A Baby Event and more prayers~

This weekend was really fun. Saturday morning mom and I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to their Baby Event. We were greeted with four months of CFA coupons for breakfast and milkshakes. When we went to the back of the store, it was like being in a convention. Vendors of all kinds, here to overwhelm you. We joined in the conversation a mom-to-be was having with an associate on car seats. Come to find out, she is the store manager at Buy Buy Baby and was so super nice. It was like having our own personal shopper during the event. She showed us all about car seats, strollers, the never ending bumper on the crib debate, and the dreaded bottles. She was so excited to hear about our adoption and told us to ask for her when we go back to CLT to her store. The raffles that they were giving away seemed awesome...although I wasn't going to be happy to win the breast pump :). My name was called for the first prize, so anticipation left early. I won a Joovy foocot, which is a modern brand. I won a child's cot with storage bag and it is a cool lime green color. It retails for $79. Ty wants to sell it, so we will see. Mom ended up getting her crib bedding on clearance for dirt cheap too. I went to BRU afterward to use a coupon...can't let those $5 ones go to waste. I was able to get 3-2 packs of pacis (1 pack is glow in the dark for night time), outfit with hat and socks, 2 teething toys on clearance with addl' off, and 3 travel size lotions for $20-SCORE.

Friday morning I got a text from my minister at church which was a little weird I must say. He said that he wanted to know if he could use part of our story to introduce his sermon Sunday for Baby Dedication day. We chatted on the phone, and went to church like normal. Several people stopped me in the hall to tell me congratulations from the first service, so I knew that it was meant to be. Sure enough, Bill began by telling that it is easy to become a parent, sort of. Then he said our names and had us wave in the audience. He said that after trying for several years and after doctor confirmation, we knew we couldn't have kids. He said that we still wanted to become parents, so adoption found us. Everyone in the congregation clapped for us. Yes, we turned vibrant shades of red. Then he told the story of how we told our family. After that, he went into more detail about becoming a parent. The goal of that wasn't to boast about us or make us feel like we are the "super couple." I mean, he called us. I think that it was a sign from God to tell the services so that more people can be praying for "little miracle." I believe that with all my heart. I sure do hope that we can be a part of Baby Dedication 2012...Ty said "it will be cool when we do it!" Yep, it sure will.

first trimester

I am pretty sure that I have finished my first trimester of being paper pregnant. This next trimester is going to be H-U-G-E! We are starting the Home Study portion of this journey.

I found out today that we have been approved to begin our paperwork for our Home Study. Here are the words from our intake coordinator: "Hi Molli and Ty, you sure are approved, congratulations! I am working on putting your paperwork together right now, so I can get it in the mail today! I'm really looking forward to working with you both." She is so sweet, quick, and prompt.

When I opened the link for the "packet" she wasn't kidding that it will keep us busy til our meeting on March 9th. It contains 16 pages for each of us, and the questions aren't fill in the blank...but open-ended! YIKES!

I think we will need hand massages for each other on a regular basis :)

God has blessed us with such a smooth journey so far. Thank you SO much for all your prayers as I enter this trimester, which will be a long one~

Thoughts...

Things have been somewhat quiet this week because we are waiting on our formal application to be approved from the State Director. Our intake coordinator said that this shouldn't really take long because most of the issues kick back on the prelim app. She said that we will get another "packet" to work on for our Home Study and that "should keep us busy" until our first meeting on March 9th.

I have been cleaning out and getting yard sale bins together to put in the garage. I am not sure what is going on, but I am more willing to get rid of things. I guess I know that I won't want to read all those books that I have already read on my bookshelf. I will have children's books to read to little miracle and I have my Kindle. Plus, if it can make more moola for us to pay for the "big transaction" then so be it.

If you have ideas for any fundraisers, please let me know. We usually do really well at our neighborhood yard sale that I coordinate, so I have that. We will also have a Poker Night that should do really well. We are also thinking of doing silicone wristbands too. I plan on applying for grants, but I can't until we have completed our Home Study. I would love to sell the cute, new and trendy stamped pendants, but I don't know anyone personally that does them~and I really don't want to start something new. The total due at placement isn't confirmed, but I know it's going to be a lot of zeros, like 6~~~yikes! It makes the excitement of placement kind of a downer.

Okay, I am getting ready to blog puke everywhere and let it all out. Personally, I am overjoyed and excited about this adventure we are starting. I would almost consider phase 1 complete. People that I talk with have lots to say and lots of opinions. "What if you get all this ready, and the birthmother changes her mind?" "Why are you shopping, and are so far out from placement?" "Why do you only want a caucasian baby?" "I could never give up my baby." Well, it is the ultimate sacrifice, just like when God gave up his son to die on the cross for all of us. The questions go on and on. Trust me, all of these things do go through my head. How I am dealing with everything is a simple thought...TRUST and PRAYER. I have to cling to the One who has made all things possible, both good and bad. It might or might not be all butterflies and rainbows, but I KNOW that God has a miraculous plan for Ty and I. Inhale and then exhale.

We need your prayers and appreciate all of the prayer warriors around the country!

Prelim letter

Friday evening, I got an email that said our prelim app had been approved and now we have access to the Bethany Portal. On it, we can fill out our formal app, view our financial activity, ask questions, and more. This was so exciting! We like the formal app because it is all online. Here is a pic of me holding the official letter that came in the mail yesterday. Ty said it was cheesy, but this will be a part of "little miracle's" story one day~

We have been working on it all weekend, and should finish everything up tomorrow. I am waiting on some clarification from our adoption specialist on one of the components.

Things around the house are getting into swing. I have cleaned out the closet in the nursery and under the bed. That furniture will go into the other bedroom and then we will be moving out the current furniture at our adoption yard sale in early Spring. The next goal is to clear out the other bedroom, which hopefully will happen this weekend. We made room in the garage for more yard sale storage bins too.

In some of my "spare" time, I have been doing some nursery research....I will save it for another post.

I do want to share some thing so super sweet though.....

Mehya, a special student who I had in Reading last year (adopted from Korea) asked me in the hall Friday if I had a baby. I told her no, and she said is it just you, and I replied yes. Well that was the end of the conversation. I sent her mom a message because she is a teacher at my school. This was her reply: "I think she asked about the baby because I told her you are going to adopt a baby, like mommy and daddy adopted her and Nate. And we speak about a baby growing in your heart, like they grew in ours! Wonder if that is what she was thinking about!" Yep, that is planted in my heart forever!!!!