A Bit On The Confused Side

Admittedly, I am a bit confused. When we last met with Fred, he told us he would have our rough draft done in a couple of days. Here it is, a couple of weeks later and still no draft of the homestudy. I called the office and Holt was not sure where it was. Now, I am a bit concerned. Seems like the little steps are taking extra time now, too. And I must keep reminding myself, things get done in God's time, not mine. Patience.

We Passed!

We had our second and final homestudy today and we passed!  Now, we have to wait to get our finalized paperwork and submit our immigration forms.  Then, we submit our dossier and get put on the list.  I imagine the next couple of steps will take at least a month, but at least this hurdle is behind us.  A big thanks to Fred, our homestudy case worker.  He was so nice!  On to the next step!!!!

Home Study Numero Uno

Our first home study is on Tuesday!  We are excited about it.  I can't really say that I am nervous.  The other adoptive moms have said that it isn't a big deal.  Hopefully, my house won't look like a tornado came through it!  As long as the children don't beat on each other, I think we are okay.  Just in case, we'll keep our fingers crossed...

The Next Baby Steps

So, for those of you following this, you may be wondering what is next.  To be honest, I am kind of thinking the same thing.  I have been taking things step by step because I am not exactly sure what is required of me to pass the next step.  I know that we need to get our home study done.  Hopefully, we can do that in the next couple of weeks.  I would love to have that done before Thanksgiving, but it is hard to say if we can make that happen.  Then, we wait for that to be finalized and we file our immigration papers.  That basically is permission for Troy and I to adopt from Ethiopia.  Once we get that, our dossier is complete and we submit it to Holt who sends it to Ethiopia.  We get placed on a waiting list and we wait for a call!  Once we get that call, we travel to Ethiopia for one week and while there, we meet our little girl and go to court.  Hopefully, we will pass that and then we go home.  I believe that we are here again for about two months.  The last step is to go get our daughter and bring her home!  That last part is the best!  Thank you again to everyone that has supported us thus far.  You have no idea how much this means to me.

Classes Done! (at least for now)

Troy and I attended classes today and yesterday for the adoption.  It was in LeGrand, IA which is close to Marshalltown.  They went relatively quickly and we met some nice people.  We are one step closer to meeting our little girl.  We hope to hear from our social worker next week and get our home visits done.  Then, we wait and then more paperwork!  It is never ending, but I am not complaining.  We are doing our t-shirt fundraiser and have just started a coffee fundraiser as well.  We hope we get a lot of support....tickets to Ethiopia are very expensive! 

T-Shirts For Sale!

Our first big fundraiser is selling t-shirts!  They are $10 per shirt and profits will go toward our travel expenses!  The front will just have one little picture on it and the back will have a larger picture of Africa with an adoption quote.  I am not sure about the color of the shirt, but the writing will likely be orange.  Please let me know if you are interested!  Thanks so much!  I will post pics when I get them!

Keeping My Distance

I had a thought tonight.  With all the paperwork and such on my mind, sometimes you lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.  But, one must go on!  I was just thinking of the moment when my daughter is handed to me.  I can almost feel her in my arms.  I don't know what she looks like, but I can feel her.  This is the first time that I have thought about that.  Since our infertility issues, I have learned to never get too excited about things, because sometimes things just don't work out as planned.  Thankfully, I have three beautiful and sweet little boys, but it wasn't an easy road.  I have kept a comfortable distance from the feelings that I have about this little girl that is in my mind.  I have not really let her into my heart yet because I am fearful that things, again, may not work out.  Tonight though, I am feeling some changes.....changes that bring me to believe that this is going to happen...that this little girl will be here, although maybe not in my timing but in His, and that she will have a mommy and daddy and three brothers that will love her.  I simply cannot wait to hold her and tell her how much I love her. 

