Stagnant

Well, it has been a bit since I have updated here ... mainly because there is really nothing new to report. I STILL do not have his fille (supposedly will take 6 weeks to get his file translated, but I have no idea when the 6 weeks started) and my homestudy report is still not complete. SO .. for the time being, I am stuck.

Being stuck is not a good feeling .... it puts you on a wild rollercoaster of emotions. Being stagnant sends waiting adoptive families into a craze. All of the fears you have for your child, for the process, for the future ... they all start to float to the front of your consciousness.
- Is he going to be eligible for the surgery he so desperately needs?
- What will his future be like - will he ever be able to walk, talk, sing, jump, run, play without constant assistance?
- Will the funding to continue this process be available when it is needed?
- Will I be the mother that he really needs?
- When I go to China, will I have everything he needs?
- Do I actually try to take a wheelchair to China when I finally get to go get him?
- If I take a wheelchair, how will I transport it around the country without it being broken?
- Will I be able to find foods that he likes once we are home?
SO, yes, my mind is in overdrive ....

In order to help support this process, I have been working 6 days/week ... but I constantly feel like it is not enough. Working 6-10 hrs. Monday - Saturday week in and week out begins to wear on a person, but it is a necessity. Being single in this process is not for the faint of heart. It's not like buying a car where you have 3-5 years to pay it off ... this is handing over $35,000 in 1 year, broken into 3-5 payments, some are larger than others.  I am praying that the upcoming fundraisers will be profitable as funding is scary in this process ...

I have gotten 3/4 of his room painted in preparation for the Dr. Seuss amazement. I still have 1 more wall to finish and a few finishing touches, but I really am excited about it. I can't wait for it to be finished and put back together.
 


For those interested, I am having a Premier Jewelry Party locally at the beginning of next month and I would love to see you guys there (specific details will be posted soon). For the people outside of NW Arkansas, you can participate as well and earn some free jewelry! If you collect $150 or more in orders, you will receive this beautiful necklace:

Please let me know if you are interested and I will get you the information/catalogues/order forms, etc. This jewelry is great quality for low prices and there is something for everyone! Please consider sharing this with your close friends/co-workers/family, etc because every little bit helps! :) 

Other things in the pipeline: Possible raffle for a Lillebaby Essentials baby carrier, possible online auction, Painting for a Cause night (details to be released soon), Cookout and Wacky Olympics. 

Prayer Requests:

- That Sunshine's file is FINALLY ready, translated, give to my adoption agency and I can finally request to be matched with him.

- That my homestudy report be finalized so that things can begin to move forward and I will no longer be "stuck"

- Sunshine will continue to thrive and remain healthy 

- That I will find peace with all my worries and concerns, giving them to Him to be my rock.

FILE PROGRESS

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, SUNSHINE HAS A FILE!!!

Thank-goodness!

I started this morning on this high of knowing that his file has FINALLY made it to the Chinese Government ... but then it was kinda thwarted finding out that it will take 2 months to get translated and given to my adoption agency. However, I am so very thankful and happy that it is FINALLY moving forward. MAYBE we will both be ready and in China at the same time.

The final tally for the Rummage sale was $2,175.27!!  I am so, so very thankful for everyone who helped and donated their items, time and/or money!! My words can really not express enough how I feel!

Stay tuned, I will be announcing another fundraiser soon - there are gifts to be earned based on who raises money ... and it involves bling ... :)

The next BIG expenses include:
$3,250 for Adoption Agency Fees #2
$1,550 for Submitting my Dossier to China (all the paperwork to apply for the Adoption on the China Side)
$5,400 Orphanage Fee to be paid to China

Every little bit helps, and any fundraising ideas you may have, I would love to hear them!!!




I am so thankful for everyones help and prayers!!!

much love and thanks!!!


The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow
Psalm 146:9

Thankful and Future Endeavours

This past weekend was the rummage sale ... it was a HUGE success!!! We were able to raise just over $2000 from generous donors (both those who donated items and those who came and purchased things).

I am so very thankful to EVERYONE who came together to make it a success, specifically my Mom who came in town for 4 days to help me prepare.  I also have to thank all the friends who came over several times last week and during the rummage sale to help me price, arrange and sell the items that were donated.

I still have MANY items (over half a garage full) left over from the rummage sale. I will be having another garage sale THIS Saturday & Sunday afternoons ... feel free to stop by if you were unable to come out this past weekend!! :)

I found out last week that the foster facility that Sunshine is currently at is going to open a new location and I am so thrilled!! This means that they will be able to  help and serve more children who have medical needs!! I have graciously been given the opportunity to travel to China in the summer with another therapist from John Hopkins to help train new therapists, further the education of the therapists already working and to visit local orphanages .... I cannot wait for this!!!

