November Updates...

The last time I updated you we were on week 42 and had sold a total of 641 puzzle pieces. Over the past month we have sold 23 pieces. That brings the total number of pieces sold to 664! Only 336 pieces left!!

Week 43- 8 pieces
Week 44- 4 pieces
Week 45-5 pieces
Week 46- 6 pieces

We are one month away from it being one year since starting this fundraiser. I never imagined we would be this far into our adoption process so soon. Last December when Daniel and I had purchased our first home I had written in a blog that we had our first goal accomplished (buying a house) and our second goal would be to start the adoption process a year later.  Little did we know God had bigger plans for us and we started this fundraiser less than a month after buying our house and we had our first interview with the agency four months later.  We have so much to be thankful this year and have been blessed by many friends and family...even people we have never met before. I don't think you will ever truly know how much you all mean to us. We could not have gotten this far without your support and prayers.  Thank you thank you!!


A big thank you to my mom, Jamiel, Erin, Rebekah, The Jantz, Kathy and Dixie! Thank you all for buying puzzle pieces over the past month!!


If you would like to purchase a puzzle piece or two ;-) you can read more about this fundraiser on my blog. puzzle fundraiser Pieces are $10 each. There is only 336 left!!

Over the past week or so Daniel and I have been filling out paper work for adoption Grants. We have one that has already been sent in and three others waiting for reference letters. We plan to look at more throughout the month. Some of the grants we wont hear back until February or June, others just vary. Some of the grants we have had to pay a processing fee or make a small donation. So far they are ranging from $10-$50.

I will continue to update you monthly on the adoption process unless something comes up sooner. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you again for all your support and prayers! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

More sock monkeys ;-)

Our first Christmas in our new home :-)

Very thankful for my mom who continues to support me!

Ten months later...

The last time I updated you we were on week 37 of our puzzle fundraiser. We have sold a total number of 641 pieces since week 1! TOTALLY AMAZING!

Week 37- 4 pieces
Week38- 2 pieces
Week 39- 14 pieces
Week 40- 7 pieces
Week 41- 2 pieces
Week 42- 4 pieces

Every time we sell a pieces it is always a special time and has a special meaning. Week 39 I will never forget, Daniel and I were at a Christian Concert at one of the local churches with a family from church. We happened to run into an old friend from when we were in high school that we had not seen in years (we've been out of high school for 10 years). After saying hi, how are you...she went to her seat. A few moments later she brought some money over to me and hugged me and said "this is for puzzle pieces, I've been wanting to get some for awhile, I love following your story on fb". This totally made my night! Not only did I get to see an old friend but I have a great memory I will get to share with our future child. The next evening at house church one of my dear friends had a huge smile and handed me a jar full of change and said "this is for puzzle pieces". Love her to pieces!!! Another special moment and great story to share with our child about someone who means a lot to us that is just as excited as we are about wanting to become parents.

We are so blessed to have these amazing people in our lives. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for purchasing puzzle pieces- mom, Jamiel, Erin, Rebekah, Nichole, Jim and Carol!!

If you would like to purchase a puzzle piece or two ;-) you can read more about this fundraiser on my blog. Pieces are $10 each. There is only 359 left!! Puzzle fundraiser info.

We have received paper work from our adoption agency and are gathering other documents so that we can apply for grants. I will keep you posted! 

