tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15361971646755807032024-03-13T07:36:13.789-04:00Sounds Crazy Out Loud!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-51570903289450046742016-04-27T08:28:00.000-04:002016-04-27T08:28:09.399-04:00Not So Crazy... 1 Year Later<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I have something to say,
I'm just not sure how to say it. I've been thinking about how I
wanted to write a 1 year “Gotcha-day-anniversary” blog post for a
couple weeks. Every time I think I know what I want to say, it comes
out wrong. Basically, nothing about this past year has been crazy.
It's been completely normal. Easy. Just life. Rayla is just a kid.
Just like every kid. Actually, probably easier than most kids. Over
the past 365 days (366, it was a leap year), she has done exactly the
same things that every other kid has done. She ate and played and
slept (love what a great sleeper she is!). She tried new foods,
she's learning to walk, and she mastered English comprehension. She
expanded her vocabulary, and she learned how to express her desires
(yogurt... all the time, she always desires yogurt). She developed a
fantastic sense of humor, she is quite the little ham. She is also
very polite and remembers please and thank you most of the time. On
the down side, she also has acquired her father's horrible taste in
hip-hop music. We compromise with Taylor Swift, but I'm slightly
disturbed by how much she loves “Bad Blood”. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">When we walked out of the
orphanage in Vratsa, Bulgaria 1 year ago today, we knew all our lives
would be completely changed. The same way that any new parent's life
is changed. I've been pleasantly surprised to discover though, that
your life only changes in the ways you want it to. The things you
enjoyed doing before having kids are still possible to do with a kid
(gasp!) Trivia night, movie night, sushi night, sleep in Sunday
mornings, random car rides, hikes in the woods... turns out that kids
can do all those things too! So.... to answer everyone's favorite
question.. No, my life didn't completely change! My life is pretty
much exactly the same, with the addition of a cute little side-kick.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">To answer a few other
popular questions...Is the medical stuff scary?... No, her medical
stuff is not scary, I'm a Vet, medical stuff is cool to me. Besides,
her medical stuff is rather boring. She is basically a very healthy
kid with an undiagnosable abdominal distention issue. Some parents
get up early to take their kids to hockey practice, we get up early
to drive to Boston Children's and play “Let's Stump the Smart
Doctors!” It's almost as boring as hockey practice.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Does she feel like your
“real kid”?... Well, unless I've been having a year long
hallucination, she is my real kid. Oh, biological kid!? Yes, she
does feel like my real kid. Not that I have anything to compare to,
but I'm fairly certain I like her more than I would a bio kid,
because she didn't make me gain a ton of weight or lose a years worth
of sleep. In all seriousness, I was concerned about this too. I was
worried that there was something about squeezing a slimy newborn out
of you, that made you more attached to them, than if you just picked
them off the internet. I was wrong. She is my real kid, I couldn't
possibly love her more! Want to know something else strange... I
would have never believed that postpartum depression could happen
when you adopt, but IT DOES! Crazy, huh? I was lucky, mine wasn't
bad and only lasted about 2 weeks, and I only cried a few times. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Aren't you worried about
her future and having her live with you forever? Yes, I believe this
sets me apart for all other parents. I'm certain that parents of
typical children NEVER worry about their kids futures or what happens
if they become liberal arts majors and spend most of their 20's and
30's “finding themselves” while playing Xbox on their parent's
couch. Do I worry about her more than other parents... nope, I'm not
that big of a worrier. She'll be fine. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of being fine, I
guess that was the point I wanted to make. In a world full of
deadlines and goals and pressure and anxiety and the need to excel at
everything, everywhere, all the time …. ahhhh.... it is so relaxing
and unburdening to know that my child is happy and that's all that
matters. She's fine. We will all be fine. Other parents may want
their children to be the best baseball player, or the smartest
doctor, or the President of the United States..... (Rayla will never
become President, as she wasn't born on US soil... sorry kid). The
secret to life isn't about reaching the top, its about being happy to
go through the journey. Have fun, eat yogurt all day long, rock out
to a little “Bad Blood.” It doesn't matter if your journey
sounds a little crazy. It's not a competition. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I guess that's all I
really wanted to say. Happy 1 year Gotcha-day munchkin! Mamma and
Dadda love you so much! </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-81615514472940143192015-09-08T09:23:00.003-04:002015-09-08T09:23:59.354-04:00Seems simple to me!<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Clearly blogging is not my thing, but
here's an update for the blog!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Little Miss Rayla is an amazing ray of
sunshine! I couldn't have asked for an easier little kid. Actually,
she's convinced me that I should never have another child, because
she's the most perfect child in the world and I couldn't possibly be
this lucky twice.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That's not true. I really don't feel
that anything about our family is “special”. Dan and I are just
normal people with normal jobs. Our house is a mess, our cars always
are late for their oil changes and we stress about our mortgage
payments, just like everyone else. Rayla is just a typical 3 year
old from an Eastern European orphanage. She has significant delays
in her development, which she would not have had she been born here.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Back to my point. I look at my baby
girl and see perfection! I love everything about her. I see all the
things she can do and all the potential she has. I actually have to
think really hard to come up with a list of negatives, because I just
don't see them. What's my point... my point is that she's my kid and
everyone feels this way about their own kids. We are not unique.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Most people I know, outside of the
international adoption family, think we did something “special.”