I have already begun collecting needed medical items through donations from various companies. I am so thankful how receptive these companies have been to the cause, willing to send their products free of charge! We are currently looking for corporate sponsors to help us with the costs of flights, cost of staying in China during this adventure and shipping all of the donations to China.  If you happen to have any leads on companies that would be willing to help (donating clothing, toys, medical equipment, liquid thickener, cover shipping needs and/or providing grants), I would greatly appreciate it!!

I cannot explain how amazing this experience has been so far or how thankful I am for being provided with the opportunity to give back to the facility that has literally saved my son's life ... no amount of volunteering, gathering donations or facilitating sponsorship for this amazing organization will ever be enough to repay them!!

Praises: The rummage sale went amazingly well and I am SO thankful for all the support I have gotten.

Prayer Requests:
 - That the finishing of the rummage sale this coming weekend will go well.
 - That we WILL be able to find corporate sponsors to help us get to China in the summer
 - That paperwork will continue to move forward smoothly for the adoption process (written up home study report should be completed soon)

Welcome to My Home

Well, I must say that this week has been a little crazy!

Tuesday was my 31st birthday and I can't begin to explain how blessed I was!! Friends brought me breakfast and treats at work and the day ended with a huge cookie cake!

Wednesday was the beginning of my home study, which seemed to go well. My social worker was at my home from 6-6:45 pm on Wednesday and 10-1 on Thursday. I am very happy that it is over, I now just have to wait for the write up, which make take 2 months or more.

As things move forward, I get slightly more excited, anxious and confident. I am so incredibly excited to have Sunshine in my arms, to hold him, hug him, kiss him and comfort him. I am anxious about how much longer it will be, all of the fundraising that needs to be done between now and then, about his file being made and if Sunshine will be eligible for the surgery he needs. I am confident that this is what I should be doing, not waiting until I am in a "different stage of life", waiting until I'm married, or waiting until something else is "falling into place". I am stepping out in faith and praying that things will be come together at the appropriate times.

Since Thursday I have been sorting through donated items for the rummage sale. People have been SO generous and words cannot begin to explain how thankful I am!! If you have any items you would be willing to donate to the Adoption Rummage Sale, please let me know You can email me at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com if you need me to pick up items for the rummage sale!

PLEASE PLEASE share the following info with your friends and family in NWA:

April 16, 2016         6am -??        

Corner of John Rollow Dr & SE 28th St.

Bentonville, Arkansas

Praises:  The Home Study is on it's way to being completed!! This is a huge step forward!! 

Prayer requests:

 - The Rummage Sale has a good collection of things for people to choose from

 - That people are able to volunteer the day of the fundraiser to assist throughout the day

 - That the rummage sale is successful

 - That Sunshine remains healthy and happy, knowing that he is loved.

For The Love of A Child

I seem to be struggling a bit more, lately, with blog updates. This have been busy and moving forward.

My home study is this coming week. I am ready for it to occur and be done with so this process can move forward. I am also a little nervous  ... an entire day of interviewing me on how I will parent, what I would do if certain things arise and generally how I will handle bringing home a child from China and caring for him.

It has been 4 months since I began this journey ... 6 months since I first laid eyes on my sweet boy.  I am just ready to be in China, holding him in my arms.  Unfortunately, there is much more paperwork and lots more money that has to be paid to various agencies before I even have a travel date.

I am beyond thankful that he is in a foster facility that takes tremendously good care of him. He gets PT/OT/SLP services at the foster facility and all his medical needs are cared for. There are so many adoptive parents out there who only get 1-2 pictures of their child throughout the entire adoption process and are constantly worried about how their child is being cared for.  There are also waiting parents who FINALLY get an update, only to learn that their little one has been hospitalized  ... or transferred to a different facility (but the adoption agency may not know where ...). These are all scenarios that play out on a daily basis for waiting parents and I am SO incredibly thankful that I know that my child is being provided with proper care, nutrition, daily play and that his health needs are taken care of. So, even though the wait is hard and it feels, at times, like there isn't an end in sight - I am so thankful to the foster facility and nannies for caring for my sweet boy as if he was their own.

Personally, I have taken on working more in order to put more money towards the adoption fund. However, no matter how much I work and how hard I save - I often have doubts that the money will be able to provide for the fees when they are due. I currently have a $3500 bill that I need to pay and it scares me that in paying it the adoption fund will be wiped out completely and it will have to be restarted to be build back up for the next round of fees. I know that somehow God will provide ... but my weakness is my fear and worry. I am slowly learning to give it to Him ... but for someone who has been a "controller" for over 30 years ... this is not easy .. but I am slowly getting there.

