For those wondering about this week's Wordless Wednesday photo, that's Superman, Red Son.
He's the action figure based on the comic books that contemplate how things would have been different had Superman crashed on a Ukrainian collective farm instead of in Kansas. Zack got the hardback edition of the series (all 3 books in one) for Christmas, and it was an interesting read. (And I think that might be the first time I'd ever read a comic book!)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
God of this City
Do you ever have a song that just speaks to you, from out of nowhere? A song you've heard before, but maybe it's just that it fits your current season of life...
Well, here's one such song that has really been like that for me in the last few days.
And for another awesome song (and awesome video), check out Christine's post HERE.
Well, here's one such song that has really been like that for me in the last few days.
And for another awesome song (and awesome video), check out Christine's post HERE.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
100 Days
In 6 days, we'll go for our last set of fingerprints - the biometrics for the USCIS. After that, we will wait on our U.S. approval that will go into or dossier.
In 100 days, our dossier will be submitted to the SDA (Ukraine's state department of adoption).
There is now a new dossier requirement for Ukraine. You must include a document that gives them permission to run an interpol check on you (basically, an international background check). We've already got the ball rolling on that.
I don't know how that might affect our timeline; we'll see. Unfortunately for those in country right now, the SDA just announced that those families must also do this. Some families were days from court, but will likely have to postpone until the results are returned. Some families just getting to the SDA for their appointments with the form in hand are being told this could add 2 - 3 weeks to their process.
Hopefully by the time it gets to us the new procedure will have been in place long enough so that we'll know what to expect and can plan accordingly (hopefully, interpol will be run prior to travel, possibly at submission). But please pray for all of the families that are already in Ukraine right now, that their interpol checks can be expedited to avoid any exceptionally long delays.
In 100 days, our dossier will be submitted to the SDA (Ukraine's state department of adoption).
There is now a new dossier requirement for Ukraine. You must include a document that gives them permission to run an interpol check on you (basically, an international background check). We've already got the ball rolling on that.
I don't know how that might affect our timeline; we'll see. Unfortunately for those in country right now, the SDA just announced that those families must also do this. Some families were days from court, but will likely have to postpone until the results are returned. Some families just getting to the SDA for their appointments with the form in hand are being told this could add 2 - 3 weeks to their process.
Hopefully by the time it gets to us the new procedure will have been in place long enough so that we'll know what to expect and can plan accordingly (hopefully, interpol will be run prior to travel, possibly at submission). But please pray for all of the families that are already in Ukraine right now, that their interpol checks can be expedited to avoid any exceptionally long delays.
Monday, January 25, 2010
You can support Vera & Sasha's family
The family that is pursuing Vera and Sasha is working diligently to raise funds for their adoption. If you'd like to support them, please email me and I'll give you an address where you can make a tax deductible donation to them. They need to raise $3,000 right away to get the ball rolling on phase 1 of all the paperwork. I know that any amount you can give will be greatly appreciated!(To everyone that has already given to Vera's fund, the funds in the Reece's Rainbow account will be available to this family once they travel, to cover the in-country expenses)
You can also click HERE for info on how to donate.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Favorite Photo Friday
December 3, 2007The day we finally got to take our boy with us!
I look back and thank God for blessing our journey and for all the progress made since coming home.
I look forward with excitement and anticipation about experiencing the same blessings and progress with our next child!
Can't wait to meet you, little one!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Shouting from the rooftops!!!
Vera's forever family has committed to her and is pursuing her adoption!!
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am. I've been sitting at my desk crying, and just trying to let it sink in. Her family has a blog that you can visit HERE. As soon as their donation page is set up, I will share the link. They are also pursuing Sasha, a precious little boy at the same orphanage.
Please stop by their blog and congratulate this family, and join me in praising God for uniting another family!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Another step...
We received our letters in the mail today - our biometrics appointments will be Monday February 1st. We are excited to finally have this scheduled.So we will go to Atlanta that morning and have one last set of fingerprints done. After that, we'll await our approval letter from the U.S. government. And that will be the last document to complete our dossier.
Praise God for another step in the right direction - one step closer to our little one!
