Paperwork, Birthdays, and Home Study Visits

Things are going so smoothly so far. It's been great to get through paperwork without too much trouble. We were told that the thing that normally takes the longest would be the doctor's appointments, and those are already done and notarized!

April 28 was "Luke's" 13th birthday. It is amazing to feel so much love for a child that we don't even really know yet. We really wished all day that we could be there with him to make his day special. We are trying to trust that we will be able to share his 14th birthday with him and then all the rest of his birthdays too!

Some amazing friends have started to help us organize a giant garage sale. Save the date for July 9 - July 11 all you local friends and find some perfect new pieces for your house, or clothes for your wardrobe, baby stuff, motorcycle stuff, and that's just the beginning!! More details will come soon.

We are also 1/3 of the way to our goal on purecharity.com/dorazioadoption!

It's been incredible to see the generosity of the amazing people in our lives. People have been donating time and money, praying with us and for us, listening to our story, and being there to offer a kind word of encouragement. It's been humbling to see people offer pieces of themselves and partner with us in so many different ways. 

We had the first social worker visit for our homestudy over the weekend. It went great! We have our second one on Friday and the last one the week after that. Things are rolling along!

Thanks for praying with us and encouraging us!

Pure Charity https://purecharity.com/dorazioadoption

So many people have generously asked us if they could be a part of our adoption story through financial support. We wouldn't have felt right about accepting any money from anyone without giving you an opportunity to claim charitable giving on your taxes. That's where this site comes in. If you feel it on your heart, we would love for you to help add to our adoption fund along the way with us.

Anything you wish to share will be sent directly to our adoption agency, Gladney Center for Adoption to cover all the costs of our process, besides our travel to Bulgaria.

We will try to get some fun fundraisers going also, but for now, we are grateful for whatever might be on your heart to give. We humbly thank you for helping us on our way.

https://purecharity.com/dorazioadoption

Learning how to be a parent all over again

The 2 day training we had at Gladney Center for Adoption broke us and rebuilt us all over again. We learned so much! We thought we had a pretty good handle on parenting and that our kids were growing up to be well adjusted individuals. The training wasn't just a check mark on a long list, it was something I wish I had 13 years ago!

We learned about sensory issues, which was eye opening. It's amazing to understand just very slightly what some kids with sensory issues will go through. My head was throbbing after the lesson! A child with sensory issues can face challenges when dealing with things we think nothing of.

We learned how to nourish our child properly with food, play, and rest every two hours. Giving them the right combination of foods to eat to support brain growth and activity is super important! Giving them a break to play in a way that makes them sweat, and then allowing them to rest and recharge will give them the regulation they need.

We learned that kiddos need predictability and consistency to help them ease into different activities. How transitions can be tough, and how posting schedules and house rules can help them understand what to expect and what will happen. It's all about helping them feel safe.

Among all the other rich education, there was a section on attachment and parenting styles that wrecked us. We learned that we have been parenting our kids using avoidant/dissmissive and ambivalent/entangled styles. Figuring this out is the first step, but they also built us back up with tools to help us earn a secure/free attachment and parenting style.

We have been using these great tools with our kids now and I feel like we've seen a difference not only in them, but in ourselves. It helps direct us to the present with our kids and keeps us in a playfulness with them. When there's an issue that needs correction, we know how to address it in a way that helps them feel safe and loved, but also gets the point across.

I'm excited to continue to learn these tools, so that when "Luke" comes, we'll be able to help him grow into a secure young man. We just want to love him and help him feel safe!

We would recommend this Pathways training to everyone! Here's some books that they drew from in case you are interested in taking a look:

The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis
http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Child-healing-adoptive-family/dp/0071475001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428879895&sr=8-1&keywords=the+connected+child

Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson
http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Soul-Connections-Neuroscience-Relationships/dp/141433415X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428879926&sr=8-1&keywords=anatomy+of+the+soul

Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel
http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Inside-10th-Anniversary-Self-Understanding/dp/039916510X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428879968&sr=8-1&keywords=parenting+from+the+inside+out

The Out of Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz
http://www.amazon.com/Out---Sync-Child-Carol-Kranowitz/dp/0399531653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428880014&sr=8-1&keywords=the+out+of+sync+child

So much to do!

