Maddie cracks me up! Frequently when Jamie or I put Maddie to bed there are 100 things she needs before she sleeps. Well tonight Jamie and I were talking in the other room and we heard from Maddie's room, "I bit my lip, ooh Mommy I bit my lip". I said, "Maddie, is it ok?" She said it was. A minute later she said, "Ohhh, I can't sleep- my hands have germs on them!" I laughed so hard I literally doubled over crying and fell on the couch laughing. (alright so that is a little extra funny to a clean freak like me that I am raising a little germ fearing girl)
Monday, January 31, 2005
Monday, January 24, 2005
WOO-HOO
Our long awaited oh-so important I-171H form has arrived from the United States Citizenship and Immigration office. This is the form that allows us to bring a foreign orphan into the United States to become a citizen. As you know with any government office you are at their mercy with little to no information on whether they received your documents and where you are in the stack. We sent our documents to request the form on November 17, along with a big check, they then sent us a fingerprinting appointment for December 22nd which we went to, and we have been anxiously awaiting the mail since. It finally arrived on Friday. This is our last document that we needed to complete the 5 month paper chase.
There are three parts to the China adoption process:
1. The Paper Chase-I don't even know if I have the energy to even to began telling you how much paperwork is involved. Every document (birth certificates, marriage license, medical exams, good conduct certificates, adoption letter of intent, employment letters, financial statement, home study and I'm sure I'm missing a few) has to be obtained as well as go through what they call an "authentication" process. Authentication means it has to go back to the Secretary of State where the form originated to receive a seal and then it has to go the Chinese Consulate in the state that has jurisdiction over the state where the form was originated to receive yet another seal. This has been an exhausting process and somewhat stressful one as you are constantly crossing your fingers (or in our case praying) that nothing gets lost in the transition.
2. The Referral-Once the paperwork is complete it is sent to China by our adoption agency (The Gladney Center) and logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) system. The CCAA (God) will match us up with our daughter and will send us a picture and a medical report. Currently the wait time is at 6 months. So in about 6 months we will have in our possession a picture of our daughter...we can hardly wait!
3. Travel Approval-Once we accept the referral, we will be sent our travel approval to go to China and get our girl. Typically, you receive the travel approval 6-8 weeks after the accepting the referral.
Our best guess is that we will be traveling to China to pick up our sweet daughter next September. It definitely is a tough process and the waiting is definitely going to be the most difficult, but we know God will see us through and will have waiting for our family a precious baby girl.
There are three parts to the China adoption process:
1. The Paper Chase-I don't even know if I have the energy to even to began telling you how much paperwork is involved. Every document (birth certificates, marriage license, medical exams, good conduct certificates, adoption letter of intent, employment letters, financial statement, home study and I'm sure I'm missing a few) has to be obtained as well as go through what they call an "authentication" process. Authentication means it has to go back to the Secretary of State where the form originated to receive a seal and then it has to go the Chinese Consulate in the state that has jurisdiction over the state where the form was originated to receive yet another seal. This has been an exhausting process and somewhat stressful one as you are constantly crossing your fingers (or in our case praying) that nothing gets lost in the transition.
2. The Referral-Once the paperwork is complete it is sent to China by our adoption agency (The Gladney Center) and logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) system. The CCAA (God) will match us up with our daughter and will send us a picture and a medical report. Currently the wait time is at 6 months. So in about 6 months we will have in our possession a picture of our daughter...we can hardly wait!
3. Travel Approval-Once we accept the referral, we will be sent our travel approval to go to China and get our girl. Typically, you receive the travel approval 6-8 weeks after the accepting the referral.
Our best guess is that we will be traveling to China to pick up our sweet daughter next September. It definitely is a tough process and the waiting is definitely going to be the most difficult, but we know God will see us through and will have waiting for our family a precious baby girl.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Maddie Howard and Jamie
Oh to be a fly on the wall inside of a three year old's brain. Today Maddie woke up and at some point between getting out of her bed and coming and getting in my bed she decided she would refer to herself as Maddie Howard and she would refer to me as Jamie. Her first question of the day was "What are Maddie Howard and Jamie going to do today?". I thought to myself how did I get such a cute little girl, but after an hour of her mentally keeping up with the references I was getting a little annoyed, but was very impressed that she could keep this up for so long.
Here's a small sampling of our conversation this morning:
Jamie, Maddie Howard wants to watch Cinderella. Jamie come look at Prince Charming he's taking Cinderella away with the mouses. Why did Daddy leave Maddie Howard and go to work? Jamie I don't like that red jacket. Maddie Howard wants to go to the donut shop.
Maddie Howard likes white donuts not pink ones. Jamie, what color of donuts do you like? Jamie, don't forget to buckle my seatbelt or you will get a ticket from the police. Maddie Howard speaks nicely to her parents so the blue lady does not have to come to our house. (This one comes from her watching Super Nanny last night)
So in the car on the way to school, I said "Maddie, I would really like to be called Mommy instead of Jamie...is that OK?" Her response, "Mommy I was just pretending and having fun."
What's an annoyed Mommy suppose to say to that?
Here's a small sampling of our conversation this morning:
Jamie, Maddie Howard wants to watch Cinderella. Jamie come look at Prince Charming he's taking Cinderella away with the mouses. Why did Daddy leave Maddie Howard and go to work? Jamie I don't like that red jacket. Maddie Howard wants to go to the donut shop.
Maddie Howard likes white donuts not pink ones. Jamie, what color of donuts do you like? Jamie, don't forget to buckle my seatbelt or you will get a ticket from the police. Maddie Howard speaks nicely to her parents so the blue lady does not have to come to our house. (This one comes from her watching Super Nanny last night)
So in the car on the way to school, I said "Maddie, I would really like to be called Mommy instead of Jamie...is that OK?" Her response, "Mommy I was just pretending and having fun."
