So yesterday we got our LSC in - we got to hold it in our hands and actually check the box that says we accepted Willow's referral.... elation!
After we got the kids to bed, Daniel and I took everything out of the packet that our agency sent us, went over everything, signed everything and put it back in the packet. This morning, I scanned and copied everything and it is now sitting on the shelf waiting for fed-x to pick it up and overnight it to the lockbox for I800 approval.
This will probably take a few weeks.... we are so, so excited to be on this next step!
It honestly feels like a dream and I keep debating if I should pinch myself or not... but I dont want to risk waking up so I dont.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us through this journey... words cant say how much you have truly encouraged us. We are so humbled and excited by you.... thank you!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Meet Willow
Meet our daughter, Willow..... yes, we got word today that our agency got our LOA/LSC in today - they are overnighting it to us, so it should be in our hands tomorrow.... 97 day wait, just one day short of 14 weeks.
Color us excited!!!!
And we are still doing our puzzle fundraiser, so if you havent gotten your piece, now is the time....
http://www.blessedimpatience.blogspot.com/2012/11/1st-fundraiser.html
Thank you!!!
Rush Hour
Apparently, Daniel and I have some weird connection to the Rush Hour movies... :)
The second one takes place in Hong Kong which is where Wallace is from, so its always fun to catch that one and reminisce about being there...
So last night, we turned on the tv while laying in the bed and Rush Hour 3 was on, so we started watching it b/c well, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker... yeah.... and its at a part when Jackie Chan is fighting the bad guy, who turns out to be a guy that he grew up together with as kids... and bad guy mentions to him that they were both from Qinzhou - which is where Willow is from.
Yall, this town is tiny by China standards, and I dont know of anyone who is adopting from there right now... its a small city on a bay right by the Vietnamese border... so its odd that anyone would decide to use that Chinese city in a movie.... :)
I just jabbered on about the coincidences while Daniel rolled his eyes.... Im really starting to feel the need to nest (like in a pregnancy) and Daniel just isnt there yet.... Im actually ready to start packing so the bags will be ready when we are... :)
I know we are going to get good news this week, so my excitement is building, I cant help it.... September is only 2 1/2 months away and our world is going to change forever.
The second one takes place in Hong Kong which is where Wallace is from, so its always fun to catch that one and reminisce about being there...
So last night, we turned on the tv while laying in the bed and Rush Hour 3 was on, so we started watching it b/c well, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker... yeah.... and its at a part when Jackie Chan is fighting the bad guy, who turns out to be a guy that he grew up together with as kids... and bad guy mentions to him that they were both from Qinzhou - which is where Willow is from.
Yall, this town is tiny by China standards, and I dont know of anyone who is adopting from there right now... its a small city on a bay right by the Vietnamese border... so its odd that anyone would decide to use that Chinese city in a movie.... :)
I just jabbered on about the coincidences while Daniel rolled his eyes.... Im really starting to feel the need to nest (like in a pregnancy) and Daniel just isnt there yet.... Im actually ready to start packing so the bags will be ready when we are... :)
I know we are going to get good news this week, so my excitement is building, I cant help it.... September is only 2 1/2 months away and our world is going to change forever.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tuesday
We are now at 13 weeks of waiting for LOA... its official, we have gone over the normal waiting period.
Not much else to say... :(
Besides that, the kids are really enjoying their summer, and Im thankful to have a husband who is a great daddy and is willing to take on the kids all summer. I am certainly blessed.
Thankfully, we are done with baseball now, so we can actually be at home a few nights during the week... I think we were all getting a bit ragged from being at the park so often.... but now, hopefully things will slow down a bit and everyone can get into a good routine.
Sorry... boring post, but really... not much going on right now besides just waiting
Not much else to say... :(
Besides that, the kids are really enjoying their summer, and Im thankful to have a husband who is a great daddy and is willing to take on the kids all summer. I am certainly blessed.
Thankfully, we are done with baseball now, so we can actually be at home a few nights during the week... I think we were all getting a bit ragged from being at the park so often.... but now, hopefully things will slow down a bit and everyone can get into a good routine.
Sorry... boring post, but really... not much going on right now besides just waiting
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday
This week has definitely had its ups and downs....
The 12 week waiting mark came and went without so much of a peep.... and yesterday that hit me hard.
I know I say it over and over, but its really all I have to go on.... when we first started this wait for LOA, our agency lady said the wait was 5-12 weeks... and I was really hoping for a miracle to get it at 7 weeks so we could travel in July... especially since everything had been sailing along so far. As the 7 week mark went by, I told myself "any day now".... and "the closer we get to that 12 week mark, the less we have to wait"....
And here we are now... past the 12 week mark.
Im angry... and hurt... and upset.... and just plain out confused. I dont understand why this is happening.
