I'm Registered!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Yesterday I received an email from my agency that went something like this:

Dear Deana,

Your dossier has been registered at the MOE in Russia. You would have already traveled if you had not requested a girl. Our Russian representative is trying to locate a girl for one other family and you are second in line.

I felt the strangest feeling in my stomach!!! I could not believe what I was reading! #1 I'm registered and #2 I did NOT request a girl! I quickly rushed over to Gina's desk to tell her the good news to which she responded, "But, you didn't ask for a girl"! Right she was!

I called the agency and let them know that my homestudy, INS approval, and verbal request is 2 children one under 18 months and the other under 3 with the younger definitely being a boy. I have no gender preference for the older of the two. She said I should receive a call next week.

Do you know what this means???? I could be traveling SOON as in December!!!! I still don't know so I am not getting to excited, but I AM REGISTERED IN MOSCOW!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Finally Some News

I have officially switched adoption agencies! The agency I was with is not accredited and there are some issues in the Russian Ministry of Education that are holding up the reaccreditation process. Please keep in your prayers those waiting on this accreditation. Many cannot change agencies as I have because they would lose a ton of money in the process. Fortunately for me, I will only lose about $1,000 which I will make up for by being able to travel to Russia in the winter. It is a much cheaper plane ticket! I am ready to be very cold!

My dossier (paperwork including home study) is in Russia being translated. This process takes 3 or 4 weeks after which my dossier is pass through several hands before ending up with the representative who will match my home study with two children that fit my "family" and my request. I have requested two children - one under 18 months and the other under 3. One must be a boy and the other may be a boy or a girl. I have to be honest. I'm hoping for a girl to be a part of the mix.

Once my dossier is matched up with the children, I will receive pictures and video of both of the children. This is when it gets scary!!! I will need to take the pictures and video to a doctor who specializes in international adoption. He/she will give me advice on the health of the children by watching and looking at them.

If I accept the referral, I will be on my way to Russia within the next 3 or 4 weeks.

You see how there are 3 or 4 weeks here and there. Time really passes by in this process!!!! I try not to think about the adoption too much just to keep sane. If you think of me and the little ones, please send up a prayer for us!

Thanks for reading!

A few words...

Well, the agency received my dossier all in one piece! I had a little scare as my overnight package turned out to be over two nights! If you have ever adopted or read up on it, you'd know how fast my heart dropped when I heard that all of this official paperwork may have been lost! I have copies, but Russia needs originals!

But alas, no need for drama. The dossier reached Faithful Adoptions. Please pray with me that there are very few changes if any and also that the agency gets reaccreditation soon. This would be such a blessing!

Crocodiles!!!

Can you see that crocodile behind Josh's head? Do you see the look on Josh's face? He was a bit frightened that it was so close! I felt very brave,
however, and encouraged him to smile for the picture!

Later that night when the house was quiet and everyone was hunkered down for the night, I decided to take a swim all by my lonesome. I turned the pool lights on and flipped on the jacuzzi just in case I got cold (imagine that!). I then took a couple steps and quickly took the form of a canon ball! The only problem was that when I hit the water all I could think about was the crocodile you see in this picture. The few seconds I was under water with my eyes closed seemed like years as I imagined this croc at my feet!!! Where did all that bravery go?!

To say the least, I don't think I have ever moved so quickly to the shallow side of the pool! What a big chicken! Isn't the mind a curious thing?!

And, as usual there is an application that can be made! Our minds can cause us to move to action very quickly even when our thoughts are not based upon truth. This just reminds me that I need to make sure what I am thinking is based upon fact and not fiction. I mean how many crocodiles have you seen swimming in clorinated pools in Corona, California?!!!

Praise Jesus!

Well, I am happy to post that the adoption agency was officially registered as an NGO today! What a blessing to finally hear that there is some forward movement! On a second note, I sent my apostilled dossier to the agency today as well. I am officially on the waiting list! This is a great thing!

