Praise the Lord - we got our last police clearance last week! Matt had a feeling it would come last week, and it did! This clearance was by the State Police - they had to run our arrest records. I feel like our life histories have been researched and approved by every law enforcement agency in the country! The agency who is doing our home study is now compiling the final report. The main office is in Birmingham, and our social worker will be there later on this week. He is supposed to give us another update once he gets back. His supervisor has to sign off on the final report. After that, we'll be able to submit our applications to adoption agencies!
On a different note, Matt and I have decided we want to read through the Bible together. We are reading two chapters together each day and discussing what we read. We'll read one book in the Old Testament, then one in the New Testament. I'm so thankful for a husband who encourages me to be in the Word!
We've also been doing a series in Sunday School based on the movie, Fireproof. The homework has led to great discussions between us and has strengthened our marriage. We came across this verse and have been moved by how it truly speaks to us.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139: 23-24
While sometimes I feel like we're on an island by ourselves, I'm comforted by the fact the Lord knows our inner thoughts. He knows our frustrations, He knows our joys, He knows our offensive ways, but He also knows our hearts. We cling to the promise that He will lead and guide us. We are on a journey guided by Him.
We continue to be blessed by your prayers and support - thank you! We're excited to be getting closer and closer to applying to adoption agencies!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Day 150 - Still waiting
Thanks for your patience with our updates! I have no excuse - I've simply been enjoying life after CWE. I've been spending some much needed time with Matt, sharing wonderful time with our families, and enjoying great times with our friends!
We've been in contact with our social worker the last couple of weeks. In the most recent call, he apologized to us for getting our hopes up about our home study being complete. Apparently, we have one more clearance - the State Police. He has no idea how long this will take to come back. To be quite honest, we were a little frustrated - we thought since the FBI and ABI cleared us, that was all we needed. Matt called the Alabama Division of Public Safety yesterday - all they knew about was ABI clearance. All we can do is pray for patience and that the clearance comes back soon. We've learned a lot throughout this journey - especially that everything happens in His perfect timing. I can't help but think this latest delay is all a part of the Lord's design in matching us with the perfect child. Perhaps the birth mother isn't quite ready...maybe our baby hasn't been born yet...or perhaps He's trying to teach us to trust in Him more.
I spent the day in Birmingham with my best friend, Anna. I can't tell you how good it feels to spend time with her and her dear family. This is the second time I've gotten to see them this summer! I'm so blessed! We spent the day shopping, having great fellowship, and hanging out with her precious daughter. Her daughter calls me "Sissy." My heart melts each time she says it. Anna is a wonderful mother and a wonderful, godly example - she's very patient, kind, and encouraging. I hope I'm half the mother she is. While I wish we didn't live in different states, it's comforting to know that no matter how far apart we are, she's always there for me. No matter what. For that, I'm eternally thankful.
We've been in contact with our social worker the last couple of weeks. In the most recent call, he apologized to us for getting our hopes up about our home study being complete. Apparently, we have one more clearance - the State Police. He has no idea how long this will take to come back. To be quite honest, we were a little frustrated - we thought since the FBI and ABI cleared us, that was all we needed. Matt called the Alabama Division of Public Safety yesterday - all they knew about was ABI clearance. All we can do is pray for patience and that the clearance comes back soon. We've learned a lot throughout this journey - especially that everything happens in His perfect timing. I can't help but think this latest delay is all a part of the Lord's design in matching us with the perfect child. Perhaps the birth mother isn't quite ready...maybe our baby hasn't been born yet...or perhaps He's trying to teach us to trust in Him more.
I spent the day in Birmingham with my best friend, Anna. I can't tell you how good it feels to spend time with her and her dear family. This is the second time I've gotten to see them this summer! I'm so blessed! We spent the day shopping, having great fellowship, and hanging out with her precious daughter. Her daughter calls me "Sissy." My heart melts each time she says it. Anna is a wonderful mother and a wonderful, godly example - she's very patient, kind, and encouraging. I hope I'm half the mother she is. While I wish we didn't live in different states, it's comforting to know that no matter how far apart we are, she's always there for me. No matter what. For that, I'm eternally thankful.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Day 123 - We're cleared!
Quick update...in the middle of our 8th and final CWE session...
We got our FBI and ABI clearance in the mail today! Yay-we've been waiting on this for WEEKS! This is typically the report that takes the longest in a home study. This is the last thing we needed for our home study report.
More to come once we hear back from our social worker...
Praise the Lord!
We got our FBI and ABI clearance in the mail today! Yay-we've been waiting on this for WEEKS! This is typically the report that takes the longest in a home study. This is the last thing we needed for our home study report.
More to come once we hear back from our social worker...
