue. They have a huge matching grant, and only a little bit left to go on it! They need their FSP to read $11,119.16. Right now it is $10,106. Only a little over $1000 to go! They have an auction open on Facebook right now HERE. Go check it out and help them get to their kids before it is too late!
http://reecesrainbow.org/100585/sponsorschultz-3
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Lastly, this is the Acosta family! They need to travel by August 1 to be able to complete their adoption of Isaiah before he turns 14. They have been working so hard to get there in time! Their FSP went up around the same time ours did, so I have watched how quickly they are moving. They need their FSP to read $13,000. They have fundraisers listed on this Facebook page HERE. There is no time to spare. This family needs funding right away in order to complete the adoption before their son turns 14. They are so close to traveling but they need funds! Please help them bring home this child who has so little time left before he ages out.
http://reecesrainbow.org/105421/sponsoracosta
http://childrenpreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/2016/06/two-names-two-lives-one-race-against.html
Today I'm talking about aging out kids who have families trying to bring them home as quickly as possible. A crucial part of advocating for kids who need families is to continue supporting the families that step up for them! These are all families in process to adopt aging out kids! Please help support them to make it easier for them to bring home these kids. The more support there is for families who decide to race the clock and adopt an aging out kid, the more families will be willing to leap in! These are the kids we are advocating for! Our job isn't done until they are home safely with their new families. Let's do this!
(Don't forget them when they get home either! That is a hard time of transition, and any way you can help a family who has recently completed any adoption is very appreciated. Think about what you would do for a new mom who had just given birth, from offering a casserole to babysitting the other kids to just a simple hug or "I'm thinking of you" card.)
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This is the Rubenstein family! They are adopting 3 children. Joy will be turning 14 in August, meaning their adoption needs to be completed by that point. Please help support them! There is no wiggle room for adoptions in this country to be completed. They have worked very hard to be able to add Joy to their adoption, and I can't wait for them to be able to bring her home. Their FSP only reads $853 right now. Let's help it grow!
http://reecesrainbow.org/105450/sponsorrubenstein-2
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This is the McQuinn family! Guys, they are awesome. I love them. You need to go check out their blog. There is a link on their FSP or you can go straight HERE. The aging out child they are adopting is Ricky. He will turn 16 this summer. Funding is a need for this family. They are stepping out for more than one child in more than one region, and it will increase their expenses. They know how badly these kids need families and they are committed to working hard to raise that money. They have an auction HERE on Facebook. They are also selling shirts within the Reece's Rainbow Facebook group! Right now their FSP is at $174. We can help them raise the funds they need to bring their kids home. They are working so hard and I really want to help them succeed!
http://reecesrainbow.org/107851/sponsormcquinn
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This is the Wiggs family! They are adopting 3 older kids. Lazarus turns 16 this month! That sweet tiny boy. Yep. Can you see how important it is for them to bring him, and their other kids, home? This is an experienced family who has completed multiple adoptions and can't wait to bring these kids home too. Their dossier has already been submitted so they are only waiting on travel dates! Money is more important than ever as you get down to the wire! Please help this family raise the final funds to bring all three of these older kids home!
http://reecesrainbow.org/102076/sponsorwiggs-2
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This is the Schultz family. They are adopting 4 older kids! They turned in their paperwork in time for Ross James's 16th birthday last year, but he is now nearly 17! Victoria will also be turning 16 soon. They have their travel dates, and it is crucial that funding is not an issue. They have a huge matching grant, and only a little bit left to go on it! They need their FSP to read $11,119.16. Right now it is $10,106. Only a little over $1000 to go! They have an auction open on Facebook right now HERE. Go check it out and help them get to their kids before it is too late!
http://reecesrainbow.org/100585/sponsorschultz-3
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Lastly, this is the Acosta family! They need to travel by August 1 to be able to complete their adoption of Isaiah before he turns 14. They have been working so hard to get there in time! Their FSP went up around the same time ours did, so I have watched how quickly they are moving. They need their FSP to read $13,000. They have fundraisers listed on this Facebook page HERE. There is no time to spare. This family needs funding right away in order to complete the adoption before their son turns 14. They are so close to traveling but they need funds! Please help them bring home this child who has so little time left before he ages out.
http://reecesrainbow.org/105421/sponsoracosta
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Saul, Barry and Winnie Are Aging Out! Plus June's Aging Out Recap!