Well, tonight was a very busy night! I watched the boys, Kenny 11 and Josh 5 for Gina so she could take an exam and do some homework for one of her three college courses! So, I took them for long overdue haircuts and a good healthy dinner at Quiznos. We had a nice time, but boy am I tired! This is just preparation for when Rowan and Rylie come home! Kind of cool if you think about it! God knows how to prepare us for what He has planned for our lives. Tonight that included, haircuts, dinner, bath time, late night grocery shopping for milk and lunch items, and then the prep of lunches! Dude, I am ready to crash!

Oh, you're wondering how Gina's test went???? Not sure yet! I'll have to check with her later when I give her a full report of her angels. Actually, they are really the most well behaved kids I know so my job wasn't all that tough this evening!

I'll tell you another time about my encounter with the crocodile at the zoo. :)

Can you picture it?

Doesn't this house look like it is missing something? Yep, you got it!! It's missing two beautiful Russian babies!!! Soon you'll see pictures of Rowan and Rylie playing ball out front... Can you picture it? Ready for a game of kick ball?

Well, not much going on right now with the adoption. My homestudy and all of the paperwork for my dossier is complete. I am just waiting on the package, and then it will be sent off to be apostilled which is a 3 day turn around service. I am not too worried about it because the adoption agency has not been registered as an NGO yet nor have they been reaccredited. I am anticipating both of these hurdles to be crossed in the next month or so, but I could be sorely mistaken! We shall see how long God needs the babies to be in Russia before coming to America! :)

On a completley different note, as far as life goes! I am thoroughly amazed with the house fans that we just had installed. There are five in the upstairs of the house. They are basically large vents that suck all of the hot air out of the house and then either pull the cold air in from the open windows OR suck hot air out and then allow the air conditioner to cool the house very quickly. To say the least, we have not had to run the air at all since we got the fans and in the morning the house is VERY cool and EXTREMELY fresh because the air being sucked in is the fresh morning air! I LOVE IT! Oh, and did I mention that running the fans costs 1/10th of the cost of running the air conditioner! PRAISE JESUS for small mercies!

Okay, well peace out my friends! Please comment if you read! I am feeling very lonely in this blog!!! Praise be to God for giving me good friends like YOU! Yep, you! Don't act so surprised! :) LOL Love you all! Rowan and Rylie are going to be so lucky!!!!

Waiting List

In Russia, many people including the officials take 60-90 days off work in the summer. This type of hiatus is common in some European countries as well. In Russia, I would imagine that having some extended time off when there is no ice and snow would be helpful!

Due to this 60-90 day hiatus, the government offices are pretty much closed for service. During this 60-90 days which began in June, those of us preparing to adopt continue to be busy bees getting our paperwork completed, notarized and in some cases astopilled. We work as though everything is still moving on that side of the ocean. Well, this in unless your paperwork was completed by June 1st. Then this 60 days becomes VERY long as you wait.

During these 60-90 days, a list begins forming of those waiting to adopt. In my case, the waiting list for Omsk is 6 families long. This means that once the reaccreditation is received, I will be 7th in line. I started getting a bit bummed about this because the agency is only able to send 1 family a week to meet their children. Tick tock, tick tock is what I began hearing. And, there are many others whose clocks have been tick tocking much more loudly than mine. Why is it that the ticking of the clock goes so slow when we are waiting???

I was bummed until I realized that in the past 60+ days, ONLY 6 families have gotten their names on the waiting list to adopt a baby from Omsk. There are 180+ babies in the three little Omsk baby houses, and only 6 families are in line ahead of me. Most of them are adopting one which seems to be the sane way to go! That means of 180 babies, 8 have families waiting to take them home. That thought is humbling. I pray that the Lord lay it on more hearts to save the little ones and to adopt them as He has adopted us.

Now, I know it is a calling so I am by no means trying to make anyone feel guilty. I am just sharing my thoughts and dreams. As I wait, I grow...

So, do you think we could finagle a way to get 60-90 days off???!!!!

"Gotcha Box"

A few of you have asked what my "gotcha box" is so I thought I'd give a short definition. During the home study process, one of the topics that Annette and I discussed was the transition time for the babies.

