So as I learn more and more about adoption every day I get more overwhelmed and more confused! But I think I am FINALLY seeing the light at the end of the tunnell! PRAISE THE LORD!
What I know now:
-It appears we cannot adopt from the regular program in Korea because we live in Tennessee. :( This was so frustrating to find out! We can adopt through the special needs program there but the lady I talked to freaked me out about all of the major health concerns the kids in the special needs program have there.
-We can adopt through China but there is a 5 year wait...no thank you! We are too old to wait 5 years! We can adopt quickly through their special needs/waiting child program and it seems there are minor medical issues with these children.
-Kazakhstan is just too expensive. :(
-Cambodia is on schedule to open up adoption again this year...which is another option.
-Vietnam-read great things about adoptions from here but adoptions are on hold for Vietnam
-Guatemala-heard awesome things about adoption from here but they are now closed to adoption
What I know now:
-It appears we cannot adopt from the regular program in Korea because we live in Tennessee. :( This was so frustrating to find out! We can adopt through the special needs program there but the lady I talked to freaked me out about all of the major health concerns the kids in the special needs program have there.
-We can adopt through China but there is a 5 year wait...no thank you! We are too old to wait 5 years! We can adopt quickly through their special needs/waiting child program and it seems there are minor medical issues with these children.
-Kazakhstan is just too expensive. :(
-Cambodia is on schedule to open up adoption again this year...which is another option.
-Vietnam-read great things about adoptions from here but adoptions are on hold for Vietnam
-Guatemala-heard awesome things about adoption from here but they are now closed to adoption
-Nepal-also heard great things about adoptions from Nepal but adoptions are suspended as of right now.
Countries we arent interested in: (because they are too expensive, too long of a wait or that they only offer older children etc..)
Romania, Ethiopia, Haiti,
I have found a forum online with other adoptive parents that are adopting or have adopted through the China Special Needs adoption and they have been just a wealth of knowledge! :) I now feel very comfortable going with this program and I have gotten suggestions as far as what agency to go with and I am pretty certain we are going to go with Bay Area Adoption Adoption Services. I got many, many recommendations for them and they are located in California. It really doesnt matter what state you live in. You can use any agency any where in the U.S.---talk about to many choices. :)
http://www.baas.org/index.php
Countries we arent interested in: (because they are too expensive, too long of a wait or that they only offer older children etc..)
Romania, Ethiopia, Haiti,
I have found a forum online with other adoptive parents that are adopting or have adopted through the China Special Needs adoption and they have been just a wealth of knowledge! :) I now feel very comfortable going with this program and I have gotten suggestions as far as what agency to go with and I am pretty certain we are going to go with Bay Area Adoption Adoption Services. I got many, many recommendations for them and they are located in California. It really doesnt matter what state you live in. You can use any agency any where in the U.S.---talk about to many choices. :)
http://www.baas.org/index.php
So glad to feel like I am over the decision making process and I am ready to start the paper chase. :) Lots and Lots of paper work ahead! :)
Just to show you one little one I have fallen in love with and would love to join our family is this little one: Isn't she adorable!?!?!?
Emily is a beautiful nine-month-old girl from Fujian Province who was born with a rare birth defect called bladder exstrophy and has already had it surgically corrected.
Now who knows if she will be available once we get all of this paperwork done BUT, this just gives you an idea of the minor problems some of them are facing. When we are almost done with paper work...WE are given the opportunity to pick a child off of the waiting child list that we think would be best for our family. So we are totally in control of what child and special need we think we can handle. But it is a HUGE shared list (thousands of children) so our aency will be helping us locate children they think will be best for us. Then we will review their medical records with an adoption doctor and decide for sure.
This agency is known to be fast...so we may even have a new member of our family around Christmas time. :) WOOHOO! I am NOT going to to be expecting to get to go get our child until next spring though so I am not disappointed. :)
So I ask for you to pray for us... bottom line we just want a child to love so we ask that you specifically pray for the right child to be available for us.
:)
Kendra
1 comments:
Hi there! :) I'm new to your blog, but just had to introduce myself and say hello!!
I had seen something you posted on the adoption forums (china adopt talk) awhile back, and that was what intially led me to your blog. I had some time this evening (couldn't sleep) and checked in to peruse through your blog. Just reading it has brought back SO many memories of our own journey, and the process that every family goes through in the wait. The miracle of adoption and the entire experience are a wonderful and beautiful thing!
Sure, there are roadbumps and things don't always go as planned, but that's just life in general. And it's clear that you are a solid Christian family with God center stage, so I'm certain that your overall experience will be blessed as you continue to seek Him throughout your journey.
Your Charlotte Rose is a little hunny, btw!! I remember those feelings of just LONGING to hold our daughter, and how every single new photo felt like winning the lottery! We will be celebrating our 1 year Forever Family Day next month, and it's crazy to think how fast the past year has flown by... yet the process and the wait felt like it lasted forever! You'll be in this same place before you know it!!
I decided to comment on this photo, since I was going backwards catching up on your process. I stopped in my tracks when I seen this photo of Emily from LWB. She has stolen our hearts, as well. Mostly because the first time I seen her, last year when she arrived at LWB, her baby photo looked SO much like our daughter did at that age, that I literally did a double-take! I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Then, as I clicked on her photo and read further, I was covered in goosebumps at the similarities. She was from the same Province as our daughter, and has the same 'rare' birth defect. I doubt it could be possible, yet the thought of a biological connection certainly crossed my mind. Even today, there are photos where she looks so much like our daughter did at her age, you'd swear they were sisters! I showed one of her photos to my daughter, and asked her who it was, and she said "me!" ~ so even she thought it was herself. CRAZY!! Oh, it makes one wonder though...yet the chances are incredibly slim, I'm sure. I pray Emily is healing well and doing better with each passing day. Unfortunately, bladder exstrophy is NOT a minor SN though. Even post-surgery, the child may need more surgerier when older. There are many possible issues and side effects, so it often scares potential parents away from adopting these children.
And I'm certainly not judging anyone who declines to accept the referral of a child with BE, or any other birth defect they may not be comfortable with. Every family has to know their limits and what is right for them. They also have to make sure they can keep up with the ongoing care, etc. I am a HUGE advocate for SN adoption, so it just blesses my heart every time I see another family on this journey. It is life-changing, no doubt... but a change that I'd do over and over and over again, if God calls us back!
ANYWAY, this turned out to be WAY longer than I had intended. Just know I am praying for your family and your precious little baby girl. I loved your ID name on the Chinese Adopt Talk page ~ "praying4pink" ~ I think that's what caught my attention! So fun to have a little girl in the midst of all those boys. They are going to love her to pieces, I can see it already!
Congratulations and may God bless the rest of your journey to your daughter. I'm sure I'll be stopping back in to see how things are going.
Blessings and Hugs,
~ Tanya
Post a Comment