Friends and family,
November is national adoption month!!! It is also the month in which House Bill HR 4373 and Senate Bill S 3616 goes to the floor for vote. I cannot urge you enough, our as the apostle Paul would say: beseech you, to contact your Representative and both of your Senators and ask that they co-sponsor their respective bill so that the adoption tax credit can pass and continue to give families the ability to adopt and certainly give the world's babies loving homes! This bill doesn't distinguish between the type of adoption. It provides a tax credit for all adoptions, domestic, private, foster, and international. This bill is so very necessary, I can't begin to explain. Please follow the link below to read what Holt has written about why this is important. It breaks it down entirely for full understanding. We all showed up yesterday to vote so please show up today and call your Senators and Reps! Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
http://holtinternational.org/blog/2012/11/speak-up-act-now-the-adoption-tax-credit-needs-your-support/
BTW-I picked out the recordable book for Isaiah's birthday care package and cried while standing in Hallmark. If you know me, this is a big deal. I'm not a crier. The book is called "Under the Same Moon". I don't know how I'm going to record myself reading it, I have no concerns about Chris' pages, but mine...sheesh.
Thanks again for the support,
Umma & Abba
(Mom & Dad)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
It's been a while
No, really...it has. But, truth be told there's not much to say. When people ask, "How's the adoption going?" The response almost always is, "Slow. Now you know what we know." Unfortunately, that's about the truth of it. Don't hear me wrong, it's not all doom and gloom like that just sounded. It simply takes a long time. It has to be legal in both countries, otherwise it's kidnapping. :)
We occasionally get updates on Isaiah (Song, Yu-jun). Most recently, the update included photos!!!
Just look at this little dude, he looks like he just woke up! I have a feeling he's plotting his revenge against those who woke him while this photo was shot.
He's definitely grown into his ears and that hair will be mohawk ready when he gets home, or if he wants to grow it out to attain the look of the new Journey leader, then hey, this mama's cool with that too!
So, the specs are:
October: 23.9 lbs and 30 inches long. He's is greater than the 50% in height, at the 75% in weight, and greater than the 50% for head circumference.
September: 22.1 lbs, 28 25/32" long. Get this...25% for height (eeekkk! shorty!), at the 75% for weight, and less that 50% for head circumference.
August: 22.7 lbs, 28 23/64" long. Still 25% for height, greater than 75% for weight and greater than the 50% for head circumference.
Dude's been growing. :)
We still have to do our Parents in Process Training. It's either 8 or 16 hours of online training (since the in person ones all seem to be in Kansas). Either way, we aren't chomping at the bit to do it, I have a feeling it will be a little brushing up from college for me. Nature vs nurture kind of stuff. Of course it's necessary and educational for all who take it and I am eager to learn about some new things.
We are still waiting for legals to come in from Korea. This typically takes 6 months to arrive, so if that holds true than we are looking at January or February to start on paperwork for the U.S. and Korea. It takes up to 12 months, on average, to get your travel call. So, that puts us at sometime in July to be headed his way. We are suppose to be going to Haiti again in August. I. Love. Haiti. I want to go so very badly. So much has changed on the campus of MyLifeSpeaks and in the community of Neply, I'm hoping that the timing works out that we can still go. As long as Haiti falls before a trip to Korea we will be going, if not, we won't be.
Right now, we are preparing to send Isaiah's birthday package. I hope to send it off by Friday or Saturday. There are still many things to collect, but I have to say my favorite thing in the box is a camera. I'll detail on that in a future post.
Sorry for the delay in posting, but it has been slow going, although now we feel as if we've made leaps and bounds since we have updated pictures and he looks so much older!
Thanks for the prayers!
Connie and Chris
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Isaiah Song Smith
So, I know this is a little over due to our faithful followers and distant family. However, these past few weeks have been quite...well, raw. Emotions have been high. Chris was out of town when we first found out about Isaiah. Chris left town the Friday before last, I got the call the following Monday, and he didn't return until that Friday. In complete honesty, that.was.tough...for both of us. We were, and still are, so very excited. Unfortunately, not everyone is nice and some even seemed upset when we told them. It was almost like some were okay with the idea and not with the reality of us giving an orphan child a home. Finding out that I was a mom, having Chris out of town, and encountering one too many unfortunate comments made for a rough Thursday. The good news is that we are parents of a beautiful baby boy and negativity has no part in our new life!
Onto the details! It was about 3:30pm and I was in one of my daily meetings that got started rather late. We were on our second patient and my phone began to ring. I assumed it was Chris giving me a "I have a quick second. How is your day?" phone call, but when I saw it was Judy, one of the social workers from Holt, I jumped out of my seat and said, "Oh my Gosh! It's our social worker! Maybe we have a baby!!!" Of course, the room of women yelled at me to take the call. So as I stepped into the hallway, Judy said hello and told me they have some good news. I immediately asked, "Is it a baby!" I think she went on to tell me about his gender and name, at which point, this seldom a tear shedder lost it. Fortunately, our Activities Director was in the hall and looked at me with concern and I mouthed to him, "We have a baby!" I wish it were my husband I was standing next to, but it wasn't. The amazing thing is that Lee and his wife just recently completed their own domestic adoption so he knew my very state of emotion and I can't put to words the look on his face. He nodded his head with a wonderful smile and I turned away. Judy went on to tell repeat his name and gender while I tried to stop sobbing. Then she asked if I had any questions, and apparently to her surprise I said no. I think this threw her off because she again repeated his name, gender, and date of birth and asked me again if I had any questions. At that point, I asked if he was healthy and she said yes (this question was out of curiosity alone, Chris and I already knew that the baby Holt would refer us to would be the baby God had set forth for us). She then asked to email me his clinical records to which I agreed and we hung up.
Then I sent Chris a text that read:
"Call me! 911"
And he did, I mean, within seconds he called me. For anyone who has ever attempted to contact my husband at any time (myself included) knows that there is a 4 hour turn around time and after 12 you've been forgotten (as an accident, the guy is so busy!), so this was monumental. How else was I suppose to get an immediate response?!?!