Sneak peak of the nursery

Sneak peak of the nursery

Saying Goodbye to Our Fur Baby, Andie :-(

The day I brought Andie home

The month of September has had its ups and downs for us. The worst part of the month was that we said goodbye to our chihuahua of eight years. On Friday, we had to make a tough decision that resulted in us putting our dog to sleep. This was a very difficult decision because she has been our "child" for eight years. A lot of our everyday life revolved around her. We've had her since she was 6 weeks old. Her and I share the same birthday. She has literally been our child for the past eight years. She was in our engagement photos and wedding photos. She sleeps with us, she is always by my side, we played hide and seek, she was a part of our family and she was one very spoiled dog! She would have made a great big sister. She had been sick off and on all summer with different symptoms but we never imagined it coming to this so soon, it was a complete shock. Some background info- Andie has had a heart murmur for a few years but nothing serious, this summer she had some teeth pulled and had trouble waking up from that, since her teeth being pulled she has had three Syncope episodes that we know of, she has also had a cough since her teeth being pulled and two weeks ago she started limping, the vet gave her pain meds for her leg. Her leg never got better so the vet wanted to take X-rays to make sure it wasn't broken. I left Andie at the vet Friday morning and had planned to pick her up that afternoon. They called me that afternoon and said there was an emergency with Andie. They said she had had one of her Syncope Episodes and this time she had stopped breathing and her heart stopped. They had her awake but she wasn't responding. My friend took me to the vet and Daniel met me there. It was hard to see her like this. She was so lifeless. She didn't respond to us being there or talking to her. The vet said what normally takes a few seconds for her to be alert and respond to the meds was taking her almost an hour and a half. She said that her heart sounded normal and there were no fluids in her heart that she could hear. She thought that the episode may have caused some blockage and that might have been the reasoning. She showed us the X-rays from earlier that day. Andie's leg wasn't broken but it looked like there may be cancer that was causing her to limp, she also showed us her heart and the lymph node from a month ago was enlarged. She said before we could take care of what might be cancer, which could result in her losing her leg we would have to see a specialist at OSU to determine why she wasn't responding. However the vet didn't think Andie would last in the car ride to Stillwater and didn't want to not be there with us when something happened. Seeing Andie in this position we knew she would not make it to Stillwater. We continued to hold her and try to get her to acknowledge us but she never did. She continued to be lifeless. This was the hardest decision we have ever made. Our vet let me hold her as she gave her the drugs. They wrapped her up and we took her home where we buried her in our backyard. We planted a crepe myrtle and made some stepping stones. It has definitely been a rough weekend with many tears. She helped us to love unconditionally. Our hearts are broken. We are looking to God and thanking him for the eight amazing years we had with her and trying to understand the heartache.

Today I called the adoption agency to update our profile.  Andie was a huge part of our lives and was included in our home study and book we submitted.  I also asked her "will you let us know when you've shown our profile?". I've received this question many times over the past month. She said that she does not always let couples know if she has shown their profile. It depends if she feels the couple needs to know something about the mother to make a decision that they may want to consider. She did say she showed some profiles last week but did not comment if she had shown ours. Of course we are hoping and praying that our profile was one of them. We are ready for this process to continue to move forward. Especially to fill the void in our hearts. This week Daniel and I will start filling out applications for some adoption grants. We have enough saved for phase three (due when a birth mother picks us). We are working towards phase four, which is $10,275.00.

The day I brought Lilly home

Camping

Her favorite spot, laying in the sun

Laying on my wedding dress

Exploring our new home

On our way home from the vet this summer.

The last night with her.

The last photo I took, the night before.

Puzzle update:
Week 35- 6 pieces sold! Thank you very much Mom, Jamiel, Erin, Aunt and Uncle for buying pieces!

Week 36- 7 pieces sold! Thank you mom, Jamiel, Erin and Rebekah! We so much appreciate you continuing to help us!!

Week 37- 2 pieces sold! Thanks mom!

That brings the total number of pieces sold to 610!! Amazing! We only have 390 pieces left to sell! Pieces are $10 each. You can find more info on my blog
http://chelsey-dawn.blogspot.com/2014/01/puzzle-fundraiser.html

My friend Betsy has also been hosting an Usborne Books fundraiser for us during the month of September. 100% of commission from this event will go to help fund our adoption and the free books earned will help build my classroom library! The seventh order placed will receive a free book. Here is the link if you would like to check out the books www.y3515.myubam.com/60208.


Please keep Daniel and I in your prayers as we continue to grieve the loss of our dog and for our adoption process. I normally do weekly updates on our gofundme account but I will not update weekly unless there is a change in the adoption process. I will start updating monthly with puzzle progress. Thank you so much for continuing to follow our journey.

Officially Paper Pregnant!!!

A couple weeks ago we mailed our adoption profile book to the agency. She said she thought it was a really good book and that it shows a lot about us and our families. It took a lot of work so I'm thankful she thought it was good!

Our Profile Book

This past Wednesday we mailed our background checks to the agency and today we received our official letter of approval!! We are now what the adoption community calls "Paper Pregnant"!! This means that all the paper work has been completed and we are just waiting for a match! The agency will show our profile book to birth parents and it is up to the birth parents to choose us. Our home study will be valid for one year. If we are not matched within that year we will have to pay a fee for the home study to be updated.  So our prayer is that we get matched within that year! We ask that you continue to pray with us, for our future child and their birth mother.