This is my newest aging out child post. Did you know that due to rules in other countries and the US, kids eventually "age out" and are no longer available for adoption? These are kids who are getting very close to that cutoff and need committed families immediately. There are more kids in danger of aging out listed HERE at Reece's Rainbow. If you're interested in any of these kids, don't delay. Email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ASAP to see if you are eligible to adopt from this country and get connected with their listing agency!
Today we are talking about Saul, Barry and Winnie. Their country requires adoptions to be completed before the child turns 14. The country does move quickly for aging out kids! There should be enough time for a family willing to move quickly to start an adoption for one of these kids from scratch and finish in time. A family already in process would be great too! Single parents and older parents can adopt from this country. They also waive some of their typical requirements for kids with special needs and aging out kids. The only requirements I have not heard of them waiving are the requirements that the parent or parents are at least 30 years old and the adoption deadline of the 14th birthday.
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Saul http://reecesrainbow.org/64947/saul-2 December
Saul is a very outgoing and happy boy! He has nephritic syndrome (According to google, that's "A kidney disorder that causes the body to excrete too much protein in the urine.") and a cleft lip and palate that have been operated on in his country. He loves to go fishing! He is attending a special education school within the orphanage. He gets along well with his peers. Saul's adoption must be completed before he turns 14 in December. He is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant for his adoption expenses through Reece's Rainbow. He also has a $5000 agency grant available and his orphanage donation has been reduced. It may be possible for it to be waived completely. All of those grants and reductions would make his adoption much easier to afford!
Please go look at the rest of Saul's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information!
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Barry http://reecesrainbow.org/96447/barry December
Barry is a very smart boy! He has cerebral palsy. He is very determined and dedicated. He worked hard to practice and perform a song at his New Year celebration. He tries very hard to improve upon his current abilities to stand and use a walker. He needs a family where he can receive more therapy and continue to progress! According to his profile he was raised in a home environment for his first 4.5 years and is very respectful and helpful. He sounds like a great, hard-working kid who deserves a chance to have a family! Barry's adoption must be completed before he turns 14 in December. Barry is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to help with his adoption expenses.
Please go look at the rest of Barry's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information!
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Winnie http://reecesrainbow.org/37547/winnie December 27
Winnie has been listed for more than 4 years! She is very sweet and helpful. She sounds like she would be an absolute joy to have in a family. Her listed special need is a mild humpback, but it is described on her profile as not too serious. She can walk and talk well. There are many jobs at the orphanage that she enjoys helping with, including feeding the younger kids. I would be so happy to see her find a family! She sounds amazing! Winnie's adoption must be completed before she turns 14 on December 27th. She is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to help with her adoption expenses.
UPDATE: I was also informed of this page with tons more photos and videos and information about Winnie. Guys, she sounds amazing. Go check it out. http://twentyless.com/winnie/
Please go look at the rest of Winnie's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
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Now onto our recap of all of the aging out children I have posted this month! As you look over the children, you will see that we don't have any kids who have found families. That sounds really depressing. On the other hand, we have had a tremendous amount of interest generated in aging out kids! So many more people have viewed them on these blog posts, viewed their profiles, and shared the kids and their need to be adopted. We've started with the kids who had the least amount of time left. These were the kids who would need miracles to be adopted. Many of these kids still have time to be adopted! We've learned that it is too late for some of them, but we've also learned how to advocate better in the future, to give more kids a chance! I'm very hopeful looking to the future that we will get ahead of the emergency needs and have more success finding families for kids while there is more time for a family to jump in and complete the process. Thank you all so much for helping these kids be seen! If you haven't yet, I hope you will join in!
Marshall still does not have a family that I am aware of. His adoption must be completed by July, so unless there is a family who is not connected to Reece's Rainbow pursuing him, he will likely age out without a family.
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Tara still does not have a family that I am aware of. Her adoption must be completed by September. That is plenty of time for a family in process to add her on! Please share Tara with anyone who might be in the position to add her on to their adoption!
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Ashley still does not have a family that I am aware of. There is someone who met her and would talk to interested families about her! They have said she wants to be adopted. Her adoption needs to be completed by October. A family in process would definitely have enough time to add her to their adoption! A family racing through the process might also have enough time to start an adoption from scratch! Ashley has really touched my heart and I would be so thrilled to see her find a family! Please share her!