Nope, nothing special here. I'm uncomfortable with the “wow, you
have big hearts,” or “you are doing gods work,” or “that's
amazing, I could never do that” comments. I think most people in
this “family” are, and that's why we tend to stick together,
because we don't have to endure living on the pedestal.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Quite frankly, inside the IA family, we
are down right boring. We are a married couple with 1 child, who
only has DS, no other major health issues, who came out of a “baby
house” with only minimal malnutrition and neglect. On the spectrum
of adoptions, we are the least impressive!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So let me sum this up... we are normal
boring people, who did nothing special, and as a result, we are the
proudest parents ever of the most perfect baby girl in the world!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My question is... why doesn't everybody
do this??? If every normal boring family just adopted 1 kid, there
wouldn't be any more amazing babies dying in orphanages. Every
family would then have the most perfect child in the world in their
very own home! Seems simple to me! :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-79577859123341685542015-04-06T09:41:00.001-04:002015-04-06T09:41:10.607-04:00Official Travel Dates!Official Travel Dates!! 19 days before we leave!! Eeekkkk!<br />
<br />
The official email came this morning. It said to buy plane tickets for April 25th to May 5th! <br />
<br />
That means that 1 month from this very morning, we will be waking up in our home, for this 1st day of the rest of our lives, as a family!<br />
<br />
Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions:<br />
<br />
Yes, it has taken a long time - we started last January 2014 - about 15 months ago.<br />
Yes, you would think that it would happen faster..... but it doesn't!<br />
Yes, we have to be over there for 10 days to complete her physical exam, TB test, and embassy interview. That's just how it works.<br />
No, we were not over there on March 24th, when the judge granted the adoption. That was just the team of lawyers from the agency. <br />
Yes, I think we have everything we need, for now.<br />
No, I don't know what size clothes she's going to wear.<br />
No, she doesn't walk yet.<br />
No, she doesn't speak English, but she doesn't speak Bulgarian either, so I think we'll be ok!<br />
Yes, you will all get to meet the munchkin at some point soon! We are thinking about having a "welcome home" party around the end of June.<br />
<br />
Aside from the chaos of being a mom for the first time, I am also in the midst of my busy season with work. All the horses need their spring vaccines between mid-April and mid-June. If you don't hear from me, please assume that I appreciate your call, and I will try to call you back before July! :)<br />
<br />
Thank you for all being as excited as we are!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-15140780822534592392015-01-15T15:44:00.001-05:002015-01-15T15:44:34.311-05:00<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<b>Exactly 1 year ago today (1/15/14), I sent this email to the director of Reece's Rainbow:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
"<i>OK, I had a big heart-to-heart with my husband again, and he said "let's go for it". So.... Deep breath, this is scary....What is the next step towards committing to Eden?<br />We live in Massachusetts. I have no idea where to begin!</i>"</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<i>- Kerri</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 6px;">
<b>What a year it's been! :)</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 6px;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 6px;">
<b>Status Update:</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 6px;">
<b>Tomorrow is the Article 5 hearing (on our behalf) at the Embassy in Sofia. </b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-76124997646385366972014-12-18T08:02:00.000-05:002014-12-18T08:02:36.127-05:00Long Awaited Blog UpdateClearly I am not good at blogging frequently! <br />
I would have, but I didn't feel like I had anything deep and meaningful to share publicly.<br />
Quick time line update = 1st round dossier submitted and accepted -> Amazing Trip #1 (Metcha Trip) in November -> 2nd round dossier almost complete - > LOTS of waiting..... Hopefully Trip #2 (Gotcha Trip) by April 2015.<br />
<br />
The following is an exerpt from an essay that I wrote the other day for a grant application. Since I put some time into typing it up, I figured that I would share it here too! :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My name is Kerri, and my husband, Dan, and I adopting the most amazing little girl I have
ever met. Let me tell you about the journey I have been on this past
year. Actually, the story begins long before this year, long before
I met Dan, and long before I was ready to have a child of my own.