When he called I was in a small room echoing like a cave and began crying again saying, "We have a baby!". I was responded to with a "Huh, what?" then "What do you mean a baby?" then "Who?" then again, "What do you mean about a baby?" That's when I said,
"A KOREAN BABY! COME ON!!!"
Eventually in the phone call he told me that he at first thought I was calling to tell him I was pregnant (a big can't do while doing an adoption with Korea), but then he realized I was telling him I thought Pieper (my dog, who is 11 human years old!) had babies, which is how I refer to our dogs and their, well, babies.
Seriously, Chris? A. I'm not taking a pregnancy test at work in the middle of the day. and B. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ADOPTION!
I think the whole thing is hilarious! Totally fitting for us and our crazy communication style. It's totally going in the memory bank! LOL
It was in this phone call that Chris suggested a completely off list name for our baby, Isaiah. Two phone calls to each other later and we agreed on Isaiah Song (his Korean name).
So, after that I was of course useless and had to leave work. I immediately went to the hospital in which I used to work to have one of the pediatricians I used to work with review the clinical record with me. Of course, the amazing Dr. Greg Cugini was there and he is not only my favorite pediatrician, but also moving into clinic. SCORE! So, I updated him on our adoption, and that I received a referral 20 minutes ago and need him to review the records with me. He was ecstatic and when I told him that he is the only pediatrician I wanted for Isaiah he said he'd be honored to be his doctor. We reviewed the chart, I called Chris and we accepted.
So today, our little Turkey baby is 8 months old! We couldn't be any happier! He's 100% ours and 100% real, so there's no need to ask about having "real kids" or "our own kids" because he is really ours. Obviously he is adopted but we have chosen to never use biased words when describing biological differences. Chris and I have never had the strong desire to conceive and we can't say that we ever will or won't. But for now and until the Lord reveals his next plan for our family, we have adopted our own, real baby and we have never been so blessed in all of our life!
Our acceptance paperwork was received yesterday, but that is the first of MANY stacks of paper. We were told to expect a year wait and they won't send our acceptance pack to Korea until we've paid the final bill in full...which, when you are expecting 9 months to save and fund raise that's not biggie, but when you get your referral in 17 days it's a BIG biggie! So we are making some immediate decisions and I am crafting my socks off because every penny counts! We don't want any amount of money to extend the time between us and our baby!
Keep us and our Isaiah in your prayers, more than anything, this is what we all need. Love and prayers.
If you are interested in support of any other fashion you are welcome to contact me or Chris, but again, we covet your prayers and love.
That is it for now, updates may be scarce due to paper work, crafting, fundraising, and "normal" life things, that definately does not include dishes or laundry!
-Mom & Dad
Onto the details! It was about 3:30pm and I was in one of my daily meetings that got started rather late. We were on our second patient and my phone began to ring. I assumed it was Chris giving me a "I have a quick second. How is your day?" phone call, but when I saw it was Judy, one of the social workers from Holt, I jumped out of my seat and said, "Oh my Gosh! It's our social worker! Maybe we have a baby!!!" Of course, the room of women yelled at me to take the call. So as I stepped into the hallway, Judy said hello and told me they have some good news. I immediately asked, "Is it a baby!" I think she went on to tell me about his gender and name, at which point, this seldom a tear shedder lost it. Fortunately, our Activities Director was in the hall and looked at me with concern and I mouthed to him, "We have a baby!" I wish it were my husband I was standing next to, but it wasn't. The amazing thing is that Lee and his wife just recently completed their own domestic adoption so he knew my very state of emotion and I can't put to words the look on his face. He nodded his head with a wonderful smile and I turned away. Judy went on to tell repeat his name and gender while I tried to stop sobbing. Then she asked if I had any questions, and apparently to her surprise I said no. I think this threw her off because she again repeated his name, gender, and date of birth and asked me again if I had any questions. At that point, I asked if he was healthy and she said yes (this question was out of curiosity alone, Chris and I already knew that the baby Holt would refer us to would be the baby God had set forth for us). She then asked to email me his clinical records to which I agreed and we hung up.
Then I sent Chris a text that read:
"Call me! 911"
And he did, I mean, within seconds he called me. For anyone who has ever attempted to contact my husband at any time (myself included) knows that there is a 4 hour turn around time and after 12 you've been forgotten (as an accident, the guy is so busy!), so this was monumental. How else was I suppose to get an immediate response?!?!
When he called I was in a small room echoing like a cave and began crying again saying, "We have a baby!". I was responded to with a "Huh, what?" then "What do you mean a baby?" then "Who?" then again, "What do you mean about a baby?" That's when I said,
"A KOREAN BABY! COME ON!!!"
Eventually in the phone call he told me that he at first thought I was calling to tell him I was pregnant (a big can't do while doing an adoption with Korea), but then he realized I was telling him I thought Pieper (my dog, who is 11 human years old!) had babies, which is how I refer to our dogs and their, well, babies.
Seriously, Chris? A. I'm not taking a pregnancy test at work in the middle of the day. and B. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ADOPTION!
I think the whole thing is hilarious! Totally fitting for us and our crazy communication style. It's totally going in the memory bank! LOL
It was in this phone call that Chris suggested a completely off list name for our baby, Isaiah. Two phone calls to each other later and we agreed on Isaiah Song (his Korean name).
So, after that I was of course useless and had to leave work. I immediately went to the hospital in which I used to work to have one of the pediatricians I used to work with review the clinical record with me. Of course, the amazing Dr. Greg Cugini was there and he is not only my favorite pediatrician, but also moving into clinic. SCORE! So, I updated him on our adoption, and that I received a referral 20 minutes ago and need him to review the records with me. He was ecstatic and when I told him that he is the only pediatrician I wanted for Isaiah he said he'd be honored to be his doctor. We reviewed the chart, I called Chris and we accepted.
