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http://thejourneytobringsisterhome.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Happy Heart Day!
Today is Addie's heart day! I can't believe it has been three years. How far she has come! You can read all about the events of her surgery here.
I have been reading through all the comments made over those several days during surgery and the recovery process...makes me kinda emotional to see how God has used those same people to raise Addie to be the amazing little girl she is and also those people who have helped to bring sister home! Pretty amazing!
Here is a picture from when we first got to see her after surgery. =(
Amazing how far she has come...mainstream preschool and Sunday school, walking, talking in two and three word phrases, running, jumping, climbing, dancing, recognizes her upper and lower case alphabet, and numbers 1-10, counts to 10...working on counting to twenty..but that's hit or miss. =) If she asks you to sing a song, 9 times out of 10 she's going to ask you to sing E-I-E-I-O....and she continues to give the best hugs and kisses! Her favorite thing right now is to go into her playroom and turn on her CD player and turn it up as loud as it goes and start dancing....it's so hard to discipline her when I go in to turn it down and she puts her hand up and says STOP! I DANCIN! Love her!
Here she is on a recent trip to Chicago to see our good friend and amazing photographer Darcy Demmel
I have been reading through all the comments made over those several days during surgery and the recovery process...makes me kinda emotional to see how God has used those same people to raise Addie to be the amazing little girl she is and also those people who have helped to bring sister home! Pretty amazing!
Here is a picture from when we first got to see her after surgery. =(
Amazing how far she has come...mainstream preschool and Sunday school, walking, talking in two and three word phrases, running, jumping, climbing, dancing, recognizes her upper and lower case alphabet, and numbers 1-10, counts to 10...working on counting to twenty..but that's hit or miss. =) If she asks you to sing a song, 9 times out of 10 she's going to ask you to sing E-I-E-I-O....and she continues to give the best hugs and kisses! Her favorite thing right now is to go into her playroom and turn on her CD player and turn it up as loud as it goes and start dancing....it's so hard to discipline her when I go in to turn it down and she puts her hand up and says STOP! I DANCIN! Love her!
Here she is on a recent trip to Chicago to see our good friend and amazing photographer Darcy Demmel
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Adoption Blog
I'm happy to say that our good friend Amy Flege over at the Flege Farm has put together an adoption blog for us! Thank you Amy! All of our adoption related news will now be posted at The Journey To Bring Sister Home!
Now just bear with us as we add in the newest details of our adoption journey! God has remained so faithful and we should be traveling in mid to late December!
Now just bear with us as we add in the newest details of our adoption journey! God has remained so faithful and we should be traveling in mid to late December!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Adoption Update - we're an "Ideal Family"
We are going to get Sister home! The agency and overseeing agency in Ecuador has cleared as a family and said after we had sent them the additional information we ended up being "an ideal family for Sister"! I have just been in constant prayer thanking God for this blessing. We are so humbled and so thankful!
I've been listening to the song Stronger by Mandisa....love it...and believing God.
"Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this"
So now what, right? On Tuesday we will prayerfully get the official signatures from the committee in Ecuador...there is that chance that they don't work on our case if they have a large pile of other cases and don't get to it, etc, etc...so we have to PRAY that they review and get the signatures on our case!
Then we submit Sisters information to immigration here in the states and wait for her approval (currently taking about 2-3 weeks). Once we have immigration approval for sister that is wired to Ecuador and after some quick formalities, they send us the document to travel.
So when can we go?
I assumed January...however, our agency has said that there is a small chance that we could still go this year! Our God can perform miracles, right! Yes He can!!! In order for us to travel in 2011 we would have to get the signatures on Tuesday, have immigration take their normal 2-3 weeks, and then be ready to go when they say go!
PS...if we get the signatures Tuesday...guess what that means....you'll get to see pictures! Get excited!!
Will you join me in prayer?
In other fun news...we had our Buddy Walk yesterday...we had over 1000 people in attendance! I think I'm still on a Buddy Walk high! My older sister Leslie and her family were here this weekend as well as my mom and Grandma and Grandpa for the walk on Saturday...Leslie and Dave and the kids stayed until today and we spent the day as a family, enjoying the beautiful weather at a pumpkin patch and then at an apple orchard. Addie had an absolute blast and was already climbing into her bed after her bath tonight without prompting..which she never does! I was sad to see them go, but definitely enjoying tonight relaxing...
