Tuesday, January 29, 2008
That was fast!
We already received our new I-171H in the mail. This is the form we had to go to K.C. recently to renew. The new one is good until July 2009...which means we'll have to renew one more time before we go to China. We're now predicting it will be summer 2010 when we get our referral. As children, we thought we'd be flying around like The Jetsons by 2010!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Buckle Your Seatbelts...
First of all, sorry for the lack of blogging lately. It's been a crazy start to the year for us. Allow us to fill you in...
A couple of months ago, we received a message from Laura's doctor telling us about one of her patients who was pregnant and wished to make an adoption plan for the baby. Knowing our desire to have children, the doctor thought of us along with a couple of other families. The information we were given at the time was sparse, but this would apparently be a semi-open adoption and handled through private attorneys. To be honest, this was a road that we never really saw ourselves traveling... So we were hesitant, but decided to let the doctor give our names to a mediator who would help facilitate the adoption.
Weeks passed and we didn't hear anything, so we basically wrote it off in our minds. Then, suddenly... in the midst of the holiday calm we received another call to see if we were still interested in considering and being considered for this adoption. After a little prodding, we agreed to at least meet with the birthmom. We decided to treat it as a "testing the waters" experience. This would be a somewhat awkward meeting for obvious reasons... But despite our fears, it went relatively well and we came away feeling a lot different than we expected.
The next morning we received a call from the mediator and, to our bewilderment, were told that the birthmom had chosen us to be the adoptive family. (Gulp!) Obviously, we were overwhelmed by the unexpectedness of ALL of this. It would be hard not to appreciate the rareness of this opportunity and the way it seemed to be coming together... and yet we had serious concerns about the circumstances that would surround the adoption. Nonetheless, we suddenly found ourselves with the ball in our court. "What do we do now??"
Along with the details of the days that followed, we'll also spare you any more suspense... This child will not be ours.
So.. back to the story...
To say the least, this was a decision that caused us a lot of turmoil (some of you, no doubt, with tiny grins right now thinking about our struggles with even the smallest decisions). What an amazing opportunity to bring a child into our family much earlier than we anticipated, and better yet it wouldn't interfere with our China adoption. On the other hand, our instincts about the scenario continued to keep us grounded.
Oh, a minor detail we haven't mentioned yet... this baby was possibly only DAYS away from being born. (Gulp! again) Obviously this added to the pressure of our decision, but we knew it was possible and that friends and family would rally to help us overcome the extreme time crunch. The question remained... Was this God's will?
We prayerfully considered adopting this child (and were coming much closer than we ever imagined in the beginning)... We decided to move forward with it and even sought legal council to see what the risks were and what needed to happen to make it all work. We leaned upon friends and family to help us talk through this heavy decision, and make sure we carefully considered all of the matters involved in the situation. We proceeded with "cautious optimism", but as things progressed and more concerns cropped up it started to become clear that, for us, it wasn't meant to be.
It brought us comfort to know that the birthmom also felt very strongly about one of the other families she had met with, and we have reason to believe they might be more prepared to handle the present circumstances...
So... the last few weeks have been a roller coaster of a ride. After our final decision was made, we experienced disappointment and sadness that it didn't work out. We realize it might be hard for some to understand how we could turn away from something that seemed to fall into our laps... Could it have worked despite our reservations? We'll never know the answer to that, but now that we're back on solid ground and free from the stress and emotional intensity of the situation.. we feel that we made the right decision - for everyone. In the end, we had to go with the instincts that God gave us. Our time will come.
So, why did this happen? What did it all mean? We may not know the complete answer to that right away, but we've learned so much for having gone through this. It has been a faith building experience. And even though we're very anxious to become parents, it has given us a greater appreciation for what we do have and we realize now more than ever how blessed we are to have people in our lives who will love us and support us no matter what.
What a year... and it's only mid-January.
A couple of months ago, we received a message from Laura's doctor telling us about one of her patients who was pregnant and wished to make an adoption plan for the baby. Knowing our desire to have children, the doctor thought of us along with a couple of other families. The information we were given at the time was sparse, but this would apparently be a semi-open adoption and handled through private attorneys. To be honest, this was a road that we never really saw ourselves traveling... So we were hesitant, but decided to let the doctor give our names to a mediator who would help facilitate the adoption.
Weeks passed and we didn't hear anything, so we basically wrote it off in our minds. Then, suddenly... in the midst of the holiday calm we received another call to see if we were still interested in considering and being considered for this adoption. After a little prodding, we agreed to at least meet with the birthmom. We decided to treat it as a "testing the waters" experience. This would be a somewhat awkward meeting for obvious reasons... But despite our fears, it went relatively well and we came away feeling a lot different than we expected.