So today, our little Turkey baby is 8 months old! We couldn't be any happier! He's 100% ours and 100% real, so there's no need to ask about having "real kids" or "our own kids" because he is really ours. Obviously he is adopted but we have chosen to never use biased words when describing biological differences. Chris and I have never had the strong desire to conceive and we can't say that we ever will or won't. But for now and until the Lord reveals his next plan for our family, we have adopted our own, real baby and we have never been so blessed in all of our life!
Our acceptance paperwork was received yesterday, but that is the first of MANY stacks of paper. We were told to expect a year wait and they won't send our acceptance pack to Korea until we've paid the final bill in full...which, when you are expecting 9 months to save and fund raise that's not biggie, but when you get your referral in 17 days it's a BIG biggie! So we are making some immediate decisions and I am crafting my socks off because every penny counts! We don't want any amount of money to extend the time between us and our baby!
Keep us and our Isaiah in your prayers, more than anything, this is what we all need. Love and prayers.
If you are interested in support of any other fashion you are welcome to contact me or Chris, but again, we covet your prayers and love.
That is it for now, updates may be scarce due to paper work, crafting, fundraising, and "normal" life things, that definately does not include dishes or laundry!
Our little boy in his 7th month of life...
Our newborn baby, God ordained to be with us before we even knew we were going to adopt, 5 days old. <3
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Another piece to the puzzle!
Some of you may have seen on Facebook that Chris and I still needed to get out biometrics completed this past week. Well, we went in on Tuesday and arrived, oh, a good hour early. We were very excited when they took us right back and did our fingerprints. They sweet lady doing the prints was genuinely interested in our adoption process and was asking all kinds of questions. I thought this was delightfully unexpected. I'm sure she sees TONS of parents in the adoption process every day, but yet she was greatly interested in they where and who of our story! It was kind of icing to the cake on a great half day with Chris. So, on this Tuesday the lady doing our prints said it would take at least a month for the approval to come in, but on FRIDAY I came home from work and there it was, the letter from the federal government approving us as "favorable parents of international adoption". HOW EXCITING!!! I'd like to think that the sweet lady doing our prints tells everyone a month on purpose. Kind of as a passive way to add excitement to everyones adoptoin. :)
So, now...I have this huge feeling that we are going to be getting a call AT ANY MOMENT! Like I said before, our social worker (Joy) said that since we are open to more illnesses and disabilities (see previous post) we are likely to wait less for a referral. I'm trying not to run away with this, but I have this gut feeling that it will be anytime, despite the now increased wait period of 8 months for an "average" adoption. This is where you would insert my stress. The baby's room in our current home still remains my closet and my nieces bed room. So, if we get a referral and accept and pay the rest of the amount for the adoption, ($XX,XXX!!!) it could be a few weeks to a few months before we go get baby. Those last two sentences should be able to identify to many of you what my stress level may be peaking to without even having to add how we make Kristina and Kylie's room into our baby's room.
Some more good news...I just learned yesterday from my favorite girl Cassi, that Dr. Greg Cugini will now be doing clinic and Southeast Pediatrics! I used to work with Dr. Cugini when I was a social worker at Southeast on the Pediatric unit, and.I.love.him! He and Dr. Martinique Johnson are my favorite pediatric physicians. Dr. Cugini and his wife, Dr. Cugini (OB) are great, down to earth, open to various parenting styles, doctors. Needless to say, I will be calling him on Monday to ensure we are his patient! =)
That's all folks!
Connie and Chris
So, now...I have this huge feeling that we are going to be getting a call AT ANY MOMENT! Like I said before, our social worker (Joy) said that since we are open to more illnesses and disabilities (see previous post) we are likely to wait less for a referral. I'm trying not to run away with this, but I have this gut feeling that it will be anytime, despite the now increased wait period of 8 months for an "average" adoption. This is where you would insert my stress. The baby's room in our current home still remains my closet and my nieces bed room. So, if we get a referral and accept and pay the rest of the amount for the adoption, ($XX,XXX!!!) it could be a few weeks to a few months before we go get baby. Those last two sentences should be able to identify to many of you what my stress level may be peaking to without even having to add how we make Kristina and Kylie's room into our baby's room.
Some more good news...I just learned yesterday from my favorite girl Cassi, that Dr. Greg Cugini will now be doing clinic and Southeast Pediatrics! I used to work with Dr. Cugini when I was a social worker at Southeast on the Pediatric unit, and.I.love.him! He and Dr. Martinique Johnson are my favorite pediatric physicians. Dr. Cugini and his wife, Dr. Cugini (OB) are great, down to earth, open to various parenting styles, doctors. Needless to say, I will be calling him on Monday to ensure we are his patient! =)
That's all folks!
Connie and Chris
Sunday, June 24, 2012
A much needed update!
First, the lack of updates for everyone to read is a result of the lack of updates I had to give. But, after a crazy few weeks at work, and AMAZING week in Haiti (to which I plan to return to in September while Chris is in India), and absolutely crazy traveling roadblocks during that trip, I now have an update!
We are now on the official wait list!!!!
As of June 8 we were placed on the official wait list to be given a baby referral. We are scheduled to have our biometrics completed on Tuesday June 26. I would imagine this will take about 4 weeks to be officially completed, but we can possibly still receive a referral before then. I'm secretly dreaming that once Holt is notified of our completed and processed biometrics they will say, "Great, we've been waiting for that so we can refer this baby to you." Wouldn't it be nice? But, on the other hand there are some pretty big changes we hope to endure in our lives in the next 6 months that would not mesh very well with a trip to Korea and integrating a new baby in our home. Don't hear me wrong. This is obviously something that is hard to understand if you are not in the adoption process yourself, but when you are told 18-24 months you begin to believe that at month 18-24 you might bring your baby home. So, there is little difference in being pregnant and having your baby at 6 months and adopting and getting your baby at 12 months. Both can reek havoc on your home and be a HUGE blessing at the same time.