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Toni still does not have a family that I am aware of. Her adoption needs to be completed by October. A family in process would definitely have enough time to add her to their adoption! A family racing through the process might also have enough time to start an adoption from scratch. Please share and consider Toni!
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Frankie does not have a family. Her country has a very small program and it is unlikely that there is anyone in process who can add her to their adoption. Because it is such a small program, adoption of aging out children is rare and the aging out process is a bit uncertain. We have learned that adoption of aging out kids needs to begin far before their birthday. Because of this, we will be advocating for Michael to find a family. He has a year and a half until he turns 16, but he needs a family to begin the process soon in order to complete his adoption in time. Please help share Michael so that he doesn't age out without a family like Frankie.
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I did not write a blog post for Brandon because we were informed that his country would require an I-800 instead of an I-800A before he turns 16. That requires a family to be further in the process and there weren't any known eligible families. If you do know someone adopting from his country who could file an I-800 before his birthday and is interested in adopting him, PLEASE have them contact their agency ASAP to make that happen. We don't know the exact process for aging out children from this country, but we have now been told that an I-800 is required. We will begin advocating sooner for other aging out children from this country.
You can see the other posts from this month here:
Marshall, Leonard and Flynn Are Aging Out!
Tara, Ashley and Toni Are Aging Out!
Frankie is Aging Out!
Today we are talking about Saul, Barry and Winnie. Their country requires adoptions to be completed before the child turns 14. The country does move quickly for aging out kids! There should be enough time for a family willing to move quickly to start an adoption for one of these kids from scratch and finish in time. A family already in process would be great too! Single parents and older parents can adopt from this country. They also waive some of their typical requirements for kids with special needs and aging out kids. The only requirements I have not heard of them waiving are the requirements that the parent or parents are at least 30 years old and the adoption deadline of the 14th birthday.
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Saul http://reecesrainbow.org/64947/saul-2 December
Saul is a very outgoing and happy boy! He has nephritic syndrome (According to google, that's "A kidney disorder that causes the body to excrete too much protein in the urine.") and a cleft lip and palate that have been operated on in his country. He loves to go fishing! He is attending a special education school within the orphanage. He gets along well with his peers. Saul's adoption must be completed before he turns 14 in December. He is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant for his adoption expenses through Reece's Rainbow. He also has a $5000 agency grant available and his orphanage donation has been reduced. It may be possible for it to be waived completely. All of those grants and reductions would make his adoption much easier to afford!
Please go look at the rest of Saul's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information!
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Barry http://reecesrainbow.org/96447/barry December
Barry is a very smart boy! He has cerebral palsy. He is very determined and dedicated. He worked hard to practice and perform a song at his New Year celebration. He tries very hard to improve upon his current abilities to stand and use a walker. He needs a family where he can receive more therapy and continue to progress! According to his profile he was raised in a home environment for his first 4.5 years and is very respectful and helpful. He sounds like a great, hard-working kid who deserves a chance to have a family! Barry's adoption must be completed before he turns 14 in December. Barry is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to help with his adoption expenses.
Please go look at the rest of Barry's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information!
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Winnie http://reecesrainbow.org/37547/winnie December 27
Winnie has been listed for more than 4 years! She is very sweet and helpful. She sounds like she would be an absolute joy to have in a family. Her listed special need is a mild humpback, but it is described on her profile as not too serious. She can walk and talk well. There are many jobs at the orphanage that she enjoys helping with, including feeding the younger kids. I would be so happy to see her find a family! She sounds amazing! Winnie's adoption must be completed before she turns 14 on December 27th. She is eligible for a $10,000 older child grant to help with her adoption expenses.UPDATE: I was also informed of this page with tons more photos and videos and information about Winnie. Guys, she sounds amazing. Go check it out. http://twentyless.com/winnie/
Please go look at the rest of Winnie's profile HERE and email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org for more information.
