I am physically and emotionally exhausted! But we know that we have finally done all that we can do. We can now take a step back and watch God move. Today's email from our social worker's office made my heart drop. Part of the homestudy process is being fingerprinted. Well, Kevin's prints came back with no problems. However, they can't read my prints and now they are going to have to do a name check. This process for whatever reason takes twenty, yes 2-0 business days for me to be cleared.
It was not a pretty day in the Wolfe household, I shed more tears over fingerprints and ran scenario after scenario through my head to make this happen in less than twenty days. My sister-in-law, Kate and I were even planning a crazy road trip to Topeka to the KBI's office. :) It won't help. Nothing will. So, now all we do is sit and wait for God's perfect timing. God is in control and He has a plan.
3.24.2010
3.23.2010
It's Finished!!!
It's a day for celebrating in the Wolfe household, we finished the notebook! I can't believe it. I can't even describe all the emotions I went through as we drove to Adoption & Beyond to hand in our notebook and now I am so excited about the next steps. We have our homestudy visit scheduled for Friday, April 1st. We are one step closer to Baby Wolfe.
3.11.2010
One more step done
Kevin and I traveled to the police station this afternoon to be fingerprinted for the KBI. It only took about 15 minutes, and I was impressed by the process. We joked that it's great when you can go to the back of a police station, get fingerprinted, and LEAVE! Neither of us have ever been fingerprinted-probably a good thing. ;) We'll have to be fingerprinted again in Topeka later for immigration purposes, getting permission to bring a foreign adopted orphan into the United States.
3.04.2010
6.4 earthquake rocks southern Taiwan today
My sweet sister called me this morning on her way to work that she heard on K-Love radio that an earthquake had rocked Taiwan this morning. Her immediate thought was, "Oh no, my niece or nephew lives there". This truly warmed my heart that her heart too is in Taiwan. 
My heart and prayers are in Taiwan, especially right now because I simply do not know. Today I'm claiming Psalms 46:1, "The Lord is our refuge and strength. A very present help in time of trouble.
We are relived that The HOGL was not impacted by the earthquake nor were there any reported deaths in Taiwan due to this earthquake. God is good!!!
AP news article here
Taiwan map of earthquake's intensity
My heart and prayers are in Taiwan, especially right now because I simply do not know. Today I'm claiming Psalms 46:1, "The Lord is our refuge and strength. A very present help in time of trouble.
We are relived that The HOGL was not impacted by the earthquake nor were there any reported deaths in Taiwan due to this earthquake. God is good!!!
AP news article here
Taiwan map of earthquake's intensity
2.28.2010
Paperchasing
I am moving along quickly completing our paperwork! We completed all 3 required online parenting classes, a one 10 hour Hague approved seminar, Kevin has his employment verification, we have our doctor's appointments scheduled, our birth and marriage certificates copied, and mounds and mounds of paperwork all filled out. Up next are the dreaded autobiographies that we have to write. It will be so awesome to get our paperwork completed. I think we may be able to do this in the next 3-4 weeks.
2.25.2010
Baby bargain shopping already?
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a die-hard bargain shopper. This morning I went to Target to pick up a few things. While there I decided to walk around the store and see if they just happened to have any clearance sales going on. To my amazement all of the Big Box (larger items you would typical see at Sam's/Costco) items were being clearanced, I don't mean just any clearance sale, I'm talking 75% off...WOW!!! So as any good bargain shopper would do, I ran to the front of the store and grabbed a shopping cart and started throwing in items. I can always put items back! :)
I decided to just "look" at the baby stuff after all, a bargain shopper has to know her rock bottom prices and why not do research before the baby comes. I see large cases of diapers and just out of curiosity decided to see what the sale price might be. I bump into another bargain shopper who informs me that if I'm interested I better grab fast and to scan the boxes because they are cheaper than the red tag shows. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? I know nothing about diapers or sizing. So, with all the helplessness I could muster, I ask this fellow bargain shopper how old her daughter is and what size is she wearing. I then proceed to explain that we are adopting an infant and I know nothing about diaper sizes nor how old are child will really be when we finalize the adoption. She being a kind mommy helps me out and reminds me that I can always return anything back to Target. So I ended up buying size 1-2's and 3's. I think that should take care of any size and diapering needs we may have early on.
Also, a good bargain shopper has very understanding husband. Luckily, Kevin works from home two days a week and doesn't mind running to Target during his lunch break to bring his dear crazy wife coupons to sweeten the deals. :) So when all was said and done I walked out of Target as the proud owner of two cases of diapers paying only $17.99. I must say, it felt rather odd to be buying diapers.
I decided to just "look" at the baby stuff after all, a bargain shopper has to know her rock bottom prices and why not do research before the baby comes. I see large cases of diapers and just out of curiosity decided to see what the sale price might be. I bump into another bargain shopper who informs me that if I'm interested I better grab fast and to scan the boxes because they are cheaper than the red tag shows. Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? I know nothing about diapers or sizing. So, with all the helplessness I could muster, I ask this fellow bargain shopper how old her daughter is and what size is she wearing. I then proceed to explain that we are adopting an infant and I know nothing about diaper sizes nor how old are child will really be when we finalize the adoption. She being a kind mommy helps me out and reminds me that I can always return anything back to Target. So I ended up buying size 1-2's and 3's. I think that should take care of any size and diapering needs we may have early on.