After we settle back down into the routine of life, I will be diving into more paperwork and grant applications. Also, Chris will be calling the potential buyers for our latest home this week. Please be in prayer with us as we show them the home. I call this home our "baby home" because the selling of the house plays a big role in our adoption.
I'll continue to keep you posted as we get updates!
Chris and Connie
We are now on the official wait list!!!!
As of June 8 we were placed on the official wait list to be given a baby referral. We are scheduled to have our biometrics completed on Tuesday June 26. I would imagine this will take about 4 weeks to be officially completed, but we can possibly still receive a referral before then. I'm secretly dreaming that once Holt is notified of our completed and processed biometrics they will say, "Great, we've been waiting for that so we can refer this baby to you." Wouldn't it be nice? But, on the other hand there are some pretty big changes we hope to endure in our lives in the next 6 months that would not mesh very well with a trip to Korea and integrating a new baby in our home. Don't hear me wrong. This is obviously something that is hard to understand if you are not in the adoption process yourself, but when you are told 18-24 months you begin to believe that at month 18-24 you might bring your baby home. So, there is little difference in being pregnant and having your baby at 6 months and adopting and getting your baby at 12 months. Both can reek havoc on your home and be a HUGE blessing at the same time.
After we settle back down into the routine of life, I will be diving into more paperwork and grant applications. Also, Chris will be calling the potential buyers for our latest home this week. Please be in prayer with us as we show them the home. I call this home our "baby home" because the selling of the house plays a big role in our adoption.
I'll continue to keep you posted as we get updates!
Chris and Connie
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Publicity
Just sending a shout out to the new readers thanks to the Republic Monitor! I'm excited that the article will help in raising awareness about adoption...adoption of any kind!! We support it all. We simply felt called to adopt internationally. Feel free to email me at connie07smith@gmail.com if you want more info on how to adopt locally or internationally. We'd love to send you in the right direction. Foster to adopt is a great avenue as well and there is a huge need for foster homes right now. If you're feeling called to help orphans in any way we support you!!! Thanks for your positive comments and support!
-Side note...the new job is AMAZING!!!
Chris & Connie
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Waiting Strip
At this time we are on the "waiting strip". Not waiting for a baby, but waiting to wait on a baby. Ya, you read that right. There is an identified waiting to wait period. I learned today that we need to complete the I600A form to petition the US government for approval to adopt internationally. There is a new fee with that (which I don't recall knowing before) and the processing time of that application is 8 weeks. Once we get the approval from the USCIS then we will be on the waiting for a baby list. The official wait list! Our USCIS application and payment will be express mailed tomorrow and our US processing fee was mailed out today. I was really hoping to be on the waiting for a baby list by May 1, but it could be July 1 or so. I suppose we will wait longer, there is a baby that needs a home so we are okay with that! We still hope to have our baby home by Christmas, but more and more that seems unrealistic.
I've been answering a lot of questions in person so I felt like I've shared this with everyone but I will post the following for those I don't talk to often or ever.
Korea requires their babies to be available for domestic adoption for 6 months, once they have been for 6 months then they are open for international adoption. So for those people (us) who want to adopt a baby 2 years or younger have a bit of a longer wait because we have to wait for them to turn 6 months old. We could adopt older and not wait as long, but we really believe that adopting age 2 and under is what we need to do right now. Thus, the average wait is 6 months.
Once we have been given a referral we have a few days to pray about accepting the referral, take the records to a pediatrician (we don't yet have one, or even have one in mind!), and consider the implications of the health issues at hand. During the application process prospective parents indicate what illnesses they are open to in a mild, moderate, or severe fashion. By not answering you are indicating that you are not open to that particular illness. Our social worker told us that perhaps our wait won't be as long as the usual (18 months total) because we are open to a lot of illnesses.
Ummmm....we are?
We indicated that we were open to illnesses such as: cleft lip, minor heart defects (I think), food allergies, webbed hands/feet, abnormal sonograms/scans of certain kinds, etc, etc. There is no guarantee that a naturally born baby will be free of medical issues. I have a second cousin with significant food allergies, one of my dearest friends had a scare that the little girl she is carrying was going to have Down's Syndrome or another significant illness. My sister was born with birthmarks that looked like strawberries and were about the same size, too! I was born with a hole in my heart. My husband brother was born ugly! (Hahahahahaha! Just kidding Luke! :)) But seriously, we simply marked illnesses that natural born babies could be born with and could be corrected on its own or by minor surgery or medical intervention as well as concerns like food allergies. Things that aren't life shattering, but may just require some life adjusting. We decided not to accept babies with major illnesses like Down's, HIV, Hep C, etc because we simply aren't equipped to voluntarily take that one. We wanted to be responsible in this opportunity and ensure that we could provide an appropriate environment for our baby-to-be. My gynecologist told me of a person she knows who only adopts children that will die prematurely. How tearfully amazing, she and her husband are burdened to provide happy and loving homes to deathly ill children!!!
So, after waiting an average of 6 months for a referral, we then accept the referral and move forward into more paperwork, the EP process. I'm not sure what that stands for, I have a lot more reading to do in the manual, but I'm getting there. Nonetheless, once the referral is accepted and paperwork is completed we then wait for the Korean government to issue us our visas. The average wait for this is 1 year. Korea has been limiting and reducing the number of visas they give out to people for international adoption. They have not revealed why or even how many they issue. But if your paperwork isn't processed by their cut-off limit, then you wait for it to re-open. It's not done by calendar year, either so there is really limited guessing. I believe, however it was mid February 2012 when they reopened visa granting. I'm hoping that is in our favor. Once we are approved we then get a 2-4 week notice to travel and we get our baby! We will stay in Seoul, Korea for about a week and make a 14 hour flight back home to begin our new life of bonding and learning...that's exciting and scary at the same time!