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Now onto our recap of all of the aging out children I have posted this month! As you look over the children, you will see that we don't have any kids who have found families. That sounds really depressing. On the other hand, we have had a tremendous amount of interest generated in aging out kids! So many more people have viewed them on these blog posts, viewed their profiles, and shared the kids and their need to be adopted. We've started with the kids who had the least amount of time left. These were the kids who would need miracles to be adopted. Many of these kids still have time to be adopted! We've learned that it is too late for some of them, but we've also learned how to advocate better in the future, to give more kids a chance! I'm very hopeful looking to the future that we will get ahead of the emergency needs and have more success finding families for kids while there is more time for a family to jump in and complete the process. Thank you all so much for helping these kids be seen! If you haven't yet, I hope you will join in!
Marshall still does not have a family that I am aware of. His adoption must be completed by July, so unless there is a family who is not connected to Reece's Rainbow pursuing him, he will likely age out without a family.
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Leonard still does not have a family that I am aware of. His adoption must be completed by July 26th. There may still be time for a family further along in the process to add him on, but they would need to act right now. If that might be you or someone you know, please consider Leonard!
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Flynn still does not have a family that I am aware of. His adoption must be completed by August. There may still be time for a family further along in the process to add him on! If that might be you or someone you know, please consider Flynn!
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Tara still does not have a family that I am aware of. Her adoption must be completed by September. That is plenty of time for a family in process to add her on! Please share Tara with anyone who might be in the position to add her on to their adoption!
Ashley still does not have a family that I am aware of. There is someone who met her and would talk to interested families about her! They have said she wants to be adopted. Her adoption needs to be completed by October. A family in process would definitely have enough time to add her to their adoption! A family racing through the process might also have enough time to start an adoption from scratch! Ashley has really touched my heart and I would be so thrilled to see her find a family! Please share her!
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Toni still does not have a family that I am aware of. Her adoption needs to be completed by October. A family in process would definitely have enough time to add her to their adoption! A family racing through the process might also have enough time to start an adoption from scratch. Please share and consider Toni!
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Frankie does not have a family. Her country has a very small program and it is unlikely that there is anyone in process who can add her to their adoption. Because it is such a small program, adoption of aging out children is rare and the aging out process is a bit uncertain. We have learned that adoption of aging out kids needs to begin far before their birthday. Because of this, we will be advocating for Michael to find a family. He has a year and a half until he turns 16, but he needs a family to begin the process soon in order to complete his adoption in time. Please help share Michael so that he doesn't age out without a family like Frankie.
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I did not write a blog post for Brandon because we were informed that his country would require an I-800 instead of an I-800A before he turns 16. That requires a family to be further in the process and there weren't any known eligible families. If you do know someone adopting from his country who could file an I-800 before his birthday and is interested in adopting him, PLEASE have them contact their agency ASAP to make that happen. We don't know the exact process for aging out children from this country, but we have now been told that an I-800 is required. We will begin advocating sooner for other aging out children from this country.
You can see the other posts from this month here:
Marshall, Leonard and Flynn Are Aging Out!
Tara, Ashley and Toni Are Aging Out!
Frankie is Aging Out!
Auction!
We will be running an auction to raise funds for this adoption like we did with our last. We will open up bidding on July 11th! Head to our facebook page HERE and LIKE the page now so you don't miss out! If anyone is interested in donating items for the auction, please send me an email at kayleighbloom@gmail.com to let me know. Your support is so appreciated. Thank you all!
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Pottery Barn Gift Card Auction
UPDATE: Current high bid is $110!
Here is what we are doing:
Starting bid is $90! Auction runs from now (Ready, set, go!) until Saturday 6/25 at 11 PM EST. I will be keeping track of bids both on the comments on this blogpost AND on Facebook. If you would like to bid just comment here, on the post in the Reece's Rainbow Facebook group, or on the post on my personal Facebook page! I will make sure the correct current high bid is displayed in all three places. Since we are bidding in different places, I will extend the bidding for five minutes for each bid placed at the deadline to give bidders on the blog and on Facebook the chance to defend their bids!
Why should you bid? For those who don't know our family, we adopted four older boys from Eastern Europe in 2014. We are heading back again!
Amos has already turned 16. His future if not adopted is an adult facility where both stronger and weaker residents are locked into a caged shed. He is a gentle and helpful boy who was good friends with Barton, who we adopted in 2014 after he had already aged out.
Daisy and Lee were both in the same bedridden room as our son Evan. Daisy was moved into a group home, but was going to lose her chance for a family and be unadoptable due to changes in the legal status of that group home. At 18 she would have been returned to the same life she had lived before. We are adopting her instead. Lee was moved to a different facility for bedridden children where he has been deteriorating. He potentially has a very complicated medical condition that is not being treated at all where he is.
