Charlotte is ONE!

Charlotte ~ Joy to the Lord

Always be joyful.  Always keep on praying.  No matter what happens, always be thankful.  For this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.   2 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Charlotte is a sweet, joyful little girl.  She wasn't always this way; having acid reflux as an infant she actually cried alot.  Now that she has outgrown her discomfort, we enjoy all her moments of joy.  If it were up to Charlotte, she would be permanently attached to my hip at all times of the day.  This girl loves to be close.   Even if I'm just sitting on the floor watching her play, she is content.  Some of my recent, most special moments with Charlotte have been in the evening when I'm putting her to bed.  We get her soft blanky, she lays on my chest and we rock.  Most times she doesn't even fall asleep.  She just lays there staring at me. And this will go on as long as I am willing to sit there with her.  Another favorite is going into her room in the morning.  She is always standing up waiting for the door to open.  And once it does, she smiles at me with pink rosy cheeks and paces back and forth laughing.  These are the moments I never want to forget.

Charlotte has taught me to slow down and enjoy little things.  Many times I get frustrated that she always wants to be held or interacted with, but I am repeatedly reminding myself that she will not always want me to hold her.  Her big grin and little squeal of a giggle make my day.  This past year has been filled with getting to know this sweet girl and her charming personality.  And she is most definitely a charmer!  I am beyond grateful for the blessing God has given us in Charlotte.  What a beautiful gift!

This beautiful video of Charlotte's first year was made with lots of love and many hours by Karl.  Enjoy!


 
Charlotte's first year standard size from Karl on Vimeo.

"Why are we doing this?"

Today was a special day for our family and especially for Harmony.  For the past 18 months we have been trying to get together with her birth father, Tyler.  After a couple meetings falling through we began to wonder if it would ever actually happen.  Recently Tyler has made many positive changes in his life and has started reaching out to our family more.   Today that meeting with him finally happened!

We started convincing ourselves that maybe it didn't really matter if we/she ever had a relationship with him. But after meeting with him today we felt that God was renewing our original conviction of needing to be His light to Tyler.  God brought us an amazing gift in Harmony but we believe it is not only for our sake and hers that we are together, but also for the rest of the family involved.  Going into our meeting today, we were worried about it feeling awkward, intimidating and uncomfortable.  But it was incredibly special to see how much Tyler loves this little girl.  He held her, chased her, went down the slide and followed her everywhere with a grin from ear to ear.  Watching the tears roll down his face as he wept saying goodbye to her reminded us of not only how special this gift is but also how important an open adoption can be.  Not only for Harmony to know her birth father but for Tyler to be able to heal through seeing her and knowing she is loved.

Frequently we forget that Harmony is even adopted. She is an Anderson and part of us.  But that's not the whole story. She has other people in her life that care deeply for her and she should know that.  We had to ask ourselves today, "Why are we doing this?"  It's so Harmony can see the love her birth father has for her.  She was never abandoned or unwanted.  She was cherished and still is.  Even if today is the only time she has with him, we will be able to tell her about the new things we learned about her biological family and it will be very obvious through the photos taken, how much he loves her.

Little sis had fun too. :)

Mother's Day Thoughts

On this beautiful Mother's Day, I find myself with a very full heart with so much to be grateful for!  Just a short time ago this was a painful day for me.  My heart still aches for those who are waiting to be mothers.  Just know you are very loved!

My sweet baby girls bring me so much joy.  These two have changed my life forever and I will never be the same.  Motherhood is a beautiful experience filled with yes, lots of hard work but also incredibly rewarding moments.  Harmony, with her mischievous grin and little chuckle.  Her little sense of humor brings frequent laughter to our home.  This little girl is a very independent baby but makes sure to give us cuddles and hugs to show she needs us.  Her love for music, dancing, animals and the outdoors is refreshing.  People say, "Oh, she is so lucky to have you as her mom."  But the truth is, I am the blessed one.  And Charlotte, sweet Charlotte.  Her giddy little smile, intense blue eyes and sweet charm are beautiful.  This baby is one little cuddle bug and I cherish her snuggles and giggles.  These girls are so very opposite from each other but so beautiful in who they each are as little people.  God has surely blessed our family!