So, I believe for now that is it. All-in-all, it will probably be 8 weeks before there is a major update to share, but I'll try to post updates on the baby's room, designs, and maybe baby names. We talked again last night about baby names. Chris is stuck on a boy name that I haven't fully fallen in love with and naturally he doesn't like my picks. We have a significant list of girl names but he refuses to talk about girl names because 99% of the babies from Korea are boys, but maybe since we are open to more illnesses that makes more girls available to us. We really want a girl, that was our original request but then found out Korea doesn't allow requests. All of my siblings have girls and Chris' sister just had a GORGEOUS baby boy. I think since the idea of having a girl is so far out of reach we are silently yearning for one more and more while eagerly awaiting a precious baby boy!
Until then we will be waiting...on the strip of course.
Thanks for the support and prayers!
Local readers, don't forget to look for me at the Mayfest on May 12. I have a booth for the crafts I've been making and to take orders. See you there!
Chris and Connie
I've been answering a lot of questions in person so I felt like I've shared this with everyone but I will post the following for those I don't talk to often or ever.
Korea requires their babies to be available for domestic adoption for 6 months, once they have been for 6 months then they are open for international adoption. So for those people (us) who want to adopt a baby 2 years or younger have a bit of a longer wait because we have to wait for them to turn 6 months old. We could adopt older and not wait as long, but we really believe that adopting age 2 and under is what we need to do right now. Thus, the average wait is 6 months.
Once we have been given a referral we have a few days to pray about accepting the referral, take the records to a pediatrician (we don't yet have one, or even have one in mind!), and consider the implications of the health issues at hand. During the application process prospective parents indicate what illnesses they are open to in a mild, moderate, or severe fashion. By not answering you are indicating that you are not open to that particular illness. Our social worker told us that perhaps our wait won't be as long as the usual (18 months total) because we are open to a lot of illnesses.
Ummmm....we are?
We indicated that we were open to illnesses such as: cleft lip, minor heart defects (I think), food allergies, webbed hands/feet, abnormal sonograms/scans of certain kinds, etc, etc. There is no guarantee that a naturally born baby will be free of medical issues. I have a second cousin with significant food allergies, one of my dearest friends had a scare that the little girl she is carrying was going to have Down's Syndrome or another significant illness. My sister was born with birthmarks that looked like strawberries and were about the same size, too! I was born with a hole in my heart. My husband brother was born ugly! (Hahahahahaha! Just kidding Luke! :)) But seriously, we simply marked illnesses that natural born babies could be born with and could be corrected on its own or by minor surgery or medical intervention as well as concerns like food allergies. Things that aren't life shattering, but may just require some life adjusting. We decided not to accept babies with major illnesses like Down's, HIV, Hep C, etc because we simply aren't equipped to voluntarily take that one. We wanted to be responsible in this opportunity and ensure that we could provide an appropriate environment for our baby-to-be. My gynecologist told me of a person she knows who only adopts children that will die prematurely. How tearfully amazing, she and her husband are burdened to provide happy and loving homes to deathly ill children!!!
So, after waiting an average of 6 months for a referral, we then accept the referral and move forward into more paperwork, the EP process. I'm not sure what that stands for, I have a lot more reading to do in the manual, but I'm getting there. Nonetheless, once the referral is accepted and paperwork is completed we then wait for the Korean government to issue us our visas. The average wait for this is 1 year. Korea has been limiting and reducing the number of visas they give out to people for international adoption. They have not revealed why or even how many they issue. But if your paperwork isn't processed by their cut-off limit, then you wait for it to re-open. It's not done by calendar year, either so there is really limited guessing. I believe, however it was mid February 2012 when they reopened visa granting. I'm hoping that is in our favor. Once we are approved we then get a 2-4 week notice to travel and we get our baby! We will stay in Seoul, Korea for about a week and make a 14 hour flight back home to begin our new life of bonding and learning...that's exciting and scary at the same time!
So, I believe for now that is it. All-in-all, it will probably be 8 weeks before there is a major update to share, but I'll try to post updates on the baby's room, designs, and maybe baby names. We talked again last night about baby names. Chris is stuck on a boy name that I haven't fully fallen in love with and naturally he doesn't like my picks. We have a significant list of girl names but he refuses to talk about girl names because 99% of the babies from Korea are boys, but maybe since we are open to more illnesses that makes more girls available to us. We really want a girl, that was our original request but then found out Korea doesn't allow requests. All of my siblings have girls and Chris' sister just had a GORGEOUS baby boy. I think since the idea of having a girl is so far out of reach we are silently yearning for one more and more while eagerly awaiting a precious baby boy!
Until then we will be waiting...on the strip of course.
Thanks for the support and prayers!
Local readers, don't forget to look for me at the Mayfest on May 12. I have a booth for the crafts I've been making and to take orders. See you there!
Chris and Connie
Saturday, April 7, 2012
T-Shirts, Thirty-One, and more!
As some of you saw on Facebook there are some products we will be selling in an effort to raise funds to bring our baby home! I've had a lot of questions and requests for more info, so here it goes!
Through a company called Simply Love we are selling t-shirts and other items. Here's a little sneak peak of the print (although the country will be Korea and not Africa!):
This is the front of the men's t-shirt:
The back of the men's t-shirt:
The back of the women's t-shirt:
The front of the women's t-shirt:
We are selling the women's t-shirt in blue first. If there is a high demand for the green then we will open up sales to that. The green is really just to appease me, because it's my favorite color. :)
Ladies shirts are what the company calls a "junior's cut" which is really just a "ladies' cut". They suggest going a size bigger when you order. The shirts are non-refundable, but we will be happy to help you switch a shirt with other customer's if it work's out. Or if you ordered a Large and you need an X-Large, we will switch an order size in upcoming orders to accommodate, but, naturally, there are no refunds.
T-Shirts are only $18!
