Life + Adoption: Special Updates

Happy New Year! Ha, I know it is already February, but since I have not yet posted an update for 2021, it seemed like the right way to start this off.

So, what’s been going on with us? Here’s a mix of adoption and family highlights for the last few months:

Well, I know we said that we finished the last big task for our home study back at the end of August and that we would begin working on the dossier. That was the case, but due to some really thorough (and important) fine-tuning we actually had to hit pause on some of the dossier work and didn’t get our “official” home study approval until the week of Christmas.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our family and friends, and our sweet Thea also turned four years old just two days after Christmas. She got her birthday wish and we spent several days with Nana and Poppy playing in the snow and riding horses. A wonderful way to close 2020.

When we came home and got back into a normal rhythm (I can never spell that word correctly the first time…. I think I'll just start saying ritmo??) to begin 2021, we began to pick back up on the dossier task list and figure out what the next steps for the adoption needed to be. Our I-800A (Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country.) was officially sent from Lifeline’s Birmingham office to be officially processed in the first weeks of January as well.

We also were able to see incredible support from many people through Lina’s Run Without Boundaries 5k fundraiser. The funds raised are immensely helpful in a very practical sense and helped to tip us over the 50% funded mark! Praise God for that blessing, but also the weekly group runs and feeling the love and support of everyone who participated was so encouraging to us as we continue to grind through paper after paper and task after task in this part of the process.

Speaking of papers and tasks… I’ve made it my habit to spend most Friday afternoon’s organizing, filling out papers, and checking our task list. It somewhat makes me feel like I’m back on the lean six sigma team with all the post-it notes, check lists, and flow charts, but I feel so much less overwhelmed having a game plan!

And that brings us to February… My birthday was yesterday, the big 30, and Ben really went above and beyond to plan surprise after surprise and treat me like a queen. I enjoyed every minute of the last two days - date night, a massage and morning out with a friend, a surprise party, and date night encore too. Haha, my belly was full and my heart even more so. I didn’t realize quite how much I needed each aspect of the last two days, but I’m incredibly grateful to have so many people who care for me. Also, having sushi, pan de yuca, and maracuyá cheesecake all in one weekend was quite the treat!

Can we pause really quickly to

PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Our sweet Kira also decided she wanted to follow Jesus and trust in him as her savior at the end of January. She was baptized this morning, and it was incredibly special for all of us. She has been SO excited to show everyone that she trusted in Jesus and wants to follow him with her life, and the snow threatened to postpone this morning, but we were able to make it out for a later service and stand by her as she took this step. We are praising God for his goodness and his love, and are so excited for our baby girl! Mercy Hill Kids even gifted her a new big girl bible and let me tell you, it hasn't left her side allllll day!

As for the adoption, due to the delay on the official home study report, our FBI background checks and medicals will have to be updated. This month we’re working on getting to the sheriff’s department for fingerprints again and working with our doctor’s offices to update the medical forms. Most all of the other forms are already filled out, and our recommendation letters are being written. Later in the month we will drive to Raleigh to get our biometric fingerprinting done for USCIS so that our I800-A can continue to process and hopefully be approved soon. Once we have all of the updated forms and documents confirmed, we’ll get things notarized AND apostilled before getting it all to Lifeline and then Colombia from there. It seems both really close and also like there is a lot to be done for this to happen, but we’re READY to keep it moving and be that much closer to meeting our sweet child.

The dossier is our last big step before actually waiting to be matched with a child, so please continue to pray for this process to move smoothly and all documents to travel safely when they are mailed from place to place. Pray for our family as we continue to walk through completing these tasks in addition to normal life ritmos (I told you, I’d do it…lol). Also pray for our child in Colombia who the Lord already knows will be part of our family, for those who are working to care and advocate for the child, and each and every person who is in any way form or fashion a part of this adoption process.

We love you all and can’t thank you enough for your continued support!

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Also, here is the video of Kira's baptism, I couldn't miss sharing this special moment!