 Today, I am also very thankful for my mom.  Even though we live states apart she has always made the effort to visit and be a part of our girl's lives.  Coming to town for baby showers, birthday parties and to lend a helping hand.  Thank you for raising me to be the woman I am today and thank you for loving me and my family.  I love you so much and wish you a very happy Mother's Day.

And on this day, there is one person who will forever be loved and celebrated.  Harmony's birth mother.  Her heartache and loss was my joy and gain.  Mother's Day brings very mixed emotions for me.  Of course I am thrilled to be a mom to my two beautiful girls, but at the same time I know this day brings pain and sadness to her.  She gave me the gift of motherhood and for that I will forever be grateful.  We love you Destiny and wish you a very special Mother's Day.

Destiny and Harmony

Charlotte Noelle

Today little miss Charlotte is 4 weeks old and I can't believe how the time has flown!  It seems like just yesterday we were a family of 3 anxiously awaiting her arrival.  Now she's here, cuddled up close to me on my chest.  Charlotte is a cuddler, she is a sweet baby who loves to be held close, she is my beautiful daughter.  This is Charlotte's story...

December 29th started out as any normal day in our house does.  I had been having very irregular contractions during the night but by the time we woke up they had stopped.  We got Harmony up and ready for the day and enjoyed a nice Saturday morning breakfast together.  We were getting ready to go out and run some errands when the contractions started up again around 10:30.  This time they were hard from the start and consistently close together.  The doctors had told me the day before at my appointment that when labor did start, I should get to the hospital quickly as the baby was very low and I was already dilated to 4cm.  So off we went to the hospital, Harmony as well since we still needed to get somebody to take care of her on last minute notice.  

Once we got to the hospital everything moved so quickly for me.  Even though we had 9 months to prepare for this day, it still didn't seem real to me.  After progressing rapidly to 6cm., I was admitted at 2:00pm. and got settled into my labor and delivery room.  Karl thought we would have plenty of time waiting around so we decided it would be a good time for him to run to the cafeteria to get something to eat before it got crazy.  He had been gone no longer than 5 minutes when my doctor and nurses came running into the room in a panic.  Charlotte's heart rate had dropped significantly and no matter what they tried it wouldn't come back up.  The nurses frantically started trying to get a hold of Karl as they were talking about getting me in for an emergency C-Section.   But just as quickly as her heart rate dropped, it went right back up.  After checking my progress and seeing that I had gone from 6cm. to 9cm. in 30 minutes, they decided this is what had put the strain on poor Charlotte.  This was the scariest part of the whole experience for me.  Not knowing what was going on and being so afraid for my baby.  And this was the first time I felt such a strong sense of protection for this little girl. 

At 5:30 it was time to start pushing.  I pushed and pushed and pushed.  After feelings of nausea, exhaustion and extreme pain, Charlotte Noelle arrived in this world at 7:09pm.  Words cannot describe the feelings of joy I felt as she was laid on my chest.  This baby who was prayed for and so highly anticipated had finally arrived.  We both cried as our eyes met for the first time.  She was perfect.  Healthy and beautiful at 7lbs. 14oz. and 20 1/4 inches long and we were instantly in love.  The not so lovely details of the rest of the night and my recovery can be spared from this blog post. :) 