All of the items below will be available with the above t-shirt design or a Simply Love logo, we are still deciding which it will be, but don't worry, the cutest design will win! :)
Here is my dilemma: There are so many other items that can be ordered. For example, there are 3 different kinds of water bottles...how do I chose?!?! Well, I don't! YOU DO! I am asking you to leave a comment with the name of the water bottle you want to see available. :) Please leave the exact name of the item in the comment section. The bottle with the most requests will be the bottle available. If there is a close second then we will have both! Don't pay attention to the colors, just the cup style. :)
16 oz Spirit Tumbler $17 (below)
140z Double Wall Laguna Chisel water cup $17 (below)
h2go SS Solus Water Cup $18 (below):
Double Wall Porcelain Mug Silicone with lid (aka coffee mug!) $20 (below):
**This item can also be ordered in plastic and is only $16-the highest demanded style will be the style ordered...WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT AVAILABLE TO YOU? Porcelain or Plastic?***
Messenger Tote $25 (below):
Purse Tote $26 (below):
Now, on to Thirty-One...
I have been a consultant for a little less than a year now. I have decided to commit all of my profit from Thirty-One to help bring our baby home! You can play a part by purchasing from me in person, via email connie07smith@gmail.com, or through my website www.mythirtyone.com/81712. You can also host a home or catalog party to get free and half priced items while supporting the cause! Let me know if you are interested!
Lastly...I am doing some light crafting in effort to raise money as well. This is not only going to be relaxing for me but it is going to be great for you! Most/all items will be for $20 or less! :) I don't know about you, but to me that's awesome...homemade products/gifts, bringing a baby a home, and all for under $20 an item!? SWEET!
Items include:
Baby Closet Organizer (or any kind of closet organizer)
Coasters
Key Ring Holder (I LOVE mine!)
Tie Necklace (I can't wait to start making these!!!)
Yarn Letters (Still need to attempt these)
Through a company called Simply Love we are selling t-shirts and other items. Here's a little sneak peak of the print (although the country will be Korea and not Africa!):
This is the front of the men's t-shirt:
Ladies shirts are what the company calls a "junior's cut" which is really just a "ladies' cut". They suggest going a size bigger when you order. The shirts are non-refundable, but we will be happy to help you switch a shirt with other customer's if it work's out. Or if you ordered a Large and you need an X-Large, we will switch an order size in upcoming orders to accommodate, but, naturally, there are no refunds.
T-Shirts are only $18!
All of the items below will be available with the above t-shirt design or a Simply Love logo, we are still deciding which it will be, but don't worry, the cutest design will win! :)
Here is my dilemma: There are so many other items that can be ordered. For example, there are 3 different kinds of water bottles...how do I chose?!?! Well, I don't! YOU DO! I am asking you to leave a comment with the name of the water bottle you want to see available. :) Please leave the exact name of the item in the comment section. The bottle with the most requests will be the bottle available. If there is a close second then we will have both! Don't pay attention to the colors, just the cup style. :)
16 oz Spirit Tumbler $17 (below)
140z Double Wall Laguna Chisel water cup $17 (below)
h2go SS Solus Water Cup $18 (below):
Double Wall Porcelain Mug Silicone with lid (aka coffee mug!) $20 (below):
**This item can also be ordered in plastic and is only $16-the highest demanded style will be the style ordered...WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT AVAILABLE TO YOU? Porcelain or Plastic?***
Messenger Tote $25 (below):
Purse Tote $26 (below):
Distressed Baseball Hat $16:
Now, on to Thirty-One...
I have been a consultant for a little less than a year now. I have decided to commit all of my profit from Thirty-One to help bring our baby home! You can play a part by purchasing from me in person, via email connie07smith@gmail.com, or through my website www.mythirtyone.com/81712. You can also host a home or catalog party to get free and half priced items while supporting the cause! Let me know if you are interested!
Lastly...I am doing some light crafting in effort to raise money as well. This is not only going to be relaxing for me but it is going to be great for you! Most/all items will be for $20 or less! :) I don't know about you, but to me that's awesome...homemade products/gifts, bringing a baby a home, and all for under $20 an item!? SWEET!
Items include:
Baby Closet Organizer (or any kind of closet organizer)
Coasters
Key Ring Holder (I LOVE mine!)
Tie Necklace (I can't wait to start making these!!!)
Yarn Letters (Still need to attempt these)
Also, my wonderful, amazing, selflessly generous Aunt Joan has been making and selling crafts of her own to raise money for our baby! She has already raised over $50 in a few short days! She has been a huge support to me and the best secret keeper I know...she was one of the first I told of the adoption too and she supported me behind the scenes all the way! Find her on Facebook to order! (Joan Flentge-Foust) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1740560909
Don't worry...I'm sifting through papers and enduring paper cuts for grants as well. As they say in adoption world, "So far, no morning sickness...but the paper cuts are terrible!"
Thanks for all of the support, above anything we covet your prayers in this process!
Connie
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
I had a dream...
Currently, I'm in Bloomington, IL for a business meeting and Chris is back home holding down the fort. It's good for him to be the one that stays home some times :). Anyways, as I slept in my huge king sized bed in my enormous hotel room (courtesy of my company!) I had a dream. This is the second dream about the adoption to date. In this dream I received a call from Joy, our social worker. She asked if we would be interested in adopting a sibling group. Originally, this is not what we were requesting. But, we decided maybe we could. A 12 year old boy and a 5 or 6 year old girl and both spoke enough English to start school immediately. We decided we would make due in our current home (Dad, stop laughing!) until we were ready to build. When we got to Korea we were welcomed by two pleasant kids that would call us mom and dad, and they were eager to do so! When we were leaving the orphanage for the last time they gave a long good-bye to a precious little baby, maybe 6 months old. When I asked about the baby and why they we're close the orphanage mom told me it was their little sibling (I don't know if it was a boy or girl). We had no idea they were a family of three. Apparently, the orphanage thought the baby could be adopted individually because of the age disparity. I looked at Chris and he nodded his head. A week later, we were in our little house with three kids, ages 12, 6, and 6 months!!! Then, we built a house. :)
Now, this dream could be looked at any number of ways. Should we expand our baby group to include siblings? We will adopt more than one child in our life? Eh...I just say, when I get home, Chris is going to surprise me with the property he has picked out for us to build on before baby comes! Quick, someone text Chris and tell him you had a preminition and he is to build our house now! Hahahahahaha. Can't blame a girl for trying, can you? Truth is, we plan to stay in this house as baby makes his way into our world and then we will re-evaluate what will happen next.