Violet is a very sweet girl who was friends with two of our boys. She has been listed for a very long time, and we are very excited to be adopting her as well! She is going be an amazing sister and daughter!
Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to share this blog post with any of your friends who might be interested in bidding!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Frankie Is Aging Out!
UPDATE: We have some unfortunate information about the aging out process in this country. Because of the length of time the adoption process takes, the agency says it is too late for a family to adopt Frankie unless they are already approved by her country and ready for a match. As a small program with between 7 and 30 kids adopted per year over the last five years, it is unlikely but not impossible that there is a family out there who could adopt her. If you know a family that might be at that stage and approved to adopt a child her age with her needs, please share her with them. Based on the new information about children aging out in her country Michael needs a committed family urgently. We need to find him a family in time so that he doesn't age out too!
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This is the next post advocating for kids who are aging out. This is a cause very near to my heart. Our own son, Barton, had already aged out when we adopted him. He is a treasure! I am posting for other kids who will be aging out soon. If you are interested in adopting one of these children, don't hesitate! Contact childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org right away to ask for more information! You can find the aging out children HERE on the Reece's Rainbow site if you would like to help advocate too! Sharing on social media and writing blog posts is a great way to help kids be seen by possible families.
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This is the next post advocating for kids who are aging out. This is a cause very near to my heart. Our own son, Barton, had already aged out when we adopted him. He is a treasure! I am posting for other kids who will be aging out soon. If you are interested in adopting one of these children, don't hesitate! Contact childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org right away to ask for more information! You can find the aging out children HERE on the Reece's Rainbow site if you would like to help advocate too! Sharing on social media and writing blog posts is a great way to help kids be seen by possible families.
Frankie http://reecesrainbow.org/40616/frankie Aging out in July!
Today we are talking about Frankie! Her country has removed listing photos of children, but I have seen photos of her from the past. She looks great! She has a very warm, welcoming smile! Frankie has Down Syndrome. Her profile says she has moderate delays. Her most recent report is from 2009, 7 years ago. She plays games and likes dancing. She could use a pencil and scissors. She can kick and throw a ball. She has likely progressed since her last update, but it is difficult to guess how much. She is also described as self-sufficient and confident. Her photos really reflect that! She looks like a very confident, capable girl!
We don't know when in July Frankie's birthday is. It is also unknown if anyone has completed an aging out adoption in her country, where the process is typically longer. She needs a family willing to take the chance and find out more to try and bring her home! Her grant to assist with adoption expenses is over $10,300! Her country is open to single moms or married families who have been together at least 2.5 years. There is no set limit on family size. Two unrelated children in the same orphanage can be adopted together. Contact childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org with more questions!
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Papas Wanted
This is a guest post written by my husband for Father's Day. He wanted to share his experiences and he hopes he can encourage other papas to step forward and adopt as well.
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Two years ago my wife and I began the process that culminated in my Bizarro version of a European vacation. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Frankfurt Germany and on to Eastern Europe........check. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Munich Germany to Eastern Europe.............check. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Berlin Germany to Eastern Europe ........check. Cincinnati to Newark NJ to Vienna Austria to Eastern Europe.........check. It was almost like a Cyrillic version of the movie Groundhog Day. In my four months in Eastern Europe I learned many things. Some expected. Some unexpected. Expected things like always carry toilet paper with you, never drink the water and sleep whenever you can. Unexpected things like foreign service agents travel by bus and malls have pay-to-use squattie potties. The one truly unexpected thing that I learned took almost two years for me to truly understand.
I had four wonderful biological children before my trip. I was a very good dad and in some instances (like when I brought home popsicles) I was labeled the best dad in the world by some small children. However, it took the herculean effort of bringing home Orion, Evan, Theo and Barton to realize what it means to be a papa.
Now dad and papa mean two different things. Anybody who has traveled to Eastern Europe knows that. But for me the true meaning took some time to reveal itself. These boys never heard the terms dad or father but they were always told that a papa might come along some day and take them away to live in a home and have a family. But what was a papa? What would he look like? When would he come? The answer to all three questions comes in one word..........Hope. A papa brings hope. No matter what shape or size. No matter if he came tomorrow or next week. A papa comes with shirts and shoes and lots of hope. He brings ice cream cones and bananas and hope.
