10 People in 10 Days
My RR Family
Ok, we have a small update on the
chicken pox issue. What we learned today is:
1) Sterling has never had chicken pox
2) Sterling still does not have chicken
pox
3) The ENTIRE institution is closed
until Monday
That’s it, now you are caught up!
Brian and I have been playing a lot of Uno and we spent nearly 2 hours at
McDonald’s today doing nothing. The WiFi there will no longer work on our
devices…any of them. Luckily, on the walk back to the apartment we found a
little coffee shop/bakery that has WiFi and what look like really yummy
desserts. So, we will start substituting the bakery for Mickey D’s. Thank
goodness.
Only part of adopting through RR is
the adoption part. RR does so much more – from advocacy and grant funding to
providing resources and support. My FAVORITE part of adopting through RR is the
connections I have made. I have made some amazing FRIENDS on this journey and I
wouldn’t give that up for anything.
So, today for the 10 People in 10
Days blogs our focus is on:
My Reece’s
Rainbow Family
I think I mentioned before that when
you register with RR you gain access to the forums and the chat features. These
are, by far, the most valuable assets one can have. It is through these forums
and these chats that I have been blessed to make some really good friends!
These are people I talk to DAILY about EVERYTHING. They are all going through
what we are going through and I love having them there to support me!
Jessica
Whiteaker
It’s crazy to think that just 5 or so
months ago I didn’t even know Jess existed on the planet. Today, I would refer
to her as one of my closest friends. Weird, considering we haven’t even met.
But, for the past 4 or so months, we have chatted nearly every day (that’s been
hard over here!) about our situations.
Jessica contacted me when I started
the necklace fundraiser. She wanted me to make necklaces of the little man she
and her husband, Wes, are adopting. Known by Danny on RR, the Whiteakers are
adopting a little guy with Down Syndrome too. What really made her easy to talk
to is that our stories are very similar. Jess and Wes also had trouble
conceiving and Danny will be their first child.
It was great having someone who has
struggled with infertility to talk to. We could gripe and complain and know
that the other person knew where we were coming from. We’ve also shared ideas
on bedroom décor, toys, clothes, strollers etc. I love having someone to bounce
ideas off of.
Jessica and Wes live in Texas. They
are devout Christians and God loving people. I love that Jess and I can also
share our needs and prayer requests with each other. It is amazing that God
brings people into your lives when you really need them.
Although Jessica and Wes are adopting
from a different country than we are, the processes have been very similar. It’s
been nice to have been able to help Jess out since we have always been just a
few steps ahead. This week, Jessica and Wes are finishing up their dossier and
sending it off to Danny’s country! I’m sure they can use any prayers you have
to offer for their process. They will not be able to travel until after
Christmas – so they have a long time to wait before they get to meet their son!
Meeting Jessica and having her “by my
side” every step of the way has been an amazing GIFT. I can’t wait until they
are in country and I can follow their blog and their journey as they bring
Danny home!
To read the Whiteaker blog you can go
here: http://the-white-acres.blogspot.com/2011/10/shout-out-and-prayer-request.html
Anna Woods
I can’t believe the Woods family is
leaving so soon!!! On the 14th they will be flying out of the USA
and headed HERE! I am so excited!
Anna and I met on the forum (or in
chat…) Ironically, Anna and her husband, Jerad, are adopting a little boy that
I inquired about. We had already committed to Sterling when I inquired, I was
interested in whether he would be adoptable WITH Sterling but when the RR
people told me, “Only if you want to do two of everything ,” I knew it wasn’t
meant to be. I prayed for little Blake to find his family and just a few days
later his little chubby cheeks were on the My Family Found Me page! YAY!
Anna and Jerad live in Kansas and they have
two amazing precious little girls at home already, Autumn and Leah. Both are as
cute as can be.
Meeting Anna was a Godsend too. Since
she is adopting from the same country we are in, we were able to talk each
other through tons of paperwork. We have bounced ideas off of each other and
shared both successes and frustrations with each other as well.
We have always been one step ahead of
Anna, so I have done the very best I could to keep her apprised of her next
step. We used to be a lot closer in the process, but when the government here
shut down because they were waiting on an appeal, the Woods family was stalled
and we were not (because of the boys’ ages.)
Anna and Jerad are also devout
Christians and I love having the ability to talk to families that are like
minded. It’s great to always have friends who can help pick you up when you are
down and who can celebrate successes with you.
I cannot WAIT until the Woods get
here! We were SO hoping and praying that we would be able to meet them in the
capitol city but it isn’t looking like that will happen. L Regardless, I cannot wait to see
their first meeting with Blake (in pictures) and watch their journey with him. Just
thinking about it gets me all teary eyed! Please say a prayer for Anna and
Jerad’s travel to this country and also one for the girls they are leaving at
home while they travel. It isn’t easy to leave your family behind - even if you are adding another member to
it!
To read Anna’s blog on their adoption
journey you can visit the blog here:
Christie
Taylor
I think it’s fair to say that
Christie has had hurdle after hurdle thrown at her during her adoption. I can’t
go into detail (and even I could I wouldn’t because it isn’t my story to share)
but trust me when I say that she and her husband, Shawn, have shown amazing
strength, faith and courage on their adoption journey.
I’m not even sure when I met
Christie. She is always just there. She is one of the most vocal people on the forum
and in chat. She is willing to answer any questions that get posted, offer
advice to anyone who needs it and lift people up in prayer anytime someone hits
a wall. She is amazing.
She is also a crazy researcher! She
is the one who helps people find out information that they need during the
process. If she doesn’t know the answer off the top of her head (which she does
most of the time) she WILL find the answer. She is definitely someone to have
around when you need help.
Christie and Shawn’s journey began
long before ours; but, like I said they hit nearly every obstacle possible. We
THOUGHT that we would travel with them to this country – but God had other
plans. Brian and I came alone. Christie and Shawn traveled with the Rogers
Family. Despite arriving here nearly 10 days after we did, they are lucky to be
adopting from a region WITHOUT the 10 day wait.
So, I am more than PLEASED to
announced that Christie and Shawn gained custody of Jadon Andrew yesterday.
(Pictures of their Gotcha Day can be found on the blog – link below.) This is
GREAT for them because they left three little men at home while they came here
to adopt a 4th. Jadon will be joining big brothers Jared, Jackson,
and Joseph when he gets home.
I know Christie is going to have her
hands full but I hope we can manage to stay in contact!
To read the Taylor’s blog and to see
really adorable pictures of Jadon visit:
These are only three of the many
families I communicate with on a DAILY BASIS! For some more insight come back
tomorrow…we will be focusing on a few more families. Tomorrow’s theme is “We are all in the same
boat!” I will be BRIEFLY talking about the families that we are in country with
and how it takes a community mindset for us all to stay sane!
Awww, you ROCK! I've loved our late night conversations (until school started). Hang in there! I'm praying he had a mild cqse that went undetected before! Love ya, gal!
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