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BOARD: Topics of Interest for Adoptive Families » Other Topics for Adoptive Parents
TOPIC: Waiting couples wanting to chat with each other
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| Posted By | Message | ||
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| Heather | Posted: Jul 18, 2005 10:16:51 PM We just returned from the beach today and I was SOOOOO EXCITED to read about Dawna and Jan's news.....CONGRATULATIONS!!! YEAH!!! I will pray for all of you ! Please keep us posted as much as you can and feel wise to post. Can you tell us when the baby will be born? Did you get to speak with the birthmother? Wendy, thanks so much for continuing to share with us. I think it will be wonderful to share our journey together! You asked specifically how I am doing with the wait time... It is a rollercoaster ride, but to be very up front, I try to continually give it back to God. I only want His will for my life and for my family, and I know He has a plan. His timing will be perfect and I know He has "the right match" out there. I figure I have been able to pray for our future child and birthmother now for longer than she will have even known she was pregnant. I try to pray for all of the individuals who are and will be involved in this baby's life, etc. So the bottom line for us is that our faith is our stronghold. Now remember, I did say it is a rollercoaster ride at times too though, so my own desires, etc. do come into play.... :) For example, when people inquire about our status - sure, we all thought it would happen quicker... When you see, hold, or smell a newborn baby.... For us, when our 5 1/2 yr. old daughter wants a sibling and it's tough to explain, although I have to say, we have been very open with her about the process and she is doing great overall..... (I will admit too, the wait time has been easier for me because we do have one child already.) Sorry if I rambled on and on. To add to our birth announcement discussion... I think we are going to print our own on nuetral cardstock as well. I might use colored vellum with the baby's name printed on it and attach it on top with ribbon??? So far we like the phrase: "From His loving arms to ours, we have another child to love..." | ||
| Wendy | Posted: Jul 13, 2005 09:20:34 PM Dawna!!! Congratulations. I just can't even imagine how excited you must be(along with a million other feelings). I will be praying for you and the birthmother. I hope this can be a time of wonderful memories for you. As for me I am wondering if I will sleep a wink several days after that call : ) Thanks so much for letting us know it gives the rest of us lots of hope. Wendy | ||
| Wendy | Posted: Jul 12, 2005 10:13:07 PM Heather, I too have been thinking about birth announcements. I am into scrapbooking and have also made shower invitations etc. I was online the other day looking at annoucements and there are some really nice ideas out there. I was thinking about maybe going ahead and cutting out the cardstock in a neutral color and then adding gender appropriate ribbon etc. I have a list of other projects I am working on right now, but if I run out of things to do I am going to get serious about it. I am trying to decide if making them adoption specific is the thing to do or not. Any thoughts? A lot of the sites online had adoption specific ones and a lot of regular ones that would have been great as well. How are you doing with the waiting? I am trying to stay really busy and almost wearing myself out working : ) Buy hey then at least everything will be done and I can sit and enjoy our miracle. Wendy | ||
| Dawna and Jan | Posted: Jul 12, 2005 09:21:52 PM Hello all! So happy to see the site is still visited. We received that AMAZING PHONE CALL on July 6th! Now we will begin that wonderful journey. Please keep us and this beautiful birthmom in your prayers as we have several months to go. We are just so excited and feel so blessed! Keep hanging in there, ladies....that call will definitely take your breath away! All our best, Dawna & Jan | ||
| Heather | Posted: Jul 11, 2005 10:03:52 PM Hello again Ladies! Here's the latest with us...I was able to follow up on exposure w/AA. Things seem to be going well and about the same in that catagory. I decided that another good thing to work on might be to start checking out the adoption oriented birth announcements. I would like to create our own that can be personalized once we know more about our baby. I thought it might be something nice to have to work on in the hotel room if we have to stay any length of time, etc. Like I mentioned earlier, we have been waiting nine months - and I realize it could be another nine before being matched... But, it never hurts to think about it and have something to work on related to the adoption. Hope to hear more from you all. | ||
