We have set the date for our huge adoption fundraiser yard sale! It will be held on September 10th! If any reader who happens to live around the Washington Federal Way area, and would like to attend the fundraiser to check out all of our items, feel free to email me, and I will send you directions!
-Lots of donations in! Lots of home, office, electronics, baby, sporting and furniture items!
-Bake sale at our event! Lots of volunteers have stepped up to commit to baking some fresh desserts- thank you!
-Considering having someone man the grill for selling hotdogs as well. This will be confirmed next week.
A little less than 2 weeks left, but there is so much to do! If you have any ideas for us, please comment with them. We need all the help we can get in raising the money to bring Evan home. We will however have a poster board display with Evan and the Brown Family's story with a collection jar. Maybe our guests and visitors would still like to support Evan- even if they don't purchase any of our items!
Also, I have an update on our homestudy: We got our report in last Thursday- and we have gone through 1 round of corrections. It looks great- and I have sent it off to the adoption agency for them to check for changes needed as well. I should hear back today from them and we should be proceeding by tomorrow on the finalization of the homestudy. It looks like we need a final interview with the agent vis-à-vis.
The Brown family blog- about life, faith, and the blessing of children with Down syndrome!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Arizona!
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| David at his worst- before his healing! |
I also wanted to update everyone with the status of our adoption. Last Monday, the 8th we called our homestudy agent who said that just that morning they submitted our homestudy report to the copy editor. So I can imagine that any day now we should have the report in our hands to approve, and on to compiling our dossier! This is by no means a fast process, I am learning patience, as all of your are who are following us on our journey.
I got some pictures in today from 3 weeks ago from visiting family in Arizona. My family is friends with a wonderful lady from their church, named Beth, who also has Down syndrome. It was such a pleasure to meet her and her mother and to talk with them both! Apparently Beth has been praying for David since his birth, so I am honored to meet one of his prayer warriors. (When David was born he stayed at the NICU for 3 weeks due to feeding issues, he had further medical complications, then overnight everything was NORMAL and we were being discharged within 2 days! So God did a miracle in our lives thanks to all of the prayers from our friends and family!)
That's it for now, enjoy the pictures!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Picture THIS- an answered prayer!
Today I received a special blessing... Another picture of Evan! A big thank you to you-know-who! I asked God for a picture months back, and it finally arrived!He looks so much like David. In this picture, his hair is the same, they have the same eyes, nose... my boy!
I believe this picture was taken late August/early September of 2010, so Evan is still 11 months older now. I bet he is so big and doing so much now!
The homestudy agency says they will be finishing up the report next week. I am praying that everything will still work out to adopt Evan THIS YEAR! But no matter what, God is in control of everything, so I don't have to worry one bit about the timing! Thank you Lord!
David is doing so great! We just came back form vacationing and visiting family in Las Vegas. Above is my favorite picture of him taken while we were hanging in the backyard pool. (I know he's not smiling, but I just love the composition and his little foot!) He is amazing and since my last update post, he is crawling up a storm and pulling to stand, and cruising, and has so much get up and go! Yay David! Mama's so proud!
Thank you everyone for your support and prayers for our family. So if God answers even the little prayer of a request for a picture, how much more will He answer my BIG prayer of a successful adoption and for the safety/blessings/angels of protection over my little Evan now? :-) Just something to think about!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Homestudy ALMOST complete!
I just have word in that ALL paperwork is finally in at the homestudy agency and they should have a draft written up for us within 2 weeks! So sometime the week of the 18th, I am guessing!
I am very excited to have some type of date to put down, as it is now showing the progression of our adoption. I have looked at other adoption blogs of families going to the same region and I have noticed that usually once the official homestudy is submitted to the agency, the court date is usually about 2 months after this submission date. So under a normal time frame, this gives a little over a month to submit the dossier and hear back from the government on the date, and just weeks to schedule the flight, pack, and go!
Based on other people's blogs, it appears that the Ukrainian government is taking a 2 month break starting around July 12th from adoptions. So of course this affects us, as it will push out our court date inevitably. So a 2 month turn-around could end up being 4, or even more! I also have heard news that they are only allowing adoptions from our region if the child is considered high risk. I am praying that we will find favor in the eyes of the government to be able to adopt Evan, and they don't deem him for any reason to be "unadoptable".
