3-4-5 Prep Part 1

So, I am preparing for our pick up trip which involves three weeks, four suitcases and five people.  The first thing we did was purchase Sis a wardrobe.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money for the following reasons:

1) Big Sis has some definite opinions about fashion and may not like what I choose.  I'd rather buy less and let her select additional items on her own after she comes home.

2) Sis may have a growth spurt in the first months home, so I didn't want to have to replace a lot of expensive pieces of fall/winter clothing after only a short time of wearing.

3) Sis's special need affects the way that some things will fit her and it will be much easier to purchase those things with her in tow and make alterations as necessary.

With these thoughts in mind, I was able to put together everything she needs to start for less than $100.  Some things were gifts, others hand-me-downs from my niece, and the rest came from second hand stores.  Everything is very mix-and-matchable and can be worn in various layered combinations to suit the weather and the occasion.

The cardigan was new with tag
at a second hand store for $10.
Score!

The pajama set was less than $5.00 new at Children's Place.
The shirts were about $14 at Old Navy.
The socks came from Target for about $15.

Shoes are possibly going to be tough to fit for Sis, so I am taking these three pairs to get us through the time in country.  Then we will go shoe shopping for something brand-new and comfortable when we are home.

Lastly, Big Sis said she wanted to wear a blue dress the day she leaves the orphanage.  I got her this one with an unusual pattern I like and cute pockets.  If this doesn't fit, we have a hand-knitted dress made by my aunt as a back-up.

The tree print seems fitting
because we will help Sis put down roots
and reach for the sky

And there you have it, our little girl's very first, very own wardrobe.

September 21, 2013

One year ago today, we sent this message to our placing agency:

Boxes For Big Sister Thank You

Have you ever wanted to see a mathematical representation of love?  If so, I've got one for you here:

Our thanks to all of the generous donors, friends and family and acquaintances from different countries and all areas of the U.S., who helped us raise $1455 toward the cost of Big Sister's adoption.  We feel so blessed by the support that has been extended to us as we prepare to add another member to our family.  One day Big Sis will read this blog and know how much she was loved even before she came home.

Money has been tight these last few months, not just in terms of finishing up this adoption, but also due to some other circumstances that have arisen unexpectedly and presented our family with an opportunity we could not pass up.  I cannot say more right now, except that the universe has our back.  In the midst of our financial bottleneck, Craig received a bonus last week at work and just today I got a call from Rex's school, letting me know his annual out-of-pocket insurance maximum has been reached, so we will have no co-pays for the remainder of the calendar year.  In other words, Rex's schooling and associated therapy are free to us until December 31.  In addition, his Prompt speech therapy will now be 100% covered through 2014.  I cannot tell you what a tremendous relief and help this is to us in this particular season of our lives.

And to my daughter-to-be I'll say this: It won't be long now until we're forever family.  You're coming into our lives at a crazy time and it isn't going be an easy transition for anyone, but I promise you that we will take good care of you, protect you, teach you, have fun together, and love you for always.

Unadulterated Joy

This is my daughter breaking into a full-on dance in the middle of a public square on Saturday.  Why?  Well, as far as I could tell merely because music was playing and she liked the song and she was happy.  I adore the purity of her emotions and how freely she lets them flow.

Boxes For Big Sister - Three Days Left

Our fundraiser for Big Sister will close at the end of Sunday, September 13.  Only hours remain for you to be a part of her story by spreading the word and/or making a contribution.   Forty of the 100 boxes have been sponsored by generous family and friends from around the world.  Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. 

First hug with her forever mom

BOXES FOR BIG SISTER

Below is a grid of the numbers 1 through 100.  Each square represents a dollar amount, for example, square 25 equals $25.  We are looking for up to 100 people to sponsor the squares on this grid by making a donation in that amount of money to our Adopt Together account here.  All contributions are tax deductible.

Now, to make it a bit more interesting, there are several random Magic Squares on the grid which are connected to little prizes (three prizes have been found and several others remain to be uncovered), including two books signed by their authors, handmade children's gloves, and a dozen homemade cookies.  If you happen to sponsor a Magic Square, you will be mailed the prize as soon as your donation posts at Adopt Together and I have your address.