When I first met Barton I never even knew that he could speak. I almost had a heart attack when he began answering questions that he was asked. He was asked if he wanted to have a family. He said yes. He was asked if he wanted to go live with a family and have a mama and a papa. He answered yes. But could I be that papa for him? I wasn't sure until I was sitting in a courtroom five months later. The judge asked Barton who was sitting next to him. He calmly said "My papa".
The day I first met Evan he screamed like a horror movie queen the moment I touched him. I knew that his special needs were fairly extreme and I was frightened. Frightened of the long term needs of this frail little boy. Frightened every time I touched him and he screamed. Frightened that I could never be the papa that he needs. In time he screamed less and I discovered his tickle spots. (He loves to be tickled behind his jaw!) Mainly I was frightened that I was adopting a child that I felt would never be able to reciprocate affection or make his needs known. What a fool I was wasting so much time being afraid. What a fool I was for not seeing the glow of God's love in this child. Most of all I was being selfish. What would a child who may need a lifetime of care do to my marriage and my family? I will tell you what this child did. He completed our family and showed me that extraordinary things come from the most unexpected places. Evan filled a hole in my heart that I never even knew existed and holding that little boy today brings me closer to God than I ever thought I could reach.
When I first met Orion and Theo, Theo played it cool while Orion prostrated himself on the ground and proclaimed that he had always known that a papa would come for him some day. But what did papa mean to each of these boys? For Theo, papa meant somebody who would stay with him and his wheelchair while the other children ran ahead and played. For Orion, papa meant somebody who would spoil him with treats and let him be mischievous. In time I came to learn that what Theo really wanted in a papa was somebody who would help him achieve his dream of walking (halfway there Buddy!) Somebody who would watch Paw Patrol with him, scan the streets for fire trucks with him and make pancakes for him. Astonishingly I came to learn that what Orion truly wanted in a papa was the requisite mama that came along with me. It certainly hasn't been an easy road with Orion, but seeing him and my wife meet for the first time was truly incredible. A boy on the verge of becoming a man, fully knowing that his birth mother had abandoned him at the hospital when he was three days old, meeting a strange woman who flew one third of the way around the world to show him that he would no longer be alone. My wife has always inspired me and that was one of those moments that left me speechless (Very rare occasion.). How I could I possibly be four different papas to four different boys at four very different developmental stages? Would I lose my mind trying?
The answer was both complicated and simple. I simply had to be myself. Each boy needed a papa and I was available. Knowing the future (or lack thereof) that each of these boys faced has made the decision to adopt them the most rewarding and fulfilling yet challenging scenario that I could have faced. Children in orphanages do not need perfect parents. They need real mamas and real papas. They need somebody who will help them realize that life no longer has any limits. They need somebody who will tell them that they can do anything or be anything they want. They need somebody to tell them that no matter what happens, they will always be loved. They will never be alone. The world will no longer be dark for them. The world will no longer be a wheelchair sitting in a grassy field. Or a crib with bars.
As I look forward to adding to our family this year and with Father's Day fast approaching, I am reaching out to all the potential and future "papas" out there. For all of you I have one thing to say......You can do this. I have always believed that if somebody can do a good deed, they should. If somebody has the capacity for good they should act on it. As I approach middle age I have had a true moment of insight. At 39 years old I will probably never change the world. I will never cure cancer. I will never win an Academy Award or a Pulitzer Prize. But for four young boys I changed their world. I cured them of hopelessness and loneliness. They are the prize that I won. And for that I will be forever grateful.
_______
Two years ago my wife and I began the process that culminated in my Bizarro version of a European vacation. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Frankfurt Germany and on to Eastern Europe........check. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Munich Germany to Eastern Europe.............check. Cincinnati to Washington DC to Berlin Germany to Eastern Europe ........check. Cincinnati to Newark NJ to Vienna Austria to Eastern Europe.........check. It was almost like a Cyrillic version of the movie Groundhog Day. In my four months in Eastern Europe I learned many things. Some expected. Some unexpected. Expected things like always carry toilet paper with you, never drink the water and sleep whenever you can. Unexpected things like foreign service agents travel by bus and malls have pay-to-use squattie potties. The one truly unexpected thing that I learned took almost two years for me to truly understand.
