Custom Birth Print Back Up for Grabs!

Hello friends!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Saturday!  (At least it is here in Nashville, TN!)

I wanted to let all of you know that the beautiful Custom Birth Print from our Give Hope Adoption Auction is back up for grabs!

Check out the original post here.  This item would make a great gift for a new mommy or for your own little one.  The winner will get to choose their color scheme.  If you are interested, please leave a comment with your name and e-mail address and starting bid.  I will end the bidding for this item TOMORROW night at 8:00, so hapy bidding!

So check it out! Happy Saturday!

It's a Boy!!!

Many of you already know this, but in case you don't, we are planning to adopt a boy. On our paperwork we requested an infant boy, so our parameters are 0-12 months.

How did we decide on a boy, you ask? Well, growing up, I always wished that I had a big brother. I am the oldest of 5. Also, more people adopting from Ethiopia seem to want girls (specifically, baby girls), so we are hopeful that this might help speed things up as well. Christopher's sister has 2 boys. We love our nephews! Boys are what we know! So, that's how we came to the decision!

What's Goin' On?

Many of you have asked where we are in the adoption process right now. Well, we are currently working on our homestudy.  Since our adoption agency, All God's Children International, is based out of Oregon, we had to choose a local agency to do our home study.  We chose Bethany Christian Services and are so happy with them as well!

Here is a list of the paperwork items that must be included in our homestudy (just to give you an idea of what we're working on!).  I put *'s next to the things that are finished!

Formal Application *
Changes in Familly Status *
Statement of Intent (Guardianship Arrangements)
Adoption Release and Consent *
International Adoption Statement *
Affidavit of Health Insurance Coverage
Copies of Birth Certificates
Copy of Marriage Certificate
Medical Exam Letter and Form
Family History Data *
Self-Study (Autobiographies) *
Discipline Policy *
Training Requirement and Schedule *
Reading Requirements
Financial Statement/Monthly Income and Expenses/Most Recent 1040 Tax Form
Notice of Private Practices *
Criminal Record Inquiry
Background Check
Expectations Consultation
Psychological Reports
International Adoption Fee Schedule and Agreement *
Applicant Waiver for Background Checks *
Waiver of Unforeseen Fees *
Duty of Disclosure *
Permission/Consent Form *
Medical Needs Questionnaire *
Passport Information *

Whew!  That's quite a list, isn't it?  Many of the items on the list are just a single piece of paper.  The doctor's appointments, fingerprinting, psycological evaluation, and reading requirements are things that take a bit longer.  We're working on those!  Our goal is to have everything finished on our part and have started our homestudy interviews (they conduct 3) by the end of April.

So that's what's been going on with us in the adoption world lately!

Auction Total!!!

I know many of you have been waiting on pins and needles for the total money raised during our Give Hope Adoption Auction.  I apologize for the delay.  I was on Spring Break, first here...

My hubby and I chaperoned 100 8th graders where I teach on a trip to Williamsburg, VA.

Then here...

After de-boarding the bus from Williamsburg we hit the road to Santa Rosa Beach, FL .  I must give a shout-out to the hubby for driving through the night (yes, at one point he was so tired that we had to stop at a rest stop and sleep in the car for 2 hours-that was a little scary.  But we made it!) so that we could enjoy a full day at the beach on Monday!

So without further aideau...
(Drumroll please....)

$2,627

Yes!  You read that correctly!  We officially raised $2,627 through our Give Hope Adoption Auction!  Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who donated items, bid on items, and gave our auction a shout-out on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

If you bid on an item, but were sadly outbid by someone else, there are still other ways you can support us:

1. Donate.  Donate what you were going to pay for the item that you did not win.  Donate what you would have paid for a dinner and movie out but didn't due to the fact you were glued to your computer during the final moments, making sure you weren't outbid.  Donate because we are longing for a baby over 7,000 miles away! 

2. Follow our journey by reading our blog. 

3.  AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Pray.  Pray for us during this journey.

Thank you again!  I was blown away by the genorosity of all of you out there!  We are hard at work on paperwork right now, but I will post more on that later!