There are also ten hidden Q&A Squares.  If anyone commits to sponsoring any of those squares, I will answer the corresponding question about Big Sis after the donation posts to our Adopt Together account:

1) How old is Big Sis?
2) What's her favorite color?
3) What's her favorite food? - Big Sister says her favorite foods are apples and grapes.  She'll fit right in.
4) What will Big Sis's initials be after her adoption? - This is still under debate, but her first and last initials will be AM.  We may wait to choose a middle initial until we re-adopt here in our state.
5) How far away does Big Sis live right now from our family?
6) What's Big Sis's eye color? - Brown.
7) How often does Big Sis's special need occur? - The exact version of her special need is estimated to occur in only 1 out of 200,000 births.
8) What's her favorite fairy tale? Little Red Riding Hood.
9) What color dress does Big Sis want to wear when she leaves the orphanage? She specifically asked for a blue dress and told me her favorite color to wear is blue.
10) What's the elevation of Big Sis's city of residence?

If you have any questions or to let me know that you have made a donation sponsoring a square, please email me at viviane 8 at yahoo dot com.  You can also leave a comment here on the blog to let me know that you have sponsored a square.  The grid will be updated regularly.  Thank you.

Second Week Of Preschool

Emilia has completed her second week of preschool and I am immensely proud of her for the progress she has made in just a few days of attendance.  Since I still sit in the classroom to help her transition, I have been able to observe her time at preschool and see the improvements from last to this week.

The bus picks her up at our driveway

This week Emilia was more familiar with the daily schedule and better able to participate.  There were still activities that exceeded her attention span, skills, and patience, but this week she used the playground equipment with the other children, made the hand motions to songs in circle time, used the restroom once, told classmates her name, chose an activity and stuck with it during Choice Time, wrote the letter E in small group instruction, independently cut with scissors in OT, and was more relaxed riding the bus.

First she painted this lovely picture which I intend to frame (I adore her color choices):

And then she worked on this one and when her teacher asked her what she was painting, Emilia answered, "A rainbow."  Amazing.

I don't think Emilia realized I was there for the first 90 minutes of class yesterday and even when she did finally see me, she did not come over to be with me, but continued with her activity.  I am going in for one more day next week and then my big little girl will be on her own.  Sigh.

USCIS Fees Going Up

As you may have already heard from your placing agencies, effective tomorrow USCIS is increasing certain adoption related immigration fees.

The cost of filing I-600A and I-800A remains the same at $720 plus the biometrics fee of $85 for each adult 18 and over in the household.

Filing an I-600 or I-800 for a single child or biological siblings will now cost $720.

The fee for form DS 260 increases from $230 to $325.

For more information, go to: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/fees-visa-services.html#permanent.

Looking For Hair Accessories

If anyone out there is trying to fundraise for an adoption by selling handmade hair accessories, please let me know. I am looking to buy some as farewell gifts for the other girls in Big Sis's group at the orphanage.  I will need them ASAP.

viviane 8 at yahoo dot com

Boxes For Big Sister - Update #6 - One Week Left

Our fundraiser for Big Sister has entered its final week.  Only seven days remain for you to be a part of her story by spreading the word and/or making a contribution.  Yesterday, we received our USCIS I-800 approval in the mail, so we are now counting weeks, not months, until we can finally bring our new daughter and sister home to join our family.  Our sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported us through this year-long process, socially, emotionally, and financially.  We so appreciate your friendship, your time, and your generosity.

BOXES FOR BIG SISTER

Below is a grid of the numbers 1 through 100.  Each square represents a dollar amount, for example, square 25 equals $25.  We are looking for up to 100 people to sponsor the squares on this grid by making a donation in that amount of money to our Adopt Together account here.  All contributions are tax deductible.

Now, to make it a bit more interesting, there are several random Magic Squares on the grid which are connected to little prizes (three prizes have been found and several others remain to be uncovered), including two books signed by their authors, handmade children's gloves, and a dozen homemade cookies.  If you happen to sponsor a Magic Square, you will be mailed the prize as soon as your donation posts at Adopt Together and I have your address.