Adoption Q&A
We've had a few questions here and there about our adoption, so here goes...
Are you adopting a boy or a girl?
We are leaving that totally up to God. We are open to whomever He has chosen for us. We do have bags of boys clothes in the attic, but I'm sure some of them are basic enough for a girl, too. And I'm guessing this child will get spoiled upon arrival just like William did!
Are you adopting one child, or more than one?
We are seeking one child, but we've been approved for 2 children, just in case there is a sibling set that we are led to pursue.
Are you adopting an infant?
No. If you're looking into adoption and seeking an infant, Ukraine is not for you. A child must be entered into a national registry in Ukraine for a minimum of 12 months before the child is available for international adoption. Most young children are adopted in-country. Most of the children that are available to international families are older. We are petitioning for a child younger than William.
How does William feel about all of this?
He thinks having a brother or sister sounds great. And I know that he will be an awesome big brother. But we also recognize that this will be hard on him. He's had us all to himself for over 2 years. We want to be very intentional and deliberate in continuing to give individual attention to him, and to his sibling(s).
Will William travel to Ukraine with you?
Yes! If we are able to submit our dossier on May 6th as we are scheduled right now, then we will likely be traveling in late May or early June, right about the time that school is out. We are excited that he'll be going with us and will get to experience everything as we do.
Please feel free to post your questions and we'll be glad to answer them!
Are you adopting a boy or a girl?
We are leaving that totally up to God. We are open to whomever He has chosen for us. We do have bags of boys clothes in the attic, but I'm sure some of them are basic enough for a girl, too. And I'm guessing this child will get spoiled upon arrival just like William did!
Are you adopting one child, or more than one?
We are seeking one child, but we've been approved for 2 children, just in case there is a sibling set that we are led to pursue.
Are you adopting an infant?
No. If you're looking into adoption and seeking an infant, Ukraine is not for you. A child must be entered into a national registry in Ukraine for a minimum of 12 months before the child is available for international adoption. Most young children are adopted in-country. Most of the children that are available to international families are older. We are petitioning for a child younger than William.
How does William feel about all of this?
He thinks having a brother or sister sounds great. And I know that he will be an awesome big brother. But we also recognize that this will be hard on him. He's had us all to himself for over 2 years. We want to be very intentional and deliberate in continuing to give individual attention to him, and to his sibling(s).
Will William travel to Ukraine with you?
Yes! If we are able to submit our dossier on May 6th as we are scheduled right now, then we will likely be traveling in late May or early June, right about the time that school is out. We are excited that he'll be going with us and will get to experience everything as we do.
Please feel free to post your questions and we'll be glad to answer them!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Moving Along...
With the new year in full swing, I want to really focus the blog on our upcoming adoption. I haven't been writing about it much because we blew through a big chunk of our paperwork and tasks during the holidays, when everything else was hectic, too.
So here's where we are right now. Our homestudy is complete. And we have secured all but one of our dossier documents. And by the way, our medicals went great: we received all our documents correct the very first time! Thanks for all those prayers!
Finally, we sent our I-600A (the paperwork asking the U.S. to approve us for adoption) on December 17th. We got a receipt from USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) on December 28th, saying they received our paperwork on December 23rd.
So now we're waiting on a letter from USCIS giving us a date & time to go for our biometrics (fingerprints). We'll have to drive down to Atlanta for that. Hopefully we'll receive that appointment letter very sooon. And once we go for that, we'll just be waiting for our approval form from the U.S. government. That will be the final piece needed for our dossier!
Please pray that we get that letter soon. Not that it's a huge rush, but it would sure be nice to know that we've done everything and it's all in our facilitator's hands, being translated and awaiting submission.
And if you have questions along the way, please post them as a comment on the blog, or email me HERE.
So here's where we are right now. Our homestudy is complete. And we have secured all but one of our dossier documents. And by the way, our medicals went great: we received all our documents correct the very first time! Thanks for all those prayers!
Finally, we sent our I-600A (the paperwork asking the U.S. to approve us for adoption) on December 17th. We got a receipt from USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) on December 28th, saying they received our paperwork on December 23rd.