| Wendy | Posted: Jul 08, 2005 11:12:53 PM I am so glad someone stepped out and started this topic. I really like to hear from other people about the wait time etc. It is one thing to have someone at the agency tell us it will happen and another thing to hear it from other adoptive/potential adoptive families out there. We have been active now for 3 1/2 months. I just told my Mom the other day that I have a list of things I am going to do until... If they don't all get done that is wonderful, but it kind of leaves me feeling like I am not quite ready yet and that feels a lot better than desperately wanting it to happen. We have been told that we have been high exposure every month since being activated. It is amazing to me that everyone gets high exposure with this agency. That is a lot of potential birthmoms. I am just so thankful we found AA. I don't think there is another agency out there this wonderful. Keep talking everyone!! I am loving this : ) | ||
| MK | Posted: Jul 06, 2005 07:48:13 PM Thanks for all the kind words. It is so good to hear from you all on your experiences. I wish you all the best of luck through this journey to start or further your families. I will keep looking at this site to hope to see that you all have been matched! Good luck and best wishes! MK | ||
| Heather | Posted: Jul 03, 2005 11:05:59 PM Kerri, Thanks for the encouragement! I am so happy for you and it is always great to hear success stories and know it does happen! :) | ||
| Heahter | Posted: Jul 03, 2005 11:00:49 PM Hi Ladies! Wow, it is so refreshing to see people still writing. This message board is starting to become what I had hoped it would be for all of us....a place to chat and get to know each other a little bit along the way.....Thanks to everyone who has read and posted messages! It is so much fun to read each others profiles and get to know each other a little bit better. My husband's name is Joel, and I believe I am still the only Heather listed under "Choose an adoptive Family". Feel free to read our profile and get to know us a little bit better. I would also love to read any of your profiles if you are willing to share first names. Since my husband has some extra time at home during the summer, we are now starting to take one room at a time and see if we can get rid of some items, organize, rearrange, etc. All of this will be wonderful to have done before we have the baby arrive. Our daughter, Allison, has been having fun showing off the nursery to her little friends again. We try not to put a lot of focus on it, due to the fact it could still be a long wait, but it has been neat to see her play with her babydolls in the crib, etc. | ||
| Kerri | Posted: Jun 29, 2005 11:52:24 AM Hi Girls, Believe me...the wait is sooooo worth it!!! I know that it seems long but if you TRY to go on with your everyday tasks...the time will go by. I remember David and I getting frustrated with the wait time. I just kept saying... I wonder when it will happen. As soon as I let go of trying to "guess" when it would happen, we were matched 2 months later. I can't wait to hear your miracle stories. Please keep in touch with what is going on! Smiles, Kerri | ||
| Dawna | Posted: Jun 28, 2005 10:39:46 PM Welcome aboard the "waiting room!" We have been "in waiting" since the end of February. I know what you are saying about not knowing what to do to fill your time! I recently left my job of 22 years, determined to concentrate on the wonderful things in life....remodeling our house into a dream home....ugh! What a mess! Ha! And while the workers slaved away in my now beautiful kitchen and baths, I was out shopping for baby furniture, car seats and strollers....I spent my quiet evenings bidding on carseats and baby bottles on ebay, and am now we are completely ready for that little sweet soul to find our family! My husband and I spend evenings teasing about baby names and burprags and everything in between. He is in for such a wonderful experience, being a daddy for the first time of a newborn! Our grown kids are getting excited, as well; anticipating babysitting (like I would let that happen!?! I know who raised them! Ha! Kidding, kidding, kidding. They are awesome.) Seriously, though, just try to fill up your time with things you enjoy. Read a book on adoption, journal your rollercoaster ride, scout out ebay, shop for baby clothes, or just take nice long hot baths....because before you know it, that luxury will be a thing of the past! Best wishes on your wait....keep writing and tell us what you are doing and how its going! Hi Heather, hows the wait coming for you? de | ||
