Waiting Stitches

Jon got a great birthday gift today! We have been waiting for over two months to hear ANYTHING about Little C and we finally got word today that his VISA medical exam is scheduled for Dec. 15, and the VISA interview is scheduled for Dec. 19. Now we are just praying this really does happen as it is Typhoon season and there is a big system heading towards the Philippines. Not to worry about Little C as his island should be safe, but the main government systems in Manila could be affected which could deter the adoption timeline even more. Following the VISA appointments we have been told it is typically a quick turnaround until we are called and told we can travel; however, they will be closed for about a week during Christmas so this will add time to our wait I'm sure. So we are thinking we may be traveling the end of January, mid-January at the earliest, could even be February. So, truth be told, I am accepting this news with both joy and sadness. I only had celebration on...

Friends & Family!!! We are one step closer to bringing home our Little C!!! Look what came in the mail today! This Notice of Action  means that immigration has cleared us to bring home Little C to the United States! The process to get this done was much more eventful than I would have liked it to be.  I've meant to write about it, but it was so frustrating and a downer that I never did.  Long story short - we didn't have all of the necessary paperwork from the Philippines, so the first letter I got from immigration made for a VERY SAD weekend. I thought I had done something wrong when sending in the paperwork! I was happy when I learned a couple days later that I had done everything correct, we were just still waiting for papers, and then out of the blue the papers showed up! They came without us contacting ICAB wondering where they were! But, of course, another hiccup, we were still missing one document. Ugh! The agony! So frustrating. But miraculously, th...

One of the hardest things I have heard through our adoption journey is "there must be a reason why your child is not home yet...". I can't tell you how much I dislike hearing this comment. Truth be told, it makes me question my thoughts about God and how He conducts His works. I don't feel God really WANTS a child to sit in an orphanage for years. I don't feel God WANTS us to be uncertain when we will be able to raise our child. So, if I believe it is not what God would want, then why is it happening? Why the wait? Not just our wait, but for Little C... for all the orphans of our world. Why do they sit while our world demands paperwork, money, letters of recommendation, background checks, and so much more, so that they can come home YEARS LATER to a forever home?  These are questions that plague my heart and brain on a regular occurrence. Will I ever learn the answers - most likely not - but if I am ever allowed to ask a couple questions in the presence of th...

Guess what!?!?... Yep, the ICAB board FINALLY met (two weeks after we were told they would).... And he is officially going to be ours!!! Our Little C is coming home!!!!! Woot! Woot! I will now try to answer any questions you may have (to the best of my knowledge!)... When did you find out?   I was called this morning during Caleb's swimming lessons. I saw there was a call from Portland and I didn't dare not answer - and then - for the first time in a while - I heard "I have good news!" - yey! Our socialworker got an email from the ICAB during the night which would have been during their Monday work day. How did you react?  Well, I didn't want to look like a mad woman!  ;)  But I did do a little crying and a lot of smiling. I then texted Jon right away since I knew he was in a meeting, and then I went and told Jon's parents as they happened to be watching swimming today as well! They were very excited too! After swimming I told Caleb a...

Ok folks, here is the new news on the street! First of all, I haven't written in awhile. There wasn't much to say, other than frustrating words, so I chose not to write. As many of you know, we had been waiting for the Philippines adoption board to review our paperwork to bring home Little C. We thought that this review would happen May 8th, but then were told it never happened and over two months later we still hadn't heard anything. This was so completely discouraging. I almost put thoughts of Little C "on hold" because I was so afraid that something was about to fall through. I became quite negative in this waiting period and started thinking the worst case scenario, instead of preparing and rejoicing for the upcoming events.  I kept myself busy with a community theater production and Jon has been very busy with his work, so I was able to keep everything on the backburner of my mind - but then the show ended, and I had way too much time on my hands to sit aro...

