Amedments, petitions & APostilles - Oh My!

Well, on Wed. before Thanksgiving, our amendment to our HS was finished & notarized by our HS agency. They put it in the mail & we got it Fri. Our amendment was to change the age criteria from 9-11 to 9-14. You see, in Latvia they apparently add "time" to the child`s birthdate for their age. Even though we could possibly have our adoption done before Liga turns 12, they want to "be sure". We were going to have to resubmit all our immigration paperwork USCIS but the USA submits the age of referral (which was 11). Whew! That saved us about $600 & several months!

Tomorrow, I`m heading to COlumbia, MO for Micah`s 2 wk post op appt. On our way home we will get the documents Apostilled & mailed to our agency in Georgia. I`ll also scan a copy for the same agency & email it so she can forward it to the Latvian Lawyer, who in turn will submit it to the Latvian Ministry & hopefully have a court date scheduled for Jan, by Dec 10th!

That`s the latest update! Pray for early Jan dates! COntinue to pray for Liga; we haven`t been notified that she is aware of what is happening. It will be such a huge adjustment. But I feel that she will thrive with the one-on-one attention and love from a Mommy & Daddy.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy your time as a family as you all prepare for the events that will take place between now & CHristmas, as well as Christmas & celebrating the Lord`s birth!

It's a girl!

Sorry it's taken so long to post our wonderful news but it got kinda hectic around our house over the last 2 weeks. SO...

On Thursday, November 4th we got a call from our agency making sure we were still ago for the adoption of an 11 year old girl from Latvia. We confirmed this and then she said it could be as early as January and as late as May to get a referral. A referral is basically the Latvian Ministry matching our name and her name. We get a semi-detailed report for her medical history, family history, as well as, social, academic progress and various other things, including a foster parent's report.

So Joe and I prepared to wait, yet again! BUT... On Monday, November 8th, we got an email for a referral for Liga Lukasonova, 11 year old girl from Latvia. We were shocked to say the least, in fact, I struggled to say much more than "OH my Gosh!!!" We took the referral reports and took them to our pediatrician to make sure on all her "health issues" and after speaking with them and feeling confident that we must continue, we emailed back our "YES"!!!!!!!!!

Within 3 hours we were told that if it was possible that we would travel before Thanksgiving. Talk about another shock! But, the lawyer in Latvia said that it would be best to wait until early January because we might get stuck in Latvia over Christmas. Thankful for Daina (the lawyer) giving us a heads up, we were quite satisfied with going after Christmas.

Liga was a twin and was also born prematurely; with that comes possible complications considering she was born at home. We have made a decision that we will love her with all of our being for who she is, not who she will become! She struggles with school, short term memory issues and has terrible eyesight but she will be our little girl nonetheless. She has lived in an orphanage since birth, until recently she moved into a foster home.

We have to have an Addendum for our Home Study that changes the approval age from 9-11 to 9-13. Our HS agency is getting that worked up and hopefully by Dec 3rd the new petition and approval letter will be notarized, apostilled and mailed off to our agency in GA. Please pray for a speedy turnaround! I'd love for it to be done sooner and in the Ministries hands before Dec 10th, when the Orphan Court closes! God is God of the impossible ~ always has been and always will be!!!!!!!!

Pray for Liga, she doesn't even know about us right now. She will receive a "get to know you" package shortly after finding out but it will still be a shock!

As soon as we know anything more.... We will let you know!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

As we wait...

One thing about WAITING is that life still must go on.

So, we are trying our best to get all of our schoolwork done but our schedule has filled up to the brim with "stuff"!!! We have PE class with the local homeschooler group at the YMCA, every Tuesday. Every other Thursday we have Fine Arts Day with the homeschoolers. Play practice for Church every Wed 6-7pm & Sun 3-5. Jr/Sr High Play Practice every Thursday 4-6pm. I have MOPS every other Tuesday. Church Saturday night and Sunday morning. AND... I work 10-15 hours/week at DQ making cakes and decorating them. No complaints, we volunteered for EVERYTHING but we are busy. Some days Joe and I have to write out every activity to guarantee that we get to every place.

