Update!

It's been far too long since my last post.  Truth is, waiting has been difficult, and I think I needed a break from all things adoption. We moved to a new place in April and I started a new job in May (new, but with my previous employer).  Both of these things held us up in the adoption process a little bit since we had to have our home study and immigration approval updated.

Despite the break from blogging, the move, the new job, and the updates, things are going really well with the adoption!  In fact, on June 18th, we were presented with the profile of a child who we hope to adopt.  :)  (Yes, I realize I'm leaving out any descriptors of the child, but nothing's official yet so you'll have to wait :-P).  We sent a letter of intent (LOI) stating that we intend to adopt the child and we completed all of our dossier paperwork.  Our dossier is officially on its way to Colombia and now we're waiting for approval from ICBF (Colombian Family Welfare Institute or Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar).  After approval, the child's profile will need to be presented to us as a referral before everything is "official."

So, when might all of this wrap up, you ask?  That's a good question.  Unfortunately, there's no real time-line to the approval process.  We expect that we'll be asked to provide additional information...Because, you know, 86 pages of information isn't quite enough. ;-) We were told that, even if/once we're approved, it could still take a little bit before we're sent the referral or it could be all at once.  We were also told that we would likely travel 4-6 months after approval.  We're still thinking it could be a little while before everything comes together.  Regardless, we are SUPER excited and can't wait to share more info with you!  :) :) :)  Everything's getting real!  Stick around for more updates (hopefully sooner rather than later)!

Paperchasing. Simple, right?

When I first heard the word “paperchasing,” I assumed that I knew what that meant and that it would be simple.  Gathering paperwork for our adoption shouldn’t be that hard, right?  I’m a pretty organized person, so when our social worker showed us the list of items needed for our home study, I thought, “I’ve got this!” 

The problem is that a lot of the paperwork requires working with others…your employer, your doctor, your bank, etc.  It was more difficult than I thought working on the home study, but it went by fairly smoothly.  And then came the dossier…

Even though our home study documents were finished and the dossier required some of the same documents, we still had to get many of them redone on new forms and had to get them notarized.   Again, I thought, “Oh, this won’t be too bad.” 

BUT, what happens when your doctor’s office or employer doesn’t have a notary on site?  Just hire a traveling notary.  Simple, right?  Nope.  It’s just not that easy.  When you’re working with multiple organizations and people, it is maddeningly hard to coordinate something as simple as a traveling notary observing the signing of a document.  Sometimes you have to wait weeks, even months, for one piece of paper...And what if the notary makes a mistake and you don’t notice it?  Well, then you have to get it notarized again.  This is the process we’ve been stuck in for the past couple of months. 

I’d say the hardest thing was when I was working with our doctor’s office for a month and a half to try to get a traveling notary there and they suddenly closed!  Yes, closed…with no notice.  We had to find a new doctor, get new physicals, new blood-work, etc…Thankfully, our new doctor’s office is AMAZING and has several notaries on site!  We really lucked out with that one because our previous doctor’s office wasn't nearly as accommodating. 

Paperchasing has ended up being more difficult than I could have imagined.  Scott and I both have had days where we just wanted to pull our hair out, haha, but we know that it will be worth it!  For every new document that we complete, we feel one step closer to meeting our child.  And that thought is what keeps us going!  So. Stinking. Excited.

Despite all of the difficulties getting completed documents for our dossier, I’m pleased to say that we are only lacking THREE documents and each of these SHOULD be done by next week.  (Fingers crossed!)  The other good news is that, as I mentioned previously, we already have I-800A approval and FBI clearance.  Lots of people wait for months simply for these two items, so we’re doing pretty well!  Want some more good news?  Even though we’re still waiting for our dossier to be complete and sent to Colombia, we are already able to view children on the waitlist.  And we have!  This is all so exciting and makes it feel very real!  No, we haven’t actually been matched with a child yet, but we’re getting there.  And on this Valentine’s Day, it feels good to dream of the love that we hope to share with our child sooner rather than later.  

Gift Basket Results and Thanks!