We are so excited to be this far in the adoption. We could not have made it this far without the help of family and friends and the lord! We continue to be blessed each day with this opportunity the lord has given us and cannot wait to share our lives with a child in the future.

 

 

Fundraiser updates!

 

Puzzle Fundraiser:

Week 28: 50 pieces

Week 29: 3 pieces

Week 30: 5 pieces

Week 31: 2 pieces

 

Total pieces sold 569!!! That is so amazing!! We have 431 pieces left to sell. If you would like to help with our puzzle fundraiser, pieces are $10 each. You can pay by cash, check, our gofundme account or through paypal. We will write your name on the back of the puzzle pieces and once all pieces have been bought we will frame the puzzle in double sided glass and hang in the nursery. This will allow our child to see everyone who helped to bring them home!

 

Updated picture of our puzzle, week 31!

Bling Fundraiser:

Since I'm no longer selling Premier Jewelry my premier mom has offered to do a show for us as a fundraiser. She will donate 50% of the profit to our adoption! We will hold the show this Sunday at our home. We will keep the party opened for one week. If you would like to participate in the fundraiser you may look online at the catalog on her site, contact me, contact her directly or come to the party tomorrow!!! :-)

Here is the link for her page:

jenniferculp@mypremierdesigns.com

 

 

I will continue to keep you updated on fundraisers and any adoption news we receive!!

 

Five years later...

I was just going to do my weekly update on our gofundme account but decided to write a blog instead.

Five years ago



Five years later...

 

 

Daniel and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this past weekend. I really cannot believe it has been 5 years since we walked down the aisle. We have changed so much over the past five years, for the better. Yes, there have been some hard moments but we have learned to put our faith in God and he has walked us through them.  As most of you know we found out a few months after we got married that we would not be able to conceive a child. This was the big moment that really changed us, especially me. This is when I became angry about our situation, emotional, resentful and many more emotions that were not healthy. I hated the situation. During this time I had a pulling at my heart to seek God so that I could understand why this was happening. Daniel and I had occasionally attended church with his mom but did not have a church home of our own where we felt comfortable. Daniel agreed to start looking for one when I asked. The first time we walked into Agape I knew in my heart that is where we needed to be. Since we first attended we have felt the love of Christ through so many people, we've met some amazing people that I'm glad to call my friends and family that pray for us daily, I was baptized,  I have learned to lean on him and put my faith in him. He has placed certain lady in my life from church that I love dearly, she understands the pain and hurt I've gone through and has cried and prayed with me. I do believe that if we had gotten pregnant right after we were married that I would not be where I am in my faith with the lord today. Is it still hard not being able to have kids and understanding why others can and we can't? ABSOLUTELY, but it is easier to let go of the bad feelings and look forward to the greater plan he has for us.

Thank you Dana for being my friend and always being there for me during this process!

 

The day we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary we received the draft to our home study. This puts us one step closer to our dream of becoming parents, a family. We made the corrections to the draft and sent it back to the agency. We are still waiting for our background checks to come in. Normally I would be stressing about it and worrying but I feel relaxed. I know that when God's time is right they will come in. Then we will just be waiting for the agency to show our adoption profile to birth parents.

Puzzle Fundraiser:

My mom is totally amazing. She continues to support us each week by buying two puzzle pieces. With her donation of $500 this week, we reached our goal of $7,000 for phase three of the adoption process with the agency. Phase three is due when a birth mother has chosen us. It has only been seven months since we officially started the adoption journey and have raised enough money for the first three phases. I never imagined we'd be this far in the process so quickly. God is so good in all he does. Now we are ready to start saving for the final phase which is $10,275 due at the time of birth.

My mom and I

 

Week 26- 4 pieces!

Week 27-2 pieces!

Week 28- Still in progress but have already sold 50 pieces!!  :-)

 

So far we have sold 559 pieces! Only 441 pieces left until we will get to complete the puzzle and hang in the nursery! My uncle Jamiel is still doing his challenge. Every payday he and his wife are going to buy two puzzle pieces. He challenged his family and anyone else who wants to participate to do the same. Puzzle pieces are $10 each. You can pay by cash, check, paypal or our gofundme account. Please spread the word so we can sell these puzzle pieces!! :-)

A "perfect" new addition to the nursery

 "With Faith Comes Hope"

Separate Interviews....Done!

