First entry

I have decided to begin our adoption blog on the first day of 2010. I woke up this morning feeling exuberant that we would find our boys this year, if not bring them home by the end of the year. I am writing this blog with the intention of keeping our friends and family members updated on the current status of our adoption journey. I would like to begin by getting everyone up to speed. In October I began to think about adoption. I have a friend who adopted her daughter from Khazakstan a year ago, which made me realize it can happen. I spoke with Chad about the process of adoption. He agreed it was something worth checking out, as we had not had much luck getting pregnant thus far. On Columbus Day I met with a very helpful social worker in Galesburg. She gave me a lot of information to review. It seemed we needed to make the first of many decisions. Do we want to adopt? I have to admit, I felt myself pulled toward adoption, but after talking everything through with Chad we decided to seek medical treatment for infertility. In November and December we both had what seemed several pints of blood taken for fertility testing. I had a couple of medical procedures as well. We found out that although we could possibly conceive via the process of IVF, I would have to receive daily injections of several medications and monthly infusions of medication as well. In December the medical bills began to arrive. Although the insurance company had told us all fertility testing was covered, the bills told another story. One blood draw we had was $3,000! We were upset to say the least. The same day we got the 3K bill, I received an email about a child with cleft palate who needed a family. I called Chad in tears and told him how I felt we were being compelled to adopt. He agreed it was our path to take and so I became obsessed with researching adoption options. I sent requests to multiple adoption agencies for both domestic and international adoption. I spoke with adoption consultants from several agencies. I presented the information to Chad, and we decided international adoption was the path for us. We have determined the agency we will use to pursue our adoption. To be honest, we are still undetermined on the country we will adopt from. The reason for this is that we have shared with our adoption consultant our desire to adopt a boy or possibly brothers. We have also decided we would be willing to adopt a child with special needs. When I state "special needs" that is a very broad term, especially in the adoption arena. Many children are labeled special needs because they have a minor correctible condition. We are awaiting more information on two boys (brothers) from Russia. We found out about them about two weeks ago, but due to the holidays the agency has had difficulty acquiring recent medical reports and updated information. I found out yesterday the adoption worker in Russia is actually having to travel to the orphanage, pull the files on the boys, make copies, and then fax to the agency here in the US. The orphanage is in a somewhat remote region of Russia so it may be quite a journey for the worker. In the meantime, I am working on our adoption budget and the fundraisers we will need to complete to pay for everything. We sent out letters to our close family and friends detailing our first two fundraising ideas which include collecting aluminum cans for recycling and holding a garage sale in July. This past week I spoke with the manager at Northgate Lanes. He agreed to allow us the usage of half of the lanes and will give us a portion of the cost that each person attending our fundraiser will pay for bowling and shoes. We have been fortunate to be so blessed! Sam and Callie are aware of our efforts and each helps in her own way (Sam is helping distribute letters and collecting cans while Callie prays for the "little ones" in the orphanages at bedtime). Please stay tuned for further posts as updates happen. I want to end with a "Thank you" to everyone who has voiced their willingness to collect cans; we really appreciate it! Happy New Year!