Karl and I feel so blessed to have two healthy and beautiful baby girls.  Both were prayed for for so long and now we feel like our blessing are overflowing.  God has been so good to our family.  Here are a few of my feelings about Charlotte and the things I am grateful for: I am so grateful that I got to experience pregnancy and yes, even childbirth.  Even though parts of it were unpleasant or painful it is an amazing experience that I will treasure forever.  I am so extremely grateful to have experienced the joy of an adopted and a biological child.  This is a unique situation that most people do not get to experience.  People frequently tell us, "people always get pregnant after they adopt."  The truth is, it doesn't.  And we are grateful we are one of the few who has gotten to experience both.  A hospital experience filled with pure joy at knowing this baby is forever ours from day one.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to nurse my baby.  It is something not everyone gets to experience and for me it has been such a special thing.  Not having to deal with bottles for baby #2!  My husband has been such an amazingly helpful and supportive man during the past month.  I could not have done it without him.  Grateful for our amazing families and friends who have come along side us and helped us through this crazy time in our life with two babies under 10 months. We are so blessed to have each and every one of you! 

God has been so good to us.  And even though I know there will be rough days when I can barely shower and feed myself, I am so grateful for the two beautiful children He has blessed us with.  They are so full of life and laughter and make our home so happy.  We are love with our girls and feeling overwhelmingly happy. :)

Sweet sisters

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

              

Forever an Anderson!

Harmony is always and forever an Anderson!  As of September 28th, she has officially joined our family as an Anderson.  Not that we ever considered her anything else but now it is legal.  What a special feeling it was to be in the courtroom, surrounded by the support of our family and friends.  We were asked the question, "Do you understand this is a permanent decision?"  And tears welled up in my eyes as I couldn't imagine Harmony being anywhere else but with Karl and I.  At the end of the series of questions, the judge officially declared her name changed to Harmony Miah Anderson!  Even though the entire court hearing only lasted about 5 minutes and may seem unimportant to some, I will never forget this day and the meaning it holds for our family.  Holding our sweet little baby girl in my arms and knowing she is ours forever.  Feeling blessed by the family and friends who were there to support us.  Grateful for the family God has created with Karl, myself, Harmony and our second baby girl.  And especially happy for the selfless choice made by her birthparents that makes us the family we are today.  God is so good and we have so much to be grateful for!

It's official!

Grateful for our family and friends.

We couldn't have asked for a better caseworker.  Thank you Rachel!

Thank you to all who were not only there this weekend to celebrate Harmony but who have walked this road with us.  While our journey to becoming Harmony's parents is complete, the real adventure is just beginning! 

It's a...

We were so excited to find out this week that Harmony is going to have a little sister!  We ultimately are just praying for a healthy baby and don't care at all what we are having but it being a girl will make things so much easier on us.  We already have everything!  It is going to be so much fun seeing these two little sisters and the special bond they will share being so close in age.  They will never know life without each other.  These little Irish twins are going to keep us on our toes but we can't wait! 

Sometimes I think I'm still in shock this is even happening.  I feel so blessed to be the mother of beautiful Harmony and this baby on the way.  God definitely has a special plan for our family and it is amazing to watch it unfold.  This past week I was remembering where we were one year ago.  We had recently found out that our last infertility treatment was unsuccessful and we were at the end of our rope with trying to get pregnant.  God had already been opening our hearts to adoption and within a few short weeks we felt so strongly convicted in this area we began the adoption process.  It was a time off sorrow as we were closing the chapter in our lives of trying to have biological children.  But at the same time it was such a joyful and refreshing time as we were finally pursuing a route that would eventually make us parents.  Now, a year later, I am in awe of how God has blessed us.  I never would have guessed that in August of 2012, we would already have a 5 month old daughter and another baby on the way.  God is so good!  And I am so grateful that we listened to God's prodding.  If we had not, the charming and lovable girl we call Harmony would not be a part of our family.  This makes me so thankful!  I'm officially halfway through this pregnancy and already getting anxious to meet our sweet baby girl. :)     

                                                                 

IT'S

A

         

GIRL!!!!

Couldn't be happier!

