We have the right to be heard.... right?

Many of you have asked where things stand with Ana's birthparents signing the termination paperwork.  We were told that it would be drafted up within a week or two and that birthmom and dad should sign by the end of September.  Well, because DHS's legal department hasn't done their job, nothing has been drafted for Ana's parents to sign which means that we are at a stand still.  I just don't understand!  This is such an easy case to close and move on with and they can't find the time to draft a letter for parents to sign saying that they WANT to terminate????  Isn't this what every DHS worker hopes for when they know that parents can't care for their child and won't be reunited with them? 

What's super frustrating is that we as foster parents have NO say in how things progress and can't even make a phone call asking for an update on the paperwork.  We have absolutely NO rights when it comes to this little girl we have loved and cared for over these past 18 months.  Thankfully we have amazing caseworkers but still!  I want that phone call that says that paperwork is done and ready to be signed so that we can start our 30 day count down. 

I will continue to lay this at the Throne because that's all I can do knowing that God's timing and plan for this little one are perfect.....

A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN 9 MONTHS...

 

 

Well, hello again strangers!  Where have you, er.... I been?  I have the best of intentions of keeping everyone updated and using this blog almost as a journal of our family's journey but well, I forget to blog!  :) 

So, where are things now?  The last time I updated, it was December and Ana had been here for 8 months.

In January, she had major reconstructive leg surgery and was in a cast for 3 months.  To keep her healthy, we opted to have a home nurse here (instead of sending her back to medical daycare) between January and April.  We needed to keep her as healthy as possible so that we could schedule her cleft palate surgery.  Nurse Brittany was such a blessing and became a part of our family in no time. Cleft palate surgery happened on April 25th and phew... what an ordeal that was!  Because of swelling, Ana had to be re-intubated and remained in ICU for over 2 weeks.  Ten days later, she was back in ICU because she had the RSV virus.  We got her vaccinated routinely for 6 months  (at $1500 a shot) but she still got it!  She was once again in ICU for another 16 days.  We had a few quite weeks before she caught a cold and aspirated and ended up with aspiration pneumonia. She was in the hospital this time for 8 days but not in ICU... just a regular room.  :)  Oh, the things we take for granted!  July was a quiet month filled with lazy summer days then on August 2nd, Ana had her tonsils and adenoids removed because with her cleft palate closed, her tonsils and adenoids were obstructing her airway.  Even increased amounts of oxygen weren't doing the trick so out they came!  She was only in the hospital for 2 days which was HUGE!  She is such a fighter and our hero.  Even with 3 surgeries in 8 months, she continues to grow and develop (at her own pace of course) and is such a pleasant, happy baby.  Baby?!?!?  Can I even call her that anymore?  She's going to be 2 next month! 

 So I mentioned in my last post that her birthmom was somewhat involved and made it to some of her visits and medial appointments.  Well...

Our last court hearing was Tuesday, September 4th.  At that court hearing Ana's birthparents declared before the judge that they would voluntarily sign over their parental rights.  This news was HUGE!!!!!  My eyes swell with tears each time I think about what Ana's birthmom said to our caseworker just a few days before court.  She told her that she loves her daughter so much but knows that her medical needs are complex and while it's the toughes thing she has ever done or will ever do, she wants to give Ana a life that she knows she can never give her.  She wants us to adopt her because she knows that we love her like our own and that we will advocate for her.  I can not even begin to imagine what she experiencing and feeling as she made that decision but I am forever grateful that she loves her daughter so much that she is willing to make such a selfless decision.  Papers are being drafted for birthparents to sign by the end of September.  Once they are signed, we hold our breath for 30 days incase they change their minds.  Our next court date is December 3rd and at that point, if rights are terminated, we will be able to officially start Ana's adoption process.  Wooo hooo!!! 