The story begins at least 10 years ago, when I used to watch "The
Adoption Story" show on TLC, and would find myself sobbing happy
tears for the families landing back in the USA with their babies. I
knew all those years ago that I would be one of those families one
day. I knew that someday, no matter who else was in my life, I would
find my baby somewhere on the other side of the world. Fast forward
to 2009 when I met and fell in love with not only Dan, but
his 2 children, "R" and "E". I will admit that one of the
aspects of Dan that made me agree to that first date, was that he had
the most beautiful daughter who happened to have Down Syndrome.
While these beautiful step-children are an amazing bonus to my life,
they are also a source of much sadness, as their mother has done
everything in her power to isolate me from them. It has been made
abundantly clear that "I am not their mother." This feels
like a knife to my soul, as I would give anything to have my own
babies to hold and I'm not even permitted to freely love my own
step-children.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dan and I were married in 2011 and
then it was my time to have a baby of my own. After many months of
not getting pregnant, I started looking at adoption web sites. I
have been hesitant to pursue fertility testing, because I would so
much rather put my time and energy into looking for babies that are
already born and need mammas, then trying to make one that wasn't
naturally meant to be. I honestly have no idea if I have medical
fertility issues, or not? Maybe it's Dan? Either way, I knew that
not getting pregnant easily meant that maybe my baby from the other
side of the world was already waiting for me. Imagine my surprise
when one day back in January, I was scanning through pictures of
waiting children with Down Syndrome, and I saw my baby! I knew she
was my baby, and I knew that it didn't matter where she was, I had to
go get her!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The past 12 month have been much like
everyone else's journey with international adoption. Lots of
paperwork and lots of waiting. The highlight has obviously been the
trip we took in November to meet our little girl, at her orphanage. This is the part of the story that even I find the most
amazing. I walked to an orphanage in a small city, in a country far
away, expecting to find a sad scared child, who had spent her entire
almost 3 years living without a family. To my surprise, I was handed
this tiny little bundle if happy sassy charisma. My baby girl has
moxie! She has a smile that lights up not only her whole face, but
the whole room. She is smart and resilient.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
She has very low muscle tone, but
despite not being able to even crawl yet, she has no problem, rolling
and scooting herself towards whatever it is that she wants... usually
my husband's cell phone! She doesn't speak actual words yet, but
even with a language barrier, she had no problem getting her opinions
heard, loud and clear. My baby girl is phenomenal, because this is
who she is with no help at all. Can you imagine who she will become
with some help? Once she has a mom and dad to help her build muscle
tone and learn how to express herself with actual words, the sky will
be the limit. My baby girl will go places! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-55099759545558118352014-04-19T21:27:00.000-04:002014-04-19T21:27:32.043-04:00Shooting Stars
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> My nephew passed away yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor was 14 and the eldest of my brother’s
6 kiddos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also the first/oldest
grandchild of both my parents and my sister-in-laws parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor
was a shooting star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Born with septo-optic
dysplasia, Connor had more than his fair share challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hardest part about his passing, was that
it was sudden, unexpected, and seemingly unrelated to his medical conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the midst of coming to terms with this new
reality without Connor, I find myself thinking about “why” we are so looking forward
to the addition of our new munchkin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
doubt that I really need to explain it to most of the people reading this blog,
but I think I may need to explain it to myself? If that makes sense?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When I
first went public with our adoption, I had a number of “why would you do this?”
questions posed by both friends and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why would you put so much time and effort into bringing a child into
your family, who you already know has so many challenges?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
have a perfectly choreographed answer in place at that time, but as I became
less defensive, I was more able to explain why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At this point in time, this is my answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a purely selfish way, I want my world to
be a better place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Special people make
the world a better place, and I want that in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Clearly
that’s not the only reason we are adopting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Obviously, there’s the biological need to be maternal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also the fact that a beautiful little
girl is sitting in a crib in an orphanage, desperately needing a family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
addition, there’s the logic that my step-daughter with Down Syndrome will have
a little sister who shares some of her challenges, and with whom she can face
the world together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, the selfish
part is that I want what other parents of special needs kids have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to value the little things more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to be forced to slow down and just
breathe. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to know that my child
makes a difference in the world, not because she will become a brain surgeon,
but because she will inspire other people’s children to become brain
surgeons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We live
in an era when science has become so advanced that early detection of many
disabilities prevents them from presenting in the way that they did, even 50
years ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also live in a time when “no
child left behind” assures that ALL children are allowed and encourage to excel
to the best of their ability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
strange intersection that results in less people being born with disabilities into
a world that encourages those with disabilities to be able to reach goals never
before considered attainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
weird contradiction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a society, we
are far more excepting of the people that we are far more likely to prevent from
existing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do we do this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No seriously, I’m asking, why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are a couple things I do know:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor
made all the people around him better human beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor loved juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor loved pop songs, but HATED the “Happy
Birthday” song.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connor will be truly and
honestly missed by more people than he even knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love you Buddy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sorry that your newest cousin won’t get
to know you, but you will always be remembered!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You did a great job living your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like a shooting star, you stood out from the rest and we will love you
forever!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-87307480089292337852014-04-13T18:59:00.002-04:002014-04-13T18:59:30.765-04:00Blog Number Two ...