Annette was pleased that I have traveld a lot because she said a huge part of the bonding process includes making the babies feel at home whle keeping some of the familar around them. She even said that some Chinese orphanages smell very stongly of urine so the suggestion is that rather than completely cleaning the baby up and giving him/her that Johnson and Johnson's smell, the adoptive parent should consider pinning a small piece of their cloth diaper to the pajamas so that they can be comforted by the familiar smell. The suggestion is to ween them off of the old and gently introduce them to the new. That, I thought, was so counter American culture. Most of us including me would equate good parenting with cleaning them up and rescuing themfrom the less than fragrant odor.

Annette explained that not only will the smells be new but their entire world will be new. The feel of their clothing, their beds, there blankets, the arms of their new parent, the lighting in the house, the basic surroundings, etc... I was amazed at the thought of how this little one might feel in the first couple of weeks in America, in California, at home!!!

So, Annette told me about many adoptive parents keeping good records of the "gotcha date" which is the day that the child(ren) come home. She suggested collecting things from Russia while there and also collecting items during the process of the adoption. These things are what will be put in my "gotcha box". The box will be brought out once a year and little by little I'll introduce them to the world that used to be all they knew. I want them to appreciate their roots and the culture from which they came. I hope to one day when they are older take them back to visit. We shall see if that dream comes to fruition.

So, that's the "gotcha box". First, I will gently ease them into not missing Russia too much and then I will teach them little by little to appreciate the beauty of the culture in which they were born.

Last Call

ONLY FOR THE STRONG IN HEART

Okay, so here's the down and dirty of it all as far as the raffle goes!!! We have some killer prizes just waiting to be won! I mean there is an AWESOME flat screen telvision and a pillow top and bottom mattress the size of your choice up for grabs! And, this for just a $5 donation or simply for picking up a ticket from Gina or Wanda!!!

Now, here's the down low... Some philanthropic company which will remain unnamed is ascared (homemade word for homemade fears) to step outside the box to help little orphans needing homes. So, instead of focusing on the fact that tickets cannot be openly solicited on the premises, I choose to focus on the fact that they can be solicited on my personal BLOG! And, you as my friend can choose to read my blog on your break or at home time!!! :) Isn't God good?! I think He supports us jointly standing in the gap for these little helpless ones waiting to be brought to America! All aspects of the raffle are above board and have been checked through Christian legal counsel. Since tickets are available freely with a suggested donation, it is not even close to gambling! :) Try to pick up a lotto ticket for free or come by and help the orphans!

So, in short, if you would like a chance to win something from the LONG list of AWESOME prizes, please see Gina or Wanda for a ticket and consider making a $5 donation if the Lord so leads. Every penny will go towards bringing two little ones into the fold.

Raffle Tickets!!!

Soon there will be two more playmates for little Mikey Pompey!!! With your help, I'll be bringing Rowan and Riley over a much larger body of water!!! Then, someday, they'll be sitting on the side of that same jacuzzi being coaxed to jump in the water! I'm not sure if Scott ever got Mikey to make the plunge!

If you work at ECCU and would like a raffle ticket, please see Gina or Wanda. There is a suggeseted donation of $5 for 1 ticket and $20 for 5 tickets. See the long list of cool prizes on my website located under the fundraiser section!!!!

Fundraisers to come: Yard Sales, Car Wash, Ebay sales, bake sales, and Tupperware!!!

And, if you keep up with my blog, let me know by posting a comment! :)

Estimations

Well, I am approaching my 36th birthday this Saturday, and I am feeling just a tad bit OUT OF SORTS!!!! :) Really, I say to myself, stop the drama! I'm excited that this 36th year will be a year of rejoicing! Okay, so it will be a year of learning to be patient and to celebrate small victories leading up to the big ones. It will be a year to forget about legalistic people and places and to reach higher for greater things!