I understand that if youve never adopted, then this just sounds like whining.... but if you have adopted, then you know the true heartache this is causing.
It is what it is.
And I cant change it....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thankfully, Wednesday (the day before it all went downhill).... Wednesday was good.
The kids have been going to VBS at the local mega-church.... and Wednesday night was their night to show us what they have learned and such.
I love my kids.... but I will just admit outright that it took a lot of willpower to behave in church.... but I did alright and hey, we got a free dinner out of it, so yay... :)
But as we got back to the car, Gabe got distracted by the culvert at we were parked in front of.... its a nice, deep concrete culvert with a bridge you can walk over.... so I joined him on the bridge and looked over the edge into the 2" of water.... we saw tadpoles on one side and watched them for a minute, then I went to the other side and looked at the minnows darting around.... and then I saw it - and gasped.... a snake - a baby.... no, wait a minute, thats not a snake.... it was a worm.... an earthworm.
And yall, this thing was HUGE.
Seriously, I just stared at it for probably a whole minute before I could actually get the words out to tell the rest of my family to come look at this miracle.
Yall, it was at least a foot long and thick as a finger.... no lie!
I watched it fascinated.... b/c yall, it was inching up the culvert under 2" of water.... I didnt know worms could do that?
As I watched it though, I started noticing something else... the minnows! - they were coming up and hitting it with their mouth and then dart off... and the poor worm would recoil at each one.
So I looked at Daniel and told him with a pitiful look on my face and told him that the minnows were trying to eat the huge worm. I think he might have rolled his eyes.... especially since it was about 96 degrees outside and he had already started the car and was ready to go.
But yall, my heart bled for that huge worm taking small hits from those minnows... and I couldnt just leave it, could I?
So Gabe volunteered to go down and get it... so Daniel helped him down, and Gabe gently pulled up the worm out of the water, cupped him in his hands, and brought him up to the grass on the other side, and layed him gently down.... in a flash, the worm had already found the dirt and was getting while the getting was good.
And then we all drove home happy... :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is Friday.... so Im still having lingering sad spots where yesterday left off - knowing that we arent going to hear anything today or the weekend, and next week will be 13 weeks of waiting.... and that just breaks my heart open all over again.
but tonight, I have a wedding rehearsal to go to.... and then Gabe's last ball game with pizza and cupcakes afterward.... so its all about sucesses and starting something fresh and new.
I seem to be a ball of mixed feelings lately.... we could definitely use some prayers at our house... as the wait becomes longer, the tensions become higher, and well, being human, things to boil over... and even though we know the root cause (waiting, waiting, waiting), it still takes work to make everything run smoothly.
Here's crossing our fingers for next week.
The 12 week waiting mark came and went without so much of a peep.... and yesterday that hit me hard.
I know I say it over and over, but its really all I have to go on.... when we first started this wait for LOA, our agency lady said the wait was 5-12 weeks... and I was really hoping for a miracle to get it at 7 weeks so we could travel in July... especially since everything had been sailing along so far. As the 7 week mark went by, I told myself "any day now".... and "the closer we get to that 12 week mark, the less we have to wait"....
And here we are now... past the 12 week mark.
Im angry... and hurt... and upset.... and just plain out confused. I dont understand why this is happening.
I understand that if youve never adopted, then this just sounds like whining.... but if you have adopted, then you know the true heartache this is causing.
It is what it is.
And I cant change it....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thankfully, Wednesday (the day before it all went downhill).... Wednesday was good.
The kids have been going to VBS at the local mega-church.... and Wednesday night was their night to show us what they have learned and such.
I love my kids.... but I will just admit outright that it took a lot of willpower to behave in church.... but I did alright and hey, we got a free dinner out of it, so yay... :)
But as we got back to the car, Gabe got distracted by the culvert at we were parked in front of.... its a nice, deep concrete culvert with a bridge you can walk over.... so I joined him on the bridge and looked over the edge into the 2" of water.... we saw tadpoles on one side and watched them for a minute, then I went to the other side and looked at the minnows darting around.... and then I saw it - and gasped.... a snake - a baby.... no, wait a minute, thats not a snake.... it was a worm.... an earthworm.
And yall, this thing was HUGE.
Seriously, I just stared at it for probably a whole minute before I could actually get the words out to tell the rest of my family to come look at this miracle.
Yall, it was at least a foot long and thick as a finger.... no lie!
I watched it fascinated.... b/c yall, it was inching up the culvert under 2" of water.... I didnt know worms could do that?
As I watched it though, I started noticing something else... the minnows! - they were coming up and hitting it with their mouth and then dart off... and the poor worm would recoil at each one.
