The latest...

Yesterday we had our phone conference with our adoption agency- I just have to say they are absolutely WONDERFUL.  They came highly recommended and I am seeing exactly why as we get further into the process here.  I follow many adoption blogs as you may have noticed, and seeing other families' stories of all the paperwork and running around to get things notarized and apostilled- our agency handles a LOT of this for us- especially all of the apostilling when we are ready for it!  It is also wonderful having the same agency acting as our homestudy agency as well- things are going SO smoothly.  In addition, it helps that both Mike and I have lived in Maryland our entire lives, and since Maryland is a small state- there isn't a whole lot of travel involved to get what we need.  Whew!

We inquired about when we will get to learn anything more about P- medical records etc., and while *sometimes* the country will release some information when the dossier is submitted- we've been told not to hold our breath.  With P's region in particular, it's not uncommon for them to hold all information until we travel and meet with the orphanage director.  We've been given the estimate of October for our first travel date.

~Next steps~

We have our first homestudy interview scheduled for August 10th- I spoke with our social worker and she was super sweet on the phone.  I am confident this will all go smoothly also.  To complete our homestudy we need to gather more paperwork, and we are also beginning to collect documents for our dossier.  Our agency has us submit two sets of dossier documents- the first set is the bare minimum to be submitted to P's country so we can be registered with her region.  The second set includes all the time sensitive documents- those that must be less than 4 months old.  Our agency is preparing the majority of our first set of dossier documents- we just need to get copies of our passports, kids' birth certificates (which must be less than a year old so we need to order all three kids' birth certificates again), and four official certified copies of our marriage certificate.  Again, thankful we were married here in Maryland, in the county where my parents live (an hour's drive), so I'm thinking a day trip to visit PopPop will be in our near future. :)  We also need to collect an assortment of photos of our family and our house (interior and exterior).

I'm trying not to look at the list of our second set of dossier documents- it is quite overwhelming!  The first set is a piece of cake on our part, but it looks like the second set will certainly make up for that!  I have faith that our wonderful agency will hold our hand and guide us through as they have been doing so far.  Love that.

I haven't forgotten about our fundraiser- trust me!  It will begin in just a couple weeks.  I just added a list of our current expenses under P's grant on the right hand column and they are certainly adding up... and this is just a drop in the bucket compared to what the grand total will be.  We are estimating about $25,000 when all is said and done.  We have a LONG way to go with our fundraising!  Mike and I are feeling quite guilty about taking our family vacation this summer- we had it all planned and plane tickets paid for long before our plans of adoption.  We are very excited about visiting family we haven't seen in several years, and the kids are SUPER excited, especially to be travelling by plane!  But part of us feels guilty, wishing we could have saved that money toward the adoption.  It certainly helps that we are staying with family while we are away, but there will certainly be added expenses along our travels.  I extend a repeated and grateful THANK YOU to all who have most generously donated to P's grant, no matter how big or small.  100% of the money donated will go directly to P's adoption expenses- nothing is taken away... and if there happens to be any leftover (can you imagine?!), it will get moved to another waiting child's grant.  And again, all donations are tax deductible. ;)  

Above all else, thank you for following our story and for keeping us in your prayers.  Your love and support are carrying us through. <3

A charity near and dear to my heart...

ROOF: Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund

This amazing group was founded by a couple in Boston and goes into Russian orphanages to provide meaningful educational experiences for the children and youths living there.  Children in these orphanages receive NO education otherwise and are left to adult mental institutions when they age out of the orphanage.  Right now ROOF is running a summer camp for the children- I am betting this is the highlight of their entire year- sort of like Christmas here in the United States.  Santa doesn't visit them come December, but these amazing people come bearing fun games and activities as well as much needed attention.  They have several different programs for different ages, and the work they do is just absolutely astonishing.  They are giving these individuals a chance at life instead of being discarded and forgotten.  ROOF is changing minds in their country and people are slowly opening their eyes.

PLEASE take a brief moment to view their brochure/slideshow found HERE and browse their website for more information on the specific work they do.

ROOF is a registered 501(c) non-profit here in the US as well as a registered charity in England and Wales.  They have received the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence which is a pretty big deal.

Their current campaign is asking for just $25/month- taken from their website:

It costs $25 a month to give hope to an orphan. How many can you take on?

$25 a month -- that's less than $1 a day!

What can you get for $25?

