A little homestudy delay...and start on the dossier!

Hi friends!

Not too much to report at the moment.  We finished our 2nd and last home study visit a few weeks ago.  Our wonderful social worker got it written up and turned in to our agency - only to find out India had changed the format of how they want the home studies to appear!

So, she had to go back and rework some corrections.  Not a HUGE deal, but a small delay for time's sake.  BUT, everything happens for a reason right?!  It's not anything at all we've stressed over.

We are currently waiting for her to finish the new home study and get it turned in to our agency. In the mean time - we have started working on our dossier!  This is another daunting pile of paperwork we are working on collecting.  Some of it is the same from our final application, so it really hasn't been too bad to gather!  We have ONE more item to collect and it is finished.

Here is what is needed for the dossier:

1. A registration form
2. Our motivation to adopt
3. Identifying information (driver's licenses, passports, etc)
4. Marriage Certificate
5. Photos of different rooms in our house, front of house, backyard, us, and us with our children
6. New medical exams
7. Proof of health insurance
8. Employment verification letters
9. A letter from our bank with current balances + 6 months worth of statements
10. (3) years worth of tax returns
11. Proof of home ownership
12. Police clearance
13. (3) new letters of recommendation
14. Children's consent - our oldest had to sign saying he OK'd us to adopt
15. USCIS I-797 pre-approval
16. Our homestudy
17. Undertaking of the agency

As always, PLEASE keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on this amazing journey!

All That Studying - DONE!

Yesterday, 2/23/16, was our 2nd and final homestudy visit!

Our first visit consisted of our social worker talking to us as a family about our life, why we want to adopt, and just general things to get to know us.  She then did a walk through of our house. looked for safety items/issues (like fire extinguishers, etc), and wanted to see our plan for a bed(room) for the child.  This visit was very informal and relaxed.  In all it took about an hour and a half.

Our second visit was with the same social worker.  This time, she spoke with John and me separately. She went in to more detail about the things we'd shared on our autobiographies.  She spoke with me, then him, and then our oldest son.  This one, too, took about an hour and half.

Where do we go from here?  Now, she writes up our homestudy report.  It then goes to our agency to be approved.  Once it is approved in office - we officially get registered with CARA.  This is a huge milestone for us!  We are so excited to keep pushing forward.

What is CARA?  Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003. CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies (taken from their website).

Fundraising update - we are currently at about $500 raised!  We are so thankful to everyone who has been a piece of our puzzle.  We do have some ways to help still open.  Our two main ones are our shoe drive and puzzle drive.  Check out the "GIVE" tab at the top for more information on these!

I will update again once we have more news.  Keep us in your prayers friends!

Homestudy: Coming Soon

January 27, 2016 we turned in our final application!  The boys and I were so excited to take it and drop it off to Mrs. Terri at Children of the World.

February 10, 2016 was scheduled to be our first homestudy visit.  Unfortunately, John's grandfather passed away that week and we had to be out of town.

Our first homestudy visit in now scheduled for this Monday, February 15, 2016!  We are so excited to meet our social worker, Bonnie, and move one step forward towards meeting our girl.

Fundraising update:  We have also had 92 pieces of our puzzle donated!  My mother did a Trades of Hope fundraiser for us that raised a $40 donation for us, AND we currently have 215 pairs of shoes towards our 10,000 goal.  We have a ways to go - but slow and steady wins the race!

Keep us in your prayers, and I will update again soon once our homestudy is complete!

Final App - Almost Done

Things are excitedly moving along!  We are in the home stretch of turning in ALL of our final application paperwork.  Along with it - we have finished our 10 course hours of Adoption Education classes, signed our India contract with our agency, and are saving away.

We got word that all of our clearances have come back as well as all of our references!  As soon as I turn in our last pieces of paper (which I plan to in 2 days)...we should be set to start our homestudy. This is the next step as we move forward in our timeline.

We have started working on some fundraisers, too.  We've been busy making, crafting, and setting up all kinds of things.  It is SO hard for us to ask to help - and I am constantly afraid that I am bugging people to death - but we are feeling our way through the process.

I'll update again soon as we move to our next phase!

My sweet boy said he wanted to help make something to sell!  He got some paint and made this beautiful picture below.  I love his heart and sweet spirit.

Several nights of Adoption Education classes DONE getting us one step closer.