Sucking on her hand :)

3 Months and Growing

I can hardly believe Harmony is 3 months old!  This past month she has starting trying new things more than ever.  At 2 1/2 months old she starting consistently rolling over from her tummy to her back.  Going the other direction will be any day now.  This little girl is one determined baby!  Harmony is almost always moving.  Kicking her legs, waving her arms and smiling tons!  She does still like to cuddle with us when she's tired and ready to fall asleep, which we just love.  :)

This month Harmony and I flew to San Diego on one of Karl's trips so we could spend Father's Day with him.  It was the first time I had ever been there and we had a great time walking around and enjoying the beautiful weather.  It is so obvious Harmony was meant to be in our family...she loves travelling!  Harmony has probably been on about 10 flights and she has slept through every single one of them!

Harmony already loves books and now enjoys sitting in her bumbo, playing under her toy jungle gym,  going for walks outside and loves to talk to us.  This month she gave us a real giggle for the first time when I was kissing her neck.  She now giggles when we kiss or tickle her.  :)  Here are some recent pictures from the last month. 

Loves to kick and pull on all her toys.

San Diego for Father's Day

Daddy and daughter :)

Love this little munchkin!

Start of a New Journey!

Here is the link to the full quality version:

https://vimeo.com/43970319

One Month Update

I sit here holding little miss Harmony and can't believe how fast the past weeks have flown by.  So before too much time passes I wanted to document her first month and everything it held for us.  What an amazing time it has been as we've adjusted to being parents.  Not to say it's all been easy, but I can honestly say I've enjoyed it all.  Sometimes I just look at Harmony and still can't believe she is ours and a part of our family.

One Month Old!

Our little Easter bunny :)

Colorado Baby Shower with church/adoption friends and mom.

First Airplane Ride

Baby Shower in Idaho

During Harmony's first month she met all of her Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles and Cousins.  Everyone was so excited to meet her!  Karl's parents were able to come for a very quick visit right after Harmony was born so they could meet her before going back to Africa for the summer.  We are so grateful they got to see her in person before leaving.  Then we had my mom come visit and spend some time getting to know her grandaughter.  My wonderful Colorado girlfriends put on an amazing shower for me and Harmony and my mom was even able to come to it.  Such a beautiful day with sunflowers, bright colors and all my favorite Colorado people. :)

When Harmony was 3 weeks old we braved flying with an infant and went home to Idaho to introduce her to all of our family.  She was such a trooper and rocked all of the flights!  It was such a special time for us as a family of 3 to be with our families who were so excited to meet our new daughter.  My sister and family in Idaho put on a beautiful shower for us while we were home.  The day was very special and so much work was put into celebrating us.  It is so clear that we are dearly loved! 

I know my blog posts are few and far between right now but just know we are busy loving on and bonding with little Harmony.  We have waited so long for this and are soaking up every moment!

Behind the Name

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11 

This little girl is so special to us and we wanted her to have a name that reflects who she is, not only as an individual but as our daughter.  The meaning of names has always been very special to us and we wanted our child to have a name with a significant meaning.  Because we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl we started searching for names for each.  We started going through baby name books and looking purely at the "meaning" column for meanings we felt were fitting for this baby.  One day I came across the name Harmony which means "A Beautiful Blending".  Because our baby would be adopted and a part of our family and their birth family, we thought this meaning was so beautiful and we fell in love with the name.

The first day we met Harmony's birthparents we talked about names.  It is very common for the birthmother to choose her own name for the baby.  This may be a name that has a significant meaning to her or it may just be the act of naming her baby that is special.  We asked her what she was thinking about naming the baby if it was a girl.  Her answer just about made us cry.  She said, "I was thinking the name Miah.  Because on the back of your profile book you have the verse Jeremiah 29:11 and I thought that verse was really cool so I was thinking I would call her Miah if it's a girl."   We were so touched that she had put this much thought into a name and had chosen a name that, because of where it came from, was so special to us. 

Then they asked us what names we had come up with.  We told them about our idea of the name Harmony and what the name meant.  They said they loved it!  They were touched by the meaning of the name. 