So today was another big day for us. We had our separate interviews with the adoption agency. Thank you so much for your prayers today!! We really do appreciate each one of you!!  The interviews were really fast, about 30 minutes each!  

Daniel went first. While I waited I read some books they had in the waiting room. Here are two of my favorites. I plan to eventually order them and research some more books.

She asked about our childhood, families, each other, how we plan to discipline, and again the openness to the birth mother. Overall the questions and interview were very easy. The hardest part for me was answering questions and talking about my parents' divorce and my non existent relationship with my father. I tried to prepare myself ahead of time for the situation because I knew I'd have to talk about it. Luckily she didn't linger too long on the subject .

After the interviews she told us what would take place next. She said that she is still waiting for our background checks to come in. She mentioned that she has called them and they said they are backed up and could be sometime in August before she has them. Once she has them she will write up her approval for the adoption and send us a letter in the mail letting us know we are good to go forward. From that point on we will just be waiting for a birth mother to pick us for her child! When she sends the letter the home study from that point will last a year before we have to renew it if for some reason we have not been picked by a birth mother.

After the meeting we went to Hideaway Pizza like we did the first time we met with her...I think it will probably become a tradition every time we have to meet with her!

Then Daniel took me to Mardel and let me do a little shopping for my classroom! I only think it's appropriate to go along with our nursery theme!

Please be praying for our background checks to arrive quickly. :-)

Home Study...piece of cake!

We had our first home study a week ago! I've had many people ask how it went.  I had planned to get a blog written sooner but the day after the home study we went camping with family. So you're getting an update a week later! ;-)

Going into the home study I was not as nervous as I thought I would be once the day finally arrived. That's probably because I've been able to talk with others who have or are going through the adoption process and have researched about home studies.  A friend sent me a list of general things to have prepared.... list of emergency contact numbers  on fridge, fire extinguisher under kitchen sink, outlet plug covers, all cleaning supplies and medicine to be put on a high shelf.  The only thing the lady from the agency commented on was "do you have fire extinguisher". She didn't check the rest of the stuff that we worked hard on lol....like me scrubbing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees! lol but at least my friend Beth noticed! :-)

Our home study only lasted an hour. We had to answer a lot of questions when we filled out our adoption papers that we mailed to the agency.  She asked a lot of the same questions that we had already answered on paper. She asked about our jobs, how we met, if our families supported our adoption, what Daniel and I like to do, how we resolve fights and who we hang out with. She confirmed what we are willing to accept... gender, race, age, health, how or if we wanted to communicate with the birth family.  I'm sure there were more questions but I don't remember. All the questions were pretty easy, especially since we had already answered them on paper.

After we answered questions she asked for a tour of our home, which was very quick! She was looking to make sure we had plenty of space in our home. Good thing we moved from our one bedroom house or we would not have passed the test! lol  

After the tour we scheduled our next visit with her. It will be July 3rd. We will travel to the agency to be interviewed separately. This will be where they will ask about our childhood and possibly about each other. Again, we've already given the answers to those questions so hopefully it will be painless. Once the interviews are over she will write up her report for the approval process.   

 

Puzzle Fundraiser:

Normally I only update on the puzzle fundraiser once a month in my blog but since I'm updating you on the adoption process I figured I would update you on the puzzle while I'm here ;-)

 

Week 23- 13 pieces sold!

Week 24- 2 pieces sold!

Week 25- still in progress but have already sold 10 pieces!! :-)

 

That brings the total to 494!! Only 6 pieces away from being at the half way mark with this fundraiser! My uncle Jamiel is still doing his challenge. Every payday he and his wife are going to buy two puzzle pieces. He challenged his family and anyone else who wants to participate to do the same.  I cannot wait to get the puzzle finished and hang in the nursery. We already have a spot picked out for it. I post weekly puzzle updates on our gofundme account.

 

We cannot say thank you enough for everyone who is helping us! We are beyond blessed and are not taking it for granted! Please continue to pray for us and share our story! Thank you thank you!!!

Daniel and Tanner hanging out by the camp fire

Watching the Lego movie

Tanner playing games

Love him!

Love of my life!

Still learning to cook on grill...I burnt the hamburgers!

 

Our view for the weekend!