Perhaps I should also mention that Ethan and Andrew (12 and 11 years old now) are back in public school.  :)  Eli is in a "special" preschool for behavioral issues and Kayla is in preschool 3 mornings a week.  That light at the end of the tunnel that never seemed to flicker has finally started to flicker... I am starting to get a little bit of time to myself and while this might sound selfish, I am SO thankful for the break I get.  Don't get me wrong... our days are still filled with busy activites and trips to Philly for Ana's appointments.  Kayla has started a ballet class, Eli is taking swim lessons and the boys have started up with tennis.  I found time to start taking Zumba classes twice a week (while Kay is at preschool) and I just started training for a 5K.  I don't know which one (do I have to decide now?) but it's something I recently decided I wanted to try to do.  I am NOT a runner so the program I'm following is a great fit.  It's called Couch to 5K and is such a wonderful way to slowly train and make baby steps towards becoming a runner.  It will be interesting to see if I ever did sign up to run a 5K the next time I blog. :) 

A Piece of Cake

This is too funny. I was reading a blog update that I wrote about a year ago saying how hard it was to keep up with blogging because of having a 10 year old, 9 year old, 2 year old and 1 year old. Little did I know that having just my four children would be a piece of cake compared to where we are now in life.

Life is still busy with my children now 11, 10, 3 and 2 years of age but add in there a special needs baby and homeschooling and life is no longer a piece of cake... well, not like everyone thinks I mean when I say "piece of cake". You see, my life is a piece of cake. It is sweeter and richer then ever before and another layer has been added. In April, we have had our eyes opened wide to the world of Special Needs children.

I often say that I am living my dream. I love that I am able to be home with my kids, and able to teach and mold them most hours of the day. I enjoy making lunches and eating them together around our kitchen table with papers and notebooks piled high. I love getting to watch our kids play together and help each other. I love that my oldest boys are around and usually wake up the little ones with me. Don't get me wrong. I still live for "rest time" in our house because I am usually the one laying down and taking a rest. Yes, even in the midst of chaos and confusion, I take time to lay down and sleep or read or talk on the phone.

God has called me and Steve to care for our newest "layer"... our sweet baby Ana. There is no doubt that she is supposed to be here in our home with us now. On Monday, April 25, 2011, we called our agency letting them know that we were open to having another foster child join our family. We enjoyed our time "off" from fostering after the adoption of Eli and Kayla to enjoy a caseworker free life. But we were ready to minister to another child in need. I mentioned to the gal on the phone that Steve and I prayed about it and we were open to having a child with some special medical needs as long as we acquire the proper medical training. The next afternoon, during rest time, the phone rang and it was our agency. They had a placement for us if we were interested. I said sure and the caseworker started telling me about this little miracle baby who was 6 months old and was just now ready to be discharged from the NICU. The she told me all of the medical issues that the baby has. While she was telling me about them, I was "Googling" them on my phone. I was scared but intrigued and said yes to Ana joining our family. The caseworker said it would probably be a temporary placement and that Ana would go home at the next court hearing 3 months later because her mom was very motivated and wanted her back. "Ok. No problem. She's more then welcome to stay with us for however long she needs to" I said to the caseworker. After hours of medical training over a 2 day period, we carried her out of the hospital on Thursday, April 28th and she breathed her first breath of fresh air and felt the sunshine on her face. She was discharged on her "1/2 birthday"! Never had I seen such a small little thing with so much stuff! Not only did she have the typical baby stuff but now we were adding an IV pole, a feeding pump, syringes, gauze, suction machines, feed bags, cans of formula, extension tubes, etc...

Ok, so now she's home. Now we have to follow up with all 500 of her specialists in Philly. It's strange how these doctors and nurses have become like family to us. Is it normal for the security guards at a major children's hospital to know you by name? Taking care of Ana is a lot of work but thankfully I have been blessed with an amazing support system which includes my mom. She might not be the one ministering to foster children by having them staying in her home but she is ministering to them by helping to care for my children so that I can get Ana the help and care she needs. I would be lost without Steve and my mom... they make all of this possible.