The night Harmony was born, her birthfather called to tell us it was a girl.  He asked us if we had made a decision on her name.  We said we still liked Harmony and thought Miah would make a beautiful middle name.  They said, "We love it...it's a great name for her!"

  Karl and I think it is just so special for Harmony that her name was a combination of choices from both her birthfamily and her adoptive family.  Also, the verse Jeremiah 29:11 has been the verse that has carried us through this journey to parenthood.  We clung to the fact that God knew the plans for us and our family.   This verse has now become Harmony's life verse.  She is a beautiful blending of both families and God does have special plans for this beautiful little girl.

Harmony Miah Anderson

"For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."

1 Samuel 1:27



Harmony Miah Anderson ~ Arrived March 24th weighing 6lbs. 7oz. and 21in. tall.

March 24th, the day that changed our lives forever.

Karl told me he thought we would get the call about our baby's birth when we least expected it.  And I said, "That's impossible because I'm always expecting it!"  Well, our birthmother was 3 days overdue so you would think I would be expecting it, but I wasn't.  She had just been to the doctors and they told her there was no progression, so an appointment had been made for the 28th to induce her.  We were totally counting on our baby being born Wednesday.  

Karl's Aunt and Uncle were in town for a family wedding and we were planning on seeing them Sunday evening.  Saturday evening we had both gotten home from work and were just hanging around the house.  Karl got a call from his uncle to set up our plans for Sunday night.  While he was on the phone, my phone rang.  My heart about stopped when I saw it was our birthmom!  Her and I had been texting back and forth earlier in the week, but I knew her name on the caller ID meant only one thing...our baby was coming!  When I answered the call, the birthfather said, "Hi Amy, you're baby is coming!"  They had just gotten to the hospital, she was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.  We told them we were praying for them and to call us when the baby was born.  I ran down the stairs (Karl was still talking to his uncle) and yelled, "we can't get together tomorrow, our baby is coming Karl, our baby is coming!"  During the next minutes, we called all our family and friends to let them know our baby was on the way.  And 45 minutes later the birthfather called and said, "You have a new baby girl!"  We were so shocked at how fast everything was happening.  And Karl just looked at me and said, "See, I told you it would happen when we least expected it."  

Now that we knew it was a girl we could get a little bit of decorating done before heading to the hospital.  The birthmom wanted the first couple hours to themselves so we raced to Home Depot, got our paint and went right to work.  After getting about halfway through our painting project we ran out of time and needed to stop and get ready to leave.   On the drive up, these thoughts were running through our heads...what is she going to look like?  Is the hospital stay going to be really uncomfortable and awkward?  What is going to be expected of us?  What if she changes her mind now that the baby is here?  But mostly, we were just so excited to meet this new little girl!

We walked into the hospital room to see this tiny little bundle laying in her mother's arms.  She was wide awake and just looking around at everything.  This baby was seriously the most beautiful baby I had ever seen.  Ok, I might be a little partial. :)  I can't describe to you the feeling of when I first held her.  It was so incredibly special to hold my daughter for the first time.  There were also thoughts going through my head like, "Am I doing this right?  Am I showing the right emotions to the birthfamily?"  

Holding Harmony for the first time



Meeting daddy

Our birthparents are truly amazing people.  First and foremost, they chose life for this precious baby we now call ours.  How could we thank them enough for this incredible gift?  We spend the next two days spending time together in their hospital room.  Passing the baby around and taking turns feeding and changing.  We thought this part was going to be so uncomfortable but it really was neat to spend time with them and get to know them better.  It was very obvious they both love this little girl to pieces and just want what is best for her.

Leaving the hospital was such a bittersweet feeling.  On one hand we were so excited because we were leaving with our new child and starting our life together which was thrilling.  But on the other hand we were witnessing the extreme pain her birthparents were going through while saying goodbye to her.  It was hard for us to feel fully excited about our gain because we were also involved in their loss.

Going Home!

