Adoption update (from email)--June 2013

If  delayed hopes automatically produced patience, we'd probably be some of the most patient people around! Just kidding. :-)

Well, here's our latest adoption update (mass email) to explain my previous statement:

Howdy to all our friends and prayer supporters. 

We really do value your presence in our lives and in our adoption journey.  We feel a keen need of your prayers and a definite gratitude for all the times you have asked God’s blessing and guidance in the last couple years. It’s sort of hard to believe, but it was over two years ago (January 2011) that we formally began our quest to start a family.  Hopefully by the time the third anniversary rolls around in January of 2014, our journey of adding ONE child by adoption will be completed.  The way it looks, it could very well be the end of this year or early next year until the adoption is finalized, meaning we will have had our little darling with us for about 16-18 months before she is legally OURS.  We never dreamed it would take this long.  God is SO good to not let us know these kinds of things on ahead!

But you are wondering why it must take so long. Good question.  We just heard from our attorney this morning, and here are the things that need to happen yet:

1) We need to sign a petition to terminate the rights of "J" (Birthmom’s legal husband, but not K’s birthdad, though), and return it to John, our attorney.

2) John will file the petition and get a court date to terminate "J"’s rights, but those dates are usually about 60 days out.  Meaning that if he tries to book an appointment late this month, it will likely be early Sept. till he can get a court date for that. 

3) Either John or Celeste (state lady) will talk to "J"on the phone (preferred) or publish a notice in the paper (which would cost us several hundred bucks) so as to give him a chance to step forward and say he wants K.  This is merely a legality because in order to actually get K, he’d have to prove he was her biological father—and he is most definitely not. 

4) After the court date terminating "J"’s rights (probably early September), John will give Celeste "J"’s termination order, etc., and she can write and file the final adoption report.  Not sure how long she’ll take to do that.
   
5) John can get a court date for finalization, which usually is about 30 days out.

SO! here are the prayer requests:
**Pray that God would give speed to those involved.
**Pray for the court officials to give John court dates as soon as possible and not drag it out needlessly.
**Please continue to pray that the tribe would not step forward AT ANY POINT and disrupt the adoption, but rather give a form of consent. If they show interest now, it could really slow things down even more. It would be BEST and highly desirable if they would write a letter or something stating their approval of the adoption.  Otherwise their rights will be terminated in the finalization hearing, simply by lack of response rather than by consent.  Obviously, it would be preferable to have a consent on file!

If any of you are considering adoption, please don’t let our case disturb or discourage you. This has been an unusual situation, and most infant adoptions are finalized quicker than this!  California is just notoriously slow—the slowest in the country, from what I understand--as well as other aspects unique to our case.

The last month has also held some personal heartache that God allowed and which has drawn us closer to God and each other as a couple.  Pray that as we process both that heartache as well as the seeming lack of progress in Kinza’s adoption that we would become ever stronger in the Lord, in His Word, in His love, and more like Him than we could possibly be otherwise.  That is our desire.

Thank you so much!

Been a while!!!

Well, folks, I haven't been around here in a while! I've been too busy scattering Mommy's dishes over the kitchen floor (the plastic ones that won't break), helping "work" in the garden (mostly trying to eat dirt when Daddy & Mommy aren't looking), playing with my toys, and all the other things 10 month olds like to do.

News for this month:
--I now have THREE teeth: 2 on the bottom and 1 on the top!
--I am crawling like a pro and pull myself up on anything that will support me. I've had a few let-downs, too, such as when I pulled the dining chair on top of myself :-(
--More and more, I LOVE being outside!  When Mommy or Daddy pick me up to take me out, I kick and kick because I'm so happy!
--

So anyway, here are some more pictures.  Enjoy!

 

Don't say dirt is gross.  When's the last time you tried it?

 

Me with some of my friends from church

 

Mommy & me.  We were watching Daddy work. :-)

Mommy thought I'd like to swing, but I'm not too thrilled about even sitting in it yet. Can you tell?

Here I am: 10 months old!  Only two more to go and then I'll be a whole year old!!!!

 

 Mommy's friend, Rachael, came to visit for a few days.  She and I got along very well. :-)

OK, that's all for now... Gotta get back to my toy box!  (Next month I'll show you a picture of it.  Daddy's not quite done with it yet, but isn't it pretty?)

A day in the life of a 9-month-old girl...

Well, I'm NINE MONTHS OLD now!  I'm getting pretty grown-up, don't you think?  I like to pull myself up on things, I've learned to crawl, I'm pushing my first tooth through, and I'm learning how to wave!  I tell you, I'm moving on with life!