Fast forward 8 months and Ana is still here. Her mom isn't as motivated but still loves her little girl. She has weekly visits and attends medical appointments (most of the time). Our hearts have swelled and are over flowing with love for this little miracle baby. We've had two hospital stays because of different viruses and health issues for her but overall, she's doing really well. She is in medical daycare during the day which allows me to continue life with our other children. When she comes home from daycare, she nuzzles in to my neck and makes all kinds of noises... pure contentment on her part ... and on mine. My baby is home with us again for the night.

What does the future hold for this little girl??? I do NOT know but we are praying for wisdom and direction and for God's will to be done. How will I ever say good-bye to my little sidekick (literally)? Life is so sweet because I have had the chance to love this little girl. I have had the chance to become part of the special needs world and I love it. Is it easy? NO! Is it what's most desirable? NO! Is it how God has planned it? YES! And for that Steve and I know that we are IN the will of God and DOING the will of God. Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." It is our joy to serve our Lord by serving Ana. We feel honored that God has called us to be her Mama and Daddy for however long he sees fit.

So, you see.. Life really is a piece of cake... it's sweeter then I ever imagined it would be and I'm fuller because of God's blessings then I ever knew I could be and I love cake with lots of layers.

Wow, I need to update this thing!

Well, what's it been.... almost a year since I posted something on this blog? I'm so sorry! I am going to try to be better at posting and keeping everything up to date. It's been a little crazy these past few months with a 10 year old, a 9 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old running around! I wouldn't change my busyness for the world and love to hear the pitter patter of little feet and the laughter of my children.

To update things a bit, Taevion and T'aeja officially became the newest members of the Wisler family on August 3, 2010. They legally became Elijah Robert Wisler and Kayla Faith Wisler. Robert is my grandfather's name and he was an amazing man of God who pastored for many years. He would have loved these children but he went home to be with the Lord 4 yeas ago after a long battle with Lymphoma. Faith is what it took for us to step out of our comfort zone and and place the whole adoption situation in God's hands. It has been an amazing story of ups and downs and of seeing God's faithfulness and goodness to our family. It feels amazing to have them be ours FOREVER and yes, I love being the mom of a little girl! Had we had a little girl right from the start, I don't think I would appreciate all of the little things that little girls do and how they act. She has Steve (and ok, myself) wrapped right around her little fingers. Eli is a busy little man with a love for life and a love for making noise but that's ok! Steve and I say that we are excited to see what God does with this little boy and how that loud voice and zest for life will be used. They are so dear and precious and going through this process has reminded me yet again of how I too have been adopted into God's family and I am a child of the King.

Ethan is 10 years old and is in the 4th grade. He loves learning at school, playing outside and is such a sweet boy! Drew is 9 and is in the 3rd grade. He loves socializing at school, playing outside and is also a great kid! We have been blessed and are humbled to think that we are the perfect parents for these four blessings. We know our sins and our short comings but God still wants to use us! We are so thankful for the opportunity to expand the walls of our heart to welcome Eli and Kayla and somehow, the walls of our home seem to expand as well. Despite our small house, we are all happy and content and look forward to what God has in store for our family of six!

2 By 2 They Come...

Our big announcement is that.........





WE ARE GOING TO PURSUE THE ADOPTION OF TAEVION AND T'AEJA!!!!!!!





Yup! You read that correctly! Steve and I have been praying and thinking about this for many weeks and we feel that it is time for us to be obedient to God's calling to have Taevion and T'aeja find their forever family with our family. There are still so many doors that God can shut but until He closes the door to them being our children, we are going to pursue adopting them. It's been amazing to see the Lord work in this case and we find ourselves wanting to chuckle that God thinks He can use us to parent 2 more kids but we feel honored (as well as a tad overwhelmed at the responsibility of raising 4 kids).