Onto happier things though...we got home with our sweet new bundle and walked into a fully decorated house!  Also, we were shocked when we walked into Harmony's room and saw the painting completed and everything put back in it's place.  Thank you Sara and Lindsay for painting and everybody else for making us feel so loved.  We have some amazing friends!

So here we sit, our baby Harmony is one week old today and as of yesterday she is officially a part of our family.  God is so awesome!  Even though this whole process to parenthood has been very long, the adoption part has been quick and fairly painless.  Only 7 weeks after going into the waiting pool, we were picked by birthmother.  The first birthmother our profile was shown to and she chose us. :)

We feel truly blessed to have Harmony as our baby...our prayers have been answered.




So in love :)

Daddy and daughter

                                                                                                                                                                                 

Our happy family!

Bonding and Attachment

One of the topics covered in our adoption training was the bonding and attachment process that needs to take place with an adopted baby and the adoptive parents.  I never thought that a newborn would go through detachment grief, but they do.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  The heartbeat and voice they have been attached to for 9 months is quickly taken away from them.  Everything is new and unfamiliar and it takes time for them to develop a sense of attachment to the new voices and sounds. 

The attachment process with an adopted baby is very different from that of a biological baby.  Through the repetition of Karl and I taking care of the baby's needs, he/she will learn that we are are the ones looking out for it.  We have to develop a bond of trust; when the baby cries its needs will be met.  Through lots of reading and training we have been encouraged to stick to certain routines so this bonding and attachment process can take place. 

We know that everyone already loves this baby so much and we want our baby to know that love.  But we do ask that for the first couple weeks/months everyone keeps their holding and cuddling of the baby to short amounts.  It is best for Karl and I to be the main providers for the baby.  We should be the ones feeding, changing and comforting the baby.  Karl and I want you to be able to cuddle and love on our baby, as we know that it's also important for him/her to see the love of our family and friends.  There will be lots of time for everyone to love on this baby but these first couple months will be important in creating the bond between us and him/her.  It pains us to tell everyone they must limit the amount they hold our baby for the first months.  We know you want what is best for our baby, just as we do.  And through our research and training we believe this is the best course of action. This is not about Karl or I but about our sweet baby and what is best for them.  Thank you all so much for your understanding and support!    

Exciting News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The call from our agency came on Friday afternoon.  Of course I was working and wasn't able to get to my phone in time.  But when I saw the missed call and a voicemail, my heart skipped a beat!  I thought, could this be "the call"?  The message was from Sarah, a caseworker at our agency.  And she was indeed calling to tell us  they had shown our profile to a birthmother on Wednesday and she and the birthfather picked us!  Even though I have been dreaming of the day this call would come, it came as a shock.  For the first couple days I couldn't even believe it!

Yesterday we had what is called a "match meeting".  This is where the birthfamily and adoptive family meet with the caseworker, get to know each other and just see if it's going to be a good fit for everyone.  We were so nervous for the meeting. Hoping they would both like us and want us to parent this precious baby.  The meeting went great and they have officially decided they like us and want to move forward with the process!  We spent time over lunch talking about our families, hobbies, interests, baby names and plans for the future.  It was a little  nerve-racking but there was also lots of laughter.

Right now we are enjoying our last moments of time together as just us.  The birthmother is due in 2 weeks so I have officially entered the nesting phase and am working hard to get things in order.  We do not know the gender so all the blue and pink will have to come later!  We are ecstatic and couldn't be happier right now.  God has been so good to us and we are praising Him for His faithfulness.  