We're Movin' and Groovin'

I am so excited to say that our pre-application was approved yesterday, 1/7/16.  This was just a form, with basic information, to pre-screen us for acceptance to adopt.  With this - we officially announced to the world our plans to add on to our family!

Upon approval of this form - our great paperwork chase has also begun.  Being the Type A personality I am - we are moving quickly through this phase already.  We will slow down soon as some of the paperwork is submitted to the proper offices for processing.  Knowing that we are facing waits out of our control - this momma is working hard to get the things we can control done.

What this phase consists of:

DHR Checks for Child Abuse/Neglect (done)
ABI/FBI Fingerprinting and background checks (done)
Statement of states we have lived in (done)
Provide contact info for (6) references (done)
Complete Educational Needs Assessment (done)
Final Application Form (done)
Sign Acknowledgement Document (done)
Statement of Motivation (done)
Mother's Autobiography (done)
Father's Autobiography (done)
Financial Statement (done)
Medical Exams for each family member (done)
Complete Medical Care Agreement (done)
Police Clearances (done)
Consent to Release Information Form (done)
Gather birth certificates, marriage certificate, copy of property deed, letters of employment, statement of finances from our bank, and complete conviction statements (done)
Medical Insurance Verification (done)
Sign Adoption Home Study Contract (done)
Sign Complaint Resolution Procedure (done)
Sign Fee Schedule (done)
Take and submit a family photo (done)

....all in all...we will have plenty to keep us busy the next few weeks.  As always, please keep us in your prayers!  And, don't forget to check out the GIVE tab at the top to see how we can use your help.

Lastly, a picture to remember our fingerprinting day!

Are You The Missing Piece?

Are you the missing piece?!

We can not wait to bring our daughter home.  We can not wait to count her fingers and toes in person.  We can not wait to introduce her to all of you.  We can not wait for her to meet her two big brothers - and we hope she likes dogs!

Things are moving along as planned with this adoption, but each step has many hurdles and red tape we must get past.  Along with this are fees to both our agency, the state of Alabama, the United States, and India. Check out THIS tab for more details on these fees.  

EVERY penny is and will be worth it. We are eager to continue saving and fundraising to get our girl home as quickly as possible.  We certainly do not want lack of funds, on our part, to keep her sitting in an Indian orphanage any longer than necessary.

So now...what can WE do? What can YOU do? Can you help us raise the first amount we need to go towards our final application fee and homestudy fee? Both of these are what we need completed and approved to get matched with our child.

The puzzle you see above we have purchased as our first gift to our little girl.  

We are asking for donors for 1000 puzzle pieces at $5 each. If your family would like to donate a piece (or more!) we will write your name on the back of the piece(s). Once the puzzle is put together we will frame it for our daughter to see. We want her to know everyone that helped bring her home, and left a lasting mark on her forever future. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Donations can be sent via Pay Pal HERE, or you can email me at amnapiontek@gmail.com to request our mailing address.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love and support!

We Need Help

Typing just that title...that was the beginning of this not being an easy post.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we can not lean on our own understanding and we are having to believe just that - that this is possible.  

Asking for help is not something we do often or like to do, period.  But, we find ourselves in a situation where we are taking a step in faith and opening a door that God has been knocking at for some time.  We know if he's placed this journey before us - he will see us through it.

We will be honest, adoption is not cheap (regardless where it is done).  We are facing an uphill journey to meet financial deadlines - and they start rolling in immediately.  You are welcome to click HERE to see a detailed breakdown of exact costs/descriptions.  John and I have a little nest egg in savings, but it is just the tip of the iceberg when looking at total costs.

We are humbling ourselves, stepping out in faith, and asking for our village's help.  

Throughout our journey you will see fundraisers here, on social media (and if we know you - I'm sure we will tell you in person).  If you feel called to help - thank you!  If you don't feel called at the moment to help financially (we still love you) - please pray for us!  You can find our specific prayer HERE.

Check out the tab at the top labeled "Give".  This will be continuously updated with ways you can support our family of 5.

We appreciate you all from the very bottom of our hearts.  This would not be possible without your prayers, love and support!

Our Prayer For You

Heavenly Father - we know that adoption comes from you.  You adopted us all in to your family with nothing but love and compassion. Your love sees no boundaries - we are all your family.

Your word tells us to father the fatherless (Psalms 68:5) which is what we know you are calling us to do.  Our prayer is that you'll create the perfect match, provide perfect timing, and provide the resources we need to fulfill your will.