I must say, I have met some amazing people so far on this journey. There are so many adoption Facebook groups and it has been an amazing support system. There are also groups here locally that are very focused on behavior and parenting post-adoption. I am blessed that I live in an area that is so supportive and rich in knowledge.  The week after my home study, there are 2 conferences that I wholeheartly support (just wish they weren't on the same days so I could actually attend both .. ).

The first conference that I just think will be amazing is 99Balloons ENGAGE Conference.

This conference is amazing!! This gives people the ability to start conversations about disability and inclusion without your church.  There are so many families who have children that need support at all times, churches should be a place of respite, recovery, recharging and caring. Unfortunately, many churches do not know how to care for kids with involved needs and the parents are left to care for their kids at all times and/or they bring their children into the service and others get upset because their child is "making too much noise",  roaming the aisles or upset in some way. When parents are in a church like this, they eventually just give up and decide that church is just too hard for their family and there is just no one that will step in to help them. This is NOT what church should be like for families who have children with disabilities.  If you are interested in learning how YOUR church can help local families and bring more families to God, consider attending this awesome conference.  You can learn more at: engage.99balloons.org.

The other conference that I cannot wait to attend is the Empower to Connect Conference. This is a conference that is led by Dr. Karen Purvis - author of "The Connected Child". 

I am very much looking forward to this conference. It is specifically geared for families who have or are in the process of adopting/fostering. This will be a great prep for me when it comes to bringing Sunshine home and helping him transition to the US.  If you are interested in attending, visit https://my.fellowshipnwa.org/index.asp?page=modPublicRegistration&subHub=&GroupID=16237 to register and find more information.

The next big fundraiser is going to be a rummage sale on Saturday April, 16th at the corner of John Rollow Drive and SE 28th St. in Bentonville, AR. As you are doing spring cleaning, if there are items that you would like to donate towards the rummage sale, PLEASE let me know in the next 2 weeks. I am trying to get everything sorted & priced as it comes in.  If you need more information or have donations, please email me at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com.

As always, if you would rather donate money towards bringing Sunshine home, you can do so through the following link: https://purecharity.com/worthyofmuchlove

Praises: I am so thankful for the support I have been given throughout this journey thus far. From family, friends and even strangers ...  it is truly touching and makes me realize how much love there really is in the world!! 

Prayer Requests:

- That donations for the rummage sale begin coming in - allowing for a good selection and turn-out on April 16th. 

- That people will be willing to volunteer to help me run the rummage sale - I have realized that I cannot do it on my own!

- That Sunshine continues to do well and thrive in his foster facility - knowing each day that he is loved. 

You Are My Sunshine

SO much has been going on lately that I haven't been able to find a spare moment to update everyone!! SO SORRY!!! 


ABOUT SUNSHINE
I wanted to take the time in this entry to tell you a little bit about my sweet little boy ... this special little one that I call "Sunshine". I haven't shared too much about him yet, but I want to now.  I still cannot share his name or picture online, but he is SO very loved. This sweet child was born with hydrocephalus - "water on the brain". This condition occurs when too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the ventricles within the brain and causes a build up of pressure within the skull. If this pressure is not relieved, it can lead to brain damage and motor skill impairment. 

At 4 months of age, Sunshine was taken to a hospital and left there by his biological parents. Most people may hear this and think, "how disturbing", "how could they do such a thing" or "they must not have loved him since he had 'problems'". Honestly, I don't think that ANY of those things went through their minds. To understand my train of thought, you have to understand that China is completely different from the US. The "common man" in a small town (like the one Sunshine is from) is fairly poor. His parents likely had little to no money and healthcare in China is not run via. insurance or government run plans ... it is self-pay. His parents saw him with a head that was growing and growing, knowing that something was very wrong with him and that he was crying constantly. Knowing that something was not right they took him to a place that they thought would be able to care for him - a hospital. Out of love for him, they took him to the one place that may be able to "fix" him and knowing that they could not pay for his needs, they had to leave him there. They did NOT leave him on a street corner, they did NOT leave him in the middle of a field, they did NOT put him in a dumpster ... they took him to a hospital ... they LOVED him, and left him out of love. 

Once he was abandoned, he was looked over at the hospital to ensure no immediate medical need. He was then transferred to the local orphanage. I am really not too sure how long he stayed at the local orphanage, but I think the local orphanage realized fairly quickly that Sunshine's needs were far greater than they could accommodate. The orphanage reached out to an amazing high medical need foster facility who was able to take him in and get him into a top-notch hospital to be assessed for shunt placement.  He needed this shunt to move the extra CSF from his brain to his abdomen so it could be reabsorbed by his body. They got him into the hospital and placed the shut. Everything went well with the surgery, but soon after he developed a fairly severe infection and he had to go back into surgery to have the entire shunt removed. Unfortunately, he contracted yet another infection after the removal surgery and had to wait several months before he could have another shunt placement surgery. 