Our Roller Coaster Week

This past week proved to be the most intense emotional roller coaster we have been on since starting our adoption journey.  I won't go too in depth with details as to protect the privacy of everyone involved.  Last Thursday we received a call from our agency letting us know that a birth family was looking for a family to place their sweet, 3 month old baby girl with.  Our initial impression was that the family was very interested in Karl and I, and if the interview went great, the whole process would happen quickly and we would become parents very soon.  You can imagine the excitement we felt at this news!  We were so excited about the possiblity but remained cautious as to protect our emotions.  As the hours passed by and we started gaining more information on the situation, we knew it was a very tentative situation.  The family interviewed us as well as two other wonderful families from our agency.   After the interview we felt fairly certain we would not be chosen to parent this precious little baby.  And our feelings were confirmed when the agency let us know the family would not be choosing any of the families interviewed that day.  We knew this journey wouldn't be easy but what we experienced last week verified that! 

However, through the ups and downs of this week we are reminded and feel very assured that God is in control and has already written the story of our baby's life.  While we had our moments of excitement and sadness, we continue to trust that He has our best interests in mind and will delivery our baby to us in His perfect timing.  This has been a learning experience and has also reminded us of several things we are so grateful for.  First, we have felt pretty nervous about the time when we do actually meet the birth mother who has chosen us, and after going through this interview we feel very equipped for when that time comes.  Secondly, we always knew our agency was awesome but everyone (especially our caseworker Rachel) was so encouraging and supportive in helping us through those couple of days with phone calls, texts and e-mails.  Finally, we are very grateful for our family, friends (and adopting friends) who have been so supportive in talking, crying and laughing with us this past week.  We feel a great sense of peace about where we're at and just continue to pray and wait!

Open Adoption

Legacy of An Adopted Child
Brenda Romanchik


Once there were two expectant mothers.
One carried and cared for you beneath her beating heart,
She became your Birthmother.
The other carried the hope of you within her.
She became your Mom.
As the days passed, and you grew bigger and stronger,
Your Birthmother knew that she could not give
You all you needed after your birth.
Meanwhile, your Mom was ready and waiting for you.


One day your Birthmom and your Mom found each other.


They looked into each other’s eyes and saw a friend.
Your Birthmom saw the life your Mom could give you.
Your Mom saw how much your
Birthmom loved and cared for you.


They decided that what you needed was both kinds of love in your life.


So now you have two families,
One by birth, the other by adoption.


And you have a home where you can get:
Your questions answered,
Your boo boos bandaged,
your heartaches soothed,
And much needed hugs.


And a place where you can find:
answers to your questions,
your image in the mirror,
a part of yourself,
And much needed hugs.


Two different kinds of families
Two different kinds of love
Both a part of you.


Before we started pursuing adoption, the thought of an open adoption scared us.  It was a foreign idea; one that required education.  The adoption training we attended, along with several different books, have been a great resource and have made us excited about the idea of having a relationship with the birth mother.  How wonderful it would be for our child to know their birth family and have the opportunity to get any questions they have answered.  I think this poem does a perfect job of describing the role each family can play in the child's life. 

We're Official!

We are so excited about this post!  As of Tuesday, we were approved and officially entered the Waiting Pool for Hope's Promise.  As of last night, our profile is now on their website and can be viewed by birth mothers.  We are so thrilled about being in the waiting phase of the adoption process.  The wait could be 2 days, 2 months or 2 years.  We are are enjoying our last days as just the two of us and are excited for our family to grow!  

Here is the link to our profile on our agencies website:

http://www.hopespromise.com/2012/01/karl-amy/

Finished!

This week has been very exciting; filled with interviews and LOTS of questions!  We love our case worker, Rachel, and feel so blessed to be working with her.  She has been so helpful in making us feel at ease and comfortable through these interviews. Our first meeting was last Tuesday with both of us together and was mostly questions about adoption.  Why we want to adopt, how we plan on dealing with certain issues surrounding adoption, ect.  Then this past Tuesday we had our individual interviews which consisted mostly of questions regarding our past, families, marriage, friends, ect.  This one was definitely the hardest as we were separated and didn't really know what types of questions to expect.  But once the interview started and we got going it really wasn't too painful.  We just kept telling each other that it couldn't be that bad, we have nothing to hide!  The final interview was in our home on Thursday.  Basically, she inspected our home to make sure it's safe for a child.  Along with the inspection, we had one final questionaire.  The questions were focused on our neighborhood, methods of discipline and additional questions on issues that may come up with an adopted child. 