Our gift basket fundraiser ended last week (February 5th) and the winner was Amy Hogan!  Congrats, Amy!!  She won all of the below items and more!  (See my previous post to see all of the items that were included).

Thank you so much to everyone who donated!  You helped us raise $440 toward our adoption fees!  Inch by inch, we're getting closer to our financial goal, and we couldn't have gotten this far without you!  Scott and I continue to be blown away by the support (financially and otherwise) of our friends, family, and even strangers!

If you entered the gift basket drawing and didn't win, check out the shops that donated so you can grab your favorite item! (Those with an asterisk* are using funds from their shop to help fund their personal adoptions!)

Arbonne - skincare/beauty products (Independent Sales Consultant - Kim Philbrick.  Contact me if you'd like to be connected with her!)
*Blissful Frenzy Shoppe - handmade crochet scarves and head wraps
*Claire's Confections - baked goodies
Couture Party Decor - party supplies
Deeana's Designs - custom bedding & window treatments*Sprouting Hearts - handmade baby blankets and hats
Gus and Lula - art prints, digital prints, canvas wall hangings
PK Madison - hand-painted signs, plates, and handmade housewares
Rodan & Fields - skincare products (Independent Sales Consultant - Jill Carpenter.  Contact me if you'd like to be connected with her!)
Seven Days Shop - handmade headbands and polymer bead necklaces
Scott and I are being featured by Seven Days Shop for the months of February and March!  We'll receive 20% of all sales and 40% of sales of this headband inspired by the colors of the Colombian flag.
Subsidy Shades - sunglasses
*The Copper Anchor - digital prints
*The Rainy Season Jewelry - handmade jewelry
*Twink Louise - handmade jewelry

Happy shopping!!

Gift Basket Fundraiser

Our gift basket fundraiser begins Wednesday, January 28th, and will last until Wednesday, February 4th at midnight (Central Standard Time).

You can enter for a chance to win ALL of the below items!!  There are over $400 worth of items included in this one gift basket!  (Some additional items may be added before the end of the week, so check back!)

HOW TO ENTER:

Donate $5 to our adoption fund through our YouCaring site!  For every $5, you will receive one entry.

For example: 

$5 = 1 entry

$10 = 2 entries

$15 = 3 entries 

And so on!

There is NO LIMIT to how many times you can enter.  The more entries that you have, the better your chances are of winning!  All funds raised from the gift basket raffle will help us pay our dossier fees and get one step closer to meeting our child!

Just click "Donate Now" below.

**If you would like to enter by sending a check instead of making an online payment, please email me (mullinsfamilyadoption@gmail.com) and I will give you information to do so

So, what's included in the basket?  See the awesome items that are up for grabs below!!

Item #1

Handmade Crochet Bulky Head Wrap 

(Pick One Head Wrap of Any Color)

This head wrap is perfect for winter weather!  Made from acrylic bulky yarn, it is made to fit the average teen or adult head.  Pick any one wrap from the colors available: black, blue, brown, green, gray, orange, pink purple, red, white or yellow.

Value: $15

Donated by: Prudence Hill of Blissful Frenzy Shoppe

Item #2

Butterfly Baby Blanket

This baby blanket would be a perfect gift for a newborn or expectant mother!  It features a flannel butterfly pattern with a minky dimple dot back and binding.

Value: $35

Donated by: Erin Singer of Sprouting Hearts

Item #3

Set of four (4) s'more cakes in a mason jar

Yum!  These s'more cakes look absolutely delicious!  Graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, and marshmallows in an 8-oz. mason jar...what's not to love?  When you decide to eat them, just take the lid off and put them in the broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Value: $20

Donated by: Claire Mummert of Claire's Confections

Item #4

12x24 Framed Chalkboard

This beautiful chalkboard can come personalized with whatever you would like or seasoned for home-use.  

Value: $30

Donated by: Emily Porter of PKMadison

Item #5 and #6

These two necklaces, donated by The Rainy Season Jewelry, will add a statement to your favorite outfit.

(#5)

"Peacemaker" Necklace

Cream elephant highlighted with coral and turquoise on a light gold chain.