There's Always Something

So, Holt called today and they got our fingerprints back!  Yay!  BUT, and there is always one, they need two more things from us.  Troy's TB results, which he already sent once but apparently were lost, and a water test.  Now, had I known that they still needed these things, I would have done it long ago!  Those of you that know me well realize that I don't procrastinate anything!  So, the two little boys and I went out to the Dept. of Health to pick up a water test kit and guess who is at a meeting all day...ugh.  But, I did grab a bottle for a sample and will take it tomorrow.  Troy got on his horse and sent in another form.  I am hoping everything is received next week and we can start our home study!  I am just so thrilled that our fingerprints finally made it!

Our Passports Are Here!

Troy's passport came in the mail yesterday, so that was great to see.  We are still, unfortunately, waiting for our fingerprints!  Arg!  It will be a beautiful day when those finally arrive!  It is seeming to me, though, that this may never happen.  I am starting to believe that they are lost somewhere.  Let's hope not.  Hopefully this week will bring good news for us.  We have our classes next weekend, and my wish was that our prints would be back by then.  I honestly didn't think it would be an issue, but now I question that.  **Sigh**

Passport Arrived!

I received my passport in the mail the other day and Troy's is almost done!  Yay!  Still waiting on the fingerprints, though.  I am fairly certain they are lost somewhere.  I sure hope not.  One of the nice girls at Holt told me that they could be here this week.  I am hoping for that.  With adoption, one little thing like that holds up the rest of the process.  I am not sure if our dossier will be in Ethiopia by Christmas or not.  That is all I want for Christmas Santa!  Do your best!

Friends Are Moving On That List!

Two fellow Ethiopian adoptive families are just cruising down the list for a referral!  I am so happy for them and hope, when it comes time, that the same will happen for us.  I am still pretty frustrated with our fingerprint return time, but I got an email today that my passport is on the way.  So, I am happy about that!  I would like to have all of our paperwork in by Christmas, but at this rate, who knows?  Ugh.  Patience Courtney...patience.

I Am No Saint

Where oh where are my fingerprints?  Yes, yes, I know they are on my fingers.  We sent them to the government about one month ago and still nothing.  Holt did tell me it could take up to six weeks.  I thought, nah, not mine.  I don't have a record.  I have been a pretty good kid, so now it is time to reap the benefits.  Uh...yea...wrong.   Guess it doesn't matter with this if you are naughty or nice.  Maybe it is because my last name is Smith.  Betcha there are lots of Smiths to get through.  So, yes, I blame Troy.  Easy target.

Rough Couple of Days

   My nephew can't seem to keep himself out of trouble and really seems to have done it this time.  I don't pretend to understand what goes through his head, but I really want him to get his life figured out.  He is a smart kid, yet makes horrible decisions.
   My cousin, Jolene, passed away this morning.  She had cancer and we knew this was imminent, yet it is still painful.  Rest in peace Jolene.  I am thinking of her family today and pray that God has taken Jolene safely home and that He gives her family peace.
   With all the sadness, I look at my boys and I am grateful.  We receive many gifts in this world and we are tested with pain.  I don't know what my life would be like without my little guys in it.  What a terrible place this world would be without children. 
   Thank you Jesus for my family and please be with those that need you as well as those that don't know they need you.

Paperwork Paperwork Paperwork!!!

So, here we are in the whole adoption process!  We have been accepted into the Ethiopia program by our adoption agency (Holt International).  We are now gathering the information needed to get our home study done and we are also working on our dossier, which is a huge packet of information that is sent into the foreign country.  It is somewhat tedious, but really not all that bad.  As soon as our fingerprints have returned from the government, we can finish our home study.  We are also waiting for our passports.  There are also required classes in November that we must take.  So, there is alot of waiting with intermittent paperwork.  Oh yeah....and the money.  Lots and lots o' money.  That is why our future holds many fundraisers.  Fun fun!  But, well worth it in the end!

A BLOG!

I cannot believe that I am now a blogger.  I didn't even know what a blogger was a year ago.  I know, a little behind on the times.  I wanted to do this so we can share with everyone where we are on our adoption!  It will also be helpful when it comes to fundraising because we will certainly need help along the way.  Thanks for stopping by!