On Wednesday, September 2nd, Sarah, our caseworker from the county, came out to our house like she does every month. We have a very good relationship with her and a tremendous amount of respect for the work that she does. Well, she mentioned while she was here visiting the kids that it looks like Taevion and T'aeja's older brother, Lametri will most likely be put in a separate adoptive home. I was heart broken for him because I think it's important that siblings be kept together but when she shared with me the concerns of placing them together, I completely understood. She casually said that if we were interested in adopting just the babies, that she would be in touch with an adoption caseworker in her office. My heart did a little flip flop and I asked her, "What exactly are you saying?" She was saying exactly what I thought she was saying. I laughed about it and said that I would mention it to Steve. Little did she know that we had often said that if the Lord had it so that just Taevion and T'aeja could be adopted, we would snag them up in an instant. Now that this was the case, did we really mean it?





A few days later I was on the phone with Ikysha who is our caseworker from Bethany. She asked if I heard the news of Lametri being adopted separately. I told her that Sarah had shared that info with me and that I was sad for him. She said that it is going to be so good for him to be in a different home and again listed the reasons why. I told her that if it was true that he was going to be adopted separately then Steve and I would like to talk with her more about pursuing an adoption of the babies. She was so thrilled that I think she screamed into the phone. We were both laughing and talking a mile a minute and she came out to our home on Thursday, September 17th. For those of you who read the blog posting about Taevion and T'aeja's court hearing on Tuesday, September 15th, you may notice that it was kept fairly short but filled with excitement. That's because Steve and I had already decided that we would like for the Taes to be our children and the court hearing that was held on that day was a huge day for us. We were on the phone celebrating and carrying on with Lamteri's foster parents, Stan and Dawn and with our caseworkers who knew that we were open to pursuing the Taes adoption .





The hardest part about this whole thing is that we had decided to keep the news from our families. This wasn't done to hurt their feelings or make them feel out of the loop... we just knew that there were (and are) so many doors that the Lord can still shut and we decided to wait 'til things looked a little more sure before sharing the news with everyone. It's similar to finding out your pregnant and wanting to share the news with the world but know it's a good idea to wait a few weeks. Our families love Taevion and T'aeja so much and we know that their hearts would over flow with happiness if we told them that we are pursuing and adoption but they would be so devastated if this fell through and the babies had to go to another home. So as I write this right now, our families don't know that 2 more little ones are going to be calling them Nana and Pappy, G-Mom and Poppy, Auntie and Uncle, Dee Dee, Grammy, Dadu, and are going to be a part of our family forever (Lord willing). We have talked very vaguely with Ethan and Andrew about what their thoughts are on adopting the babies and they are ok with it. Andrew just says that Taevion is too loud when he's trying to watch TV and that frustrates him but we don't think that's a good enough reason to not adopt. Ethan said, "Oh great! I'm going to have to change Taevion's poops for the rest of my life." Mind you, he's only changed one poopy diaper and that's because he wanted to and I don't really foresee him changing Tae's poops for the rest of his life. That would be a bit strange and again, it's not a good enough reason for us to pass on this opportunity to adopt.





So, please pray for us and for the babies. We are trying to keep an open and level mind but our hearts are so involved with these little guys and we can't imagine them not being a part of family now. We've been talking about changing their names (our caseworkers have advised us that this would be a very good idea and are encouraging it) so now we are making lists of boys names and girls names...


We are cautiously optimistic and are trying to remember that things can change in a heartbeat since the county is involved and a bunch of caseworkers' opinions are what determine the future of these little guys. It's comforting again to know that God is the ultimate decision maker and already knows the outcome. "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 We're just taking it a day at a time and praying through each day...

Here is a little clippling from one of Bethany Christian Services newsletters. You can click on the cilpping to enlarge it. It's just a neat little something that I wanted to share.

Soccer Stars

Ethan and Steve... I know it's not an action shot but I thought this was such a sweet picture of the relationship that Steve and Ethan have.

