Monday, October 24, 2016

Doss ay what?!: An Adoption Update

Miss Macy, holding our Dossier, ready to mail to our agency in Kentucky. Was I nervous letting her hold all those documents? Yes, yes I was. 

Well, we did it. We worked for 6 months compiling, notarizing and authenticating a whole plethora of documents that come together to form our dossier (pronounced Doss ee ay)

That blue folder held by that smiling lady is in Washington D.C, waiting for Federal approval and translation into Chinese. Once it is approved and completed, it will be mailed back to our agency. From that point, all those papers, all our pictures, all our personal, financial and pretty much anything you ever wanted about every aspect of our life documents will fly their little way to China.

Once it lands in the People's Republic of China it will be hand delivered to the  China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA)

 And then, we will wait for the approval from the Chinese government.






Once we are approved for a Chinese Special Needs adoption, we are on the list!!

We will be ready and approved to start receiving referrals. What is a referral? It is a child, with all their little documents, medical information, any known family information and usually a picture or two.

How long will we wait for our referral? They are estimating anywhere from 3 to 9 months. All of this is dependent on what our wants and needs are for our child.

For us, that means we are looking for a child that is younger than Macy. We do not have a gender preference and we are pretty open to the special needs. That area is hard to narrow down, as it depends on so many things. Will that keep us in the 3 month range or will that have us wait longer? We just do not know.

So for now, the fervor  of paper work is mostly behind us. We now will wait for the Federal government and the Chinese government.

We will wait and we will pray. We pray for the baby, for safety and peace and comfort in a orphanage filled with beds of babies. We pray that our funding will come in and that we will not have any delays because of finances.

The reality of adoption is that is it very expensive. There are many people involved who are paid to do their job. It cost money to file papers, to advocate for the orphans and communicate with the orphanage.

Our next payment is $4,000.

I am not sure how we will make that payment.

But we are trusting that this is what we are supposed to do. We have had checks come in that we did not expect, extra bonuses and so far, we have covered over $9,000 ourselves.

We will be doing a few fundraisers coming up, we have grant applications out and are awaiting response and we are praying. So much praying.

We have less than 20 days left on our Adoption Bridge account. This account goes directly to our adoption agency and 100% of it goes to help cover our adoption costs.

We would love for you to partner with us, and help us empty one little bed in an orphanage.
Need to make a charitable donation for tax purposes before the end of the year? Our agency is a non-profit, so it will be a tax write off. Own a business or know someone who does and needs that write off? Send them our way. We would be so grateful.

Click here if you would like to go to our Adoption Bridge page. We would love for you to share it on your social network. The more eyes that see it, the more the plight of orphans is brought to the forefront.

Regardless, we covet your prayers.

We are on our way. One step closer to China!!




Friday, October 14, 2016

10 Things I Love About You


Today we celebrate our ten year anniversary. Double digits. 10 whole years. That is a long time, but yet, it seems like yesterday. So many things have happened, changed, evolved in those 10 years. We are no longer the bright-eyed, newly graduated babies. (Seriously. We were such babies!) New to the work world, new to adult responsibilities, new to married life.

While I could expound about some much, reminisce for hours, I decided to find just 10 of my very favorite pictures of you.  They say a picture says a thousand words, so I will let these few little memories speak for themselves.


Our very first Christmas married. You let me put you in an very ugly Christmas sweater. And I loved you for it.



We were about to become parents. Babies having babies. Little did we know the joy, love and hard work that would follow.  Now, I would tell my younger, pregnant self to savors those last few moments of just us. They were short and fleeting. Just savor.


And than we became parents. No longer was it you and I. Now it was the three of us. We were a family.



 A new house and and new baby. Colin made our family a foursome.



And than there were three. Three children that we created together. Three little lives, three little loves.  Our very first little lady.


 But in-between the moving and the houses and the babies, there was still us. 
We were in it together.



Piles of babies on pillows. Cuddling and loving on their Daddy. You are just the very best Daddy to our children, a true example of how to act and live. Our children are so very lucky.
Every day something of this sort is happening. Cuddles and loving on Daddy. They may be bigger and heavier and wrestle harder...but they still love to be on the floor with you.


Ten years later, we are still happy, still thriving and still loving deeply. 
I still like you.
Even after I have lived with you for 10 years.



 And now, we are on a new adventure. A new Fedell to bring into the fold. A new little life to call our own.
I love that you want to adopt with me, that you want to take a beautiful little life that was left alone and bring them into our family.

I loved you than, I love you now and I will love you always.

Happy Anniversary, Ryan.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Apple Pickin'


Last week, Michigan decided to show off. 

Sunny skies, cotton clouds and just a hint of coolness in the breeze, hinting of cooler weather to come.




It was a beautiful day to head to the apple orchard and pick ourselves a peck.


Unfortunately all of Detroit Metro had the same idea, so parking and donut/cider lines were insane.



But we were able to head to the corner of the orchard and have some space for ourselves.










Apple picking with my people.

It is a fall favorite.


Welcome, October.

I am so glad to see you again!