• Eight coffee-shop coffees OR
• Six gallons of gasoline OR
• Six 9oz chocolate bars OR
• Two take-out pizzas OR
• Hope and opportunity for an orphaned child

Help us help them: www.roofnet.org/donate -- enter your details, set the amount to $25 (or whatever you want) and check "I would like to make this a recurring donation".

This is an urgent campaign to fill a funding gap, broaden our support base and enable a more reliable steady income so that we can direct more of our attention directly on our projects to help Russia's orphaned children.

Literally, your daily pocket change of less than $1 per day can help us do this.

Our goal is to find 200 new donors who are willing to sign up to give a regular $25 per month donation.

Mike and I donated a generous amount of money and have also become one of the 200 new donors they are seeking to give $25 a month.  Will you please join us?  If you aren't able to donate $25 a month- can you spread the word and maybe find a few friends to donate $10 a month instead?  


P.S. Please keep the Warner family close in prayer if you are reading this early- today is the day Joshua goes in for a repeat x-ray. If the x-ray shows improvement he will be allowed to come HOME!!  If not, it could be detrimental for the family. Pray pray pray!!


***UPDATE*** Not 5 minutes after I posted this I find this note:  "Thank you God- WE ARE ALL COMING HOME!! Flight leaves 5:30a from Kiev then to Frankfurt then to Chicago for a layover then on to Detroit at 6:38p" THANK GOD ABOVE!!!!!!!!!

Updates

First update- the Warner family:

There is a glimmer of hope that they could *possibly* all come home as early as Tuesday.  PLEASE keep praying for them!!  You can read their latest update HERE.  Just reading about Joshua's adjustments and how he was treated during diaper changes at the orphanage just broke my heart.  It's one thing to be living in an impoverished area/orphanage, but when people have no concern whatsoever... ugh.  I will bite my tongue.  SO glad he is now in his parents' loving care, that's all I will say.

And some updates on us:

We have a phone conference scheduled for this Wednesday with the adoption agency- I believe dossier documents will be our main discussion.  We should be starting our home study very soon- I'm guessing soon after we return from vacation since we leave next Saturday.  We have submitted all documents for our application addendum aside from one letter from Mike's physician which we are still waiting to receive.  Hopefully that won't slow down our home study from beginning.

Other exciting news- our first fundraiser is coming!!  This will be starting soon after we return from vacation as well- we will be having a Tastefully Simple fundraiser!  My sweet friend, Noel, is most graciously donating her entire 30% commission to our adoption fund!!  Love you, Noel!!  If you are not familiar with Tastefully Simple- their products are DIVINE.  They are super easy- I am one who hates to cook, and most of these require adding just water if not just one or two other ingredients.  Seriously.  Easy.  Seriously.  Delicious.  If you are more of a cook than I am, each product also comes with a recipe card which may inspire you to try other great things with the product.  When our fundraiser is live, I will post a link to our online party and you will order from that link, entering my name as the hostess.  So feel free to browse their products, but please wait for our link before placing your order! :)

I'm now on Twitter!!  Just joined yesterday- feel free to *follow* me or tweet any of my posts by using the buttons at the top right of my blog.  Thanks! :)

A family NEEDS our help

There's a family in country right now who REALLY needs all the support they can get.  They need prayers.  They need financial support.  They need them NOW.

The Warner family has been to court and are the legal parents of sweet little Joshua, yet they are unable to come home at this time.  They went to the medical clinic to get Joshua's medical release, planning on coming home the next day, but were instead denied.  The doctor there ordered a chest x-ray since he was receiving antibiotics (which is common practice for children in orphanages, many of the kids not needing them), and stated that he had acute pneumonia to his left lung.  She was not sure if it was indeed pneumonia or if it was TB, and it would take a few weeks time to figure out which is the case.

This medical clinic- the only one approved by the embassy there, does not treat, they simply diagnose.  The Warners then had to take Joshua elsewhere to be treated for pneumonia.  But when they took him to the local hospital as well as another clinic- neither would treat him for pneumonia saying he doesn't have it.  They even got another x-ray which showed nothing.  But the first clinic will not accept other x-rays.  They tried taking it to the embassy and to the CDC, but it only gets worse from there.  You can find the entire story on their blog.