Ethan playing goalie ~ just like Steve did when he was younger!

Handsomest coach ever! : )

Andrew playing soccer

The front of Andrew's shirt (he took this picture by the way).

Who says Russians play hockey? Here are some pictures of Ethan and Andrew playing soccer for Perkiomen Valley Soccer Club. It's their first year and they are loving it. Steve is also one of the coaches so he's enjoying having so much involvement in this whole soccer thing too. There aer also some random pictures that Andrew took during one of the games.

Taevion and T'aeja

I absolutely love this picture of T'aeja smiling! After Taevion's haircut

Before Taevion's haircut

Taevion playing in the sand at Ocean City, NJ

T'aeja with a winning smile

Pictures of Lametri, Taevion and T'aeja (as they arrived)

Here is T'aeja the day she arrived at our house ~ just 3 days old.

Here is Taevion the day after he arrived ~ 8 and 1/2 months old

Here is Lametri playing in his room with his train set ~ 3 and 1/2 years old

Pictures of Steven and Francheska

Francheska Shyanne ~ about 4 months old

Steven Joseph ~ about 20 months old

The night Francheska came to our home ~ 2 and 1/2 months old

The night Steven came to our house ~ 18 months old

How will you give them back?

Here is Joanise ~ oh, what a sweetie

So, how did we get to where we are now with our desire to foster? It all started with a little Haitian girl named Joanise who was here from Haiti to have surgery last February through June. She was here because of a condition called hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) and a doctor at duPont Children's hospital graciously gave of his time and energy to operate and put shunts in numerous children's heads. We had the pleasure of being respite care for a our friends who were hosting little Joanise and would fall more and more in love with her when she would stay with us. The boys responded so well to her and didn't even notice her very large head. They would take turns "babysitting" and entertaining her. It was tough because she was so fragile and her head really was quite large but we enjoyed having her and she left a big impression on our hearts.

I remember one day in the spring that Steve and I were driving in the car and were talking about the fact that she was going to be greatly missed. It also opened our hearts and eyes to the fact that someone was missing from our family. We didn't feel like we were necessarily supposed to try to have our own baby or even pursue an adoption. It was a very strange feeling because while we were both on the same page about this void in our lives, we didn't know what to do about it. That eventually lead us to thinking about fostering. We spoke with our families about it and asked them to pray with us. It was clear after a while that this is what we were supposed to do and we feel like we would have been disobeying God if we didn't pursue it. The biggest question and concern our families had was, "how will you give them back?" We said that we didn't know but that God would help us get through that when the time(s) came. Having to give them back wasn't a reason or good enough excuse for us not to foster. We said that we hoped it would be tough to give them back because that would mean that we've done our job with loving them and caring for them. We went to our first foster care informational meeting in June, went to our training in July, did our homestudy in August and got our first placement on September 4th.

Steven and Francheska arrived and it was every bit as chaotic as you might think it would be. All of a sudden we had 2 extra kiddos in the house which we were very excited about but it was all so new to us! Steven was 18 months old and Francheska was 2 and 1/2 months old when they came to us. Crazy me didn't even think about putting the pack and play up for Steven so at first it was impossible to get anything done while he was awake. Then we figured it out (about a month later) and having 4 kids was a breeze. They went home with their grandparents on December 19th and I was so sad! They were such cute and good little guys and I missed them so much! We got a phone call 2 days before they left asking if we would take on two more kids with a third on the way when Steven and Francheska went home and we hesitantly said yes. 3 kids now!?!? holy moly! Have you seen the size of our house?!? 5 kids might be pushing it but we felt led to say yes and take them in so we did trusting God that he would some how expand our walls and our hearts to care for so many. Lametri and Taevion came to us on December 30th and T'aeja was born on February 17th. It was tough having a 3 and 1/2 year old, a 10 month old and a newborn but with the help of family and friends and by the grace of God, we made it through those first couple of tough weeks. Without going into much detail, Lamteri had to be placed in a different home in May and our load got much lighter. We still keep in touch with him because his foster family is in our support group through Bethany Christian Services so we see him at least once a month. We know that God will not give us more then we can handle but at the same time, he also gives us common sense and it was clearly time for Lametri to get more help and be in a different type of home. God answered our prayers by opening up such a great new foster home for him.

