Post It Notes: Referral Distractions

I did hear from the agency on Friday. They let me know that we do remain at #2 for boys. Hard news to hear, but again I am trying to find ways to just make peace with "the wait".

So, here are a few things that are serving as FANTASTIC distractions.

The first is this:

Yep, the Miss America Program. For those of you who don't know me that well, I'm a director of a brand new local preliminary pageant for Miss Michigan and Miss America. I LOVE IT and our first pageant is February 27th and I am so excited to crown the first Miss Grand Valley State. (For those of you who don't know much about the Miss America program, I would encourage you to go to the website www.missamerica.org and read more about it. This isn't your typical "beauty pageant" like Miss USA, this organization is doing AMAZING things for young women as it has for me)

Secondly...

Yep, I'm gonna do it again. 15 1/2 long miles await me on May 8th. I start training this week and I've started eating differently, so here's to FINALLY losing the extra 5lbs I've been trying to lose since August!

So between these 2 things and work I think I'll be able to focus on other things besides "the call". I can honestly say I'm just sick of staring at the phone so I'm done with that! When it comes it comes, His timing is best and I need to stop stressing out about it!

Timelines

Adoption #2

6/20/12: Announced we will be adopting again!

7/5/12: Faxed in preliminary application to Adoption Associates.

7/31/12: Finished formal application

8/13/12: Homestudy update

9/13/12: Sent I600A

10/17/12: Fingerprinting Appointment

10/23/12: Received I-171H!!!

11/16/12: Dossier to Ethiopia, officially "waiting". Informed we are #41 on the waiting list.

3/28/12 #29 on the waiting list

6/1/13 #19 on the waiting list

7/1/13 #17 on the waiting list

Adoption #1 - Eli Akram Post

Late 2008/early 2009: Researched agencies, talked with agencies.

4/19/2009 Decided we are adopting from Ethiopia!

4/23/2009 Faxed preliminary application

5/15-5/21/2009 Home Study Meetings

7/25/2009 Agency Approved

7/27/2009 I-600A Sent (USCIS Approval Request)

8/15/2009 Fingerprinting appointment

9/12/2009 I-171H arrives!

9/24/2009 Dossier to Ethiopia! OFFICIALLY "WAITING" #24 on the list

10/22/2009 WAITING #12 on the list

11/18/2009 WAITING #9 on the list

12/17/2009 WAITING #4 on the list

1/15/2010 Still WAITING #2 on the list

3/15/2010 Still WAITING, still #2.

3/31/2010 REFERRAL DAY!!!

4/20/2010 Notified that our court date is 5/6/2010

5/6/2010 WE PASSED COURT!

6/16/2010 FOREVER FAMILY!

New here?

Please visit the blog archive below, find the first post (in the month of April, 2009) and read from the beginning if you like!

Important Words To Remember:

*Dossier* The set of documents that we send to Ethiopia to be put on the waiting list.

*Referral* The photo and information on our child that we will receive several months after we've been on the waiting list. This is when we find out who our little one is!

*Court date* After we receive our referral, a court date will be set up about 6 weeks later. We will travel to Ethiopia for this hearing.

*First Trip* The trip both of us will take to attend the court hearing and meet our child.

*Second Trip* The second trip when one of us will travel to pick up the child from Ethiopia and bring them home!

Most commonly asked question:

"Why?"

Answer: Mark and I don't really know, we believe there is a reason God put it on our hearts to adopt first rather than trying to have biological children. This does not mean we will never try for a biological child, it's just not where we are being led to build our family right now. We ask that you please respect our decision and join us in celebrating our amazing family!