Value: $15

Donated by: The Rainy Season Jewelry

(#6)

"Come to Me" Necklace

Turquoise beads on a bronze chain.

Value: $15

Donated by: The Rainy Season Jewelry

Item #7

$75 Gift Certificate to Deeana's Designs

Made-to-order or Ready-made items for your home including crib and toddler bedding, mattress covers, duvets, shams, drapery, valences, etc.

Value: $75

Donated by: Deeana's Designs

Item #8

Tortoise Gloss Wayfarer Sunglasses

Value: $12

Donated by: Subsidy Shades

Item #9

Rodan & Fields Body Moisturizer

This lightweight, non-greasy formula absorbs quickly to smooth and soften rough, dry, bumpy skin, leaving it effectively moisturized all day long.

Value: $24

Donated by: Jill Carpenter (Rodan & Fields Sales Consultant)

Item #10

Pick Any 2 Digital Prints from The Copper Anchor

Lots of wonderful print designs available for instant download!  Pick any two!

Value: $10

Donated by: The Copper Anchor

Item #11

$15 Gift Certificate to Seven Days Shop

Seven Days Shop features knotted headbands (for adults and children) and polymer clay necklaces.  Use a $15 gift certificate to purchase your favorite items!  Seven Days Shop will also be sponsoring Scott and I starting next month to help us raise additional funds for our adoption.

Value: $15

Donated by: Seven Days Shop 

Items #12 - #16

These prints donated by Gus and Lula are beautiful and would look great in your home or as a gift to a friend!

(#12)

11x14 Alphabet Animals print

Value: $15

Donated by: Gus and Lula

 (#13)

8x10 "Always Been You" print

 Value: $12
Donated by: Gus and Lula

(#14)

11x14 "Love You More" print

 Value: $15
Donated by: Gus and Lula

(#15)

8x10 "Stay Awhile" print

 Value: $19
Donated by: Gus and Lula

(#16)

11x14 "You're a Bird, I'm a Bird" print

Value: $23

Donated by: Gus and Lula

All above prints donated by: Gus and Lula

Two Newly Added Items

Item #17

$50 Gift Certificate to Arbonne

Arbonne offers a variety of skincare, bath & body, hair, and cosmetic products.  With this $50 gift certificate, you can pick the items that work best for you!

Value: $50

Donated by: Kim Philbrick (Arbonne Independent Consultant)

arbonne.com

Item #18

Party Supplies

Have a party to plan?  These party supplies come in adorable spring colors and will add a pop of color to your next event!

Items included:

12" accordion lanterns (1 in each color: fuschia, lime green, turquoise)

8" fuschia accordion lanterns (2-pack)

6" white paper lanterns (3-pack)

8" turquoise tissue pom-poms (4-pack)

1 lime green pennant banner (11 feet)

1 roll of clear filament (100 feet)

Value: $25

Donated by: Couture Party Decor

Another New Addition!

Item #19

$20 Gift Certificate to Twink Louise

Value: $20

Donated by: Twink Louise

Updates and Paper Chasing

Adoption is a crazy, crazy process.

Since December, here is what we've done for the adoption:

1) Had psychological evaluations

2) Filled out and submitted our I-800A form along with our approved home study and the $890 required fee 

3) Began gathering dossier documents

4) Completed fingerprints for our FBI background check and submitted them to a channeler 

5) Completed fingerprints for our I-800A approval

Phew...we're exhausted.  And, we're not done yet!  We still have a few forms to gather, to have notarized, and then to have apostilled.  I don't really understand that part yet, but one thing at a time, right?  You can see why most days I feel like this:

  

But, seriously.  Even though things seem to be creeping along, we really feel good about where we are in the process.  We heard from our dossier specialist yesterday for the first time which gives me hope that things are about to start moving quickly!  Scott and I are both confident that 2015 is going to be our year - the year that we become a family of 3!  It's all so exciting and I have to remember to take it one day at a time...I say this to my clients all the time and, most of the time, I feel like I'm really saying it for myself, haha.  