We have recently received additional confirmation from God about this adoption and we have such peace over it all! I only bring up the above details, not because I'm worrying, but only as specific prayer points for you, our readers, to be praying for!
My heart just breaks for Evan, and as much joy as I receive from David- it is still very hard because I know my family is not complete! We have a son that is waiting for us, that needs us, and I just want him home safe and sound. More updates to come whenever we have word....
I am very excited to have some type of date to put down, as it is now showing the progression of our adoption. I have looked at other adoption blogs of families going to the same region and I have noticed that usually once the official homestudy is submitted to the agency, the court date is usually about 2 months after this submission date. So under a normal time frame, this gives a little over a month to submit the dossier and hear back from the government on the date, and just weeks to schedule the flight, pack, and go!
Based on other people's blogs, it appears that the Ukrainian government is taking a 2 month break starting around July 12th from adoptions. So of course this affects us, as it will push out our court date inevitably. So a 2 month turn-around could end up being 4, or even more! I also have heard news that they are only allowing adoptions from our region if the child is considered high risk. I am praying that we will find favor in the eyes of the government to be able to adopt Evan, and they don't deem him for any reason to be "unadoptable".
We have recently received additional confirmation from God about this adoption and we have such peace over it all! I only bring up the above details, not because I'm worrying, but only as specific prayer points for you, our readers, to be praying for!My heart just breaks for Evan, and as much joy as I receive from David- it is still very hard because I know my family is not complete! We have a son that is waiting for us, that needs us, and I just want him home safe and sound. More updates to come whenever we have word....
Friday, July 1, 2011
David's Feeding Session
I'm going to try to make a promise to myself and to David to work on a proper feeding session daily. Here is a decent session (sorry for the double screen- it looks like blogger.com's embedded video player doesn't support 3-D videos):
Though it's not as a perfect feeding session as they do in playgroup, it's better than me just feeding him and not giving him an opportunity to try his "hand" at utensils!
Here is some steps to a "perfect" feeding session for a 1-2 year old:
1) First get a little chair and table setup
2) Attach a suction cup bowl that will not pull off
3) Sit your little one in the chair, pull up their sleeves, and wash their hands with a spray bottle filled with mostly water and a little bit of baby shampoo as a cleanser.
4) Have the child do the "fishy song"- put their hands on their cheeks and rub them up and down and in circles to "wake up" their mouth muscles.
5) Show the child 2 types of food to start out with. Encourage them to point, or reach to choose something to start with.
6) Put a little bit of that food in their bowl with a proper utensil to eat it. Only a little bit at a time!
7) Let them try to eat it, help them if they are getting frustrated or distracted.
8) When the food is gone, ask them if they want more, and encourage them to sign the word "more".
9) If offering 1 new food type have them sign the word "please", if offering 2 then pointing will do!
10) When they are finished eating have them put their utensils and dishes away in a dish tub.
11) Wash their hands again (and face) and you are finished with your perfect eating session!
So you can see why it's hard to always do all the steps! But in a short time period David has been doing much better at feeding. It's about giving him the opportunity to try and not always doing it for him. This will give him more independence, and more self esteem! I know this will be a life lesson I will take with me for raising David and Evan.
Yesterday I have been informed by my husband's friend that he turned in his reference form to the homestudy agency. So that was the last form needed to finish up everything! I hope we can get the homestudy finalized soon!
Though it's not as a perfect feeding session as they do in playgroup, it's better than me just feeding him and not giving him an opportunity to try his "hand" at utensils!
Here is some steps to a "perfect" feeding session for a 1-2 year old:
1) First get a little chair and table setup
2) Attach a suction cup bowl that will not pull off
3) Sit your little one in the chair, pull up their sleeves, and wash their hands with a spray bottle filled with mostly water and a little bit of baby shampoo as a cleanser.
4) Have the child do the "fishy song"- put their hands on their cheeks and rub them up and down and in circles to "wake up" their mouth muscles.
5) Show the child 2 types of food to start out with. Encourage them to point, or reach to choose something to start with.
6) Put a little bit of that food in their bowl with a proper utensil to eat it. Only a little bit at a time!
7) Let them try to eat it, help them if they are getting frustrated or distracted.
8) When the food is gone, ask them if they want more, and encourage them to sign the word "more".