There are also ten hidden Q&A Squares.  If anyone commits to sponsoring any of those squares, I will answer the corresponding question about Big Sis after the donation posts to our Adopt Together account:

1) How old is Big Sis?
2) What's her favorite color?
3) What's her favorite food? - Big Sister says her favorite foods are apples and grapes.  She'll fit right in.
4) What will Big Sis's initials be after her adoption? - This is still under debate, but her first and last initials will be AM.  We may wait to choose a middle initial until we re-adopt here in our state.
5) How far away does Big Sis live right now from our family?
6) What's Big Sis's eye color? - Brown.
7) How often does Big Sis's special need occur? - The exact version of her special need is estimated to occur in only 1 out of 200,000 births.
8) What's her favorite fairy tale? Little Red Riding Hood.
9) What color dress does Big Sis want to wear when she leaves the orphanage?
10) What's the elevation of Big Sis's city of residence?

If you have any questions or to let me know that you have made a donation sponsoring a square, please email me at viviane 8 at yahoo dot com.  You can also leave a comment here on the blog to let me know that you have sponsored a square.  The grid will be updated regularly.  Thank you.

My Baby Is Growing Up

Boxes For Big Sister Update #5

Boxes for Big Sister is now in its second week and we have covered 23 out of 100 boxes.  That's nearly one fourth of all of them.  Wow!  We are so thankful to everyone who has donated and helped us spread the word far and wide.  Do you think we can get 30 boxes covered this week?  We only need seven people to step up and make a donation to get there.  Are you one of those seven people changing the life of a child?

When Craig and I started our very first adoption to bring home two children from Bulgaria in 2009, we had been saving for five - yes you read that correctly - five years to be ready for the costs.  Therefore, even when our path took an unexpected turn and we ended up bringing home two children from two different countries in 2011, we were able to cover all of the expenses from our savings and by setting aside additional funds as we were going through the process.

This time around, we're in a different boat.  We're now the parents of two and our funding for the adoption of Big Sis is less than what we had on hand between 2009 and 2011.  Here's an approximate break-down of what we have paid already during this current adoption process which we started in September 2013:

Homestudy and post-placement reporting: 

$3000

Placing agency fee: 

$8000

International fee: 

$10,500

USCIS: 

$890

Trip 1: 

$10,000

Trip 2 (lodging, transportation, translator for over three weeks): 

$4600

What's left to pay now?  The biggest chunk of money still needed is for our airfare to and from Big Sis' country for which we are budgeting around $8000.  There are other miscellaneous costs like the medical exam in-country, the post-placement supervision, and mailing fees.

Our goal from the start was to raise $10,000, approximately 25%, of the total expenditures.  As you may remember, we had two fundraisers earlier in the year and, adding in the yard sale, have been able to raise about $4600 of our $10,000 goal.  We are so grateful to everyone who helped us get to that impressive number, but we're still $5400 from our target.  Therefore, please consider being a part of Big Sis' story via our final fundraiser:

BOXES FOR BIG SISTER

Below is a grid of the numbers 1 through 100.  Each square represents a dollar amount, for example, square 25 equals $25.  We are looking for up to 100 people to sponsor the squares on this grid by making a donation in that amount of money to our Adopt Together account here.  All contributions are tax deductible.

Now, to make it a bit more interesting, there are several random Magic Squares on the grid which are connected to little prizes (one prize has been found and mailed already), including two books signed by their authors, handmade children's gloves, and a dozen homemade cookies.  If you happen to sponsor a Magic Square, you will be mailed the prize as soon as your donation posts at Adopt Together and I have your address.

There are also ten hidden Q&A Squares.  If anyone commits to sponsoring any of those squares, I will answer the corresponding question about Big Sis after the donation posts to our Adopt Together account:

1) How old is Big Sis?
2) What's her favorite color?
3) What's her favorite food? - Big Sister says her favorite foods are apples and grapes.  She'll fit right in.
4) What will Big Sis's initials be after her adoption? - This is still under debate, but her first and last initials will be AM.  We may wait to choose a middle initial until we re-adopt here in our state.
5) How far away does Big Sis live right now from our family?
6) What's Big Sis's eye color? - Brown.
7) How often does Big Sis's special need occur? - The exact version of her special need is estimated to occur in only 1 out of 200,000 births.
8) What's her favorite fairy tale? Little Red Riding Hood.
9) What color dress does Big Sis want to wear when she leaves the orphanage?
10) What's the elevation of Big Sis's city of residence?

If you have any questions or to let me know that you have made a donation sponsoring a square, please email me at viviane 8 at yahoo dot com.  You can also leave a comment here on the blog to let me know that you have sponsored a square.  The grid will be updated regularly.  Thank you.

Sunday Dessert...

... was a feast for our parental hearts.