So I looked at Daniel and told him with a pitiful look on my face and told him that the minnows were trying to eat the huge worm. I think he might have rolled his eyes.... especially since it was about 96 degrees outside and he had already started the car and was ready to go.
But yall, my heart bled for that huge worm taking small hits from those minnows... and I couldnt just leave it, could I?
So Gabe volunteered to go down and get it... so Daniel helped him down, and Gabe gently pulled up the worm out of the water, cupped him in his hands, and brought him up to the grass on the other side, and layed him gently down.... in a flash, the worm had already found the dirt and was getting while the getting was good.
And then we all drove home happy... :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today is Friday.... so Im still having lingering sad spots where yesterday left off - knowing that we arent going to hear anything today or the weekend, and next week will be 13 weeks of waiting.... and that just breaks my heart open all over again.
but tonight, I have a wedding rehearsal to go to.... and then Gabe's last ball game with pizza and cupcakes afterward.... so its all about sucesses and starting something fresh and new.
I seem to be a ball of mixed feelings lately.... we could definitely use some prayers at our house... as the wait becomes longer, the tensions become higher, and well, being human, things to boil over... and even though we know the root cause (waiting, waiting, waiting), it still takes work to make everything run smoothly.
Here's crossing our fingers for next week.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday
I cant say too much, but please keep the Hammond family in your thoughts and prayers... they are going through a very rough time right now.... I think my last post relates to this one more than I ever could have imagined.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Friday
Daniel has a shir that says "Some people are praying for the things you are taking for granted"
Its true... and if I think about it too long, it usually shifts my perspective back around.
We have heard nothing else from our agency lady.... hoping to hear that we have LOA/LSC next week, which will be 12 weeks of waiting - which we were told at the beginning of this wait, that no one waits that long.... sigh.
I have talked to others who are in the process or who have been in this process, and they have told me that everything is happening as it should, but our wait is incredibly much longer than most - especially since we already have PA (pre approval to adopt our daughter) - most people who wait this long are waiting for a referral (to be matched with a child).... looks like we got the short end of the stick.
So I have been weeping and gnashing my teeth (seriously, ask Daniel, it wasnt pretty).... but lately, Ive just been thinking about that shirt Daniel has... and really, if waiting is the worst of it, then we have it pretty good.
I know of others who have lost their child during the adoption preocess, who are being seriously spiritually attacked, and going through other things..... we, on the other hand, have a perfectly healthy, young little girl waiting on the other side of the world - and she has no idea who we are, so she isnt greiving or hurting or anything - how could I ask for anything else for my daughter.
And I guess it gives us even more time to raise the money that we need.
Its kind of a weird feeling to be looking on the bright side or trying to find the silver lining.... thats always been Daniel's half of our relationship (meanwhile, Im sitting back being the realist and getting things ready for what I know is about to happen).
So Im trying to be patient... although its really, really hard. But I know its going to work out. It has too.
Its true... and if I think about it too long, it usually shifts my perspective back around.
We have heard nothing else from our agency lady.... hoping to hear that we have LOA/LSC next week, which will be 12 weeks of waiting - which we were told at the beginning of this wait, that no one waits that long.... sigh.
I have talked to others who are in the process or who have been in this process, and they have told me that everything is happening as it should, but our wait is incredibly much longer than most - especially since we already have PA (pre approval to adopt our daughter) - most people who wait this long are waiting for a referral (to be matched with a child).... looks like we got the short end of the stick.
So I have been weeping and gnashing my teeth (seriously, ask Daniel, it wasnt pretty).... but lately, Ive just been thinking about that shirt Daniel has... and really, if waiting is the worst of it, then we have it pretty good.
I know of others who have lost their child during the adoption preocess, who are being seriously spiritually attacked, and going through other things..... we, on the other hand, have a perfectly healthy, young little girl waiting on the other side of the world - and she has no idea who we are, so she isnt greiving or hurting or anything - how could I ask for anything else for my daughter.
And I guess it gives us even more time to raise the money that we need.
Its kind of a weird feeling to be looking on the bright side or trying to find the silver lining.... thats always been Daniel's half of our relationship (meanwhile, Im sitting back being the realist and getting things ready for what I know is about to happen).
So Im trying to be patient... although its really, really hard. But I know its going to work out. It has too.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sigh
So here is the latest word on our adoption that I got this morning...
It is is the Matching room now and the LSC will be sent out soom.
So I guess we will still be waiting for a little while longer.... this is very disheartening.
We hit 11 weeks of waiting today.
It is is the Matching room now and the LSC will be sent out soom.
So I guess we will still be waiting for a little while longer.... this is very disheartening.
We hit 11 weeks of waiting today.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Monday Monday
Its been a busy week... you know, besides in the adoption world... ahem.... but as they say, life goes on... :)
Let me give you a sneak peek of last week and this week and the next week... :) (it all includes me working 8 hours every day as well)
Monday, May 27th - memorial day - we cleaned the house and cut the grass... yay us!
