55 Weeks Later...

It's hard to believe it's been one year since we started our first adoption fundraiser. We have come a long way in our adoption process within the past year. We wouldn't be this far along without the prayer, support and help from so many friends and family. It brings so much joy to my heart to know that our future child is already loved by so many.

We started 2014 with our first adoption fundraiser, our Puzzle Fundraiser. We have raised $7,000 from this fundraiser. We still have $3,000 to raise with it. I got the idea to do this fundraiser from a woman who did the same fundraiser to help fund their child's adoption. Each piece is sold for $10. We then will write your name on the back of the piece. Once all pieces have been sold and the puzzle is complete we will frame the puzzle in double sided glass so that our child can see everyone's name on the back. It sure has come a long way in the past year. If you're interested in buying some pieces you may click at the right of this blog to use paypal, you can use our gofundme account or pay in person. We only have 300 pieces left to sale and I have no doubt that we can get them all sold!

The first pieces put together

Week 55

The next fundraiser was our Dinner/Auction. The fundraiser was held at our church building. We had such an amazing turnout. This fundraiser was such a blessing for us. We had over 80 items donated that were auctioned off and Daniel's sister and brother in law donated the dinner. We raised $2,826.00 with the dinner/auction. A few days later we had our first meeting with the adoption agency and started all the paperwork.

Just some of the items from the auction

We also had a mascarathon fundraiser during the month of May. My good friend Neely Turner, a Mary Kay consultant donated her profits for a month for every mascara we sold. We raised $227.00, including a check from a guy friend who wanted to help us even though he doesn't wear mascara. ;-)

Also during the month of May we were working on having an adoption garage sale. Over 15 families donated items for our garage sale. We raised $1,535.75! This was one of biggest fundraisers we had! We had such a great turn all three days we were open. We barely had anything left. We are planning to have another one this coming spring.

In June we had a canvas painting fundraiser. 50% of the profits went to our adoption fund. We raised $320.00 from the fundraiser. It was a fun night with family and friends.

All summer we worked on the paperwork for the adoption agency, had our home study and separate interviews. on August 7th we became "Paper Pregnant". Since this time we have just been waiting to get a call from the adoption agency saying they have shown our profile and a birth mother/family has picked us to be parents. This is probably one of the longest waits!!

Daniel and I after one of our meetings with the agency.

Our adoption book that birth mothers/families will look at.

During the month of August we had a Bling fundraiser with Jennifer Culp, an independent consultant for Premier Designs. We raised $275 with this fundraiser.

During September we had an Usborne Books fundraiser. My friend Besty is an independent consultant with them. We raised $30 and I was able to pick out some books for my classroom.

The books Betsy donated for the auction.

Over the past 55 weeks we have done 7 different fundraisers, one that we are still working on, our puzzle fundraiser. A year ago I would never have imagined being this far with our adoption process at the agency or having that many fundraisers. God blessed us with amazing friends and family who have helped support our adoption and some who have volunteered to do fundraisers with us/for us. Because of YOU, we are $12,694.00 closer to adopting. We are almost half way to our adoption goal!


The past 55 weeks have been a blessing adoption wise and in others ways. In between life and all the fundraiser stuff we spent lots of time with family and friends, went to Nebraska for a family wedding, went camping with family, my mom took me on a cruise, we celebrated another anniversary, celebrated birthdays, I took a big step of faith and had dinner with my dad, we were invited to our first OSU football game, I got to see my high school best friend whom I hadn't seen in 10 years, spent Christmas with my brother, we got a new puppy, my cousin had her first child, we got to spend one more year with Andie before we had to say goodbye, we added some new family members and said goodbye to loved ones.  About a week ago we said goodbye to Daniel's granny. She was one of the sweetest and kindest ladies I've known. We will miss her greatly.

We will never forget Andie. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her.

Granny and I at my bridal shower.

 

Granny at our wedding.

Granny, Christmas 2014

Our new puppy we got for Christmas, Gracie Ann

Laura and Robbie's first child. So precious!

We continue to pray each day and wonder if our profile has been viewed yet. The agency said that the estimated adoption process is 1-2 years. We have been on the waiting list for 6 months so far. We did receive an email from one of the grants we applied for. They said they won't look at our application until we have been matched. I'll continue to update you as we get more information and will try to update you once a month on our puzzle progress or any other fundraisers that we might do. Thank you for following our story and being a part of our adoption process. Have a blessed day!

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!!