We have started filling out the applications, forms, and gathering information. We have so much to do! It's incredibly overwhelming and I just want to get it all done now. I have to remember that this is a process and I have to slow down. It's not going to get "Luke" to us sooner if I rush, because we'll be waiting on other various organizations to process all this stuff.

I want to celebrate every step of this journey and hopefully learn more about myself through it. Just looking up all my old addresses of everywhere I've lived since I was 18 was almost fun. Thinking about how Dan and I fell in love and transitioned from home to home. How far we've come just in that way!

Please help me by praying that I can slow down and appreciate this walk through our past and use it to start this new future with "Luke" in it. That I can find value in the most menial of tasks going forward with this process.

Many of you have asked how you can donate to the adoption process and we can't tell you how much we appreciate your generous hearts! We will be heading to Fort Worth, TX this week for training and we are hoping to learn the best way to accept donations so it will be beneficial tax-wise for all of us. We will keep you posted on that as we learn more information. For now you can support us with your prayers and listening to us ramble about how much paperwork we have to fill out! 

An Amazing Journey Begins...

There is a beautiful and precocious young man, almost 13 years of age, who lives thousands of miles away in Eastern Europe. We've never met him, except on paper, but we already love him. I've been trying to think of a way to say that without it sounding insane. Maybe a metaphor or an analogy, a poem or song, perhaps something allegorical? I thought that if I just put some solid effort into it, I could accurately express and explain how and why we feel so strongly for this little guy. Truth be told, I've given up. For now, it's inexplicable, and if that means that we sound a little crazy (more than usual), then I'm okay with that. 

We've finally received word from the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice (MOJ) that they have officially matched us with "Luke". This is a huge step and a cause for celebration. The entire adoption process comes to a screeching halt, waiting for this news. Their decision took almost 5 weeks, which is about 4 1/2 weeks longer than it was supposed to take. I wish I could say I've been waiting patiently, but I can't. Despite that, we've managed to remain faithful, with the belief that whatever happens, it will be what's best for "Luke".

So now it really begins. We have just 6 short months to construct a dossier of our entire family. It will essentially document every aspect of our natural born lives. It will be tedious, frustrating, annoying, and so completely worth every tear and drop of sweat if it means that this little guy has a permanent family to call his own. Yes, even if he isn't part of our family, which is still a possibility. We can't know what lies ahead, for us or for him. But for now, we're taking it all in stride, with the hope that if we are fortunate enough to meet him, that he will decide, as we have, that we are his forever family.

Here is what I know. If reality in any way reflected our emotion, this boy would already be a member of our family. He would be living in our home, in his new room, playing and laughing with his siblings and throwing the ball for his new dog. That's obviously not possible, but it's just a fraction of all the hope we have for him. If only. 

Please pray for "Luke's" protection and comfort, that his life will be infinitely improved and enriched, no matter what happens with our adoption. Please pray for us, and him, that this highly bureaucratic and laborious process will go as smoothly as it can. Finally, please pray for provision. It is an expensive process and we have yet to strike gold, oil, or grow a proper money tree :). We remain confident and faithful that all will be provided for, and that this is merely one chapter at the beginning of an amazing story that we are truly blessed to be a part of.

Matched at last!

Yesterday we heard the great news that the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria matched us with "Luke"! What incredible news! We still have a ways to go, but after waiting so long it feels like fresh air. We are able to share the great news of our adoption now and it's been wonderful to tell friends and family!

Chapter 7 - still waiting

We are still waiting to hear back from the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice about our match with "Luke". Last week, I checked in with our adoption agency and they said the MOJ received the paperwork and just needed some clarification on a few things. It's hard not to get nervous about that, but we are staying positive.

I spoke with our home study agency today and even though we are waiting to pay until we have the match, they are letting us get started on some stuff. It's encouraging to feel that they are on our side and helping us through this. We gave them non-family that will give us recommendations and they will send them out letters. The training required by the CO home study will be satisfied by our Gladney training and our Hague training, so more good news!