Tuesday - dr's appt, Gabe practice
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - Emma practice 4-6, Gabe game 6-7
Friday - photoshoot
Saturday - fundraising carwash for cheerleader 9-12, clean house, rained out photoshoot (decided after there), friends over for dinner (yay!)
Sunday - Daniel church, editing pics, Daniel play audition, 2 hours to Birmingham, Jennifer Knapp concert, dinner, 2 hours home - home around midnight
This week
Monday - Wallace appt 1:00, Gabe team pics 6:00, Gabe game 7:00
Tuesday - library reading program starts 10:00, Emma practice 4-6
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - dentist 3:00, Emma practice 4-6, photoshoot, Gabe game 6:00
Friday - Gabe game 7:00
Saturday - time with family
Sunday - time with family
Next week
Monday - hair appt 3:30, Gabe game 7:00
Tuesday - library 10:0, Emma practice 4-6, Gabe game 6:00
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - Emma practice 4-6
Friday - wedding rehearsal, Gabe game 6:00
Saturday - wedding all day
Sunday - Fathers day
Whew... if you actually read all that, then Im impressed... but once we get past next week, things will start settling into a real summer routine and that will be nice.
So yes, last night, Daniel, Wallace and I went to see Jennifer Knapp - we got to meet and talk for a minute and since we worked her merch table, we got in free - awesome! And music is always my favorite date.... it means that we didnt get home until midnight though, so I was tired when I had to be at work at 6:30 this morning, but so worth it.
As for the adoption - still no word on LOA and we hit 11 weeks tomorrow, which is pretty unheard of - thats a long wait since most people are getting theirs between 6-9 weeks.... I had an email into our agency lady almost 2 weeks ago, but she hasnt gotten back to me yet, so I emailed her again this morning.... and I keep planning to email her every day... yeah, not super happy about it - hey, I havent emailed her for 10 weeks, I was doing good, but now, Im just kind of needing some answers
I totaled everything up - expenses and savings and right now, we will still need about $3600 before we travel in September (and thats with scrimping through summer)... so I am open to any and all ideas! And thanks to everyone who has given to us - we appreciate that so much! Yall are awesome
And yeah... thats about it... need to get back to work.... have a good day!
Let me give you a sneak peek of last week and this week and the next week... :) (it all includes me working 8 hours every day as well)
Monday, May 27th - memorial day - we cleaned the house and cut the grass... yay us!
Tuesday - dr's appt, Gabe practice
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - Emma practice 4-6, Gabe game 6-7
Friday - photoshoot
Saturday - fundraising carwash for cheerleader 9-12, clean house, rained out photoshoot (decided after there), friends over for dinner (yay!)
Sunday - Daniel church, editing pics, Daniel play audition, 2 hours to Birmingham, Jennifer Knapp concert, dinner, 2 hours home - home around midnight
This week
Monday - Wallace appt 1:00, Gabe team pics 6:00, Gabe game 7:00
Tuesday - library reading program starts 10:00, Emma practice 4-6
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - dentist 3:00, Emma practice 4-6, photoshoot, Gabe game 6:00
Friday - Gabe game 7:00
Saturday - time with family
Sunday - time with family
Next week
Monday - hair appt 3:30, Gabe game 7:00
Tuesday - library 10:0, Emma practice 4-6, Gabe game 6:00
Wednesday - photoshoot
Thursday - Emma practice 4-6
Friday - wedding rehearsal, Gabe game 6:00
Saturday - wedding all day
Sunday - Fathers day
Whew... if you actually read all that, then Im impressed... but once we get past next week, things will start settling into a real summer routine and that will be nice.
So yes, last night, Daniel, Wallace and I went to see Jennifer Knapp - we got to meet and talk for a minute and since we worked her merch table, we got in free - awesome! And music is always my favorite date.... it means that we didnt get home until midnight though, so I was tired when I had to be at work at 6:30 this morning, but so worth it.
As for the adoption - still no word on LOA and we hit 11 weeks tomorrow, which is pretty unheard of - thats a long wait since most people are getting theirs between 6-9 weeks.... I had an email into our agency lady almost 2 weeks ago, but she hasnt gotten back to me yet, so I emailed her again this morning.... and I keep planning to email her every day... yeah, not super happy about it - hey, I havent emailed her for 10 weeks, I was doing good, but now, Im just kind of needing some answers
I totaled everything up - expenses and savings and right now, we will still need about $3600 before we travel in September (and thats with scrimping through summer)... so I am open to any and all ideas! And thanks to everyone who has given to us - we appreciate that so much! Yall are awesome
And yeah... thats about it... need to get back to work.... have a good day!
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