According to my estimations which seem to be a theme in this blog, I will likely go to Russia in late October to visit the orphanage. It will be a fall trip to Siberia - burrrrrzy! I'm getting myself excited about the prospect of traveling in just 2 or 3 months! Even though I have traveled all over the world, I am very uneasy about long flights over the Atlantic! What a baby! On my last flight back from Italy, there were two Italian boys pretending the plane was going down! I almost hyperventilated!!!

This trip I will be traveling with the same group that I went to Italy with - my 23 year-old sister Victoria, my 19 year-old brother Andrew, and Gina our "adopted" sister (age unknown he he he). I am not sure who can actually go to the orphanage with me, but they will all be there for support and also to see Moscow and perhaps St. Petersburg while I am at the orphanage. I'm not sure as to the details at this point. I am just glad I'll be surrounded by family!!! They'll fill in time gaps as necessary.

Pray for me as I seek further funding for the remaining funds to be gathered. I have sold Pampered Chef and will be selling Tupperware next month. Gina, Wanda, Victoria and my 21 year-old sister have put together a raffle (fully as in 100% legal and verified by an unbiased attorney), car wash, and ebay sales. Each dollar counts for these little helpless ones!!!! God will provide!

Thanks to all of you who have donated to the raffle and to those who have donated funds towards the adoption in whatever way you have. I have been working very hard to find ways to earn the remaining 1/3 of the funds and without God working through you, I'm not sure I'd succeed.

Gina? I've got to stop saving my passwords on my laptop!

I just finished reading Gina's blog! Boy, she really does do her research! She has found much of the information I found over the past 5 years as I was praying over this endeavor. It is an awakening experience to acknowledge the dispair with which these children deal. It is easy to filter things through our American way of life and form our opinion based primarily upon our own experiences growing up in and being churched in this great country. I would suggest that this way of thinking is very limiting. And, one must remember, that even the Bible cannot be solely interpreted according to American norms. Jesus never lived here. He never wore Nikes. He never graced the door of a Starbucks. When we read the Bible, we travel in our mind to Israel, Jericho, Ninevah, Tarsus, Egypt... When you read about or think about Russian orphans, you must travel in your mind to Russia.

There is a great big world out there that is foreign to us; a world that is not run by our democratic process; a world that is not centered on God's Holy Word; a world that does not share our wealth. It is out in that world that children know pain that we could NEVER imagine. This is why I want to challenge each of you to read more about the issue before making a judgement of any sort. Once you have read both the Scripture and also the facts on the situation in Russia, ask God what you might do to help.

You see there is no need to read on my behalf. I have done so and no negative feedback from fellow Christians could convince me that God is leading me astray. He has providentially asked me to step in and help. First, I will bring 1 or 2 orphans into my home where they will be loved, nurtured, and taught about the depth of the love of Christ. Second, I will seek ways to support the orphans left behind. And, third, and perhaps most important, I will pray for all of the children, the ones I bring home and those that are left behind. I will pray that more than 1% of them will be adopted. I will pray that someone will save them from a dsimal future. What I won't do is pray that orphans be kept in orphanges unless a perfect family unit seeks to adopt them. That, my friend, is ludicrous. God is not limited by our humanity! It is in our weakness that He shows His strength!

I should give one disclaimer. I have heard of only 1 fellow Christian who has boldly stated that a single woman adopting an orphan is unethical. This feedback did not upset me in any way. It just made me realize a little more how Noah felt when he was building the ark. He just kept building, and I will do the same.

Howdy from Gina

Okay, I know this is "Deana's Blog", so please click on the link to read some of my thoughts regarding Deana's pending adoption.

Check out http://ginamarie-justrambling.blogspot.com/

Forward on...

I received the draft of the homestudy and boy was it strange to read a 6 page biography about me, my character, my finances, my home, my family, my potential as a parent, etc... Annette did a wonderful job putting this document together! I wish Annette could be with me each step of the way, but this is where I tell her "see you later" until after the child(ren) are here. She will visit my home at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years after the child(ren) arrive. These are called post placement studies. This due to about 12 Russian orphans being murdered by their American parents within the last 15 or so years. I welcome the post placement studies!!! I look forward to seeing Annette again.