So now we're waiting on a letter from USCIS giving us a date & time to go for our biometrics (fingerprints). We'll have to drive down to Atlanta for that. Hopefully we'll receive that appointment letter very sooon. And once we go for that, we'll just be waiting for our approval form from the U.S. government. That will be the final piece needed for our dossier!
Please pray that we get that letter soon. Not that it's a huge rush, but it would sure be nice to know that we've done everything and it's all in our facilitator's hands, being translated and awaiting submission.
And if you have questions along the way, please post them as a comment on the blog, or email me HERE.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Lera, a Netbook, and Vera
Lera is a precious little girl in Eastern Europe who is waiting on a forever family. And the exciting news is that there is a family that has committed to her adoption! Her family is currently holding a fundraiser, and the giveaway is a Dell mini netbook! How awesome would that compact little computer be, especially for a family that might be traveling overseas to get their little one soon!?!? So I encourage you to click HERE to visit their site and donate to Lera's adoption fund.
And while we're talking about Eastern European orphans, just a reminder to please continue to pray for Vera. As far as I know, there is still no family committed to her, and her time is running out. I'm certain that there is a family out there that would be a perfect fit for her, and I pray that they step up soon.
And while we're talking about Eastern European orphans, just a reminder to please continue to pray for Vera. As far as I know, there is still no family committed to her, and her time is running out. I'm certain that there is a family out there that would be a perfect fit for her, and I pray that they step up soon.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
BRRRRRRR!!!!
In case you haven't heard, the south is experiencing a deep freeze unlike anything we've had in recent history (some say the coldest spell we've had in 15 - 25 years). The past 8 nights we've had lows in the teens or low twenties. We got up this morning, and our thermometer was reading 9.9! (Fahrenheit!!)
I always say if it's going to be this cold, I wish we'd see a little of the white stuff. And on Thursday afternoon, I got my wish - a VERY little bit of the white stuff.
There wasn't a ton of snow & sleet to fall, but enough to make a mess when the temps went back into the teens overnight. All metro schools closed on Friday, so I worked from home and spent the day with my boy.
We spent at least 10 minutes putting on layers before going out - and only lasted about 10 minutes outside. It was 16 degrees, and the wind was whipping!
Back inside,
I had warm towels in the dryer so he could wrap up, and we sipped on hot tea.
I always say if it's going to be this cold, I wish we'd see a little of the white stuff. And on Thursday afternoon, I got my wish - a VERY little bit of the white stuff.
There wasn't a ton of snow & sleet to fall, but enough to make a mess when the temps went back into the teens overnight. All metro schools closed on Friday, so I worked from home and spent the day with my boy.
We spent at least 10 minutes putting on layers before going out - and only lasted about 10 minutes outside. It was 16 degrees, and the wind was whipping!
Back inside,
I had warm towels in the dryer so he could wrap up, and we sipped on hot tea.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Playing blog catch-up: Gotcha Day revisited
I finally got some pictures off the camera, so I'll try to share a few on the blog today.
First, here is a look back at Gotcha Day.
First, here is a look back at Gotcha Day.
Our Gotcha Day "tradition" is a small gift, and William's choice for dinner: home cooked or pick a restaurant. Last year it was a meal at home (read about that here). This year, he chose dinner at Ippolito's, and dessert at Rita's. His gift included a children's book about adoption, and a stuffed Stitch (from Lilo & Stitch).
After dinner, we got out William's blog book and wrote in it. (When I was putting the blog into blurb, I added pages in the back for gotcha days, including a place to put a description of the day's events, a picture, height, weight, and things like favorite food, movie, song, color.)
There are a couple of pictures we try to take each year. One revisits one of my favorites from our time in Ukraine: Zack & William leaving the orphanage.
The other is one we took in the van on our way from Mariupol to Donetsk to complete all of the paperwork before heading to Kyiv. We had prepared a little backpack for William, and in it was a stuffed lamb that my mom had bought for him. 
Monday, January 4, 2010
Vera... and maybe a sister for her, too?
Please click HERE and read Michelle's post about Vera and another precious little one in the same orphanage, Alina. Please pray for a family to commit to them soon!!
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