By this time, he was already past his 1 year old birthday. By the age of 1, most of the sutures (joints) in the skull begin to fuse together. This means that Sunshine is now stuck with a head that is VERY large because his sutures closed when he had way too much fluid in his skull. He was able to have a third surgery and get his shunt placed and so far he has not had any problems or needed any revisions. 

Sunshine is a very strong and brave little boy. He has a very long road ahead of him if he is eligible for the skull reduction surgery once he is home. I have been in contact with a craniofacial surgeon in Dallas who is very hopeful that he may be able to reduce the size & weight of Sunshine's skull as well as re-shape it.  Currently, Sunshine is not able to hold his head up, sit up, stand, up, walk, run, jump ,etc. and he will be 3 this summer. It is my prayer that with this skull surgery he may be able to learn to hold up his head, sit, stand, walk, etc. 

Where is the Process Now?
So, currently I am finishing up a few loose ends and the home study is scheduled for the end of March - yay!! Once the home study is done and all the documents come back from being authenticated, everything will get sent to US immigration where they will look over everything to determine if it is ok for Sunshine to come into the country and become a US citizen. Once that is approved, then it will all be sent to China for their approval. It is all a paperwork and waiting game. 

How Can You Help?
Several good friends of mine are currently hosting various "parties" and will be donating part of their profits to the adoption fund. If you are interested in any of the following things, please consider purchasing during their timeframes so part of your purchase goes to bringing Sunshine home!

Jewels for Sunshine Fundraiser

chloeandisabel.com/boutique/rachelhamm

Changing Skin, Changing Lives

https://devonmorris.myrandf.com/Pages/OurProducts/GetAdvice/SolutionsTool

Order Now through the end of the month to contribute to bringing Sunshine home!

Egg My House

If interested, please email at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com to set up a time, location, how many eggs needed and any special requests! 

Rummage Sale

   We will be holding a rummage sale on Saturday, April 16th in the parking lot on the corner of John Rollow Drive and SE 28th Street in Bentonville. If anyone would like to donate things after their spring cleaning, please call/text me or email me at worthyofmuchlove@gmail.com. I will gladly come and pick things up in the local area!

Praises:

- Things seem to be moving along fairly smoothly. I am excited to get the home study done and keep things rolling! 

Prayer Requests:

- Things continue to keep moving along

- The home study goes well

- Nothing gets delayed being authenticated at the state level 

- Sunshine remains healthy, happy and loved

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Things to Come

I have been a busy little bee lately. This weekend was full of volunteer work for TEAMWorks! Friday was Parents Night Out - LEGO Edition! We had loads of fun building towers and knocking them over, swinging on the swing, playing in the sensory room and "splashing" in the ball pit. The kiddos always seem to love Parents Night Out, always full of giggles and lots of pizza!!

Saturday was the beginning of the TEAMWorks Easter Pictures! I LOVE these pictures because we always have baby chicks and little rabbits to add to the cute kids ... I CANNOT wait until Sunshine is home and he is able to get his photo made!  Today was another day of kiddos with "chips" (chicks) & bunnies ... it is hilarious to see their reactions, they are either completely enamored or terrified.

I want to say thank-you to everyone who prayed for the families that I posted about last week. It was very sad, but Annabel was removed from life support on Monday and peacefully went to be with Jesus while being held in her Dad's arms. Her funeral was yesterday in Texas.

The most amazing thing was that a YouCaring page was started in her honor to assist with paying for medical and funeral expenses and the goal was met in less than 24 hours .... it was truly amazing how God's people came together to support a family in need.

As for my adoption process, things are still rolling forward. I am hoping to hear from the social worker this week about when they would like to schedule the home study. I am praying that it is soon. I am also praying that I can sell more jewelry and get some more donations to finish paying the 3,200 fee associated with the home study.  I still have some of the jewelry from ApParent, but this is the LAST call. It is really cool stuff and I still have a few earrings, a few necklaces and MANY bracelets.

Sunshine seems to be doing well. There were a couple new pictures posted of him this week and he looked happy in both. I just can't wait to hold him in my arms, give him kisses and tell him how much he is loved. I have even been looking up phrases in Mandarin, so that he absolutely knows that he is loved - because he IS worthy. 

 Prayer Requests:
          - Fundraising picks up to help raise the last of the $3,200 fee needed for the home study.
          - Sunshine continues to thrive and grow, continually knowing that he is greatly loved

                         

                               

: PayPal.Me/worthyofmuchlove