Praise the Lord!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 107 - Our profile
We're so excited - our profile is almost finished! This is the front cover, and we are thrilled with how it turned out! Our consultant did a great job designing it. We've just finished editing it and have sent it back. I'll admit we did struggle some with the text of the profile at first - it just didn't sound like us. We made adjustments and edits, and it now conveys our personality. The perfectionist in me came out big time when revising it - to me, the profile is our "one shot" with a birth mother. No pressure! While we've been waiting for the profile to come back with the pictures in it, I let nervousness creep in about what it would look like. We weren't asked what colors we liked, what fonts we liked, or what picture we wanted for the cover. I have to admit I wasn't crazy about that. However, the Lord quickly humbled me when we received the proof. I shouldn't have worried - the colors are perfect. The design is outstanding. The cover shot is exactly what we would have chosen. I'm so thankful our Lord knows us so well - even down to our favorite colors! Even when we've worried and have been stressed, He's always been faithful to answer our prayers and guide us in our journey.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day 100 - We are truly blessed!
A lot has happened since our last posting - we have a lot to be thankful for! Many of you have met or heard me talk about my dear Auntie B. She has cancer and has been under the care of MD Anderson in Houston. She went back for a check-up recently, and the doctors were floored! All, but a small area of cancer in her liver, was gone! It is truly a miracle! The doctors said it was unprecedented! Our family is truly blessed, and we are so thankful! Thank you for praying for her!
One of my oldest and dearest friends hosted a shower for Baby Dunn! We received so many wonderful things! I was blown away by the thoughtfulness and generosity of our family and dear friends! Baby Dunn is going to be loved by so many! So many of the gifts will be helpful for us when we travel to pick up Baby Dunn! Check out these lovely gifts:
We've also been finishing up our home study requirements. Matt and I had our physicals. Matt, ahem, had an interesting experience. We did get a call from our doctor yesterday with our blood test results, and all is well! We had to get multiple letters of reference - those are being sent to our social worker as we speak. We've very thankful for y'all doing this for us and for getting them to our social worker so quickly! Once he has all of them (seven to be exact), he'll type up his report and submit it to his supervisor for approval. Our consultant is working on adding pictures to our profile. We edited the text this past weekend and got it sent back to them on Sunday. Once the home study is complete and the profile is finished, we will apply to agencies! That could happen within the next several weeks!
Thank you for your continued prayer and support! We are truly blessed!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day 88 - To spank or not to spank?
Today was by far our favorite home study visit! We were very relaxed, and so was our social worker. We sat casually in our den and had a great conversation. The time flew by and before we knew it, our social worker said, "Well, I guess that's it!"
Today's topics included our parenting styles, how we plan to discipline, and additional questions about adoption. Here are some of the questions we answered:
How will you handle an "attitude" from your child? (I had some great examples from college students!)
What will you say about your child's birth parents?
What are some parenting techniques you'll emulate with your child?
What are some techniques you won't?
What values do you hope your child will have?
What forms of discipline will you use?
Will you keep adoption a secret from your child?
How will you handle your child wanting to search for his or her birth parents?
We spent a lot of time discussing spanking - a subject that can be "taboo" in the adoption world. In some states, you can be denied a successful home study if you plan to spank. Matt and I were very up front and honest about spanking. We both were spanked as a last resort and will spank our child, if necessary. I know this can be a touchy subject, but one that had to be discussed today. We both feel that it can be used - only as a last resort. Personally, we both were spanked when nothing else worked. Taking it to an extreme and spanking while angry is extremely dangerous. With any discipline measure you use, we know it's important for our child to know what they are doing is wrong, why it is wrong, how they can correct it, how it affects others, and why it has consequences. However, it is key for our child to understand we love them unconditionally. No matter what.
The general theme that we kept going back to was "Model what you expect." I talk about this with our Head Camp Counselors. In fact, my boss said that one time several years ago, and I've continued to use it. It's exactly what we want to do with our child. We expect our child to be kind and considerate. We hope our child learns what's right and wrong from us. We expect honesty. We hope they live a life of integrity. We hope our child learns the value of hard work. We expect our child to respect us and respect others. Most importantly, we want our child to love Jesus. How they learn all of these begins with us. We model what we expect.
This was our last pre-baby visit. Our social worker will type up his report, gather our six reference letters, and submit his write-up to his supervisor for approval! He told us things looked really good for us - praise God! He has heard back from our child abuse and neglect clearance, but is still waiting on the results of our background checks. Please pray those results will come to him soon - this is the check that typically takes the longest. Matt and I have our physicals and blood tests early next week. Pending successful results, that's all we will do for this chapter in our journey. Our social worker said we could be approved in 2-4 weeks. Our adoption consultant in Georgia is working on our profile - we already have the text for that. Matt and I are going to proof that and get that back to them next week. Once they have that, they will add pictures. Once the home study is approved and the profile is finished, we'll apply to agencies! From there, we will move into the waiting chapter.
Jeremy Camp's song, "There Will Be A Day," has been on my mind tonight. Please pray specifically for a friend of mine traveling down the adoption journey too. Pray for her and her husband and for their wait.
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always
I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone
Thank you for praying for us, sweet family and friends! We are truly blessed!
