FBI Clearance

Just waiting on the FBI Clearance Letter to come back. It's been 10 weeks. If it's not back next week, they will be getting a call from a friend of Garry's. Ha.

Everything else is sent away to our agency. Oh wait, not the marriage license, but we will send that off tomorrow.

The girls have both been sick with croup and ear infections so we've stayed around the house a bit more than usual. And the time change has throw us all for a loop...9 o'clock rolls around and I can barely keep my eyes open.

So...

Garry went to Nashville today and was able to get almost everything apostilled. We have to go to MS to get the marriage license notarized and apostilled, and we went ahead and sent the almost expired FBI Clearance letters and should have the new ones within a few weeks. We are in agreement that we just want to get everything out of our hands and into our agency's so we can breathe a bit.

Amen to that! Lily has her last soccer game of the season tomorrow with a pizza party after. That should be fun...

Dossier Physical

So Garry and I went for adoption physicals today. Craziness! You have to have the dossier physical form notarized! Here in the South we don't have notaries in all the Doctors offices; only in banks, post-offices, and places of business. So the wonderfully sweet people down at Faith Family Medical called the local bank and they've agreed to send someone to notarize the form for free!! So awesome! Love them!

So that should be ready at some point today. Then all we have to do is get the paperwork notarized, then notarized again by the county, then appostilled. Piece of cake! ; p

News: The Bad and the Good

Sheryl, my sweet precious mom, went to be with the Lord on Sept 16, 2010. Her pain is gone and she is in His presence now. I miss her more than words can say but I'm reminded of God's goodness through my pain.

Today we received our approval for adoption from Immigration. I wanted nothing more to tell her, to call her and be excited with her. I have to believe that she knows, because I believe that she already knows our son. I believe she walks every path with me and will until the time I see her again.

On a lighter note, we have a new (smaller) addition to the family. Her name is Molly. She is a 4 months old Shichon puppy and she is precious! She is so sweet, loving and playful. My dad bought her for the girls as a healing present more than anything. Lily even told me "Pop didn't want my heart to hurt so he gave me a puppy, and now my heart doesn't hurt as much". From the mouths of babes...

Fingerprinting done

So we both completed our Immigration fingerprinting. So easy. Took 10 minutes for each of us.

We did have to send off our second FBI clearance letters. The six months is almost up and we haven't gotten approved by immigration yet.

Mom is not doing well. She has been in the CCU for 21 days now with pneumonia and ARDS. The next 24 hours are crucial. Her kidneys have started shutting down and with all the complications with her lungs, signals the beginning of the end.

My prayer is that God will either take her home with Him or let us take her home. My knowledge tells me the first will occur soon.

I know my mom was excited about meeting her grandson. I know that will never happen. But it will not stop me from telling him someday about how determined she was that we continue the adoption process after her cancer diagnosis in May.

I think her determination and her love for her children and her grandchildren will prevail long after she is gone. We will keep them alive.

School Days

Lily started school last Thursday...she was only put in time-out twice on that day, once on Friday, and luckily...not once today

She told me as we were driving home:

"I was a good girl today Momma"
"I'm so glad Lily! That makes me so happy."
"I CHOSE to be a good girl today"
"Well that's good...I think"

Kids...Mia is having a hard time adjusting to "Sissy" being gone for the morning. She wanders the house calling her name and then comes back to me and says "Sissy gone gone"

We're praying she adjusts. She starts a MDO program in September so hopefully that will help when she goes to the same place as Lily for two mornings a week.

Also Lily started soccer practice this weekend and will have practice twice a week for a month. She did great and said she had a good time...


PRAISE:
My mom got an amazing report from the doctor last week. According to her new PET she is free of all living cancer cells! Living being the key word...so they are still continuing chemo to rid her body of those little suckers! Then in November they will re-evaluate and decide whether to do the surgery then.

Let's just pray it stays dead! NO ZOMBIE CANCER!

Oh, and we have finally completed our adoption online training...after a horrible experience with one of them (no names)

So we are just waiting on the word from immigration...waiting...patiently...tapping finger as a type..just kidding

So I will leave you with some Lillisms:

Last night, lying in bed with her daddy.

Don't go daddy!
Why Lily
Because there are monster in my tummy
In your tummy?
Yes, and they live in my tummy and they come out of my nose and they play with me and then they go into my closet and they come out.
Really?
Yes, and then they have to have a tea party
Oh?
Yeah, and they have to have cupcakes, and cookies
Uh huh...Go to sleep Lily.
But Daddy, I'm scared.
Of the monsters that live in your tummy?
Yeah and they come out of my nose and they play with me.................


You get the picture.

Back after a loooonggg summer...

So, good news and bad...

Bad I'll do first:

My mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer in June of 2010. She is currently undergoing chemo every week for 1 year to hopefully treat it...then she will have to take a pill for the rest of her life.

It has been a trying and horrible time. God is good and we constantly have to remind ourselves of that..Sometime we don't understand why things happen...and may never have the opportunity...but they still happen...be it "SIN" or "the Devil" himself...we just don't know.

She has, however refused to allow us to stop the adoption process...So that brings us to a bit of good news...

We are just waiting to receive approval from Immigration and then we will be ready to submit the Dossier..then the real waiting begins...

Lily starts school at ECS next week and then Mia will start a MDO program there in Sept. I am going to use that time to complete my thesis.

It is strange how God leads us to things...My thesis is on grief and trauma through literature....I've read all the books...Elizabeth Kubler Ross and Jon Allen, among many others, that discuss how to deal and cope and with the realization that a loved-one is dying or seriously ill. I've been researching this for 2 years now. Strange and ironic...

Now, to lighten the mood!

We had a nice vacation to Antigua, just Garry and Me...We spent a week relaxing and sunning by the beach and pool. We realize this may be the last opportunity for a vacation for the 2 of us for many years. Hopefully Our next 2 "Holidays" will  be to Bulgaria!