The Ever Moving Elena

I often tell folks that Elena is always on the move, which is why she's so slim. She definitely eats but is constantly changing directions.

Morgan wants to show how she "gets to the door"

Home Inspection

Our home inspection went well. Now all we do is wait.

Even though we do not plan to adopt 3 kids, our social worker wants to approve us for 3, "just in case."

Our social worker has been great, so far, and very nice and "streamlined." She definitely has a "down to business" attitude, but is also capable of being warm and friendly.

Now, we just wait and wait and wait.

Fathers and Daughters

I was talking to my friend who is a missionary to Africa about some of the rules of etiquette with children and adults. I've already explained to some about how children, even as young as toddler age, are taught not to make eye contact with an adult and may even be beaten and punished. This is so strange to me, seeing how I waited for nearly 3 years for my own son to make eye contact with me.

But she also explained that when she's working with the women, explaining what it means to pray to God, she cannot use the analogy of how it's as speaking to your earthly father, because it would make no sense to the women. She pointed to Morgan, who had just joined us in the fellowship hall, and told us that Morgan would not be allowed to come into the room with Andrew, and would not be allowed in his presence, unless I was there. Daughters simply do not have a relationship with their fathers and aren't allowed to. To tell a woman that speaking to God is just as speaking to their biological father actually paints a very negative portrait of what it is to have a relationship with God.

Being the oldest of 5 girls, with no brothers in the family, I simply cannot imagine growing up and not being allowed to speak to my father or that we would not be allowed to be in the same room with him. Or to put myself in Dad's shoes, it would mean that with no boys, he wouldn't have a relationship with any of his children. Nor can I imagine Morgan and Elena not being able to have the relationship they have with Andrew. Both of the girls love their Daddy and I can imagine how their not having a positive relationship with their father could also distort their image of God and their relationship with Him.

What I do find interesting is after reading so many of the stories from families who have adopted from Liberia, it's confirmed that many times, the children struggle with the idea that it's OK to make eye contact, but concerning the parent/child roles, it appears as though many of them bond with the fathers first and the mothers later on. I wonder if it's because they've not had that kind of a relationship before and there's some kind of natural urge to have that connection.

Again, the more I delve into adoption, the more I realize just how much we take for granted, how much my children have, how much we complain because we can't have some material possession, and how content many of these other children are just to have something to eat, a home, and most importantly, a family.

Now learning all I can about seizures

We'd discussed the possibility of seizures with Jared's therapist and now his PT is going to speak with his Pediatrician next week about going ahead and having him tested. He may not have them, however, they want to rule out the medical issues first, which is great. I've heard from friends who have had to go in to be tested for seizures and have heard that some people just go in for an EEG, while others are sleep deprived and some are both sleep and food deprived. One friend's husband wasn't allowed to eat or sleep for 24 hours.

I'm hoping they will be a little more lenient for a 3 year old little boy. Of course I want things to go well too and have a good test, but the idea of keeping him from food, as well as keeping him awake for 24 hours sounds so terrible, to me.

Second visit with the social worker

All went very well. During our 2nd visit, the social worker meets with us individually and asks us all about our family's skeletons in the closet. It's great and fun and at the end of it all, my relatives were labeled "over achievers."

At the end she said that it's obvious to her that we're a couple who'll be able to handle just about anything thrown at us and thinks we'd be a great home for adoption.

Now we just have to do the home inspection and we're done.

Speaking of The Blind Boys of Alabama

I just got a CD of theirs in the mail from my sister-in-law, Jane. THANK YOU, JANE!!!!
I just love to listen to these guys and think they have some amazing talents. They came to town a few years ago, but we didn't get things scheduled quickly enough to go to their concert. I'd love to hear them in person, one day.

So you've never heard of The Blind Boys of Alabama?

This is one of my favorites from The Blind Boys of Alabama. I have a few other videos of theirs in which there's another singer and the guys are sitting down, still proving their awesome voice talents, but I love to see them up front, in the spot light.

"Run On for a Long Time" by The Blind Boys of Alabama

Paper work sent to INS, so far so good

We officially have all the required applications that we can send at this point, sent. They're on their way to the INS office in Fort Smith and should hopefully be processed quickly.

