kate-o-clock

One of my last posts before I disappeared for a bit was about Evie on Reece’s Rainbow. My parents looked into committing to her, before finding out that someone was already committing to her AND they didn’t qualify for her program. It was sad, but we were at least happy that she wouldn’t spend her life in an institution.

But as the days turned into weeks, Evie didn’t show up on My Family Found Me, and we could only assume that the committing family had backed out for some reason. I checked My Family Found Me every day, excited for the new kids listed there but still feeling sad for Evie.

Until April 3rd. It had been a pretty rough day, and Brian, Anna and I were walking around the used games store. I got a text from my Dad.

“Guess who’s on MFFM”

Not wanting to get my hopes up, I searched for it on my phone, and  there I saw Evie!

And with a beautiful new picture to boot! I am so excited for her and her new family. She just turned 6 in August; I hope that her next birthday will be spent with her family.

Well, after over 1.5 years of being at home with my little dear, the time has come for me to go back to work. It has always been a goal of ours for Brian to go back to school and get his nursing degree. We finally feel like Anna is at the age where she can stay with Grandma while I return to work. So, the job hunt has begun. It is a little intimidating. After almost two years off of work, I feel irrelevant. I’ve spent the last few days fixing up my résumé and finding job listings. I have a feeling I’ll be spending the next several months doing the same thing

For Waiting Wednesday this week, I’m posting about a little girl who’s very dear to my heart. Meet Evie:

Evie is important to me because she was the first child my family tried to commit to on RR. However, due to some difficulties with adopting from Russia (things unique to my family, not general difficulties!) and the fact that another family was committing to Evie, it didn’t happen. We watched and waited for Evie to show up on My Family Found Me, and still she waits This sweet girl just turned 6 years old, putting her in a high-risk group for transfer to an institution.

This breaks my heart! That beautiful smile she has in that picture will extinguish in an institution. She has a calm nature, so she is ready for a family. She has a healthy grant of over $6,000, which makes quite a dent in adoption costs. You can click on her picture to check her out on Reece’s Rainbow–maybe you know her forever family!

After quite a long hiatus, I’m back! Things have been crazy around here, between working on the adoption with my parents, taking care of a toddler that is braver than she is steady, and preparing for Halloween. Now that I’m back (and have my domain registered for another year!) I’ll be resuming Waiting Wednesdays. I’m also considering a bunch of new things that have been bouncing around in my head..

*book reviews: I’ve finally started using my Nook regularly, and I’m up to about 3 new books a week. I’d love to discuss them here!

*monthly updates on Anna, for  my own documentation purposes. I still can’t believe she’s 14 months old and I’d like to have  concrete details to look back on.

*projects: We’re working on making our house more of a home, and that includes a lot of DIY projects I am trying. I’d like to document them here.

New post coming soon, thanks for sticking with me!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

I found this on an adoption blog today, and I love it!

Late on a post–it’s hard getting to write when you have a toddler who has started acting like a newborn all of a sudden! Important post today, though!

Go over to Asking with Faith and read Joanna’s latest post. She’s doing a pretty awesome giveaway for Alex:

See how happy he looks in that picture? Up until yesterday, his listing read Facing Imminent Transfer. Yesterday, it was changed to Help, I have already been transferred! This little boy’s birthday present (yes, his birthday is in a few days) is to be transferred to an institution, where he will be bedridden until he is adopted. No more big smiles from playing in his walker.

Joanna has a great giveaway going on for Alex’s birthday. She has worked so hard as his advocate to find him a family. Go on over to Asking with Faith and check it out–every little bit people donate helps get Alex closer to his family. He needs a home–no 5-year-old should be looking at a lifetime of laying in their bed.

If you feel moved to help, go over and donate and SHARE the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, anywhere you can. In doing so, not only will you help raise money for Alex’s adoption, you may also connect him to the person who brings him home.

As I tried to decide who to write about for this week’s Waiting Wednesday, I came across another blog that does Waiting Wednesday. You can check it out at Held. I HAD to do my post about the same little guy that’s featured in that blog post–once you see his picture, you’ll understand why.

Meet Darren:

Holy cow, look at that smile! This little guy is two years old. Even having spent his whole life in an orphanage, look at how much joy there is in his face. Imagine how much energy and excitement he would have with his own family. Reading his profile on RR, he seems to be in fairly good health, with none of the serious ailments that can come along with a Down Syndrome diagnosis.

He also has an almost $2,000 grant started. While the costs of adoption can be overwhelming, a grant like this is a great jump start to fundraising and other funding opportunities.

Parents who don’t have a lot of time to travel could benefit from adopting from this region; the region often waives the 10-day waiting period for those adopting a special needs child.

I recently started menu planning in order to cut down on how much junk food we eat. Additionally, I hate having to go to the grocery store every day to get the ingredients for dinner. Here is what we are eating this week.

Monday (yesterday): Pizza lasagna (lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, sausage, pasta sauce, and pepperoni, layer and layer and layer)

I actually hate cheese…so I had something else.

Tuesday: Brown sugar chicken

Wednesday: Root beer pork

Thursday: Homemade pizza

Friday: Connie casserole (my mom’s favorite casserole, with ground beef, sliced potatoes, rice, creamed corn, and cream of chicken soup)

As much as I get happy news when I log onto Reece’s Rainbow, too often there is also sad news that just shatters my heart. First up, in good news…

Delia has a home! At 10 years old already, I was so afraid that Delia would never have a family. She has been on my mind since my parents started the process, and I was thrilled to see her on the My Family Found Me page. If you go to the New Commitments page on Reece’s Rainbow, there’s even a new picture of her. The family already has their dossier complete, so they will have their Delia home soon

Maeve, the girl who started this whole journey for us, has been claimed by her biological family.

In sad news:

Dakota, a little boy waiting in an Eastern European orphanage, has been moved to the In Loving Memory page of Reece’s Rainbow. No child should ever have to be listed in such a way. It’s so overwhelming to think of the children who will die waiting for a family. They may spend their whole lives in orphanages or institutions without knowing a family or real happiness. It is because of children like Dakota that advocates and organizations like RR work so hard to find families for these sweet children.

There are 11 children from 2011 listed In Loving Memory. I hope there are no more.

Although I took a few Wednesdays off (read: I forgot, due to never losing baby brain after having Anna), I have a new waiting Wednesday post. A few weeks ago, I made a commitment to be a Prayer Warrior for Reece’s Rainbow. That means that I’m dedicated to praying for one child until she finds her forever home. I’m hoping that it will be a short amount of time, because this sweet little girl needs a home!

Marion

This sweet little girl is listed as Marion on Reece’s Rainbow. There is not a whole lot of information on her, besides the fact that she will be turning 6 in November. She has gray eyes, brown hair, and a calm nature. Marion is in a tricky age range for EE adoptions, in that she is in the age range at highest risk of being transferred to an institution. Once transferred to a mental institution, kids have a very small chance of being adopted. That’s IF they survive long enough to be found by a loving family.

If you notice, Marion is listed as being available to older parents and single mothers. They really want her to find a family! That big sweet smile should be shared with a family who loves her. If you pray, pray for Marion. If you feel moved for her, contact Reece’s Rainbow to discuss adoption eligibility. They are incredibly friendly and helpful–they have held my parents’ hands through this whole process!

Kate