Hello to Monday! It is RAINY here today. Oh my goodness the rain was whipping around. Hopefully the grass seed we sprinkled yesterday didn't blow away, but instead will sink into the ground quickly so all of the snow salt & sand that destroyed are lawn will disappear and the lawn will look pretty again! We had a really nice weekend with family that I wanted to share. It was nice to have a couple days away to keep our mind off of "the wait". My parents and sister hung out with us Friday and Saturday. We stayed at a hotel, shopped for bathroom tile, played mini-golf, ate really good food, and then saw "The Little Mermaid" at Chanhassen Dinner Theater. A big thank you to my parents who took us to all of these events! We had so much fun!  Caleb and his Aunt Rachael had a fun time while my parents helped us make decisions on bathroom tile... Caleb's favorite activity, mini-golf, was once again a hit! There was a fair amount of silliness... ...

Not gonna lie. It was kind of a rough day. Where I should have been thankful, I wanted more. Where I should have rejoiced, I wept. Where I should have felt God's peace, I felt like a storm. Mother's Day 2014 was not one of my finest. Caleb wanted to have fun with me since according to him "Mother's day is when Moms play games with their kids!" :) But within five minutes of every game, or the walk we took, or whichever else, Mr. Caleb was a bit whiny and tempered. Or maybe I was the one tempered. Maybe I missed the opportunity to enjoy the now. I know I tried, but it was really hard to find it in me. I'm having a hard time expressing how urgent I feel lately. I want to hop on an express plane to the Philippines and bring our Little C home. I want him here. In our now I want to see him, feel him, hear him, smell him. I want to learn about every freckle, hair colic, smile, temper, giggle, and look that he has. I want to hear his voice, watch him mov...

This is where my son currently lives... My heart yearns to be in this place with him.. It is a home much different than ours... More people, more water (hard to believe in this part of the midwest!), more heat... Poverty within eyes view, among... an amazing backdrop of beauty.  Praying for my Little C tonight. Longing to bring him home... although, what will he think of Wisconsin? This is NOT  the Philippines. I hope he is happy here... That he can enjoy the snow... That the geese don't scare him...  :) And he learns to love the less hectic life of the Midwest... Wanting him here now so we can share in this home together... Please keep praying he comes home sooner than later... we are anxiously waiting. In Christ, Mara

We have become the project household lately. Our last couple weeks, with many more to come, have been filled with new projects - and not just the small, time to organize the corner pile, type project, but the all out whole room makeover type projects.  A couple of the projects were planned and/or could have been worked on ages ago and one of the projects fell into our lap - almost literally.... First, the one I am most anxious to accomplish - the boy's room! We are "upcycling" a couple old pieces of furniture, well, really just painting them and making them look presentable again. I've been even letting Caleb get in on the action. He has tested our patience (it's really hard teaching a 5 yr old how to paint!!!) but he is really excited to be a part of it all. A shout out to Grandpa too! He helped us (and also had to stay patient!) last weekend do a bunch of sanding and painting. The first coat of paint has been put on this end table and the bunk beds we found...

Little C has really been on my mind lately. I've been anticipating what it will be like to have him here. Last night while Caleb got ready for bed, I realized he might not like the books Caleb likes to read. Today, walking on the sidewalk with Caleb I wondered if the boys will pick up sticks together, and find every puddle, making our walk last even longer. Cuddling with Caleb I thought about attachment and wondered what it will be like for Little C to have a family, since he hasn't had one for most of his life. Stroking Caleb's growing hair, I thought of Little C's dark full hair and wondered what it will look like in person - will he want a buzz cut like Caleb in the summer? At night I wonder if he will want to cuddle, or if he will want to stay in his room. During the day I go back and forth on what will be the best for him next year - which preschool should he attend, what kind of daycare to do, and how to find more time after work so we can get lots of time togethe...

With a heavy heart, here is, more or less, what we wrote to our people at AGCI tonight... "Jon and I have been doing a lot of talking, praying, thinking, and talking some more and have decided that we no longer want to do a concurrent adoption with the Ethiopia program. We withdrew our placement in the Ethiopia program and transferred some of the money to help with our dossier payment for the Philippines.  I feel there is no real win-win at this point, but overall that this is probably the best "solution" for us. We are so very excited to bring Little C home from the Philippines, but there is a sense of loss for all of the months we had been praying and thinking about our Ethiopian children. We do plan to adopt again, but feel led to seek either a second child from the Philippines, or look into domestic adoption a while after Little C is home." In a way, I feel a weight lifted off of our shoulders, as it is one less thing to worry about and wait  for. O...

