Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Work Family
Today was the 6th month mark of waiting since we've been homestudy approved, but it also happens to be my birthday. My very supportive, caring, and generous co-workers secretly collected a donation for our adoption fund... $422!!!! This was an unexpected blessing, and it was very encouraging to know that even though we're still waiting, we are not waiting alone!
6 Months of Waiting
Another month has passed with absolutely nothing happening with our profile. Our book is still sitting very lonesomely at our agency. We've been waiting exactly six months since our homestudy was approved. It's been two years since we began the journey to be parents (5 months with the fertility center, 2 months of transition, 8 months in foster care, and 10 months with our current agency).
This month has been discouraging in many ways. Our agency has made so few placements this year and has added so many families that it would take 4 years for just the current waiting families to each receive one placement (For comparison, I think around this time last year when we were researching agencies, the wait was about 2 years based on the number of waiting families and average placements they had been doing).
Things weren't totally still this month, though. We did get a homestudy addendum... or partially, anyway. Our agency added some new situations we are open to, but they left out some situations we were originally open to, and they checked off the box that said we are certified for international adoption. So, the hopefully correct addendum part two should be mailed soon.
This month, I applied for two adoption grants. We should know if we receive them by January. We also canceled our gym membership and switched from cable tv to satellite tv (these two changes will save us about $1,500 over the next 12 months). We are trying to do all that's in our power to be completely prepared when a situation does present itself.
On another positive note, even though waiting is hard and making decisions when there are thousands of paths is exhausting, life is still wonderful. This is my favorite time of the year... and I've indulged in two bonfires, a Halloween costume party, and doing some photography for a dear friend in beautiful fall scenery. I still need to get to Dairy Queen before the end of the month for my beloved Pumpkin Pie blizzard!
This month has been discouraging in many ways. Our agency has made so few placements this year and has added so many families that it would take 4 years for just the current waiting families to each receive one placement (For comparison, I think around this time last year when we were researching agencies, the wait was about 2 years based on the number of waiting families and average placements they had been doing).
Things weren't totally still this month, though. We did get a homestudy addendum... or partially, anyway. Our agency added some new situations we are open to, but they left out some situations we were originally open to, and they checked off the box that said we are certified for international adoption. So, the hopefully correct addendum part two should be mailed soon.
This month, I applied for two adoption grants. We should know if we receive them by January. We also canceled our gym membership and switched from cable tv to satellite tv (these two changes will save us about $1,500 over the next 12 months). We are trying to do all that's in our power to be completely prepared when a situation does present itself.
On another positive note, even though waiting is hard and making decisions when there are thousands of paths is exhausting, life is still wonderful. This is my favorite time of the year... and I've indulged in two bonfires, a Halloween costume party, and doing some photography for a dear friend in beautiful fall scenery. I still need to get to Dairy Queen before the end of the month for my beloved Pumpkin Pie blizzard!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Baby Veronica Update #2
Veronica returned to her adoptive parents about three weeks ago. Her biological father has dropped all pending litigation regarding the matter and appears to genuinely want Veronica to have peace and be settled in her life. The adoptive parents have reported filed new litigation, though, asking for the biological father to be responsible for legal fees.
I don't know how much of a happy ending this is. I guess time will tell. I think Veronica is in the correct place, simply based on the reported facts that her biological father was willing to (and did) sign away his rights. I think that lack of regard speaks for itself, and the fact that the biological mother made an adoption plan afterwards is really irrelevant because he had already legally said he did not want to be involved. Although she is, in my opinion, in the correct home, it is still so devastating for her to have so much grief and loss in her short life.
My hopes for Veronica would be that her adoptive parents would drop their litigation, so everyone can begin healing. I hope that her biological father can demonstrate trust and that, if he does this, her adoptive parents allow her to have some sort of relationship with him as well as the rest of her biological family she lived with for over a year and a half. I hope that she can re-bond with her adoptive parents and grow into a well adjusted child and adult.
I don't know how much of a happy ending this is. I guess time will tell. I think Veronica is in the correct place, simply based on the reported facts that her biological father was willing to (and did) sign away his rights. I think that lack of regard speaks for itself, and the fact that the biological mother made an adoption plan afterwards is really irrelevant because he had already legally said he did not want to be involved. Although she is, in my opinion, in the correct home, it is still so devastating for her to have so much grief and loss in her short life.
My hopes for Veronica would be that her adoptive parents would drop their litigation, so everyone can begin healing. I hope that her biological father can demonstrate trust and that, if he does this, her adoptive parents allow her to have some sort of relationship with him as well as the rest of her biological family she lived with for over a year and a half. I hope that she can re-bond with her adoptive parents and grow into a well adjusted child and adult.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Gardening
I got some disheartening agency news today. It makes me question if we are waiting in the right place. Pruning can be a good thing sometimes, right?
"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener...He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me".- John 15:1, 2b, 4 NLT
"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener...He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me".- John 15:1, 2b, 4 NLT
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