If God is laying it on your heart to open your home to a child in need, please be obedient to that calling and take children in! There are over 22,000 foster kids in the state of Pennsylvania alone! The need is great, so please pray about 0pening up your home and fostering.

Fast Forward A Few Years

It's now 2009 and the boys have been home for almost 7 years. Our Gotcha Day is October 30, 2002 and the day they touched American soil for the first time was November 6, 2002. For those of you who are keeping track of dates... that is exactly 5 months to the day from the first time we called AGCI to when they were brought home. Those 5 months consisted of lots of paperwork, 2 trips to Russia and showers galore!!!! Family and friends threw 3 beautiful showers for us between our trips to Russia. It was a wonderful way to pass the weeks and wait for our phone call that our court hearing had been scheduled.

The boys are now 9 and 8 and are doing so well. They have grown like weeds (although we are seeing the truth behind the fact that some Russians are short and stocky)... and they are such a delight. I love calling them "my boys" and love watching them interact together. They are two peas in a pod and often times Steve and I will say that the bond they share is more like that of twins (always have to be touching or sitting close to each other) rather then just brothers. We don't even have to think about what "our" kids would have looked like because they resemble us so much! It's always hard when we see a family that has obviously adopted and we want them to know that we have adoption in common. Nine times out of 10 we get looked at like we're the nosiest people on the planet if we dare ask someone about their adoption. We (ok, I) have learned not to be so nosey and instead I thank the Lord silently for leading that family on their adoption journey. Maybe someday the Lord will bring a certain child into our lives and it will be obvious to others that we too have adopted and I can share our story but until then... I'll work on minding my own business. : )

A day to celebrate

*** Taking a short break from writing about our journey with the boys adoption to update you on some great news on on the foster care end of things....***

Taevion and T'aeja's case went before a Montgomery County judge this morning at 9:00 to have their goal changed from being re-unified with their parents to adoption. This is a huge step for them as they come closer to being placed with their forever family. We also found out that their mom signed over her parental rights which means we can give Taevion a hair cut!!! I have grown to love his little Willis frow ("whatch a talkin' about willis?) but it will be so much nicer for him to have his hair short so that it's not as painful when we brush it. Not to mention that it will be cooler for him too! I know that Stan and Dawn (Lametri's foster parents) are really excited about cutting Lametri's hair. No more corn rows!!!!!!!

My heart can't help but ache for their mom as she has now given over rights to the state. It is so sad but at least the babies will know that she wanted a better life for them and didn't drag out the process. It sounds like their dad is going to appeal the judge's decision of their adoption goal but we're not too worried about it. God already knows the outcome and where He wants these children to be. He knows who their forever family is and we take refuge in the fact that we have a Sovereign God.

So, even though the Taes have no idea what today means for them, they have much to be thankful for. Our caseworkers and the kids attorney have done an amazing job of working on behalf of the kids and doing things with their best interest in mind. We are so thankful for all of these people!!!!!

Chia Pet Family

August was a month of chaos and excitement. We completed our homestudy in 2 meetings (one lasting 7 hours long and the other lasting only 3) and our dossier was on it's way to Russia within a week of our referral phone call. Because AGCI is in Oregon, we used Bethany Christian Services to do our home study and post placement follow up visits. We worked in the boys' room getting it ready for furniture and toys and I finally got to do what I had been dreaming of doing for years... I got to register at Babies R Us!!!! But we did ask that a shower not be thrown until we were home with the boys. I couldn't bear to walk into a room that was decorated if something happened and our adoption fell through.



