Hope

Nevermind...we just can't give up yet. We still would like another child in the future when things settle down and we feel as if adoption is the right choice. So many children need families!!! It just may be a matter of time, years probably.

Yuck.

Things aren't looking up over here. I don't want to sound like I am whining because I have a healthy, happy family. We are just going through a tough time. Bob is working fewer hours every week. Last week I think he worked a half day.
Of course we still want to adopt. But if it isn't meant to be then I guess we just need to move on instead of feeling sad about it all the time. Things could still turn around and a few years from now adoption could be a reality.
I just wanted to say that I appreciate all of the support. The money that was donated is still sitting in an account (minus the paypal fees) and we are going to work on returning it to those of you who donated so generously. We appreciate all of you who obviously got just as excited about this as we did!

We Wait

It has been so long since I have written. Mostly because things are rather discouraging in terms of finances and the adoption plans. We did get accepted by an adoption agency, which is great.
For awhile I was so excited about the idea of adoption that I feel like I wasn't being very realistic with the time frame. We obviously want to know we can afford to care for another child before we bring one home. Bob has had his hours cut and is working about half what he used to. At this point it is looking like a number of years before we would be able to add someone to our family. This is a bit disappointing. On the other hand, we were planning to adopt an older child and our children are still 3 and 1.5 years which would allow us to keep all the kids close in age. It is also harder to place older children, so maybe waiting is for the best. My big fear is that someone is sitting out there without their needs being met, waiting for us. After all, here we "worry" about not being able to afford luxuries, and in other places people aren't able to afford to eat.
Part of me wonders if our adoption will ever happen. I really, really hope so.
Just thought I would keep those of you wondering up to date.
Thanks for caring!

Help Feed Orphans in Ghana

Our Uncle Odee died today after a tough battle with leukemia.
I also noticed a blog today with a request for donations to feed orphans in Ghana that currently don't have enough to eat and aren't getting clean water. We made a small donation in memory of Uncle Odee.
If you wish to help this cause please visit this blog and follow the link. When donating choose "other" and then type "Ghana feeding project" for the description.

((Ghana Music)) Ofori Amponsah- ♫Lady [HighLife]

The more I learn about Ghana the more I like it. Even the music appeals to me, which is great because it will be fun to make it part of our music collection. Some parts of this video has scantily clad ladies so if that type of thing offends you, you could just listen and shut your eyes. :)

Getting Serious

This week we are finishing up our initial application to Adoption Advocates. We have been told that our application doesn't "expire" with them. Some agencies charge you to renew your application if you don't take action within a certain amount of time. We liked this because we aren't exactly sure when we will be starting our home study, etc.
I am feeling good about where we live. We have a smaller home but it is cozy. We have one bathroom but it forces us to be aware of each other. We were given a used kitchen table this week so we are now able to eat together comfortably and I can envision a place for another place mat. We only have 3 bedrooms but from what I have read adopted children who have lived in orphanages sleep easier with others nearby. If we are still living in the little blue house when our new child comes home we will be fine.
Bob had a vasectomy last week and is doing well. It was only mildly upsetting to realize we won't ever have anymore biological children. We feel that adoption is just as special and we look forward to the adventure of it all. I wonder what it will teach us about love that we don't already know.

Complicated

This is an article that has been circulating about international adoption that many adoptive parents say they find hard to read. I can attest to the fact that when we first started thinking about adoption the idea of "saving a child" was very appealing. The truth is that not all children are orphans because both parents are dead. It will be important for me to know that when we adopt a child it will be because that child really needs us. I would want to know that the money we are spending to bring that child home wouldn't have been better invested by giving it to a loving family so that they could raise their child by themselves. Basically, I learned from this article that not all adoptions are ethical and it is up to adoptive parents to ask tough questions.
Right now there are certain agencies that are standing out to me because of their stance on making sure they are finding a family for an child instead of an child for a family. These are agencies that seem more concerned about all involved and less worried about how much money they might make.
There is plenty more I could say about all this but I will save it for a future post. I am aware I have much more to learn! I appreciate reading discussions on forums about issues like this before we adopt, rather than after.