I had four wonderful biological children before my trip. I was a very good dad and in some instances (like when I brought home popsicles) I was labeled the best dad in the world by some small children. However, it took the herculean effort of bringing home Orion, Evan, Theo and Barton to realize what it means to be a papa.
Now dad and papa mean two different things. Anybody who has traveled to Eastern Europe knows that. But for me the true meaning took some time to reveal itself. These boys never heard the terms dad or father but they were always told that a papa might come along some day and take them away to live in a home and have a family. But what was a papa? What would he look like? When would he come? The answer to all three questions comes in one word..........Hope. A papa brings hope. No matter what shape or size. No matter if he came tomorrow or next week. A papa comes with shirts and shoes and lots of hope. He brings ice cream cones and bananas and hope.
When I first met Barton I never even knew that he could speak. I almost had a heart attack when he began answering questions that he was asked. He was asked if he wanted to have a family. He said yes. He was asked if he wanted to go live with a family and have a mama and a papa. He answered yes. But could I be that papa for him? I wasn't sure until I was sitting in a courtroom five months later. The judge asked Barton who was sitting next to him. He calmly said "My papa".
The day I first met Evan he screamed like a horror movie queen the moment I touched him. I knew that his special needs were fairly extreme and I was frightened. Frightened of the long term needs of this frail little boy. Frightened every time I touched him and he screamed. Frightened that I could never be the papa that he needs. In time he screamed less and I discovered his tickle spots. (He loves to be tickled behind his jaw!) Mainly I was frightened that I was adopting a child that I felt would never be able to reciprocate affection or make his needs known. What a fool I was wasting so much time being afraid. What a fool I was for not seeing the glow of God's love in this child. Most of all I was being selfish. What would a child who may need a lifetime of care do to my marriage and my family? I will tell you what this child did. He completed our family and showed me that extraordinary things come from the most unexpected places. Evan filled a hole in my heart that I never even knew existed and holding that little boy today brings me closer to God than I ever thought I could reach.
When I first met Orion and Theo, Theo played it cool while Orion prostrated himself on the ground and proclaimed that he had always known that a papa would come for him some day. But what did papa mean to each of these boys? For Theo, papa meant somebody who would stay with him and his wheelchair while the other children ran ahead and played. For Orion, papa meant somebody who would spoil him with treats and let him be mischievous. In time I came to learn that what Theo really wanted in a papa was somebody who would help him achieve his dream of walking (halfway there Buddy!) Somebody who would watch Paw Patrol with him, scan the streets for fire trucks with him and make pancakes for him. Astonishingly I came to learn that what Orion truly wanted in a papa was the requisite mama that came along with me. It certainly hasn't been an easy road with Orion, but seeing him and my wife meet for the first time was truly incredible. A boy on the verge of becoming a man, fully knowing that his birth mother had abandoned him at the hospital when he was three days old, meeting a strange woman who flew one third of the way around the world to show him that he would no longer be alone. My wife has always inspired me and that was one of those moments that left me speechless (Very rare occasion.). How I could I possibly be four different papas to four different boys at four very different developmental stages? Would I lose my mind trying?
The answer was both complicated and simple. I simply had to be myself. Each boy needed a papa and I was available. Knowing the future (or lack thereof) that each of these boys faced has made the decision to adopt them the most rewarding and fulfilling yet challenging scenario that I could have faced. Children in orphanages do not need perfect parents. They need real mamas and real papas. They need somebody who will help them realize that life no longer has any limits. They need somebody who will tell them that they can do anything or be anything they want. They need somebody to tell them that no matter what happens, they will always be loved. They will never be alone. The world will no longer be dark for them. The world will no longer be a wheelchair sitting in a grassy field. Or a crib with bars.
As I look forward to adding to our family this year and with Father's Day fast approaching, I am reaching out to all the potential and future "papas" out there. For all of you I have one thing to say......You can do this. I have always believed that if somebody can do a good deed, they should. If somebody has the capacity for good they should act on it. As I approach middle age I have had a true moment of insight. At 39 years old I will probably never change the world. I will never cure cancer. I will never win an Academy Award or a Pulitzer Prize. But for four young boys I changed their world. I cured them of hopelessness and loneliness. They are the prize that I won. And for that I will be forever grateful.
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