| Heather | Posted: Jun 28, 2005 09:07:28 PM Hi MK! I figured we probably wouldn't have any new remarks since our topic is on page 2 now... Thanks for writing. To answer your question, we have just finished our 8th month of waiting. It is a rollercoaster of emotions at times. But I really enjoy trying to talk with others who are waiting and who have been matched! After our years of trying to maintain another pregnancy and then the piles of paperwork, we changed our focus onto the nursery somewhat. We have things ready, but not too ready, if that makes sense. We have the crib set up, changing table, diaperbag, bottles, some pampers, etc., but I know when we get matched, I will want to do more. I think I was hoping we would be matched within weeks of going active, so I have had to level out my expectations and emotions. It was hard to make any plans without thinking about "what if we get called...", but Amer. Adopt. has been good about encouraging us to not let our selves get paralized while waiting. Now it is easier to plan whatever and if we do get a call while we're away... we will work it out at that time...We rely on God and knowing His timing is perfect, even if it's not what we think our desired timing would be. You may be one to get the match right away and that IS exciting too. Keep us posted. | ||
| DP | Posted: Jun 28, 2005 07:49:34 PM This is a great topic - how is Heather making out? What is her husband's name so we can see her profile? We just 'finished' ALL of the Steps and are about to be "Activated" - so we are about to start the 'waiting' period. This may sound weird - but we are so relieved at the moment to be "done", that we are looking forward to 'not' focusing on adoption for a little while - but that doesn't mean we won't JUMP every time the phone rings!! We also have a list of projects to do around the house - as someone else already mentioned. Hopefully it will be well "worth the wait" for everyone - after all it is probably less than a year of waiting in exchange for a lifetime of love! Good Luck Everyone!! DP | ||
| MK | Posted: Jun 25, 2005 02:25:52 PM Hi everyone, I just found this topic and it felt so good to read all your comments. My husband are finished with all of our home study and profile information and are awaiting the proof of our profile so that we can get active with AA. I do love AA, they are all so nice and helpful and have moved things along quickly. I am starting to worry about the waiting period. I have been so busy with infertility stuff (up until we decided on adoption) then adoption paperwork was overwhelming. Now it is all done, what do I do now? How did you adjust at first for the wait. The not knowing is hard-will it be 6 months, will it be 2 years? Has anyone been waiting longer than 6 months? Thanks for the postings. MK | ||
| Kerri | Posted: Jun 13, 2005 07:51:21 PM Hey Heather, Our adoption story is on the American Adoption's website. I would love to chat with you... we had such an incredible experience. We could have never asked for anything more! | ||
| Heather | Posted: Jun 07, 2005 11:09:37 AM Wow Dawna...The one thing I can say is that when we have adoption opportunities to consider or one that is close to home, it does help remind us that our turn will come with the match that was meant for us. It has also helped me look around and consider what else I want to get done before the baby comes.. :) | ||
| Heather | Posted: Jun 04, 2005 09:26:26 PM Thanks Kerri for your words of encouragement! I would love to hear more about your exciting story if you want to share! I think we will probably have to type in a new topic heading in order for people to keep seeing our chat... | ||
| Dawna | Posted: Jun 03, 2005 04:35:04 PM Wow, we have had an incredible week! Last weekend we were exposed to two incredible adoption opportunities. One involving a single baby in my hometown, with the potential for the parents knowing all about us; the second, the opportunity to be shown to a birthmother expecting twins, through the agency! I can tell you, there was little sleep as we contemplated each opportunity. I have never heard my husband's voice go so high as when he repeated "twins"!!! Since the situation was not one we had originally anticipated, we regretfully chose to pass on the twins. The other siutation is far from a positive match. I am just amazed at how many situtations are out there when you open your eyes and make inquiries. Just another reason to keep the faith. I firmly believe that each of us will parent the sweet souls we are meant to parent. Hope you all are having a great week! de | ||