The next morning we received a call from the mediator and, to our bewilderment, were told that the birthmom had chosen us to be the adoptive family. (Gulp!) Obviously, we were overwhelmed by the unexpectedness of ALL of this. It would be hard not to appreciate the rareness of this opportunity and the way it seemed to be coming together... and yet we had serious concerns about the circumstances that would surround the adoption. Nonetheless, we suddenly found ourselves with the ball in our court. "What do we do now??"
Along with the details of the days that followed, we'll also spare you any more suspense... This child will not be ours.
So.. back to the story...
To say the least, this was a decision that caused us a lot of turmoil (some of you, no doubt, with tiny grins right now thinking about our struggles with even the smallest decisions). What an amazing opportunity to bring a child into our family much earlier than we anticipated, and better yet it wouldn't interfere with our China adoption. On the other hand, our instincts about the scenario continued to keep us grounded.
Oh, a minor detail we haven't mentioned yet... this baby was possibly only DAYS away from being born. (Gulp! again) Obviously this added to the pressure of our decision, but we knew it was possible and that friends and family would rally to help us overcome the extreme time crunch. The question remained... Was this God's will?
We prayerfully considered adopting this child (and were coming much closer than we ever imagined in the beginning)... We decided to move forward with it and even sought legal council to see what the risks were and what needed to happen to make it all work. We leaned upon friends and family to help us talk through this heavy decision, and make sure we carefully considered all of the matters involved in the situation. We proceeded with "cautious optimism", but as things progressed and more concerns cropped up it started to become clear that, for us, it wasn't meant to be.
It brought us comfort to know that the birthmom also felt very strongly about one of the other families she had met with, and we have reason to believe they might be more prepared to handle the present circumstances...
So... the last few weeks have been a roller coaster of a ride. After our final decision was made, we experienced disappointment and sadness that it didn't work out. We realize it might be hard for some to understand how we could turn away from something that seemed to fall into our laps... Could it have worked despite our reservations? We'll never know the answer to that, but now that we're back on solid ground and free from the stress and emotional intensity of the situation.. we feel that we made the right decision - for everyone. In the end, we had to go with the instincts that God gave us. Our time will come.
So, why did this happen? What did it all mean? We may not know the complete answer to that right away, but we've learned so much for having gone through this. It has been a faith building experience. And even though we're very anxious to become parents, it has given us a greater appreciation for what we do have and we realize now more than ever how blessed we are to have people in our lives who will love us and support us no matter what.
What a year... and it's only mid-January.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
Goin' to Kansas City...
Kansas City, here we come. We're heading out in the morning to KC for the weekend. We scheduled our fingerprint renewal appointment for Monday (the 31st), so we thought we'd make a weekend of it!
Hope you all have a Happy New Year!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Fifteen Months
Today is our 15 month LID anniversary. Not much has changed since our last update as far as timelines go. This month the CCAA sent referrals for LIDs from Dec 9, 2005-Dec 14, 2005. This means by next month the wait will have reached 24+ months. (blah!)Hope everyone is doing well and having a good holiday season so far!!
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Great Information
Missy and Brad have a great link on their blog to some articles about dealing with infertility through the holiday season. Here is the direct link to the articles put out by Resolve (the National Infertility Association).
Have a good weekend.
Have a good weekend.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Adoption Documentary
I found a video that documents a family's journey to China to adopt their daughter. It's about 10 minutes long, but it's a great video. Just click on the link below...Hope you enjoy!
Friday, November 30, 2007
We are out of Review!!!
Finally, Sept '06 LIDs are out of the Review Room! This is the first milestone we've had in a long, long time.We started the process to update our paperwork this week. Our social worker came over Tuesday night for dinner and to update our homestudy. Next Thursday we have to get our local (state level) fingerprints redone. Once we get those back and get a new copy of our homestudy, we can schedule our appointment to get refingerprinted (federal level) in K.C. sometime during the beginning of January.
Hope you all have a relaxing weekend!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Name That Bird
I happened to glance outside yesterday afternoon and saw this bird sitting on our fence. Unfortunately, it flew away to quick for me to snap more than one picture. We've been searching the internet to figure out what it is...what do you all think??
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanks!
A couple weeks ago my friend Marlana threw me a "Renew Your Enthusiasm" shower at Mille's. I was able to catch up with a group of girls I went to high school with and it was so much fun! Thanks girls for a great time and some great presents that did help lift our spirits as we continue to wait for Anna. Here is a picture of the thoughtful gifts everyone gave us:
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Follow-up
Good news regarding the story we shared in the last post. This is taken from the website of their agency:
Bethany Christian Services are pleased to announce the Sheldon family has received their visas and are returning home from China this weekend. “We will continue to work with the family to make sure all their needs are met,” said John VanValkenburg, Public Relations Specialist for Bethany Christian Services. “This has been a difficult situation for the Sheldon family and Bethany would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support for this family, including the efforts of Michigan Congressmen, Vern Ehlers and Mike Rogers.”