Since March our lives have been consumed by adoption stuff, and then it quickly moved to Buddy Walk stuff (I'm the President of our Down Syndrome Support group), with more adoption stuff trickled in throughout...and now, Buddy Walk is over...and there are no more documents that need signed, notarized (Gina we will still have to get together thought) =), and no more trips to Des Moines for apostilling...it is amazing how much stress a person can carry and how great it feels when that stress has been lifted!
I know God is faithful to the end...but there is such a bright light shining at the end of this seemingly never ending tunnel...we are coming to get you dear Sister....we cannot wait to hold you in our arms, take in your smell, and share our lives with you! In the car tonight Addie was talking about Sister and saying her name...and I could be completely wrong, but I honestly feel that Addie knows that Sister is coming and she is starting to understand who her Sister is. A Sister that God knew was hers long before she was even born. Love love love.
I've been listening to the song Stronger by Mandisa....love it...and believing God.
"Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this"
So now what, right? On Tuesday we will prayerfully get the official signatures from the committee in Ecuador...there is that chance that they don't work on our case if they have a large pile of other cases and don't get to it, etc, etc...so we have to PRAY that they review and get the signatures on our case!
Then we submit Sisters information to immigration here in the states and wait for her approval (currently taking about 2-3 weeks). Once we have immigration approval for sister that is wired to Ecuador and after some quick formalities, they send us the document to travel.
So when can we go?
I assumed January...however, our agency has said that there is a small chance that we could still go this year! Our God can perform miracles, right! Yes He can!!! In order for us to travel in 2011 we would have to get the signatures on Tuesday, have immigration take their normal 2-3 weeks, and then be ready to go when they say go!
PS...if we get the signatures Tuesday...guess what that means....you'll get to see pictures! Get excited!!
Will you join me in prayer?
In other fun news...we had our Buddy Walk yesterday...we had over 1000 people in attendance! I think I'm still on a Buddy Walk high! My older sister Leslie and her family were here this weekend as well as my mom and Grandma and Grandpa for the walk on Saturday...Leslie and Dave and the kids stayed until today and we spent the day as a family, enjoying the beautiful weather at a pumpkin patch and then at an apple orchard. Addie had an absolute blast and was already climbing into her bed after her bath tonight without prompting..which she never does! I was sad to see them go, but definitely enjoying tonight relaxing...
Since March our lives have been consumed by adoption stuff, and then it quickly moved to Buddy Walk stuff (I'm the President of our Down Syndrome Support group), with more adoption stuff trickled in throughout...and now, Buddy Walk is over...and there are no more documents that need signed, notarized (Gina we will still have to get together thought) =), and no more trips to Des Moines for apostilling...it is amazing how much stress a person can carry and how great it feels when that stress has been lifted!
I know God is faithful to the end...but there is such a bright light shining at the end of this seemingly never ending tunnel...we are coming to get you dear Sister....we cannot wait to hold you in our arms, take in your smell, and share our lives with you! In the car tonight Addie was talking about Sister and saying her name...and I could be completely wrong, but I honestly feel that Addie knows that Sister is coming and she is starting to understand who her Sister is. A Sister that God knew was hers long before she was even born. Love love love.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Adoption Update
The reviewing agency in Ecuador had asked for a letter from Addie's Physical Therapists wanting detailed information on her development as they didn't feel our home study went into enough detail...whatever....so instead of one letter, we sent a letter from her speech therapist, a letter from her physical therapist, and a letter from her teacher at preschool. Hopefully that'll give them they information they need on lil miss Addie....but really...I'm kinda over this hurry up and wait game and I just want a little girl home. Not getting my hopes up, but will definitely be praying as they are to be meeting about our case on Friday....so we could possibly know more by Friday night....we can only pray.
We have come to terms with the fact that we will most likely not be traveling in 2011...(Ecuador government shuts down for three weeks in December)..and that is fine..but you better believe we'll be on the plane as soon as they say go....
Until then, we've been keeping busy getting ready for the Buddy Walk this Saturday! I was looking back at pictures from last year and thought I'd share...crazy to see how much Addie has changed in a year..
2011 Adelynn's Advocates
Addie and her cousin Corbett
We have come to terms with the fact that we will most likely not be traveling in 2011...(Ecuador government shuts down for three weeks in December)..and that is fine..but you better believe we'll be on the plane as soon as they say go....
Until then, we've been keeping busy getting ready for the Buddy Walk this Saturday! I was looking back at pictures from last year and thought I'd share...crazy to see how much Addie has changed in a year..
2011 Adelynn's Advocates
Addie and her cousin Corbett
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