On top of it all, Lisa's sister passed away unexpectedly yesterday- her mother who has been taking care of their other son at home, found the sister in her apartment.  A mother finding her deceased daughter is obviously going through a lot right now, on top of trying to care for little Jacob, who decided he didn't want to eat today- I'm sure he senses the stress around him.  Dave has missed 4 weeks of work now- that's 4 weeks without pay.... they have lost money on cancelled flights and now have the added expense of staying in country.  Dave will probably come home to get back to work, but Lisa is still stuck halfway around the world while her family grieves and needs her as she needs them.

They found out today that they could be stuck in country for 6 MONTHS if treatment for TB is required.  I just cannot imagine what this family is going through.  I wish I had a magic wand to make it all better.  We must all rally together for the Warners.  Please join me in making a donation to their FSP.  Every little bit truly helps.  Think about how much you spend eating out in a week or even a month and perhaps give that money to them instead.  Please repost their story on Facebook or Twitter, whatever social media you prefer- get their story out there.  They need all the support they can get right now.

Gratitude

I want to express my heartfelt thanks to those who have been SO generous as to donate to P's adoption grant.  I would send a personal note to each of you, but all the donations go directly to P's account at Reece's Rainbow, so I don't know who the generous donors are.  They could be close family and friends, they could be complete strangers who have been praying for P long before we found her.  Regardless of who you are, you are not only supporting P's adoption, but you are lifting my spirits.  Immensely.  We have only been official as P's family for 13 days, and she has received $1,515 already!!  No fundraisers or giveaways to lure people in, just donations out of the goodness of people's hearts.  I am absolutely humbled, and cannot say THANK YOU enough.

I've learned and am still learning how intricate the entire international adoption process really is.... This is our first experience with adoption, and adding the international aspect has been a total eye-opening experience.  I have never been one to keep secrets, yet with this process there is much confidentiality.  I feel like you all are part of P's extended family and I would never intentionally keep secrets, yet I am restricted with what I'm allowed to share.  And then there are the restrictions keeping me from learning everything I want to know right away also, like how P is doing, if she has any medical conditions that will need attention, as well as what size clothes she wears (I SO can't wait to go shopping for her!!).

I happened upon a website recently, and spotted an updated photo of P.  It appears she is no longer in the baby house where the first photos from Reece's Rainbow were taken.  I almost didn't recognize her- her hair much darker and cut much shorter than in her photos from Reece's Rainbow- as you often see in the institutions.  The look in her eyes... she just looked lost... confused... lonely.  Oh how I want to fly there right NOW and scoop her up.  I wish I could share this photo with you, but alas, the confidentiality gets in the way.  I so can't wait to travel and meet her, hold her in my arms, and bring that gorgeous smile back to her face.  I will most definitely have MANY photos to share at that point!  We were told by our agency that we MIGHT be able to travel as early as September or October, but I'm not holding my breath.  That would be absolutely fabulous if we could though!  Things are really coming into place- we received both our passports and will be starting our home study very soon.

In the meantime, I pray each night for her health and well-being... I pray she isn't too hungry when she goes to bed at night...  I pray she will be accepting of a family to call her own.  I would be most grateful if you included these in your prayers as well.  Your prayers mean just as much to me as any monetary contribution.  Your comments on this blog carry me through.  I will often pull up this blog and listen to "her song"... reading through past posts and comments.  I feel like this bridges the gap, that incredible distance halfway around the world... and brings her right here. <3

***Coming soon- our first fundraiser!!  Stay tuned, and bring your appetite! ;) ***

Quick funny :)

Mike went to get his first round of fingerprinting done today (we have to get three total sets of prints done at various stages of the adoption process) and I e-mailed him at work asking how it went.... when I went last week I had a horrible wait- about 2 hours when all was said and done, on top of the hour commute each way.  Mike slipped over after checking in at work- not too terribly far from his office.  Here was his response:

First - it took me a few minutes to find the office - the numbers on the office windows aren't in order. Then I waited in the main line for a few minutes; there were over a hundered people. I almost left. Then a woman called "Okay line up - parole and <something else> up front." and everyone who was sitting jumped up and got in line. So I asked the guy ahead of me and he said, "Oh no- the fingerprinting is down the hall."

Once I went into the fingerprinting office I was there for a total of 40-45 minutes or so. I noticed they don't call people in order. It seems that they take those applying for government licenses first.

Anyway - it wasn't horrible. 