We are getting things around the house ready for Micah's surgery Tuesday, November 16. Her and I will travel to Columbia, MO and spend the night there because it's a 2 hour drive and when you have to be at the hospital around 6am... Well, you get my point. She will stay in the Children's Hospital overnight because she will have 3 major incisions and the possibility of them lengthening her Left calf muscle. She will be in a hard cast for 6 weeks, in a robo-boot for 6 weeks and possible physical therapy afterwards. So we are looking at Feb 8th, 2011 as her FREEDOM from confinement.

***Adoption Update: Nothing much other than we did hear from agency and lawyer that we can move forward on this other little girl. But that doesn't mean she will be ours until her name is on her Birth Certificate! I'm not being cynical just realistic. We will not get to meet this child until we travel and spend 2-3 weeks with her during the "bonding time". We have chosen to take this step of faith because we believe that God put us on the road of adoption. We have to accept the decision of Meggie and the Orphan Court. We also know that some may think that this is moving WAY TOO FAST but first of all adoptions don't move fast "normally" but God is the God of the impossible. He can take a wounded heart and heal it, renew it, restore it and prepare it for the next journey. That's where we are. The kids are starting to talk about this new little girl and the things they will do with her. They ask questions and have opinions but they are on board with this. They are ready to move forward too! Please pray for Meggie. She just doesn't understand.

I have a friend that is adopting Meggie's foster sister and they are in Latvia right now. They will not see their little girl until Tuesday but on that day they will see Meggie too. I have asked them to hug her and tell her how much we love her. I wish I was there to tell her myself but it's just not that way. God knows the future for Meggie and He has her in the palm of His hand!

*** hopefully soon I'll be able to share a new fundraiser idea!

Thanks!

Let this begin with a huge Thank You for your prayers & letters of encouragement.

But I also have to give all the glory to Jesus Christ who is the ultimate comforter and healer of broken hearts. He has made it possible to talk about what is going on and not break down. He has began the process of healing for myself, Joe and the kids. It is obvious that people are praying because I can see a dramatic change in Micah. She still doesn't care to be around when someone asks me what is going on in the adoption but she is opening up more and isn't crying as much!

On Saturday afternoon, Micah and I cleaned her room, but more specifically we cleaned Meggie's side of their closet. We organized and through trash away. But this opened the door for Micah to start asking questions and "deal" with all the junk/rejection. God is good!

So here we are waiting again... But this time we are waiting for news on another young girl. We have lots of questions we are still waiting for our agency to answer but she has to wait for the Latvian Lawyer to get back to her. Until we know more or are able to say more... please pray for this young girl. She is 11 and she has long, blond hair and wears glasses. She's actually built a lot like Micah and her bio is like reading Micah's bio! WEIRD!

So as we receive more info. we will fill you in.

Thanks again for all the prayers and encouragement. God is moving & we're gonna step back and watch His handiwork!

Things are changing ....

I have tried to write at least 10 posts since Sept 11 and each won`t post and it was getting so frustrating. So I`m praying that this one will post and I am able to relay a few of the changes that are taking place in our adoption!

We were told during the 1st week in Sept that Meggie`s dad was appealing his loss of parental rights. Over the next 2-3 weeks she was fine but the calls and emails were shorter & more strained. Then on one of our weekly phone calls she wouldn`t talk at all but we tried to ask questions and she continued to be silent. Until she started talking in Latvian with her Foster Mom and then got back on the line & said she didn`t want us to adopt her. She said she wanted America but not us. We have written her in Latvian, had our Latvian Lawyer call her foster family, we`ve tried to call back but she is standing her ground & is maintaing that she doesn`t want us to adopt her. The Orphan Court is now involved and we are waiting for their report.

Although we are waiting for the report, we having been praying for God`s leading. We have spoken with our agency & have started looking at other options.

We have always felt that she was our little girl. She has chosen that she doesn`t want that to be. We don`t to force her to be our daughter and by all intense & purposes, we can`t, she has the final say. We will continue to love her whether she lives in America with us or another family or if she is in Latvia. The time she spent with us this summer will not be in vain. Seeds were sown and she was shown an example of a functional, loving family. She was coming to understand what sin was & how it effects not only us but those around us.

Anyway, the decision to look forward has been tough but done with lots of prayer (and of course, tears)! This is not easy & we ask for your prayers! Our children are all dealing with the rejection in different ways but Micah is having the hardest time "dealing"! They don`t understand why and neither do we!

Please also pray for Meggie... she is making an immature, life changing decision. She doesn`t understand how this is going to change things for her.

