Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Why raise funds for an adoption?

I know this question will come up as we begin to raise the funds to get to our girl. And in all fairness, it's an ok question to ask. Here are my thought on adoption and raising funds:

1. People raise funds for all kinds of reasons: summer camps, charity projects, medical costs, school activities etc. I gladly buy the wrapping paper, the magazines, the chocolate (especially the chocolate!) and the candles to support our family and neighbors as they work towards a goal. Sometimes it is to afford something special, sometimes it is to meet a crucial need. Our family has the funds to take care of another child, even with the medical attention she will need once here. What we don't have is the thousands required to bring her here, because many skilled professionals (adoption professionals, attorneys, immigration etc) deserve to get paid for their services. So we find creative ways to make that happen. She needs to be home sooner rather than later, so we humbly ask for support of those who would wish to join us on our journey. And we can't wait to share with her about all the people who wanted her home just as much as we did.

2. There are many ways to help orphaned children, it doesn't have to involve adoption. During our last adoption, we discovered that people wanted to join our journey, walk with us as we added two children into our family. There are several ways to do that and not all involve money. But for those who want to give, there is a link at the top of this blog. And it's tax deductible. Easy, peasy.

3. We will work just as hard to fund this adoption as we did with Kofi and Joy. We will apply for every grant we qualify for, we will work overtime, we will do without luxuries and we will do so gladly. Raising funds is humbling work, but so worth it. We were blessed with two children who are thriving in our family. Once little "A" joins our family, we know it's all been worth it...again.

4. Because we raise funds, we will be transparent with people throughout this adoption. It's only fair. Have questions? Email me at joyfuljourney4me@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Adoption Process

Our last adoption began with a 2 month long process of completing our home study. I remember running (literally) gathering documents and arranging appointments. This time, our home study is done. It needs a small(ish) update and we are good to go. It feels weird not to have the same experience already. It's like we skipped a step in the process of getting to our girl.

Another thing that is so different about this adoption is the worry I have about our little one. She is in an institution that I don't know much about. Kofi and Joy were in a small foster home that was like a family. As people visited, they would take pictures of our little ones and would take care packages over for us. That is not the case now. There are no visitors allowed (as in other families) and reports will be few for now. I just have to trust that she will be ok until she is out of there.

We are planning our first trip to meet our daughter soon. Who goes and how soon is still being decided. But I would say next month is a possibility.

To help with adoption costs, we will be having a silent auction online. To date, over 60 items have been donated and new donations seem to come every day. If you would want to do some early holiday shopping while supporting our adoption, here is a link:



Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Welcome!

I am thankful that you decided to pop in!

This blog is the start of a new journey for our family. It was unexpected, surprised us even, but we are so excited to share this news with you.





We are adopting....again!!!

Let me back up and tell you how this all came about. Kofi and Joy joined our family 8 months ago. From day 1, we knew we would continue to grow our family. Some day. We wanted to give our entire family time to adjust and bond. And give our bank account a rest:) 

As I was getting ready to go back to work, I accepted a part-time school based physical therapy position. Most of the children I would be serving have cerebral palsy. I dusted off my books and began to re-learn the techniques and interventions I had learned years ago. I thought about the children I used to work with and the amazing progress I would witness. I thought about the special "sparkle" that those children had. And then it hit me: "why wouldn't we adopt a child with special needs next time?" But once again I filed that thought away for "some day".

A few short weeks later, I saw a picture of a little girl who needed a family. She was abandoned and lived in a large institution without knowing the love of a family. She was just as deserving of that love as any of the other children, but why was this young little girl waiting? Because she has cerebral palsy. I hoped that someone would step forward for this precious little one. I prayed, I cried and I just wanted her Mommy and Daddy to find her. And the more I looked at her picture, the more I petitioned for her family to find her, I knew that I was her Mommy. Simple as that.

I asked Eric if he was ready to adopt again. We talked about all the aspects of another adoption. For our 4 children at home, for this little one waiting for a family, for our marriage, for our finances, for people around us (because it may not make sense why we would adopt again) and the answer at the end was: yes. All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. She will join our loud, crazy, loving family and she will have 4 siblings who will treat her like a princess and parents who will love her unconditionally. 

If you would like to join us on this "joyful journey", please become a friend (or follower, whatever term you prefer) of this blog. This is where we will share about our thoughts and about the process as we adopt for the second time around. 

We appreciate your support and positive comments as we begin the journey to our daughter.