We left for Russia in September and met our little ones for the first time in the orphanage director's office. It was amazing to say the least.... we clicked with them right away, we left a photo album of our family and our pets, our house, etc. to help them recognize us when we came back to get them and I think it helped believe it or not. We went back in October to get them and LOVED being parents to two little guys. Steve was in all his glory because he had 2 sons. I was a little overwhelmed because I now had 3 sons (ages, 26, 2 and 1). Everything was smooth sailing and we could feel the prayers of those at home who were waiting to meet them. Even our 10 hour flight from Moscow, Russia to JFK airport in New York was uneventful and calm. The flight attendants couldn't believe that we were new parents because the boys were so well behaved. There were other parents walking their screaming children up and down the isles of the plane. Ethan and Andrew just sat in their seats or on our laps and enjoyed their cherrios and bag of busy toys.

Getting off the plane went smoothly too as well as going through INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services). They said to expect a 2 hour process of going through INS once we cleared customs but we were literally in and out in about 20 minutes. Then it was time to introduce the boys to the family who was anxiously waiting for us just beyond the door......

Words can not describe the feeling of seeing your parents cry tears of joy. I felt a tad guilty because I knew that had we not brought Ethan and Andrew through those doors, they would have never been crying but then again, I think we did the right thing by letting them shed some tears of happiness and relief. Steve and I were happy to hand the boys over to waiting arms. It was hard being new to this whole parenting thing and not be able to have your mom stop by with dinner because you're on the other side of the world. When the boys met our families, it was definitely love at first sight.

Our referral pictures of the boys

God has given us two

On August 6, 2002, our lives most certainly did change forever. I was sitting at my desk at work when the phone rang. It was AGCI and a sweet voice on the other end said, "Sara, are you sitting down?" I was so I said yes and then I got a panicky feeling. What was going on? Why should I be sitting down? This can't be good. Kimberly from AGCI continued to tell me that they had a referral for us if we were interested. I told her I think she made a mistake because we didn't even have our dossier pack completed let alone submitted to a certain country. She said that there wasn't a mistake... that according to our initial paperwork, they matched us up with the profile of two little boys. I'm sorry... did you say two? Supposedly a lot of people wanted to adopt a little girl from Russia so they were on that waiting list and then the people who said that they wanted to adopt a boy only wanted one boy. We were next on "the list". I think my heart raced the fastest it ever has raced and my hands started shaking. I thought back to all of the questions that we were advised to ask when getting a referral (is the baby healthy? how much does he/she weigh? were there any drugs or alcohol used during pregnancy?, etc.) and all I could ask was, "Are you serious?" She asked me if I wanted to know the info regarding the children and I said yes! She proceeded to tell me the info on the first child. His name is Dimitri Dolgich and he is 29 months old (quick calculations in my head... ok... 2 and 1/2 years old). He has blond hair and blue eyes. He has a brother named Andre Dolgich and he is 16 months old. He also has blond hair and blue eyes. Oh my word! I couldn't believe it! There were names attached to these two little things that could possibly become my children. They were real... they existed... they were on the other side of the world.

I hung up with Kim with the promise of calling her back within 24 hours letting her know if we were interested in getting pictures and the medical information of the boys. I called Steve right away and asked him if he was ready to hear some exciting news. He told me to hang on a second because he was on scaffolding at work and needed to call me back. WHAT? Call me back?!?!? Keep in mind that we weren't expecting the news of a referral yet so in Steve's defense, he probably thought that I was calling about a great sale I discovered while shopping online or something. I nearly choked on my excitement but tried to sound calm. Within a few minutes he called back and said, "Hey Babe, what's up?" Well, did I have news for him!!!! I shared the info that Kimberly had shared with me and there was silence on the other end of the phone. All he could say was, "How? We aren't even done with our paperwork". I told him the story and said that we had to call AGCI back within 24 hours to tell them if we wanted the medicals and pictures. He said, "Hang up with me and call them back and tell them that yes! We want to see what these little guys look like." YIPEEE!!!!! That night we called our families and told them the exciting news. We got the pictures of "the boys" the next day and it killed me not to open them until we were together. We sat down on the couch ready to meet who our children were going to be and first came out Dimitri's picture. Oh my word! He's so sweet!!!! What the heck is all over his face? Why does he have greenish black dots on his head? Come to find out, they treat cuts with iodine over in Russia and that was what he had on his face. I fell in love instantly with his little expression. Next was Andre's picture. Oh my word! He has the chubbiest cheeks ever and looks so adorable! What the hang is he wearing? He has blue and pink hearts all over his shirt and strawberries on his pants! Regardless of what he was wearing, he too grabbed a hold of my heart and so there they were... our two boys. They had faces, names and were adorable!!! I couldn't believe that after 4 years of wanting a baby, God had given me two.