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Humm…… Not sure where to start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that I need to write another blog
entry, and I know what I need to write about, but I’m not sure I want to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a very real reason that I haven’t
made a second blog entry in the past month and a half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very excited to “blog” on a regular
basis, not because I felt that I really had anything enlightened to say, but
rather that maybe other people on this same journey could identify with me, and
visa versa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason that I haven’t
made a second entry, was that I was scared that I had messed up, and that maybe
this journey had come to a screeching halt before it really ever started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was scared that if I talked about the “hiccup”
in the process that maybe it would not be able to be fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was I going to lose my little girl,
but because I had “over-shared” our plans, I was going to have to tell a
million people that I messed up, and wasn’t adopting her after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was scared to say that it was my fault,
because I try so hard to do everything right, and messing up is simply not tolerated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what did I do so wrong....?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I completely bombed our 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> (and supposedly
final) home study meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t get
into the details, but let’s just say that as I watched the conversation spiral
out of control, I burst into tears, and the social worker said that we couldn’t
proceed with the home study until my husband and I met with a marriage
counselor a few times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The floor fell out beneath me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bawled for about 6 hours and then finally
went to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day I called 6 marriage
counselors, and the first to call me back was actually my initial first choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had an opening 3 days later….. longest 3
days ever!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to get this
fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to fix this before anyone
found out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed to keep on my time
line, because time is critical when your child is stuck on the other side of
the world, without you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t going
to fail her before I even had the chance to hold her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t let her suffer because I messed
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would fix this!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fast forward six weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our social worked just left, after what was now the final home study
meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She seemed happy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that we were good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said that because we so eagerly agreed to
meet with a marriage counselor and work through what she saw our issues to be,
that she was comfortable with us again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still won’t breathe
easy until the home study is actually written up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So now I blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope
no one else has to identify with this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
do have to sincerely thank whomever it was on Facebook that pointed out
marriage counselors are not a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It those first days between “the incident” and the first marriage
counselor meeting, I simply asked on the RR Facebook page if anyone’s social
workers had suggested marriage counseling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thankfully, all the comments were positive and helpful, even if no one
really knew the reason I was asking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
were right, marriage counselors are great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She was wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In hind sight,
this “hiccup” was probably one of the better things to happen in our
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, maybe that’s a stretch,
but it wasn’t nearly the worst thing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are back on track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think it
effected our time line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My munchkin will
still be mine!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1536197164675580703.post-19315069405879632742014-02-27T16:09:00.001-05:002014-02-27T16:09:56.917-05:00Sounds Crazy Out Loud!<div>
Hello!<br />
This is my first time blogging, so here it goes!<br />
I was encouraged to start a blog to allow everyone to follow our adoption
journey. While this journey is just beginning, it is not the first "crazy" journey I've been on. I discovered a long time ago, that there are many things in my life that seem perfectly normal to me, but not always to other people. Things sound normal to me, because I tend to roll them around in my head A LOT before the ideas come out of my mouth. By the time my plans are set into motion, the concept has been well thought out, with potential pit falls considered and expectations already set. I tend to be a "big picture" person, and have always set long term goals for myself. This contributes to the feeling of "normalcy" that my plans have to me, in my head. This issue really arises when these plans are spoken out loud for the first time. Without fail, most of my plans sound absolutely crazy when I say them out loud! <br />
If you have been through the adoption process already, and you are reading this blog to see what the "newbie" has to say, then please don't take offence to this. For the rest of you reading this, who are just starting to consider adoption, try doing this with a straight face.... out loud.... "Hey Mom and Dad, guess what?, I'm adopting an orphan with Down Syndrome from a 3rd world country!" (Insert some laughter here!) I'm not trying to imply that this is a bad idea or even an original idea, because it is not. However, unless you come from a family of adopted orphans, it's not a sentence that rolls off the tongue of 99.9% of the population. Point blank, IT SOUNDS CRAZY OUT LOUD!! <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14169302467328974181noreply@blogger.com6