If you've ever been pregnant, you understand the feeling of bearing a child. Yes, there are the aches and pains, the foot in the ribs, sleepless nights, and the pressure on the bladder. But there are also the flutters, the kicks, the flops & turns - the knowledge that you are one with your child. Being pregnant was one of the greatest blessings I could have ever been given. The gift of pregnancy is truly something I am thankful for every day. The fact that I was given that gift is a miracle, one that I do not take lightly.  The anxious arrival of a baby, is, well, just that - anxious. However, there is a sense of certainty about the whole world of pregnancy. Gestational period is 9 months, therefore you have a pretty good estimate on when the baby is joining the family. Books, upon articles, upon other Mom's, inform you of what to expect and what life is like those 9 months and beyond. I found comfort, even through the anxious times, knowing that although this journey m...

No news is good news... Right? I'm about to burst waiting to hear back from the Philippines. We thought it'd be at least a week, so I got through that just fine. But now that I've waited a couple days past that, ick. No fun. Luckily work is keeping me busy. My third graders are putting on mini-concerts the next couple days and on top of that I've been working with the other Elementary music teacher to pick our winter concert music. It's enough to keep me busy during the day, but at night-I have time to think.  An answer that is Sooner, rather than later, sure would be nice.  Thanks for the prayers that I know so many of you have been lifting up for us. At this point God knows what is best for the little boy and I have to trust that knowledge... Albeit hard to remember.  I am reminded of my favorite bible verse: These three still remain: faith, hope, and love - and the greatest if these, is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13 I know God is moving moun...

As of Sunday, our profile has been sitting in the Philippines awaiting its yey or ney.  What does this mean? Well, let me try to explain, as it is a little confusing. The way the adoption system works in the Philippines is almost the complete opposite of how it works in other countries, including the one we know the most about, Ethiopia. In many countries, we are paired with the children and then we decide ultimately if we want to accept the referral. Then the child goes through court dates to make certain that he/she is an orphan that can be adopted. We would attend some of the court hearings and then ultimately bring the child home when all is settled. The Philippines starts from the last step Ethiopia does - it gets all of the child's "ducks in a row" and makes absolutely sure that the child is an orphan before the child can be put on a list that shows he/she is available for adoption. In my opinion, this is great, because there is no doubt that the child will some...

This is just one of the MANY reasons I love my Mother... This was exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you Mom. Love you too.  You are truly a blessing to Me and my family. Can't wait for you and Dad to meet your new grandchild(ren) someday!!!! Love, Mara I was reviewing your Waiting Stitches blog and realized that today is the 15 th  – which means that you have been officially on the waiting list for  2  months now.  A lot has changed since your 1 month milestone, options have been reveled that you never even knew you had!  Guess we need to just look at each month that passes as  one month closer  to the ultimate reward – not just one more month of waiting.  God has shown you that even though you do your homework and think you have things pretty well figured out, He alone knows what His plan is.  And sometimes His path for us has lots of bends and curves in it (and even some dead ends where we have to retr...

Today we mark being on the waiting list for one month. Caleb held up Lego pieces, trying to make them look like a one (even though he's holding two pieces!). :) This month has completely flown by, we've kept busy between lots of travel, family visits, and the beginning of school and other activities. I feel stuck amongst the awkward feeling of what I want "time" to be. I pray for the next months, however many there may be, to go as fast as the first one. But then I also don't want my months to go by so quickly, as I don't want to miss this time of my life. We are able to spend more quality time with Caleb, we have ample opportunities to enjoy time with friends and organizations within our community, and I'm paving my tracks in my 30's. I don't want all of THIS time to whiz on by without me barely even turning my head. So what do I wish for - this waiting period to go fast or slow? Within the fast-paced life of the last month though, I ha...