Due to these special circumstances, Bethany is accepting contributions to support the family until December 31, 2007. Checks can be made payable to Bethany Christian Services and please indicate the Sheldon family on the memo line. Checks can be sent to Bethany's Donor Records at 901 Eastern Ave NE, PO Box 294 Grand Rapids Michigan 49501. Bethany Christian Services will give all donations to the family for their “Hope for Hannah” fund.
Bethany Christian Services are pleased to announce the Sheldon family has received their visas and are returning home from China this weekend. “We will continue to work with the family to make sure all their needs are met,” said John VanValkenburg, Public Relations Specialist for Bethany Christian Services. “This has been a difficult situation for the Sheldon family and Bethany would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support for this family, including the efforts of Michigan Congressmen, Vern Ehlers and Mike Rogers.”
Due to these special circumstances, Bethany is accepting contributions to support the family until December 31, 2007. Checks can be made payable to Bethany Christian Services and please indicate the Sheldon family on the memo line. Checks can be sent to Bethany's Donor Records at 901 Eastern Ave NE, PO Box 294 Grand Rapids Michigan 49501. Bethany Christian Services will give all donations to the family for their “Hope for Hannah” fund.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Help needed for a family in China
I'm posting this from another blog:
Earlier this week I came to you asking for prayer for a fellow adoptive mom in China now picking up her daughter. Her husband had been traveling with her and died suddenly due to complications of his diabetes. I just received the following information from a family traveling with them in China and we need all the help we can get to bring this mom and baby home. Here is the message...
The US Consulate in Guangzhou has denied Sandi Sheldon permission to proceed with the adoption of Hannah. They want her to fill out a new I-171 and are making no guarantees after that. Sandi, of course does not want to leave China and leave Hannah here because she has no where to go. Sandi needs our help desperately! Please start a massive campaign of calling to her US Congressman and US Senator and urge them to intervene on Sandi's behalf. We have discussed this with Sandi and she wants our help. Please pressure these elected officials to contact the State Department and straighten this out. Sandi should not be denied Hannah's adoption because her husband passed away unexpectedly. The adoption has been finalized here in China. Sandi's congressman is Mike Rogers. His Washington office number is 202 225 4872. His Michigan office number is 517 702 8000, he also has a toll free number 1-877-333-MIKE. Sandi's US Senator is Debbie Stabenow. Her Washington DC number is 202 224 4822 and her Michigan office number is 517 203 1760.
Please call the numbers listed if you can and say a prayer for this family. Thank you!
***UPDATE: Apparently the U.S. reps office has received over 1000 calls and is working on this situation, also Sec. of State Rice's office has been contacted and is well aware of the situation. This family is thanking everyone for their phone calls and is now asking them to stop so these offices can focus on addressing the issue.
Earlier this week I came to you asking for prayer for a fellow adoptive mom in China now picking up her daughter. Her husband had been traveling with her and died suddenly due to complications of his diabetes. I just received the following information from a family traveling with them in China and we need all the help we can get to bring this mom and baby home. Here is the message...
The US Consulate in Guangzhou has denied Sandi Sheldon permission to proceed with the adoption of Hannah. They want her to fill out a new I-171 and are making no guarantees after that. Sandi, of course does not want to leave China and leave Hannah here because she has no where to go. Sandi needs our help desperately! Please start a massive campaign of calling to her US Congressman and US Senator and urge them to intervene on Sandi's behalf. We have discussed this with Sandi and she wants our help. Please pressure these elected officials to contact the State Department and straighten this out. Sandi should not be denied Hannah's adoption because her husband passed away unexpectedly. The adoption has been finalized here in China. Sandi's congressman is Mike Rogers. His Washington office number is 202 225 4872. His Michigan office number is 517 702 8000, he also has a toll free number 1-877-333-MIKE. Sandi's US Senator is Debbie Stabenow. Her Washington DC number is 202 224 4822 and her Michigan office number is 517 203 1760.
Please call the numbers listed if you can and say a prayer for this family. Thank you!
***UPDATE: Apparently the U.S. reps office has received over 1000 calls and is working on this situation, also Sec. of State Rice's office has been contacted and is well aware of the situation. This family is thanking everyone for their phone calls and is now asking them to stop so these offices can focus on addressing the issue.
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