I also had a dream a few months ago. It was short, but not sweet. We were taking baby, who was an infant to the airport to go home and some one ripped him out of my hands! I woke up reaching for my baby trying to get him back...and then I realized it was just a dream. A terrible, rotten, no good, very bad dream.
We continue to appreciate your prayers and support. Don't forget to leave comments for an upcoming question and answer blog! If you're comfortable asking, chances are we are comfortable answering!
Chris & Connie
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Are we showing yet? It's not in her belly, it's on our faces!
Many of the announcements are being opened in the homes of our families and a few friends today! My Aunt Mary and Uncle Kim were the first to call with congratulations and questions! It was surprisingly special to me that our first call was from them. They are my God-parents and were instrumental in my life after my mom's accident (along with many other aunts and uncles!). Then, my Uncle Jay called G's house while I was there and sent a congrats through the phone. Then, my former student from Southeast sent me a text full of excitement. I sent a text to a very dear friend who I seldom see or talk to telling her to check her mail today. I have yet to hear back from her. When Chris and I got engaged she predicted that we would be with child in the first two years. She even marked it on her work calendar so when the day came she would know if she was right or not! So, I know she'll be excited.
I am thrilled with our pictures that were done by Esprit Jolie Photography, but I am not pleased with Vista Print's inability to correctly complete our order. Twice they sent the tiny cards you hold in your hand, both times they were to be 5x7s so the country and chalk board pictures would be intelligible. So, do as my Aunt Mary did and you will (maybe) see that the card reads, "We are Seoul searching!" and the back has a red heart around Seoul, Korea. Hopefully that helps.
We are announcing to our church tomorrow, only a few people know as of now. I'm anxious to see how it goes over. Currently, there is not an active member of our church who has adopted internationally. We'll see how it goes, I know it won't go badly...it's just a new thing.
Chris' family already knows. His mom's siblings know because Luke has an inability to keep secrets apparently (we'll blame it on his excitement, he was actually the VERY first person who knew). His Arkansas family knows because when we called to tell his dad he was soooooo excited we figured he could share his excitement with others, too!
So there it is, we are out of the closet with the adoption! We are not yet announcing on Facebook. That will come tomorrow after church, so if you could, please refrain from exciting posts until tomorrow afternoon!
Chris and Connie
I am thrilled with our pictures that were done by Esprit Jolie Photography, but I am not pleased with Vista Print's inability to correctly complete our order. Twice they sent the tiny cards you hold in your hand, both times they were to be 5x7s so the country and chalk board pictures would be intelligible. So, do as my Aunt Mary did and you will (maybe) see that the card reads, "We are Seoul searching!" and the back has a red heart around Seoul, Korea. Hopefully that helps.
We are announcing to our church tomorrow, only a few people know as of now. I'm anxious to see how it goes over. Currently, there is not an active member of our church who has adopted internationally. We'll see how it goes, I know it won't go badly...it's just a new thing.
Chris' family already knows. His mom's siblings know because Luke has an inability to keep secrets apparently (we'll blame it on his excitement, he was actually the VERY first person who knew). His Arkansas family knows because when we called to tell his dad he was soooooo excited we figured he could share his excitement with others, too!
So there it is, we are out of the closet with the adoption! We are not yet announcing on Facebook. That will come tomorrow after church, so if you could, please refrain from exciting posts until tomorrow afternoon!
Chris and Connie
It's kind of like the first trimester...
Our homestudy was yesterday. What a milestone! You could compare it to the first trimester of a pregnancy, maybe. For three months we've been secretly knowing of our situation, afraid to tell others because if something went wrong with the application or homestudy...for example, our income wasn't what they wanted, our home didn't meet their standards, they thought we and our families were too crazy! Our first meeting was pushed back from March 5th to the 7th because our social worker was sick (ya, that's right...the social worker has a social worker...it's a first for me! :)). Then our in-home homestudy was changed from the 12th to the 14th because Chris was sooooo sick. Fever, earache, sore throat, cough, the works. He thought he was dying, I just thought if he was he should do it more quietly. This was probably a blessing in disguise though. As many of you know, there is always a project in our house...and there are always 5 unfinished projects. Now, I'm not blaming Chris for all of this, oh no! It's also Luke's fault too because he moved to Columbia for an internship in Jeff City with our State Rep...so selfish! We had an unfinished bathroom, no smoke detectors, no bedframe, our upstairs/attic was in complete disarray, the hallway needed touch up paint (finding the paint was a disaster!!!), on and on and on. With the help of the two most handsome and handy guys I know it was all completed by 9:30am and our SW showed up at 9:40am! If Luke hadn't come home and Chris wouldn't have been sick (he worked a little during the near-death illness) our SW may have walked into mayhem. The homestudy went great and she only gave our home a quick once over glance(what?!?!) and it was in it's best shape to date! Oh well, the milestone is achieved and now we will wait roughly three weeks for the homestudy to be approved in the states and by the team in Korea. After that, we wait for a referral of a child. He will be 6 months old when we get the referral, so chances are, we have a living, breathing, beautiful baby just recently born in Korea! So you could say, we're parents! But, we'll wait to have that celebration.
A few other things:
Chris landed in China this morning (they are 13 hours ahead of us in the central US)...the first thing he said in his text to me was "We just landed, when we go to Korea, we are flying first class." I'm so glad he went on this trip...aside from the intent of the trip, it's great that he knows what we need before it happens!
