On the Way

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."  Hebrews 10:36

Our paperwork is
ON THE WAY
to US immigration!

Our 1-800a has been sent to USCIS for approval, and I am so excited!

Here is our next couple of months in our adoption journey:
*Paperwork sent off to USCIS for approval.
*While we wait for approval, we will prepare the remaining documents for our dossier (documents that go to China), and we will begin applying for grants to help us bring our baby home.
*When our paperwork comes back from USCIS & our dossier is prepared, we will be ready to send everything off to China!  (We are hoping that this will be ready to go on my 30th birthday-April 4th, because China requires that we both be 30 to send our documents)

Please pray that this process would be smooth and quick, so that everything will be ready to go the first week of April or shortly thereafter.

Also, if you have any advice or recommendations about adoption grants that we should consider applying for, please let me know.

Books for Babies

I wanted to pass an opportunity along to all of you.

I have a dear friend who, along with her husband, runs a non-profit org that takes care of orphans in India, Thailand and Swaziland.  Check out www.thesoundofhope.org.


They have decided to start libraries at the care points/orphanages that they support.  They will be taking their first load of books when they go to Swaziland in March.

Here is where you come in:  I cannot imagine my boys growing up without books to look at, pages to turn, or stories to hear.  If your home is anything like ours, you probably have a surplus of children's books piled on your shelves.  If you would like to donate any new or gently used books to share with these sweet babies overseas, please check out this blog:  http://www.thesoundofhope.org/blog/2012/2/22/book-drive-for-swaziland.html.


I would be thrilled to deliver your donations to my friend in Birmingham before they leave.  I can take donations (in Auburn) up until next Friday (March 2nd).

Thanks!

Daddy's Famous Mickey Mouse Pancakes

This past Sunday, Daddy made his famous Mickey Mouse Pancakes for breakfast!
It was a special day because Big D got to experience his first Mickey Mouse Pancake!
He LOVED it!

Alabama Gives Day

Today the state of Alabama is participating in Alabama Gives Day.  The focus of the day is promoting non-profit organizations and helping them to raise funds.

There is one organization, in particular, that is very special to me, and I wanted to mention it to you!
It is The Sound of Hope http://www.thesoundofhope.org/.

The Sound of Hope exists to raise funds and awareness for orphans and vulnerable children around the world.  Particularly India, Thailand & Swaziland.

Please consider supporting The Sound of Hope by giving a donation today.  Every donation counts! 

They even have awesome prize packs that will be drawn for at the end of the day.
All you have to do is make a $10 donation today to be entered!
The winner will choose between an Auburn or Alabama prize pack.

Auburn prize pack = Navy scarf from Thailand / Orange bracelets from India / The Sound of Hope t-shirt
Alabama prize pack = Crimson scarf from Thailand / Elephant earrings from Thailand / The Sound of Hope t-shirt

Check out the prize packs here:  http://www.thesoundofhope.org/blog/2012/2/1/be-a-part-of-alabama-gives-day.html.

Meeting a Milestone

Yesterday we met a major milestone in our adoption journey!  We had our final home study interview (#4 of 4).

Our home study report is in the process of being finalized (hopefully a 2 week process), and then it will be time for all of our paperwork (I 800a) to be sent off to immigration!  It is supposed to take 2-3 months for our paperwork to be approved by immigration, and then it will be time to send everything off to China!

Each day brings us one step closer to our precious baby!  God is certainly stretching us and teaching us during this time, and we are grateful!