What happens now? I wait for the notarized hard copy of the homestudy and then I send it along with a bunch of other paperwork to Sacramento to be apostillized. There is a 3 day turn around for this process. Boy, I wish I could process loans that fast!

Please pray that Faithful Adoptions earns their reaccreditation in September as planned. The Russian laws regarding foreign adoptions have gotten a bit more strict this year as can be imagined. While there are in excess of 300,000 children in Russian orphanages, the Russian government is undertandably concerned about their well being in other countries especially America. I cannot get approval to travel until they earn this reaccreditation.

Please pray for me that I will be still and quiet as I listen to the Lord's call. Pray for the babies - not just the ones God will entrust to me for a time. Pray for their caretakers that they will have an extra dose of energy to cuddle and nurture so many at one time.

Pray for all of the orphans of the world and pray that more Christians will step forward and do more to help. While this parenting thing will be daunting at times and definitely not an easy rode, I have confidence that He will guide me. He has a plan! It only took 12 empowered by Him to change the world! God does not call us to anything for which He does not equip us!

Forward on...

Final Homestudy Visit

Well, last night, July 3rd, was my final visit with Annette. She came to the house at 6:30 and met Gina's boys Kenny 11 and Josh 5. She asked them each what they think about the whole adoption idea and having a baby in the house. They were so cute. When asked what do you think about this whole thing, both said they think it is very cool and exciting that they get a new baby cousin in the house. When Annette asked Kenny what he would do with the baby he responded, "Teach him about God." That was WAY touching! I hope he is a pastor one day!

After she spoke with the boys, my sister Steph and someday brother in-law Jeremy took the boys along with my nieces Adrianna and Selena to Gameworks for the night! Then Annette proceeded to ask Gina the same very basic questions and also to make sure with her that she thinks her boys will respond well.

After Gina went upstairs mom came downstairs to meet Annette. Mom as most of you know is VERY talkative! They hit it off very well. Annette was most impressed that mom kept saying when "we" get the baby. When "we" love the baby. She thought it was amazing to have so many people so into helping a little one.

Once Annette and I got down to business she just basically went over the paperwork I filled out on my family. It was pretty easy stuff! We were finished by 9:00PM. Amazingly enough, when we were finished Annette went to Best Buy to talk with Andrew because he could not take a break from work to come home. She went there and talked with Andrew and also my mom who trailed along.

Now I am just waiting to hear from her when she completes the homestudy. She send it to the INS and also to the agency after it is notarized. The copy that comes to me will then be sent with a great deal of other paperwork to be apostilled. Apostill refers to basically having the paperwork made ready for the foreign government.

So, now we wait!!!! :) After the homsetudy is apostilled, it will be sent to Faithful Adoption Agency where they will compile my Dossier. The Dossier is what will be sent to Russia where they will match me with a child (or 2). Yes, I told them I am willing to bring home a sibling group 1 of the children being a boy 12 months or under. The other child can be under 3 and sex does not matter.

So pray with me! :)

A Promise Remembered...

I just found out that a very dear friend has breast cancer and underwent a total mastectomy. Boy, this hit me pretty hard. I have known her for 23 years but even more importantly I met her at a turning point in my life. I was 13! Boy that was a loooong time ago! I was a confused kid, and she was my English teacher. She taught me a lot more than English though! She mentored me through some tough times and kept me on the "high road" as she'd call it. I can remember telling her that I felt so stupid for having such strange feelings about things. She said, "No feelings are stupid." "You have the perfect feelings for your age." Now looking back on that I think what was the big deal?

I realize, however, that the big deal was that she cared for me and as I saw it she loved me unconditionally. I felt accepted. That was a pretty powerful feeling. She empowered me to become who I am today. She nurtured me to Christ.

Why do I blog about this when this is my adoption blog???? Well, that an easy answer. I made a promise to myself when I was about 14 years old. I determined in my heart that someday I'd let God use me to change a kid's life just like my English teacher had changed mine.