What's an annoyed Mommy suppose to say to that?
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Provision for the Journey
God sent us on the journey of adoption and made it very clear this was His plan for our family. The cost of international adoption is steep, but since we had been led on the journey, we knew the Lord would bless us and continue to provide.
We found out that my company had adoption assistance after we embarked upon the journey, this assistance amounted to $2000, we were very excited. Once we found out my company provided an adoption assistance program, Brian asked his company. Brian's company is a new company and their response was, "No, we don't have one, but it's something we might look into for next year". The lady who is responsible for the benefits at Brian's company sent Brian the new Adoption Assitance benefit plan after the first of the year. Our first response was how wonderful they will be providing this benefit, however we nearly fell over when we found out the reimbursement was $10,0000.
Just another story of how He continually provides and blesses the Howard family.
We found out that my company had adoption assistance after we embarked upon the journey, this assistance amounted to $2000, we were very excited. Once we found out my company provided an adoption assistance program, Brian asked his company. Brian's company is a new company and their response was, "No, we don't have one, but it's something we might look into for next year". The lady who is responsible for the benefits at Brian's company sent Brian the new Adoption Assitance benefit plan after the first of the year. Our first response was how wonderful they will be providing this benefit, however we nearly fell over when we found out the reimbursement was $10,0000.
Just another story of how He continually provides and blesses the Howard family.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Capeesh?!?!
Can someone please tell me how my three year old daughter knows the word Capeesh?!. We were playing a game where Maddie would come over and sit on either one of our backs and the other one would pretend we were sad. Maddie said "I am going to sit on your back for one minute and then I will sit on your back for one minute and if anyone cries you are going to be in trouble- capeesh?"
We have no idea where she has heard this word, but it was hilarious and we laughed and laughed!
We have no idea where she has heard this word, but it was hilarious and we laughed and laughed!
OH NO....
Dad now has the password to the blog!! My journaling husband who has hundreds and hundreds of journal pages will be sure to keep you well informed now that he has the password to the blog site.
Remember I warned you! =)
Remember I warned you! =)
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Hey, dad can blog!
Hey "ya'll" - I've been in Texas 15 years and still no one believes me when I say "ya'll". Well, I wanted to put a note out here as well. Jamie, Madeline, and I are doing well. The "buzz" around here is pretty much on our adoption so I thought I would talk about how that happened to be something we pursued and where we are at.
Perhaps for a year the topic of adoption was something we had discussed in a very casual way. Many of you have told us that we had even brought the idea up in past conversations which I don't remember doing and I find very interesting. Jamie had a tough first pregnancy (she was sick for 9 months) so that was the genesis of the earliest musings on this topic but adoption was a big step and it brings challenges and fears with it. So, we needed a lot more than fear of Jamie having a possible 9 more months of morning sickness to move us anywhere near adoption.
We had been able to have a pregnancy and birth experience of our own which really was a wonderful and fulfilling time for both of us therefore, in early-to-mid 2004 we began to think more freely about the needs in the world in the area of adoption. As we discussed our evolving feelings on this matter we shared several points. We both agreed that it was possible we could be willing to adopt and we both agreed the need in the world for this was something that touched our hearts.
If we said in the early stages that we were "interested" (which might be too strong of a statement) Jamie was "interested" more in international adoption than domestic because of the possibility in domestic adoption the birth mother changing her mind and other items related to a more open-adoption type environment. I was exclusively interested in international adoption because of the much worse need in other countries- its kind of a mindset of investing yourself in an area with the most need possible. Additionally, neither one of us had challenges with adopting from a different race or culture so it made international more interesting to us. Also, international to be honest for me is a heck of a lot more interesting because I'm kind of the wild one around here... (I mean I "have" to go to Guatemala, Russia, China, oh darn- that is so up my alley)
So, again the thought process took months of thinking about and talking about- and yes praying about....more later..
Perhaps for a year the topic of adoption was something we had discussed in a very casual way. Many of you have told us that we had even brought the idea up in past conversations which I don't remember doing and I find very interesting. Jamie had a tough first pregnancy (she was sick for 9 months) so that was the genesis of the earliest musings on this topic but adoption was a big step and it brings challenges and fears with it. So, we needed a lot more than fear of Jamie having a possible 9 more months of morning sickness to move us anywhere near adoption.
We had been able to have a pregnancy and birth experience of our own which really was a wonderful and fulfilling time for both of us therefore, in early-to-mid 2004 we began to think more freely about the needs in the world in the area of adoption. As we discussed our evolving feelings on this matter we shared several points. We both agreed that it was possible we could be willing to adopt and we both agreed the need in the world for this was something that touched our hearts.
If we said in the early stages that we were "interested" (which might be too strong of a statement) Jamie was "interested" more in international adoption than domestic because of the possibility in domestic adoption the birth mother changing her mind and other items related to a more open-adoption type environment. I was exclusively interested in international adoption because of the much worse need in other countries- its kind of a mindset of investing yourself in an area with the most need possible. Additionally, neither one of us had challenges with adopting from a different race or culture so it made international more interesting to us. Also, international to be honest for me is a heck of a lot more interesting because I'm kind of the wild one around here... (I mean I "have" to go to Guatemala, Russia, China, oh darn- that is so up my alley)
So, again the thought process took months of thinking about and talking about- and yes praying about....more later..
Monday, January 03, 2005
VIOLA!
I can't believe it was that simple. We have been wanting to begin some kind of web page to keep family and friends updated but didn't know exactly how to get started. My Dad sent us a link to blogspot.com and viola...5 minutes later we have a family blogspot.
How exciting!
How exciting!
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