We have been doing really well with our fundraising for the adoption and are almost 1/3 of the way to our estimated costs!  Take a look at our YouCaring site and you'll see that we are just shy of $10,000!  Wow!  We're blown away at how much people have helped out.  Thank you, thank you.  Most of the funds that we have raised and saved so far have already been applied to our adoption costs, but we're confident that we'll continue meeting our fee deadlines.  If you'd like to help, here are the most recent fundraisers that we have going on:

Online Jamberry Party - January 10th - January 16th

A fellow-adoptive mama offered to host a Jamberry fundraiser for me to help out with our adoption costs.  There are fun games and opportunities to win freebies for all those who participate!  You can access the party here or, if you'd rather skip the party, you can buy directly through this link and select "Jessica's Adoption Fundraiser" at checkout.

Just Love Coffee - Ongoing

We recently started a new fundraiser through Just Love Coffee.  Just Love Coffee is a Murfreesboro-based fair-trade and organic coffee-roasting company which provides a portion of their funds each year to adoptive families, non-profits, and the arts.  We'll receive a portion of every purchase you make through our shop.  So, if you love coffee (and who doesn't?), check it out!

And of course, our two standbys:

YouCaring Site - Ongoing

If you'd like to donate directly to our adoption fund, you can do so here.  You can also see all of the money that we have raised and saved so far at this site.

Etsy Shop, With Love Accessories - Ongoing

If you haven't seen my shop in a while, I have several new items including necklaces and Valentine's Day-wear!  I also have a sale going on for all of my NFL and Collegiate items.  Don't miss out - see it here.

Looking forward to the future and to the renewed hope that 2015 has brought for our family!  Stick around to share in the excitement that's to come.  :)

Home Study Approval

It's been a while since I posted anything. Part of it is because nothing was really going on with the adoption and part of it is because I was annoyed that nothing was going on with the adoption, haha. Ask anyone in the adoption process and they will tell you that the hardest thing about it is the wait and the unknown. There's no due date, no answers to the questions you receive (i.e., "What are you having?" -- "How long will the wait be?") and NO control. Well, I guess there's a little control in gathering paperwork, making appointments, etc...but, once all of that is done, the only thing to do is wait. And that's what we've been doing since my last post...waiting for home study approval. I'm sure our workers got annoyed by my incessant emails asking for updates, but in the end, the wait was worth it. We're now home study approved!! What a great Christmas present. :)

Now, we'll be starting the dossier process, filling out the I-800a, and getting USCIS fingerprints done. For more about this part of the adoption process, see my previous blogpost - What's Next.  Part of our dossier includes getting psychological evaluations done. which we'll be doing next week.  Wish us luck!

Fundraiser Update: Since the last blog post, we've done several fundraisers including our online Facebook auction, Mistletoe Market in Hendersonville, a sale at fellow adoptive mother Amy Eatherly's house, a Christmas ornament fundraiser, and Christmas on Main Street in Goodlettsville.  Below are some photos from these fundraisers:

 Shipping items to auction winners!

Total amount raised in our auction - Yeah!

Mistletoe Market set-up

At Amy Eatherly's adoption fundraiser.  Amy and her husband previously adopted from Ethiopia and are now starting the adoption process again!

Beautiful ornaments with calligraphy done by my amazing friend, Lindsay!

I love learning new crafts now!  The wreaths for our fundraiser were a lot of fun to create.

**EDIT: I forgot that we also had a yard sale at our friend's house so here are a few pictures from that as well!  :)

Home Study: Part 2

I'm behind, but we officially finished the last step in our home study!  Our second visit with our social worker was last Thursday.  We met her for lunch at Chuy's (random, I know) and went over parenting skills and what to expect in the next steps of the adoption.  Everything went well and now we're just waiting for official approval.  We were told that it will take 2-3 weeks for her to type up our home study.  At that point, she will send it to our placing agency for approval (should only take a week or so--hopefully).  Then, we'll be home study ready!!!

The next steps will be getting fingerprinted and completing our dossier.  But, for now, we're celebrating this small milestone and focusing solely on fundraising until we get word to move on to the next steps.  Thank you all for the support which has helped us get to this point!