Also, a good bargain shopper has very understanding husband. Luckily, Kevin works from home two days a week and doesn't mind running to Target during his lunch break to bring his dear crazy wife coupons to sweeten the deals. :) So when all was said and done I walked out of Target as the proud owner of two cases of diapers paying only $17.99. I must say, it felt rather odd to be buying diapers.
2.01.2010
Our story this far...
Kevin and I met at Ozark Christian College in 1999 and fourteen months later we were married.
I remember the very first conversation Kevin and I ever had about adoption. We were dating at the time and were talking about our goals and aspirations. I’m shocked Kevin and I ever had another date after I revealed to him that I had always wanted six, yes six children. He then revealed to me that he had always had a desire to adopt. His reason was that there were millions of children in the world who needed a Mom and Dad and to be raised in a Christian home. Wow! I remember going back to my dorm room and I just couldn’t get that conversation out of my head.
Fast forward, we got married, and we had a master plan that we would have two or three biological children and then look into the possibility of completing our family through adoption. As we have become older, God has grown this desire in us. God had other plans and we are unable to have our own child. While at first this was hard to understand, we both know that it is for a reason. God’s plans are for us to adopt and He has been constantly preparing us for this. Infertility has been a long, hard, terrible road, but as we look back, we are so thankful that God allowed us to experience it. Our marriage is so strong as a result of the experiences we have been through the past nine years. We are so grateful for each other's love, understanding, support and compassion as we've struggled through this together. We would never have imagined the pain we would endure-negative pregnancy tests, loss of intimacy, surgery, countless blood draws, fertility meds, treatment plans that failed month after month, year after year.
Over the years Kevin and I had many conversations about where we wanted to adopt. We discussed various countries and organizations. Finally on July 21, 2009 after a long conversation with Eric and Kate (Kevin’s brother and sister-in-law) about the Home of God’s Love in Taiwan we both had a perfect peace that this was the right place and our child would come from Taiwan. On July 29th, 2009 we sent an introductory letter to the director of the HOGL and his wife introducing ourselves and asking to be placed on their waiting list.
We cannot wait to tell our son or daughter how much he or she was wanted and loved, LONG before they were ever born! We know that our long journey to become parents will make us better parents, and we will never take a moment for granted! December 15, 2000, was a wonderful day, but the days have just gotten better as we have grown together and learned to accept the fact that God's plans are so much greater than we could ever imagine! He has been and continues to be so good to us as He leads us down the path He has for us. We have had a wonderful nine years, different than what we had planned, but better than we had planned, too! We are now just waiting on God’s perfect timing for our child to be matched with his/her forever family.
I remember the very first conversation Kevin and I ever had about adoption. We were dating at the time and were talking about our goals and aspirations. I’m shocked Kevin and I ever had another date after I revealed to him that I had always wanted six, yes six children. He then revealed to me that he had always had a desire to adopt. His reason was that there were millions of children in the world who needed a Mom and Dad and to be raised in a Christian home. Wow! I remember going back to my dorm room and I just couldn’t get that conversation out of my head.
Fast forward, we got married, and we had a master plan that we would have two or three biological children and then look into the possibility of completing our family through adoption. As we have become older, God has grown this desire in us. God had other plans and we are unable to have our own child. While at first this was hard to understand, we both know that it is for a reason. God’s plans are for us to adopt and He has been constantly preparing us for this. Infertility has been a long, hard, terrible road, but as we look back, we are so thankful that God allowed us to experience it. Our marriage is so strong as a result of the experiences we have been through the past nine years. We are so grateful for each other's love, understanding, support and compassion as we've struggled through this together. We would never have imagined the pain we would endure-negative pregnancy tests, loss of intimacy, surgery, countless blood draws, fertility meds, treatment plans that failed month after month, year after year.
Over the years Kevin and I had many conversations about where we wanted to adopt. We discussed various countries and organizations. Finally on July 21, 2009 after a long conversation with Eric and Kate (Kevin’s brother and sister-in-law) about the Home of God’s Love in Taiwan we both had a perfect peace that this was the right place and our child would come from Taiwan. On July 29th, 2009 we sent an introductory letter to the director of the HOGL and his wife introducing ourselves and asking to be placed on their waiting list.
We cannot wait to tell our son or daughter how much he or she was wanted and loved, LONG before they were ever born! We know that our long journey to become parents will make us better parents, and we will never take a moment for granted! December 15, 2000, was a wonderful day, but the days have just gotten better as we have grown together and learned to accept the fact that God's plans are so much greater than we could ever imagine! He has been and continues to be so good to us as He leads us down the path He has for us. We have had a wonderful nine years, different than what we had planned, but better than we had planned, too! We are now just waiting on God’s perfect timing for our child to be matched with his/her forever family.
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