Adoption Seminar

So... tonight my mother-in-law, E, and I went to an adoption seminar (M was at work) for All God's Children. I was glad I went, even though I cried like a goober in front of everyone. And when I cry in public I laugh while I cry, like my wedding. It makes everyone that doesn't know me feel very uncomfortable. hahahahah I am really glad we went. I didn't learn much about the adoption process (I read up on it every day. And I watch You Tube videos all the time. ) But the host really calmed my nerves about the home study. I don't know why I am freaking out about it. Everyone I meet says it's no big deal, but I am so nervous. She seemed to think I had something to hide from my past which is why I was crying. That is not the case. I'm really just afraid of getting denied.
Also, at the seminar she told us that Rwanda was opening their program to infants. Before, the youngest you could adopt was 2 years. So I wrote AGCI about that. I still think Ethiopia, but I want to hear my options. M doesn't care one way or the other.

Also, yesterday I went over to my cousin Andrea's. Aunt T came over and we put together a letter asking people for donations. We are going to make a video so look in your mailbox in the not to distant future.

Here is our rough draft:

Dear ________,

As you may know in June we had our beautiful baby girl, E. She is our everything. Unfortunately, after childbirth and a series of surgeries I had to undergo a hysterectomy. Our plan was to have a large family. I have dreamed about it since I was a young girl. This is still our dream, but we are going to do it the unconventional way.

We are writing you today to ask for your help in bringing home a baby sister for E. We will be adopting a child from Ethiopia

Unfortunately an international adoption is costly. Around the tune of $25,000!! With the help of some family and friends we have raised nearly a 10th of the total cost after a Garage Sale Fundraiser. Now we could either try to piece together 9 more garage sales or ask for your financial help. We thought we would give this a shot. Any amount would be awesome, but to put things into perspective if 23 people donated $1,000 you would be saving a child from a life of destitution, famine, and possible death. Not to mention make our dreams come true.

I have enclosed a video to tell you more about our story, experiences, and dreams.

Thanks in advance for your contributions and prayers,

A, M, and E

To adopt or to Foster

So, adopting through Hamilton County had been something we were seriously pondering. So I called the H.C. adoption phone number and talked with a very nice lady about becoming an adoptive parent. She told us we would only qualify for a girl 0-5 years, since we only have a two bedroom house and we have E. The cost would be FREE!! That was a huge bonus instead of finding $25,000 for Ethiopia. The lady also told us it was practically impossible to adopt without first becoming a foster parent. She said about 50% of the kids placed in foster care go back to either the birth parent or a relative. That is a huge number, while possibly great for the kids, would be a disaster for me. I heard a story last night of a family that had a foster child for 7 years and the birth mother said she wanted her back. She had her for two weeks and "gave" her back to the foster family. Why Hamilton County didn't put the girl up for adoption a long time ago baffles me. I can't handle that. I would be heart broken if my child wasn't available to adopt and had the potential to be taken away from me. Maybe at one point in my life I could do this, but not right now.

So here we come Ethiopia. We need $23,000. I might send out letters asking people for donations. I hate to do that. I feel so rude. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Fundraiser has been Cancelled

Unfortunately our fundraiser has been cancelled. Harvey's is no longer able to hold the event. So this puts us back to square one. Since it is so close to the 20th we are going to try and find a location to host it after the holidays. This is just a minor setback.

Fundraiser!

So we have a couple of bands booked for our silent auction/ concert. I am so excited.
I am so excited for this event. My brother is working on his painting, and hopefully the other donations will start to come in. We are going to have a split the pot instead of the reverse raffle because my cousin (who is the pro at this) said it would be better. Yeah!!!
Here is a picture of E, who this is all for.

NOVEMEBR 20TH

Alright, a date has been set for our silent auction. November 20th!! I am so excited. This is one step closer to bringing home our baby. It is at Harvey's. We need bands and artwork.

On a separate note E is now responding to her name and I love her more and more everyday. I don't understand how I got the best baby in the world.

Yard Sale

We had an amazing turn out and it showed. We raised more than double of what I was expecting and are now 1/10 of the way there!! It was a long day. I didn't go to bed until 3:30 last night (really this morning) because I was baking. The worst part about it is that I put WAY TOO much butter in the cupcakes and then none of them turned out. haha So we woke up late this morning and E and I aren't morning people. She was very confused as to why I woke her up. We were there late and thank God for my family. They had everything put together. There were so many great things. My friend Jasmine came in and swiped most of the owls in the very beginning. I had my eye on a beautiful white horse in a snowy field painting and I didn't think anyone was going to buy it, wrong. A woman bought it and I was sad and shocked. Oh well, I didn't need it. My amazing husband and wonderful family helped move furniture and so much more. I can't believe everyone that came but only 7 of which were our friends. I think the overall success was due to my frugal cousin Andrea. She was giving stuff away and I think that is why people bought so much because it was so cheap. Not to mention some generous donations.

So now it is time to plan our next fundraiser. ahha. No time to delay. I want to have a silent auction and I hope my friends will pull through for this one. We have very talented and artistic friends and I hope they will be able to donate a piece of artwork. We have somethings already donated from my friend Gretchen. I need to get a hall, artwork, and music. I thought a bluegrass band would be fun. I hope to have this the first weekend in November, but this is only if we get enough artwork.

First Fundraising Event!

I am soooo excited! Tomorrow is our first fundraiser. The Yard Sale. Today I am busy baking cookies and cupcakes for the sale. Later tonight I will be sorting and pricing. I love my family so much and couldn't have done this without them. I want to thank my wonderful Aunt Tracy for holding it and my FABULOUS cousin Andrea who has done everything. They can never know how much I appreciate this. We are truly so blessed to have such an amazing family. I may be weird to think this, but I always wonder if somewhere in Ethiopia a woman is pregnant with our child. I am crying as I type this. hahahah. I pray that she takes care of herself and our little one. E is smiling at me. Man I have an amazing life.