Hahaha!!  Ok, the part about parole and <something else> totally cracked me up- who knows what line he was waiting in!  So glad he finally asked before just walking out.  Now we are just waiting on birth certificates to arrive in the mail (hopefully before we leave for vacation July 30th, otherwise I don't know what will happen since we have to sign for them- yikes!) and a letter from Mike's physician- then we will be finished the application process and will be able to move on to our home study!!

P.S. I just posted some cute pics of the kids yesterday on our family blog- go check them out! :)

**UPDATE** Birth certificates arrived TODAY!! *insert huge sigh of relief* I was a tad nervous since I ordered them online for the both of us, and you are only supposed to order for yourself or your child- I wasn't sure if we'd get away with ordering them together and I wanted to save the $9.75 processing fee and $15.50 shipping for separate orders.  SO happy!!

Destiny

I am a Christian.  While I don't consider myself to be overly religious, I most certainly believe in God, I believe His son, Jesus, died for us, and I believe there is a heaven.  I attend church as often as I can- I am so thankful for our small church's summer schedule as it fits so much better with Evan's own schedule with meals and naps.  We haven't been able to attend worship in a while, though I bring the big kids to Sunday School, and it has been so nice to finally be able to worship as a family again.

For the most part, I believe things happen for a reason- a reason that may not be known to us, but for His reason.  I believe in destiny.

Mike was just talking to a friend on the phone yesterday, telling him the news of our adoption plans, and I overheard him use the word destiny as well.... that it seems like this whole adoption has been destined for us, how things just seem to be falling into place.  Sometimes they are obvious signs, like seeing the words "Must reside in the state of MARYLAND ONLY" on P's page.  I swear those words jumped off of my computer screen and screamed into my ears, "Come get me!  I am YOURS!"  Some are not so obvious signs, like having an important piece of paper you thought for sure was long gone several years ago just land in your fingertips.

We are in the early stages of the adoption process, gathering final documents to complete our application process so we can begin our home study.  I went last week for my first round of fingerprinting and have my doctor's appointment this week to have my medical form completed.  Mike still needs to have both of these done- it's much more complicated for him taking the time away from work, but hopefully he will be able to get them done in a timely manner.  He recently requested his employment verification letter, which turned into quite the fiasco.  You see, he's been working at his place of employment since May of 2003, but that company was acquired by a new company- so their records are all mixed up.  To make matters worse, this is a rather large company- employing over 20,000 people, and to request this letter he had to call a specific department handling employment verification- which was located in India.  From there, a request was made for a letter to be sent out of an office in New Jersey.  Mike receives a PDF file of the letter before the hard copy is received, and notices an error right away.  His hire date is listed as January 1, 2008, yet it states he has over 8 years of service.  You guessed it- 2008 is when the new company acquired the old company.  You'd think it would be an easy fix, but apparently it isn't.  They have his "adjusted start date" as the date in 2003, but for some reason, they are not making matters easy with this letter!  They asked him for his original offer letter from when he was first hired.

Who keeps this stuff?  Well, wouldn't you know, just a few months ago (before any talk of adoption), I was FINALLY going through all sorts of papers we've accumulated, shredding all sorts of unneeded documents.  I'm talking bank statements and pay stubs from when we first got married- 14 years ago!!  I had been shredding and shredding, sorting and shredding.... I found a couple documents I wasn't sure about so I sat them aside for Mike to look at and give me the go ahead for destroying those as well.  I sat them on the side of the computer desk and never got around to asking him about them.

Just the other day, Mike comes rushing in from work, goes right upstairs to our room rummaging through papers in his night stand, then rushes down to the basement.  Just a couple minutes later he returns upstairs in amazement.  He went searching for that offer letter and wouldn't you know it- when he went downstairs to the computer desk- he lifted one paper off the desk and saw the offer letter right there.  He couldn't believe it.  He thought for sure it was long gone.  He told me that if I had asked him right away about it- he would have told me to shred it.  But we have it.  Crazy stuff.

I pray that the rest of the pieces to this puzzle fall into place just as easily.  Sweet P, we know you are meant to be ours, and we are working as hard as we can to bring you home as soon as we can.

Introductions!