9) If offering 1 new food type have them sign the word "please", if offering 2 then pointing will do!
10) When they are finished eating have them put their utensils and dishes away in a dish tub.
11) Wash their hands again (and face) and you are finished with your perfect eating session!
So you can see why it's hard to always do all the steps! But in a short time period David has been doing much better at feeding. It's about giving him the opportunity to try and not always doing it for him. This will give him more independence, and more self esteem! I know this will be a life lesson I will take with me for raising David and Evan.
Yesterday I have been informed by my husband's friend that he turned in his reference form to the homestudy agency. So that was the last form needed to finish up everything! I hope we can get the homestudy finalized soon!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
David's Photo shoot
Here are some more of our Father's Day pictures for you all to enjoy:
Homestudy Report: Waiting for the agency to write up the report and contact us to schedule our final interview!
Homestudy Report: Waiting for the agency to write up the report and contact us to schedule our final interview!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
So busy!
Tomorrow we are going to the bank to get our financial forms notarized, so I can send off to the homestudy agency. I am waiting for 2 more forms to come in from friends/family and I will have everything done for the homestudy. We will just need to have our final interview soon. I am told that they will being their report even if we're missing the final 2 forms, so I am very happy that they are working with us on that!
My husband's friend is in town- he drove over his vehicle from New York, and we will be purchasing it from him for a great price. The main reason we need to buy his vehicle, is because it is a 4-door. I have a 2-door which is very difficult for me to manage with a car seat and little David. I can't imagine having this car with 2 boys and 2 carseats/booster seats. I don't think a 2nd seat would fit at all. So this car is an answered prayer! We should be able to sell the 2-door for just about the same price as the 4-door that's a year newer and has a lot less miles on it!
But bad timing... last Friday someone hit my car while I was stopped at a light. Only a little bit of damage done to the bumper, but I need to send into the repair shop. I need to sell me car by next Friday, when our friend leaves town, and I haven't even heard back from the insurance claim people. I called yesterday, and a claim on the other girl's insurance was filed or just about to be, so I have to wait for a call back. Though this is just a little hiccup, the extra stress sure takes time away from other priorities! Extra dents is a bad idea when I need to get the most possible for the vehicle.
I received some wonderful donations last Saturday for Evan. So I have them all up on craigslist as of tonight. I am praying for some buyers, and I hope to bring in about $500 from the donations, that will help us so much!
Even though things have been a little hectic recently, I am so thankful to be blessed with my wonderful son, David. He is such a joy! He has the sweetest spirit about him, that is kind, gentle, and VERY loving. He melts my heart, and I just can't begin to imagine how wonderful it will be to have Evan home soon! Everyday when we talk about Evan- David just gets the biggest smile on his face... Soon there will be TWO big smiles in front of me!
My husband's friend is in town- he drove over his vehicle from New York, and we will be purchasing it from him for a great price. The main reason we need to buy his vehicle, is because it is a 4-door. I have a 2-door which is very difficult for me to manage with a car seat and little David. I can't imagine having this car with 2 boys and 2 carseats/booster seats. I don't think a 2nd seat would fit at all. So this car is an answered prayer! We should be able to sell the 2-door for just about the same price as the 4-door that's a year newer and has a lot less miles on it!
But bad timing... last Friday someone hit my car while I was stopped at a light. Only a little bit of damage done to the bumper, but I need to send into the repair shop. I need to sell me car by next Friday, when our friend leaves town, and I haven't even heard back from the insurance claim people. I called yesterday, and a claim on the other girl's insurance was filed or just about to be, so I have to wait for a call back. Though this is just a little hiccup, the extra stress sure takes time away from other priorities! Extra dents is a bad idea when I need to get the most possible for the vehicle.
I received some wonderful donations last Saturday for Evan. So I have them all up on craigslist as of tonight. I am praying for some buyers, and I hope to bring in about $500 from the donations, that will help us so much!
Even though things have been a little hectic recently, I am so thankful to be blessed with my wonderful son, David. He is such a joy! He has the sweetest spirit about him, that is kind, gentle, and VERY loving. He melts my heart, and I just can't begin to imagine how wonderful it will be to have Evan home soon! Everyday when we talk about Evan- David just gets the biggest smile on his face... Soon there will be TWO big smiles in front of me!
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