I will do my best to keep you posted as things change or if she changes her mind.

Until next time!

My Girls...

Our life without Meggie just seems so dull in comparison. She is "the energy" that unsettles life, "the giggle" that makes you laugh when least expected, "the snoop" that gets into everything because she has never seen it or experienced it before and she is "the missing child" I never knew was missing until now!

I got to talk on the phone with Meggie yesterday for about 20 mins. She says she is doing good and school is going fine. She was playing with Inessa (foster sis) and her 2 bio sisters, Victorija and Kitija. She had a hard time hearing because she was in the same room as everyone else and they were kinda loud. So, I heard "what" alot! She put Inessa on the phone for a little bit and it was sweet to hear her voice. She also put her sisters on the phone, who by the way, speak NO English, at all! Interesting situation! We giggled a lot because of not being able to relay what I was trying to say, many times. She asked if I would call her again today because she wanted to talk to Micah on her birthday. So we called again today. She spoke with Micah for all of 45 seconds and they were both kinda frustrated because of the language barrier. You have to call with the thought that you will "what" alot and not be able to convey all that you really wanted to say. She's not a big talker, either. So it's fairly one-sided. If you met her in person, she is miss-gabs-alot but not on the phone. While here, the only way reason she wasn't talking was if she was mad, in trouble, eating or sleeping! Get the picture?

Well, in other news...
Micah turned 13 today! Last night Joe took her out on a daddy/daughter date to a restaurant in a cave. She loves steak but we never allow her to order it because we have plenty of steak at home, but she was able to order a steak and enjoy. This was meant to be a special night out, one where she will remember it and expect equal or greater treatment from the man she will one day be married to. Joe presented her with a purity/covenant ring. The ring is a family ring that we had sized, cleaned and the stone switched with her birthstone, which is sapphire (and her favorite stone because it's blue). It's a beautiful 14K gold ring with a oval sapphire center. On each side is a heart with 3 diamonds (chips, really). It looks so beautiful on her long slender fingers. She also signed a contract/agreement to wait till she is married to be sexually active. The committment is not only to God and us, but to her future husband and children. I'm so proud of the young lady she has become. She's not perfect by any means but she is such a responsible, sweet, reliable, loyal, tenderhearted and humble young lady! I once told someone that if your daughter could be your best friend, Micah would certainly be mine. She is so excited to have a younger sister and has come to realize that my love won't be divided, rather multiplied and given to both, as well as the boys!
Anyway, she woke up late and because we really have celebrated all week her birthday, she said "I know I won't be getting any presents on my actual birthday but can I have breakfast in bed?" ABSOLUTELY! So this morning I served her 2 Large chocolate chip pancakes w/ syrup and 4 slices of bacon with a large cup of Strawberry/Chocolate Milk! She smiled from ear to ear!

Well, I think I've written way too much! Just thought I'd write what else is going on because we are still waiting...We are almost 1/2 way through September ~ good news to me!

Until next time...

I don`t even know what to title this....

I spoke with Cathy again and she explained everything. Meggie`s father is appealing the loss of rights but as I said before it shouldn`t affect our adoption. The court system is skipping the lower level courts & going to highest level to get things taken care of. "Father" is unemployed, living with bio. mother who is pregnant again (all 3 of their children have been taken away because she is a severe alcoholic, and the 2 younger ones have FEtal alcohol syndrome. As well as several pregnancies have not gone to term with awful outcomes). AND he has only contacted Meggie one time in two & half years. The date is set & cannot be changed to an earlier date. I don`t want to push~they may decide to move it further out. Cathy told us to prepare for Jan/Feb for travel dates. My heart is so sad but know that this is part of the journey God has laid out for us. The wonderful roller coaster of emotions continues. Meggie knows about her father and is really upset. She cannot understand why he would do this. (Neither can we, for that matter)

So, I listen to the song that keeps me going! I read God`s word & find truths in there that comfort me, change me and cause me to move! I am enjoying family, the little things that we do together. I`m meeting new adopting moms that are in the same boat as our family, I watch as friends bond with their little girl for several weeks and other friends bring their daughter home for good tomorrow! God is good ~ ALL THE TIME! His ways are not mine and I have to get on my knees & praise the Father that loves Meggie more than I could ever imagine~that has her written in the palm of His hand! He knows all of our heartache and He`s lifting us up!

Until next time....