Especially for all those who have been holding a special place in their hearts for Lina, long before we found her, I thought I would give you a little background- help you get to know her family a little better :)

Mike and I met in college- my freshman year, his senior year.  We both worked in the college bookstore, and his last day working there would end up being our first date!  He earned two degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science, and landed his first programming job right out of college.  I plugged away in my education courses, only to be surprised with an engagement ring halfway through my sophomore year!  I was totally surprised, and of course said yes, but made him wait until after I graduated before we would get married. ;)

engaged April 1995

I graduated in May of 1997, and we wed the very next month. :)  I was thankful to have two years to plan our wedding- plenty of time to make sure everything would be perfect.... and it was.

Look at those baby faces!!

After earning my degree in Early Childhood Education, I landed a teaching position at one of the schools where I student taught, teaching Pre-Kindergarten 5 half days a week.  I absolutely LOVED it!  Though I had wanted a full-time position at first, once we started thinking about starting a family, I did not want our child in daycare all day.  I wanted to keep my half-time position so I would have more time for baby.  About a year into our marriage, we decided it was time to start working on that family.   Little did I know the challenges we would face in order to make this happen.

Ten months passed by, and we finally conceived.  I was on cloud nine, but only for a few short weeks... for I lost the pregnancy at week 8.  I was DEVASTATED.  But, trying to look on the bright side, I was thankful that if I did have to lose the pregnancy, it happened early.  I was also relieved to know that we were able to conceive, so it should happen again.

Well, we tried... and we tried... and we tried... and it was becoming quite depressing.   After two more years of no luck, we moved on to a fertility center.  We were discussing adoption and foster parenting at this point also, but on our first attempt at IUI, we conceived Kaylin.  Praise God!!  I could tell from the very beginning that this pregnancy was different, and confident this baby would be in our arms making me a Mommy.

Kaylin's Baptism March 30, 2003

You can read Kaylin's birth story HERE.

Since it took us so long to conceive Kaylin, we figured we better "start" right away for another.  We went back to the fertility center when Kaylin was about a year and a half and thought it would be easy peasy since we conceived so quickly with them the first time.  Well that was silly of me to think!  After three failed attempts at IUI, we moved on to IVF, and thankfully conceived on our first try of the IVF.  Infertility treatments are no piece of cake- those were definitely some of the most trying months of my life both physically and emotionally.  But seven short months later (yes, Justin decided to enter the world quite early!), a tiny baby boy landed in our arms.  His birth story was quite the story FULL of drama- you can find it HERE.

Justin entered the world in June of 2005

When I became pregnant with Justin, I knew that would be my last year of teaching for a while.  Since I was only working half-time, just about my entire check was going towards Kaylin's child care.  It made no sense for me to actually lose money to keep two kids in child care.  This would begin my new career as a stay-at-home mommy. :)  It's funny... I remember when I was little, I would get laughed at for saying I wanted to be a mommy when I grew up, knowing I wanted to be at home with my kids just like my mom was home with us for our early years.  Then I entered middle school and thought maybe I could be a daycare mom- stay at home and still make money watching other people's kids.  High school came and I decided to become a teacher.  Well whaddaya know- I became a mommy after all! ;)

After all the stress with Justin's birth, we were fairly certain that we were finished conceiving.  We didn't want to risk having another preemie- chances are much higher after you've already had one.... and we didn't care to go through the fertility center again.  But after while, we kinda forgot about all the stressful stuff and wondered, "what if...."

We never really thought we would be able to conceive on our own, and I had already passed on all of our baby things.  Who would have thought several years later we would in fact conceive our third child!  I will never forget confronting Mike.... "Ummmm... honey?  I'm late..."

"Late for what?"  He's thinking an appointment?  A lunch date?  Where are you supposed to be??

"No.... I'm LATE."  Then the light bulb goes on!  OHHHH!!!  I waited to see how he would react, thinking he is going to FLIP out!!  But in fact, he was excited right away.  I couldn't believe it!  I waited a few more days to take a home pregnancy test- I absolutely dreaded using those things.... after so many years of infertility they became so incredibly depressing, seeing the negative result pop up.  But when I was fairly certain, I went ahead and took a test- positive right away!!  We were overjoyed, and the kids were ecstatic about a new baby on the way.  Kaylin had dreams of a baby sister, but was still excited when we found out at our ultrasound that it was indeed a boy.  All appeared fine- everything measured on track... my triple screen test came back with "normal" results as it had with my other two pregnancies.  We had absolutely NO idea what was in store for us when Evan entered the world. 

