Merry Christmas

It is the season. In so many places I hear talk about the kids who may not have a coat this winter to keep them warm, or wont have gifts under their tree to unwrap on Christmas day, or a meal to celebrate with their family.
This holiday season is hitting me harder. How will my children celebrate this Christmas? Are they being loved? Do they have a coat to protect them from the cold if they are in the mountains? Do they have a roof over their heads to protect them from the severe rains? I cannot get answers to my questions (at least not now) and I cannot do anything right now to protect them, or to express them our love.

So, my wish for Christmas is for them to be safe and not to be long before we are together as a family, just like God has planned for us.

Friends of Colombia Orphans

Here is a link to a fundraiser for a wonderful cause!



Friends of Colombian Orphans Inc. is a grassroots, nonprofit charity dedicated to improving the well-being of young Colombians who are living in poverty. Established in 2007 by U.S. parents who adopted Colombian children, the organization focuses on structural improvements to orphanages, and vocational and entrepreneurial training for teens and young women.

National Adoption Month / Blog Hop

To anyone who is or was on the adoption process, or for anybody who is starting this journey... HAPPY ADOPTION MONTH!!!

So, to keep going the celebration, lets join the adoption blog hop!!

Guidelines:
The title of your link should begin with:

• Foster - if adoption is through foster care
• Private - if adoption is through a private agency
• Name of the country - if the adoption is international

Other labels for your adoption could include:

• P - if adoption is still pending
• $ - if you are still seeking funding for your adoption

I totally missed the guidelines, but at least with the thumbnail you can tell it is a Colombian adoption!

Waiting

Sometimes things don't turn like we want them to. Other times, life gives us surprises that we never imagined. But nothing happens out of the original master plan that God created for each one of us. And we know that our kids are still waiting for us in Colombia. And we will go and get them. When? We don't know, but I'm sure it will be right in God's perfect timing, whenever He (and ICBF) feel that we are good to go. So for the next two years or so, we will keep praying so they are safe and surrounded by love.

For all of you who are still around, and those who sent me personal emails, I think this picture says more than 1000 words. Taken last month in Tuscany, Italy.

Talley and I

Citizens of the World

"Citizens of the World" is a hosting program created by our placement agency Adopolis. I cannot describe it better than they do:

"Adopolis is pleased to announce that an agreement has been signed with the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) to initiate Citizens of the World, a Hosting Program for children and host families interested in providing special needs and older children from Colombia an enriching family experience. This program helps to fulfill Adopolis’ commitment to education and service, recognizing the importance of a family life for a child. After the children return to Colombia, the host families can support them in different ways or may be considered as prospective adoptive families.

The goal of the program is to provide children - special needs 4 to 7 yrs. old, and healthy 8 to 12 yrs. old - with a summertime or a Christmas season enrichment experience within the environment of a family’s home. The program is family-centered. The children will stay with a family for three or four weeks during the months of July-August or December-January, which is when families take their summer and Christmas vacations.


More information here
and here

This should be a great opportunity to explore if adoption is right for you!

USCIS renewal

I realize that it has been a while since I updated this blog with our adoption news.

Well, not many things are going on about adoption, other that we have been approved by the USCIS to adopt up to two kids from Colombia. This is good news but not the end of this part of the road. We have to send the HS appostilled to Colombia ICBF to get their approval and to enter another waiting list. I will get to get the apostille this week, then send it to our agency and get it translated and delivered to ICBF.

My best guess now is to become parents by 2012, even that in my heart I hope to get a referral by the end of next year. I can always dream, right?

So, on the meantime, we have been busy with our new house!!! We found this place with great schools, playground in the community, and what it looks to be nice neighbors. And just 5 minutes away from the office! Other than that, we have been very busy with work, work, and work.

See u next time!

Please pray for her

Leave the family some comments so they know they are not alone.

Waiting for ...

waiting

Originally uploaded by 锺樂海

I just found this article in the Joint Council website. It describes exactly what means and what is like to be waiting for a child in International Adoption:

We spend our lives waiting: to get our driver’s license, to finish school, for all the adult pleasures we’ve anticipated. But few of those times require the patience needed to wait for our children when we are in the midst of an international adoption. Once the rush stage is done and all the paperwork has been submitted and sent to our child’s country, the true wait begins — and it is one that makes us weak and strong at the same time.
The weakness comes from feelings of uncertainty (Will it really happen?); of lack of control (especially difficult for those of us who usually cope by taking charge); of insecurity (Will we make good parents? Will our children love us?). The strength comes from learning to trust ourselves and others (our agency and authorities in our child’s country); learning to have faith that something so abstract now will be concrete soon (holding our children); learning all we can during this time (from books, friends, family, and our own instincts).
Only two certainties
In essence, this time of waiting for our children is a combination of fear and happy anticipation, mixed with ingredients of patience, faith, trust in people we don’t know, some sorrow and possibly anger about delays or changes here and abroad over which we have no control, and a large portion of hope. For there are two certainties in international adoption — the first being that eventually we will have our children (not necessarily from the first country we planned on), and the second being that in the meantime there will be delays, possible difficulties, and much less information and control than we would like. If we weather the frustrations, retain our hope, and refuse to give up if we need to change direction, there is no way that we’ll fail to get a child, once our home study is approved.

Waiting

Yep, we are waiting... but now we are waiting for two. We are sending an update request to USCIS and Colombia for siblings up to four years old.

2010

Hi!!!

2010 is the year! Yes, it is the year to renew our adoption paperwork. My hopes of becoming a mother will start maybe in 2011 or 2012, no hurries here :-)

Just a quick recap of the past couple of months. We spent Christmas and New Years in Chile, eating great seafood, drinking the best wine in the world (well, we will have to travel to the rest of the world to make sure this is a true statesman), and enjoying the warm weather!!!! I was there for work, and the company sent my husband so we could be together for the holidays. It is so cool that they could do that as we both work for the same company!

Other than that, we have been working as always and trying to sell our house! So far, nobody wants this beautiful place.

Next update to this blog? Maybe whenever we get the renewal from immigration. Who knows? Maybe before, maybe later...