This is such an exciting adventure and the emotions are so like those of pregnancy. I got to see pictures and videos of a little boy we've been praying for and he's absolutely precious! I'd love to be able to adopt him as well, but the country fees are higher that what we're budgeting. However, I've seen folks who had extremely low incomes be able to afford adoption. So I'm going to stick with if he's meant to be a part of our family, then he'll be a part of our family.

Meanwhile, it's all good so far with our plans to adopt from Liberia. I'm sure once we receive our referrals, we'll be excited to see the faces of our future children.

Next step is individual interviews with our social worker on Wednesday morning and then she comes to inspect our home. And after that, hopefully, she'll recommend us as parents!

Our first interview with the social worker

Everything went very well and we have our individual interviews next week. I'm very excited about everything. I told her I feel so strongly about my children having their mother with them, that I'd rather they look back and remember dust bunnies and a mother who spends time with them, than an immaculately clean home and a mother who was too busy cleaning. And she agreed! She said that's the way it should be!

She also thought our kids were amazingly well behaved and that we have a very nice family. We appreciate all of you who are writing our references and praying for us. We're looking forward to the journey ahead.

The folks at Barnes and Noble must LOVE our family

I walked in with my list of books to order for our Kindergarten year. She looked at it, looked at me, and said, "You MUST be a teacher." haha They're organizing a special little get together for Homeschooling Families and I'm looking forward to more networking.

In case anyone is interested in what we're reading this year for Kindergarten, here's a *partial* list. I plan to order the remaining books in a few months:

The Apple and the Arrow by Buff
Capyboppy by Peet
Dophin Adventure by Grover
Dolphin Treasure by Grover
Family Under the Bridge by Carlson and Williams
A Grain of Rice by Pittman
The Hundred Dresses by Estes
In Grandma's Attic by Richardson
James Herriot's Treasury for Children Herriot
Johnny Appleseed by Holland
The Light at Tern Rock by Sauer
The Llama Who Had No Pajama by Hoberman
Mary on Horseback by Wells
Richard Scarry's Please and Thank you Book by Scarry
The Story about Ping by Flack, Wiese
The Story of Dr. Dolittle by Lofting
Twenty and Ten by Bishop
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Make way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Baby Animals by Maragaret Wise Brown
The Elephant who Couldn't Forget by Faith McNulty
If I were a Penguin by Heidi Goennel
If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Suess
The House on the Rock by Jane R. Latourette
A Cache of Jewels by Ruth Heller
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Caldone
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Suess
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? by Bill Martin, Jr.

Homestudy Fun

We're in the middle of filling out our new homestudy papers and find it so interesting to compare our individual essays and answers. During this initial process, we talk about our upbringing, family life, our childhoods, parenting goals, and current family situation. I was so happy that when we put our essays side by side, we both agree on our reason to adopt--to provide a family and secure home to a child, who very well may not have any relatives to claim. To give them a Daddy, Mama, two big sisters, a big brother, grandparents, a whole bunch of aunts, a few cousins and even a couple of uncles. The more I delve into adoption, the more the miracle of adoption is unveiled. This is not just "taking in a child" or "taking care of a child," this is literally giving a child a permanent family and in some cases, a brand new heritage.

Liberia Facts - AoH

A short video of Liberian children and their environment.

When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

Andrew and I have talked about adoption since way, way back before we ever really got to know each other. It's a desire we've shared for a long time and is something we've known we'd pursue one day. This is one of my favorite videos/songs which celebrates the miracle of adoption.

Yes, Our Family is Expecting Again!

Yesterday, we officially became expectant parents AGAIN!

More details to come soon.
Or if you just gotta, have to know, e-mail me or ask a family member or friend and they may be able to fill you in.

I don't want to go into too much until things are more concrete, and definitely moving forward. We've already had one hiccup today. But currently, things appear Signed, Sealed, and as of 11:48am this morning, Delivered!

Announcing the official launch of Juiced Creative

Andrew and his team at Stribling have been working on a new company. It's been pretty Top Secret for a couple of months and they officially launched yesterday. I think it's great to have been able to watch the company become a reality all the way back from its conception. I remember when Andrew called me, about 2 months ago, at 9:45pm asking, "What do you think of the name 'Juiced'?"

I'm very proud of him and this new venture.

You can visit the new site at http://www.gojuiced.com/