Today's topics included our parenting styles, how we plan to discipline, and additional questions about adoption. Here are some of the questions we answered:
How will you handle an "attitude" from your child? (I had some great examples from college students!)
What will you say about your child's birth parents?
What are some parenting techniques you'll emulate with your child?
What are some techniques you won't?
What values do you hope your child will have?
What forms of discipline will you use?
Will you keep adoption a secret from your child?
How will you handle your child wanting to search for his or her birth parents?
We spent a lot of time discussing spanking - a subject that can be "taboo" in the adoption world. In some states, you can be denied a successful home study if you plan to spank. Matt and I were very up front and honest about spanking. We both were spanked as a last resort and will spank our child, if necessary. I know this can be a touchy subject, but one that had to be discussed today. We both feel that it can be used - only as a last resort. Personally, we both were spanked when nothing else worked. Taking it to an extreme and spanking while angry is extremely dangerous. With any discipline measure you use, we know it's important for our child to know what they are doing is wrong, why it is wrong, how they can correct it, how it affects others, and why it has consequences. However, it is key for our child to understand we love them unconditionally. No matter what.
The general theme that we kept going back to was "Model what you expect." I talk about this with our Head Camp Counselors. In fact, my boss said that one time several years ago, and I've continued to use it. It's exactly what we want to do with our child. We expect our child to be kind and considerate. We hope our child learns what's right and wrong from us. We expect honesty. We hope they live a life of integrity. We hope our child learns the value of hard work. We expect our child to respect us and respect others. Most importantly, we want our child to love Jesus. How they learn all of these begins with us. We model what we expect.
This was our last pre-baby visit. Our social worker will type up his report, gather our six reference letters, and submit his write-up to his supervisor for approval! He told us things looked really good for us - praise God! He has heard back from our child abuse and neglect clearance, but is still waiting on the results of our background checks. Please pray those results will come to him soon - this is the check that typically takes the longest. Matt and I have our physicals and blood tests early next week. Pending successful results, that's all we will do for this chapter in our journey. Our social worker said we could be approved in 2-4 weeks. Our adoption consultant in Georgia is working on our profile - we already have the text for that. Matt and I are going to proof that and get that back to them next week. Once they have that, they will add pictures. Once the home study is approved and the profile is finished, we'll apply to agencies! From there, we will move into the waiting chapter.
Jeremy Camp's song, "There Will Be A Day," has been on my mind tonight. Please pray specifically for a friend of mine traveling down the adoption journey too. Pray for her and her husband and for their wait.
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always
I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone
Thank you for praying for us, sweet family and friends! We are truly blessed!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Coming up for air
I've been out of touch lately - CWE's Training Week, plus Sessions 1, 2, and 3 are now complete! It has flown by! I'm so thankful to have about a week before our next session. While I'll still be coming into work, it now means I'll actually be at my desk and in my office. Plus, I'll get to see Matt on a regular basis!
Our third and final visit with our social worker is in the morning at 8:30 a.m. Please say a prayer for us. From what I understand, this visit will be about our parenting styles (Umm, right now, it is sit, stay, and down for our four-legged friends!!) and our thoughts about discipline. I've been thinking alot about the discipline topic. I don't know what is going to work with our child - all I know is that Matt and I will love our child unconditionally, just as Jesus and our parents love us. It's hard for me to say, "We're going to do this ______." I just don't know. Matt and I were "good" kids - with our luck, we'll probably have a child that will be out of control. Oh well, that's okay. I'm thankful for this opportunity.
On a different note, we had a phenomenal worship service last Sunday night at church! I was able to leave Camp early and was so glad I did. Our choir combined with Greater Peace, and it was absolutely spirit-filled! There were over 100 voices - I had such a great time singing, clapping, and swaying! Yep, that's right - all of that at a baptist church! It was truly one of my favorite singing events to take part in...there was so much joy! It was such an encouragement to me and a nice break in the middle of a Camp session!
Our third and final visit with our social worker is in the morning at 8:30 a.m. Please say a prayer for us. From what I understand, this visit will be about our parenting styles (Umm, right now, it is sit, stay, and down for our four-legged friends!!) and our thoughts about discipline. I've been thinking alot about the discipline topic. I don't know what is going to work with our child - all I know is that Matt and I will love our child unconditionally, just as Jesus and our parents love us. It's hard for me to say, "We're going to do this ______." I just don't know. Matt and I were "good" kids - with our luck, we'll probably have a child that will be out of control. Oh well, that's okay. I'm thankful for this opportunity.
On a different note, we had a phenomenal worship service last Sunday night at church! I was able to leave Camp early and was so glad I did. Our choir combined with Greater Peace, and it was absolutely spirit-filled! There were over 100 voices - I had such a great time singing, clapping, and swaying! Yep, that's right - all of that at a baptist church! It was truly one of my favorite singing events to take part in...there was so much joy! It was such an encouragement to me and a nice break in the middle of a Camp session!
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