| Kerri | Posted: May 30, 2005 08:03:05 PM Girls, Just stay excited! My husband and I were activated for 6 months and then that AMAZING phone call came.... nothing like we had ever experienced before!!! We have been blessed with the most beautiful and precious daughter! I am so excited for you all! | ||
| Heather | Posted: May 25, 2005 09:45:59 AM I love being able to talk to others waiting! We just had an interesting situation happen.... I have been praying for God's perfect timing and for Him to prepare all of us for the time we are chosen to adopt... Well, one of my former H.S. students, who is in college now, came to see me last week. Long story short... She HAD a baby and was getting ready to meet with a possible match for her baby. Wow. Initially I wished she would have allowed us to adopt her child. We cried together and talked a lot. She just found out we were waiting, after the baby was born. She's been away at college. She also thought it would be too hard having the baby so close and with us, being one part of her support system through all of this. I do agree it would have had it's challenges being sooo close and knowing each other well, etc. But what a bag of mixed feelings. Anyways, the long and short of it. I do feel God is using this to better help prepare us for when it is our turn and I praise God that we can be there to support my couragous young friend! | ||
| Dawna | Posted: May 23, 2005 06:05:42 PM Sounds like all of us are doing our best to keep life moving along. I have grown children so I know what all the kiddie noise in the house is ~ and what a wonderful time you all will have with little ones about. I am so looking forward to having a baby in the house again! I can hardly wait to see my husband, who has never had children, father this child. Just thinking about it makes love bubble in my heart because he is going to be an awesome daddy. It is going to be an incredible day when we get that call ~ and it finally hits him that "this is for real!" He is living for that phone calI! I look at name books and have ordered baby things. My daughters and I go on weekend shopping trips to outlet malls to look for baby things and enjoy the moms and dads pushing strollers and interacting with their little ones. What a joy to see! We have been active 4 months with high exposure, one can only hope it will happen soon. Every time I see a new family with an adoption announcement I just want to jump up and down, I am so happy a little one has been placed with a very loving and caring family! The waiting is hard, but just as in raising biological children to adulthood, the outcome will be incredible and well worth it for us all. I hope you all are having a great week, and that your match day will come soon. de | ||
| Wendy | Posted: May 14, 2005 09:45:11 PM I to have been wishing to speak to other adoptive parents. It is fun to watch the website, but would be so much more meaningful to hear the stories behind some of the matches. My husband and I have been married 8 1/2 years and have been active with american now for two months. This will be our first child. We just build our new home and I am spending this waiting time decorating and running my in home child care business. We are very excited, but I am trying to prepare myself to wait awhile. Good luck to everyone and I would love to continue this chat!!! Wendy | ||
| tina b | Posted: May 14, 2005 02:01:50 PM this is such a great resource! my dh and i are just in the begining stages, just starting our homestudy. i was wondering if any of you have run into any rules regarding how long has to pass between infertility treatments and adoption proceedings. you know, i used to think that "2 week wait" during infertility sessions was torturous......HAHAHAAAAHAA! one of the many virtues i have learned is patience. | ||
| Heather | Posted: May 11, 2005 11:17:43 AM While we wait.....Our daughter is about to finish preschool and preparing for a dance recital in June. She will be entering level 3 swimming lessons at the end of the month and wants to try out gymnastics during the summer. My husband is finishing up coaching another year of H.S. Track and will begin teaching summer college before his H.S. students are done for the summer. I keep myself busy with a little bit of everything...occasionally substitute teaching when Allison has a playdate, Creative Memories Consulting, cleaning, belonging to a ladies book club at church, helping teach Sunday School, etc. I have been enjoying the flowers of spring and need to plant some more annuals. I enjoy filling our calendar with little day trips and vacations, as well as enjoying our "Pajama Days" at home. We hope to do a lot of camping and some biking this summer too. | ||