Then there was Russia!

In Februray 2002, we went to a domestic adoption information meeting at Bethany Christian Services in Lancaster, PA. We heard a whole lot of information, left the meeting excited and prayed for peace as we pursued a domestic adoption. March went by then April then May and then along came Mother's Day. After 4 years of trying to conceive on our own with no success of a baby to hold, I cried to Steve (yet again) and together we prayed and laid our burden to be parents in His hands and did our best to leave it there. The rest of the month, we continued to pray about a domestic adoption but also looked at international adoption websites.

Our dear friends Matt and Dawn Lambert had just brought their two adorable children home from Bulgaria and had been talking so highly of All God's Children International (AGCI) which is the agency that they used. We looked at their website and felt led to take the next step. On June 6, 2002, I called AGCI and asked them to send us an informational packet. We got it 2 days later via FedEx. We met at Antonio's for a slice of pizza and to look everything over. We studied all of the different countries that AGCI worked with. For China both parents had to be over the age of 30. Uh... no luck there. I was only 24 and Steve was 26. Next... Guatemla.. didn't meet criteria for that country either. Romania... closed. Etc., etc.... Then there was Russia! We looked down their qualifications and check! We were golden! The only negative with Russia was that we wouldn't get a referral for 12 - 18 months after submitting our dossier packet (which typically took 4 - 6 months) and then we would have to make two trips there. The first trip is to declare that we do want to adopt a certain child and possibly change their name. The second trip (anywhere from 4 - 8 weeks later) would be for our court hearing and to legally become the parent of that child and then bring him/her home. We prayed about adopting from Russia for really long time (about a whole week) and have never felt more certain that God wanted us to go through AGCI to bring our child home from Russia. We sent in our first check and registration info to AGCI. Tah Dah!!!!!! A few days later, we got a huge packet of paperwork which when completed would compile our dossier pack. I started working on it right away.

I was in all my glory! It might take most people 4 to 6 months to complete all of this crap (uh, I mean paperwork) but I was well on my way of filling forms out, signing here and initialing there. Along came July and I had submitted almost all of the forms, gotten them apostilled at the state capital building and then made copies of copies of copies of copies. The only thing we had left to do was our home study which usually took 2 - 3 months to complete.

Then came August and we had our first meeting scheduled to start our home study. But on August 6, 2002 (just 2 months after calling AGCI for the first time), our lives changed forever.

How Our Journey Began

Welcome to our family's new blog! As an adoptive mom and a foster mom, I get asked all of the time if this is how I saw my life 15 or 20 years ago. The answer is no. I never thought that I would struggle with infertility, have miscarriages, travel to Russia to meet my children for the first time and care for someone else's child knowing that I would have to return him or her at some point. I never envisioned traveling on this journey but I feel so honored that God has called our family to adopt and to foster and gave us this challenge because He knows that we can handle it. What a privilege to live out James 1:27 which says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." OK... so we try our best to live out this verse perfectly but because we are sinners, we fall short every day.

I would like to go back to the beginning of our adoption story which began in chilly early months of 2002.....