That extra little chromosome rocked our world when the doctor first told us his suspicions moments after Evan's birth, but the first moment I held him in my arms, the fears and worries started melting away.  By the time he was discharged from the hospital a week later, I was madly in love and in seventh heaven with this precious little one.  You can read Evan's birth story HERE. 

Backtracking just a little- our home had just three bedrooms before we conceived Evan, and we decided we would add an extra room over the garage to make room for baby.  Our contractor's architect recommended adding two rooms instead of just one, as it would be much easier with the floor plan.  So... Lina already has a room waiting for her!  :) Well, it's not ready yet... we had been thinking of turning it back into an office which is what it served as before Justin was born.  Now it will be decorated in all sorts of fun girly things instead. ;)  It just never ceases to amaze me how this all seemed to be part of God's plan.  <3

Our story: finding Lina

Ok, so I had this post all typed up in advance, but I need to add something here before we get started....

I need to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of Lina's faithful friends out there- I have been awed and inspired by all the comments left here as well as on my friend Patti's blog announcing us as  Lina's family.  I knew  Lina was well-loved before committing to her, but I am just amazed that in less than 24 hours of this blog being live-  Lina has had over 600 visitors from 10 different countries!!  And she already has $240 in her FSP- thank you so much!!!  It is YOUR thoughts and prayers that will carry us through this journey and they are all GREATLY appreciated. <3

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


It truly is amazing to me how we became so lucky as to be the family working to bring  Lina home.  You will find our story to be a bit unique. :)


I was introduced to Reece's Rainbow almost a year ago from an online Down syndrome parenting group. While my initial intent was not to adopt, though Mike and I did discuss adoption and fostering before we had our own children, I had the desire to donate where I could and help advocate for these children to find families. I thought maybe... just maybe... IF I could get Mike on board with me (and that was a big if), we could adopt a child from RR a few years down the road when Evan is in school full-time and my mom is retired.


A little aside.... Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I taught Pre-kindergarten in the public schools for 8 years.  Ever since I started working in the classroom, I have had the desire to adopt an older child.  I will never ever forget little "B".... I was student teaching in a Kindergarten class while still in college, and this little girl was rail thin... I mean if I made a circle with my thumb and index finger- it could fit around her leg.  She had at least 4 older sisters and was always dressed in their old tattered clothes, at least three sizes too big.  All the girls were required to see the school nurse every Monday morning to be checked for head lice since their house was infested.  Oftentimes they were sent home.  Oh how little B wanted to be hugged and cuddled, and I tried my very best to give her some attention, but felt awful having to be careful not to let her hair get too close just in case.... I still think about her often- she should have graduated high school two years ago if my calculations are correct.  Not that she was ever up for adoption, but I so wanted to take her home with me, give her a nice warm bubble bath, and shower her with hugs and affection as well as some good food for her tummy.


So back to our story....

The majority of children born with disabilities into Eastern Europe are given up at the hospital and sent to impoverished orphanages. Their lives aren't valued and there is no funding to support them.  It's not uncommon for orphanages to run out of diapers or soap- my last contribution was toward a fundraiser working to supply an orphanage with cloth diapers and accessories since they were washing and reusing disposable diapers.  I just can't even imagine.  Orphanages are often short staffed as well, and it's not uncommon for children to be placed in "laying rooms" where they simply lay in a crib all day and all night.  I'm talking for YEARS.  Thankfully, from the photos we have seen, it appears  Lina  has been cared for appropriately in her orphanage.


Between the ages of 4 and 6, children with disabilities are usually transferred from the baby house to an adult mental institution. About 80% of them die within one year.   I've been haunted by the stories, videos, and photographs, and then I look at our precious Evan. I can't imagine him being taken from me and forced to suffer in these conditions. And then I look at  Lina. She certainly doesn't deserve this fate either.

I first found her photo on Reece's Rainbow almost a year ago, and seeing how beautiful she is as well as being listed as “high functioning” with no health issues posted, I knew there would be many families interested in bringing her home. Many months passed, and then this past April I saw my friend, Patti, post  Lina's picture on her Facebook wall, asking, “Are you her mommy?”. I had to inquire. 

Before I contacted Reece's Rainbow, I showed her photo to Mike and said with big puppy dog eyes, "I want her."  I figured he would just think I was joking, and I honestly didn't expect him to actually say yes, so in a way I sort of was. Sort of.  Instead, he hestiated for just a second, and said, "Go ahead..."  Really???  I certainly had no intentions of expressing any interest without his full support as of course this is a huge endeavor.  He said, "Well we can ask...."  