This news of her illness that she will overcome triumphantly brought this promise back to the forefront of my mind, and I am convinced even more that I am doing what God has called me to do!

PLEASE pray for my friend Gae Wofford and her family that God will give her strength through the next 4 weeks of chemo and through the healing process.

Just another day or is it?

Well, not much has happened with the adoption paperwork today, however, I did call an organization called Kidsave. They put on a program called Miracle Weekends. I am thinking about signing up for 3 months of taking a foster child in each weekend. The kids are between 9 and 15 and are the cream of the crop from the foster care system. It is a system that allows the child to get some exposure to each host's friends and family in hopes that they find an adoptive home. There are just so many kids out there who need love. I have lots of love to give! Pray for me as I consider this committment. It will be at least 7 months until the Russian adoption goes through so I have time to help out other kids too!

Am I crazy or what?????

Deana the half Latina Visits the INS

I am happy to announce that they did not keep me or ship me out! It was an interesting trip! This was the second time Andrew, Gina and I as the adults in the house had to have fingerprints done. Last time we were able to go to the Fullerton PD but this time the INS office was the only choice. This is part of the filing of the I-600A Form for international adoption.

The INS office was very well run and very clean! We were in and out of there in 35 minutes! Praise the Lord for another step out of the way. There is much more paperwork to come!

Homestudy Visit #1

Well, I must say that I was a bit nervous about my first meeting with the social worker! I wasn't sure what she was going to be asking or needing from me. I did know that she needed a tour of my house and a basic understanding of how life is in my house on a day to day basis!
I had heard from another adoptive parent that my social worker, Annette was wonderful and would guide me through the process.

I had the evening planned out and sent my mom off to the movies with my brothers and Gina's boys. I figured that the fewer people there the better. I can remember telling them that I was most nervous because I don't really like to talk too much. Some of you may find that hard to believe!

We started with the tour of the house. She was very complimentary of the decorating and "use of color". I was thinking, "Wow, she knows her psychological because I am already at ease." She only asked two questions: Where will the baby sleep? and Do you have any cages in the house? Those questions were easy enough to answer. There is plenty of space for baby and no cages to be found.

After the tour, we sat down in the family room and began going through the paperwork I had provided via fax and mail. This included going over my medical history and my financial standing. It was a tad bit uncomfortable since this is pretty personal business, but Annette made me feel at ease.

She provided me with a ton of reading material and suggested web sites to visit. I was encouraged to create a list of questions for her that she can answer upon her return on July 3rd.

The session lasted about 3 hours and ended with my explanation of what has led me to adopt and my biggest fears about international adoption.

Annette assured me that I sounded like an excellent fit for an adoptive mother. She said most of my answers were similar to those of biological parents when they are preparing for the birth of a new child. This made me feel great!

Next session, we are going to get more into who I am, how I grew up, what and who influenced me most, etc...

As a side note, I was wondering during the entire session if Annette found my "the Lord this" and "the Lord that" to be kind of strange. She said at one point that I sounded like I had a strong faith and that I should lean on that through this process. I also shared that any judgmental feelings about the adoption have come from Christians at work. She said that it is indeed sad that Christians can at times turn good into bad. At that point, I felt like I had been a bad testimony for Christ. Then our session came to an end and Annette said, "Well, I would love to come back next week, but I am teaching Vacation Bible School! She smiled, and I smiled. I praise God to have met a fellow believer in the business of rescuing children! PTL

Why become a single mom?

Okay, here is another popular question that I would like to answer. Okay, first of all the obvious - God has called me to this, and I have no doubt in my mind or heart about that.

The second answer to that question is posed in a question to you:

Is a child better off with a single mother who can offer a stable nurturing environment including a Christian upbringing or growing up in an orphanage in a poverty stricken part of a country where he could likely end up on the streets by the age of 13 and never come to a knowledge of Christ?

I know the road ahead will be tough and at times seem insurmountable, but I also know that God does not call us to anything that He doesn't have confidence we can handle.