I ordered our announcement cards today. I nearly had a breakdown beacuse I couldn't find a website to print double-sided flat announcements. Then my awesome cousin saved me! She's kind of like wonder woman. :)
I told my sister today :) It was great. I told her I was going to print some pictures and wanted to know what she thought of them. I handed her my phone with the announcement on it...it took her a moment but then she nearly flipped out with joy. I thought it was good timing because she's had a rough week and I love her too much to let her have a totally bad week. Tomorrow, I tell my grandparents (who I secretly refer to as G and have since the 9th grade, but I don't think they know it! <snicker, snicker>).
Thanks for the support!
Chris and Connie
A few other things:
Chris landed in China this morning (they are 13 hours ahead of us in the central US)...the first thing he said in his text to me was "We just landed, when we go to Korea, we are flying first class." I'm so glad he went on this trip...aside from the intent of the trip, it's great that he knows what we need before it happens!
I ordered our announcement cards today. I nearly had a breakdown beacuse I couldn't find a website to print double-sided flat announcements. Then my awesome cousin saved me! She's kind of like wonder woman. :)
I told my sister today :) It was great. I told her I was going to print some pictures and wanted to know what she thought of them. I handed her my phone with the announcement on it...it took her a moment but then she nearly flipped out with joy. I thought it was good timing because she's had a rough week and I love her too much to let her have a totally bad week. Tomorrow, I tell my grandparents (who I secretly refer to as G and have since the 9th grade, but I don't think they know it! <snicker, snicker>).
Thanks for the support!
Chris and Connie
An accidental secret slip-up...
For a few days Chris went to Louiville, KY for a youth leader's conference:: Can I just say, these are much needed for all pastors! He came back refreshed and inspired, which is HUGE!!! Anyways, while at the conference I was running through Wal-Mart for the third time, trying to get the right size window shade for our bedroom, A: I took down the handmade one because I wanted a blind back and B: I wanted our house to look normal for the home visit. While at Wal-mart our equally rushed neighbor stopped to say hi. Well, he just recently had a baby and has been MIA for a few weeks...his poor Bella (dog) has been lonely so I go over and talk to and pet her from time to time. He goes on to say rennovating and finishing his home so baby and mamma can move in is stressful. Insert my statement, "I know what you mean." The intended meaning of this statement is, "I know what you mean rennos and remodels suck...no matter the reason." He heard, "We're having a baby!" Automatically, his huge eyes jumped to my stomach, my face, my stomach, followed by a "REALLY?!!" I was in a pickle. I scanned for nearby ears and he leaned in towards me, "We're adopting," I said. With a huge smile, arms in the air, then stretched to me, then in the air, wide eyes and so much excitement, he said what I've been dying to hear and have heard from no one..."That's amazing, congratulations. Tell me all about it! ...but quickly, we're out of diapers!" :)
Innocent mistake, but divine timing. I was really needing an outside positive reaction. Our friends we asked to write our referrals knew it wasn't known information so they never asked anything for the longest time and our parents were happy but not overtly excited like my neighbor...maybe they expected such a thing from us? I guess we do keep them on their toes with our crazy trips, crazy ideas, and fun adventures. Just wait until we tell them we're moving to AFRICA!!!
GOTCHA! :)
Innocent mistake, but divine timing. I was really needing an outside positive reaction. Our friends we asked to write our referrals knew it wasn't known information so they never asked anything for the longest time and our parents were happy but not overtly excited like my neighbor...maybe they expected such a thing from us? I guess we do keep them on their toes with our crazy trips, crazy ideas, and fun adventures. Just wait until we tell them we're moving to AFRICA!!!
GOTCHA! :)
How it all began
Chris and I have always known that we were going to adopt. I would say, even before we were married. We've known in our hearts that we were not going to be the couple who said they'd like to do it and never do. No. We were serious. You see, someone's life is more valuable then an empty statement. Now, that's not to put down those who have made that statement and don't really intend to adopt. That's just our heart and how we feel. So...as usual, we were at a concert in early January (2012) and I had already scanned the table for the next bebe we would sponsor through Holt International. We've sponsored a child nearly every year of our marriage. When I asked Chris in the middle of what could have been the loudest song, "Do you want to go pick out our next child to sponsor?" He looked at me and asked, "Why don't we go ahead and adopt this year?" And that was it. With a simple shrug and "Why not?" it was done. No major fireworks, no deep discussion, just our burden hearts and the fly-by-the-seat-of-you-pants lifestyle we embrace. Now, of course we prayed, and continue to pray about this decision. That very week we completed the online application to Holt and made our first payment. Then...then, my friends, came the paperwork.
We believe that all believers in Christ are adopted. He adopted us into his family. We are not His blood related children, not biological heir to His throne. No, no. We are adopted. Once you realize that, I mean, you totally get that, how can you not adopt?! He chose us, how much more Christ-like can we be outside of adoption? Of course, there's a variety of opinions and thoughts about that rhetorical question...but it hit us like a brick wall. It will you to...check out Adopted for Life. It's $10 on your nook or iPad and is worth 100 times more than that. Get it, read it, then get it. Maybe it will motivate you to adoption or assist in an adoption process. Maybe it will help you understand who you are in the Lord. Heck, maybe it will just be a good read...but read it. It's amazing.
Chris and Connie
We believe that all believers in Christ are adopted. He adopted us into his family. We are not His blood related children, not biological heir to His throne. No, no. We are adopted. Once you realize that, I mean, you totally get that, how can you not adopt?! He chose us, how much more Christ-like can we be outside of adoption? Of course, there's a variety of opinions and thoughts about that rhetorical question...but it hit us like a brick wall. It will you to...check out Adopted for Life. It's $10 on your nook or iPad and is worth 100 times more than that. Get it, read it, then get it. Maybe it will motivate you to adoption or assist in an adoption process. Maybe it will help you understand who you are in the Lord. Heck, maybe it will just be a good read...but read it. It's amazing.
Chris and Connie
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