We pray for our child we've yet to meet.  We pray she is happy, healthy, and knows she is loved.  We pray that you'll begin to prepare her heart for the changes that are about to come.

We pray for the parent(s) who have faced the heart wrenching choice of placing their child for adoption.  Father, soften their hearts and fill them with only the peace you can provide.  Let them know their little one is going to be just fine.  We also pray for their health and for their safety.  We also ask for blessings on these parents for choosing to say YES to life for their child.

We pray for the men and women who are caring for our child.  We pray for immense blessings to come their way for choosing such a selfless act to care for "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40)

We pray for the country of India.  We pray for their leaders, for wisdom in decision making, and for the health and safety of their people.

Finally, we pray for our family.  We pray for patience.  We pray for increased faith. We pray for sound decision making.  We pray for our hearts to begin being prepared for the daughter and sister that will soon join our family.  We pray for happiness and help controlling any emotions that may come.

Father, we put our full trust in you.  We are stepping out in faith to do what you have placed on our hearts.  Take us and use us.

St. William of Rochester...pray for us

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta...pray for us

St. Thomas More...pray for us

St. Thomas...pray for us

St. Francis Xavier...pray for us

St. Joseph...pray for us

Mother Mary...pray for us

Amen

Are we making the right choice?

I think with any big decision you start to question yourself.  Should I really be doing this?  Did I make the right choice?

As you can imagine - making the decision to adopt was NO different for us.  We wondered if we should have chosen a different country, held off a little bit all together, etc.

THEN THESE CAME....

I participate in a postcard exchange group called Postcrossing.  Basically, it is a site that serves as an international hub for people across the globe to write postcards to one another.  I have my email address in my profile so people can write to me if they'd like to swap.  I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I got an email from this - it hasn't been recent - until the morning of Saturday, 12/19/15.

This is what came across on my email.



God...is that you...or some crazy coincidence?!

Then, that same night, we were opening Christmas gifts with my mom.  She told me she'd been to a fair trade store in downtown Birmingham and saw something she thought I'd like. Her words were, "I know it isn't your colors - but I thought you could hang it over your desk."

....and here is what she got me.



The cross is made of rolled paper and as I started turning it and looking at the writing on the paper - I noticed something.  This writing looks familiar.



Can you tell what that is?  Yep, it is from India.  My mom had purchased this weeks before - weeks before she knew anything about what we thinking and discussing.

Then, a few days later, we were still talking about this cross.  My mom makes mention that she purchased it on 12/8/15....12/8/15 is the day we clicked the "request information" link on the COTW website.  That was the day we made the first real step towards putting our adoption in to motion - which she had no idea about.


They say God works in mysterious ways, right?  Looks to me like he's working through email and a little paper cross at the moment.

To India With Love

Adoption is a word that has been discussed a lot throughout my 8 year marriage to my husband, John.  Heck, between the two of us we have (7) immediate family members who were adopted.  It's always been in (and on) our hearts but stayed as a faint knocking rather than an open door.

In the past 7 years - we have had (2) high risk/scary pregnancies that brought us our (2) perfect little boys,  and more troubles than we can count just getting pregnant at all.  After our (2) boys, who are currently 6 & 2, we still had that lingering feeling that our little family of (4) just wasn't quite complete. 

We went back to those adoption conversations and really started asking ourselves, "Is it time?  Do we quit talking about this and finally take the next step?"  We decided the answer was yes.  

We were on a family vacation to Disney World at the time, but decided when we got back home we wanted to start researching.  We spend several late nights looking at domestic vs. international adoption, various countries, requirements, etc, etc....I was completely OVERWHELMED at the amount of information out there.  

We decided we'd start local.  We reached out to our local Catholic Social Services office for information on domestic adoption (which they were not accepting families), and also Children of the World.  COTW is a local international adoption agency currently placing children from China, India as well as domestically.  

On 12/8/15 - we requested information from COTW.  What came to us was an immediate download packet that we scoured over from cover to cover.  That, of course, left us with more questions than we started with.  

John and I set an appointment with COTW director, Pat Lee, on 12/17/15 to discuss everything that had been floating around our brains for weeks.  Two hours later - we walked out of her office knowing the newest member of our family would be joining us from India.  We discussed several different options, but always went back to India.  That night, God placed the country of India on our hearts.

The next morning, on 12/18/15, I filled out our first "piece of paper", our pre-application, and hit the submit button.  I took a picture of the screen and texted it to John - it was official....We were adopting from India!