All in all, the whole interview process really wasn't that bad.  I was definitely more nervous about it than Karl!  It was so exciting for us to finish these interviews and we can't believe everything is finished!  On Tuesday Rachel will present our case in the staff meeting and will  let us know if we are approved.  She said there will be no problems :)  I will be delivering our scrapbooks to her on Monday, so once we're approved they can start showing our profile to birth families next week!

We were talking with her about how adopting is such a huge step of faith.  It's hard not to think about what type of child we're going to have.  Will it be a boy or girl?  What race will the child be?  What will the birth family be like?  What personality will our child have?  She said it is amazing to see how God always makes a perfect match between the birth family and adopting family.  We know it is ultimately in His control and we can't wait to meet the child He has chosen for our family!

Homestudy Interviews Scheduled

Yesterday we received a call from the director of Hope's Promise letting us know that our file has been reviewed and we are cleared for the next step!  The next phase involves 3 different interviews with a case worker who has been assigned to us for the remainder of our adoption journey.  Our first interview is both Karl and I together and it will be on December 27th.  The second interview is each of us individually and that will be on January 3rd.  The individual interviews will be pretty lengthy at 2 hours each!   Finally, the 3rd interview will be in our home on January 5th.  This is basically to inspect our home and make sure it is safe for a child.  We're not too nervous but it sure will be nice to have these done!

We were talking yesterday about how smooth this whole process has been for us.  Throughout our time of infertility it was so frustrating because everything was out of our control.  When we started the adoption process it was very exciting because it felt like we had some control in the matter. For example: which agency we chose, when to start the process, how quickly we wanted to get the paperwork done, ect.  Then we went to our training through the agency and one of the things that kept being brought up was, letting go of all  our expectations.  It was good for us to hear this and also remember that ultimately it's all in God's hands anyways and He already knows the exact timing of this whole process for us.  We've tried to just let go of our expectations and know that when it happens, it's in His perfect timing.  God has blessed us tremendously with an experience that seems to be painless and even enjoyable!

Fingerprints are back!

Today we received a call from the agency letting us know they received our FBI fingerprints in the mail!  After hearing it can take up to 12 weeks, we had totally settled in for a long wait.  It took exactly 8 weeks, to the day, for them to be processed.  Todays call came as a bit of a surprise!  This is officially the last thing we needed to move forward.  Our entire packet has been handed over to the director of Hope's Promise for her to review.  Once she has looked everything over (probably mid to late next week), we will be getting a call to schedule our first home study interview. It's starting to become real to us!

One Step Closer

This past week we moved forward a step!  We finally received our Colorado Springs local background check.  It was supposed to take only 5 weeks for processing but ours was received after about a 7 week wait.  If there's one thing we are learning on this journey, it is patience!  This was the last item on our checklist we needed to get done before we could turn our whole packet of paperwork into the agency.  On Wednesday, we checked and double checked everything in our pile to make sure it was all complete.  This includes our autobiographies, financial statements, questionnaires, doctors reports, insurance information and much more.  Being the anal person that I am, and not completely trusting USPS, I personally delivered our paperwork to the agency!  It wasn't necessarily that I thought it would get processed that much sooner if I delivered it. I just couldn't imagine what we would do if this precious package, full of so many hours of work, got lost in the mail!  After reviewing our paperwork, the agency called to let us know that it was all complete and everything looked good.  The last thing we need to move forward are the FBI fingerprint clearances.  These typically take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to be completed and we are now approaching 8 weeks.  Once the agency receives our fingerprints, they will call us to schedule our home study interviews.   We are hopeful they will be calling us any day!

Right now we are appreciating the break from adoption paperwork and  just enjoying normal life.  Please pray for our fingerprints to come back quickly and for patience for the wait!