I contacted Reece's Rainbow and was told there were already a few families who had inquired about  Lina, so I was relieved she should have a family. But another month passed, and she still hadn't been moved to the “My family found me” section of the website. May 27^th, I noticed there were suddenly new requirements listed on her page. Requirements I just knew the other families who had shown interest wouldn't be able to meet. Requirements that we DID meet.

Now this time, I asked him again, much more seriously. There was no hesitation from him this time at all. He was on board 100%. I asked him over and over again- are you sure??  His response was, "You know we can't save them all..." knowing that if we claimed one I would surely fall for more and want to bring them all home with me.... but realistically I know we can only adopt one, and I'm ok with that.  


I sent another e-mail to Reece's Rainbow inquiring yet again about  Lina.  I received a prompt response:

Oh, Amy wow!! Amazing timing! We just found out two days ago that all the families who submitted preliminary applications were rejected by the judge in her region and these new strict requirements were put in place.  I intended to go through my emails this weekend and contact all the families who inquired about her whom I told she had a family to see if there was any slim chance any of them would meet those requirements.  To be honest, we haven't been optimistic that there would be a qualified family for her. Wow! 

What are these strict requirements which disqualified many others?

*must live in Maryland (since this is where the adoption agency is located- no judge has ever required this before)

*must already have a child with Down syndrome

*must make a certain amount of money

*must not have more than 4 children at home already

Once I saw these requirements, the first two in particular, I just knew we had to do this. God was calling to me, and this child was OURS.  Mike has been extremely supportive and is just as excited about all this as I am. The kids were through the roof when we told them they were getting a little sister!! Kaylin is absolutely THRILLED to be getting the little sister she's always wanted, and Justin keeps saying he is going to give one of his two blankeys to his little sister. <3  Love it!!  


We hope you all will be supportive of us as well. We certainly are not trying to be saints- we have fallen in love with this precious little girl and know she deserves the love of a family. She deserves bedtime stories at night as well as being tucked in with a full belly. She deserves showers of affection.  She deserves an education and opportunity. She deserves a life. Yes, there will be challenges. Yes, they will be worth it. SHE is worth it.

Hi, and Welcome!! :)

Welcome to P's blog!!  We are SUPER excited about beginning this journey to bring her home.  I poured over this blog for hours, trying to brainstorm a theme and title (bless you sweet friend who was stuck chatting with me online and helping to pick my brain!), and fell in love with the butterfly analogy.  I envisioned P as a fragile butterfly just emerging from her cocoon which is the facility or facilities she's been living in for the past 4+ years.... finally getting the chance to stretch her brand new wings... and taking off to FLY and begin a whole new beautiful life on this earth.

While brainstorming, I resorted to the ever-so-resourceful Mr. Google many times, and when I searched for "butterfly analogy" I found this amazing blog with the most absolutely perfect post!!

{an excerpt from The Butterfly and the Special Child copied with permission from The Special Parent}

...Robin describes how the emerging butterfly beats its wings against the cocoon repeatedly to escape. She relates how if the butterfly were to be cut free of the cocoon and not win its freedom through the struggle it doesn’t gain the necessary strength to survive.

I have always thought of my daughter as a butterfly as well. My original theory sprang from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly and the entire struggle they go through to get to that point and emerge this beautiful and graceful creature. I do believe that Robin’s butterfly analogy still applies to all our children.

Each one in their own way may have a struggle, a cocoon from which they will escape. Beating their wings they slowly emerge having overcome one adversity or another. No matter how many cocoons your youngster must fight their way through it will make them stronger.

Let your child break through the cocoon. Be there to cheer them on, but let them be the ones to break through. To cut your butterfly loose from it’s cocoon would not allow it to win it’s freedom and would not give it the strength it needs to live it’s life. As the parent of a special child, sometimes it’s harder I think to watch the struggle. You feel like you need to help cut open the cocoon. You need to facilitate, but the breakthrough must be their own, hard won maybe, but their own.

Without question we are all blessed with some amazing butterflies.

So while I wholeheartedly agree with this comparison to all children with special needs, I see another analogy to orphans surviving in an institution and finding their freedom.  I pray each night that P has the strength to carry on in her orphanage and knows in her heart that her family is coming.  We love you, little butterfly.