So I thought I'd share a few pictures of what I do with myself these days...

Sometimes I play with my toys...

 ...but I really like to play with Mommy's containers.  She has one drawer that she lets me play in.  I try to get into her other cupboards and drawers, but she says that bad word that I don't like: "No, no." But on the whole, I have really good times with Mommy and sing to myself while she works.  She talks a lot to me, it seems.  She sometimes tells me that she was so lonely during the day before I came, but that she's not lonely anymore.  I keep her happy during the day, and then Daddy and I do it together in the evening.  

 Another thing I like to do is be with people.  Mommy calls me a social bug.  On the picture below, my uncle is "Han" is feeding me, and my cousin is watching.

 

And my absolute FAVORITE thing to do is SMILE!  

Well, that's all for this time.  Have a good day folks! 

Been a long time!!!

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted family news on here.  I keep thinking about it, but other things keep taking priority over it. 

Reuben has been largely out of work for quite a while, due to the cold weather and the snow. Thankfully, both are on their way out, and so he should be back to work regularly soon.  We praise God for that prospect.

We are having a garden at our own place this year instead of at Reuben's folks' place 15 minutes away.  But due to the rocky soil, we are having to hand dig it first.  Rather tiring, but fulfilling since we anticipate the pleasure of tilling, planting, observing, and harvesting as the summer progresses.  We are excited about that!  So anyway, yesterday and today we were out there digging.  Today we also purchased some new garden tools.  We'd been using Reuben's parent's stuff, but now we'll need our own.  So, armed with seeds and tools, we should soon be in business! :-)

Speaking of gardening, though--I've started our tomato plants inside like usual, and the first ones are about 2 or 3 inches high and looking good.  We have a 3-seasons porch on our house, and on warm days it works like a greenhouse for our little growing things.  We also have lettuce that we hope to eat long before it will be ready outside.  Mmmm... home-grown lettuce salads... Yum!

  8 months old and as happy as ever!

 Grandpa is trying to help me crawl.  I don't understand what I'm supposed to do yet, but I like him playing with me anyway!

Often when Mommy plays piano, I laugh and coo and sing along.  But she knows good and well that I like to play, too!  One day she fixed me up in a fine little seat (I also eat in that seat) and scooted me up to the piano.  As you can see, I sure had fun!

 Peas and applesauce.  Yum, yum!

 I'm starting to get tired, but I'm still happy. :)

 There are several noises that scare me: when Mommy winds a bobbin on her sewing machine, when I hear Daddy's impact drill and when he blows his nose.  (Maybe there are others, but I don't remember them now.  `Sides, if I told you any more, you might think I'm a sissy--and I'm not!).  I don't know why, but my face just crumples up and I cry till somebody holds me.  But if I sit on Mommy or Daddy's laps while they do those scary things, then it's better.

 Riding high on Daddy's shoulders

 Two of my cousins (and their mommy and daddy and little brother who's my age) came for a visit recently.  Her my girl cousin is feeding me.  I think she had fun, and she did a good job. :-)

***********************************************************************************

 Reuben holding a big rock he dug up from the corner of our garden.

I (Judi) also worked on clearing the dead stuff out of our flower beds.  The daffodils are poking their heads up, as well as the tulips and crocuses.  What a wonderful time of year!

A dear brother went HOME this evening

Our dear bishop, Dale Kulp, departed this earth and is safely HOME as of 6:23pm this evening. We will all miss him sorely, but most especially his wife and family.  Please pray for them and our church as we adjust to a huge hole left by a very godly and well-loved man.

If you want to read about his courageous fight against cancer and leave a message for the family, please visit their Caringbridge site: Dale Kulp 
Thank you!

Seven months old!

A few weeks ago, K sure made us laugh. Before she was born, Reuben's brother and family had given us a little Fisher Price song box which played tunes and bubbled and had lights. We used to use it sometimes to help her in to sleep. Well, one day last week I went to get her after a nap and the song box was playing. I smiled, thought it was funny, and went on my way. Well, the next day Reuben put her to for a nap and she rolled over after he left and pretty soon we heard the songs playing. He went into her room and there she was, turning the music on and off by hitting the big button. So, to aid her going to sleep, he shut off the power and left her room. Well very shortly she started fussing, so he peeked in. There she was, hitting the button and crying because it wasn’t turning on. :-)   Reuben called me over and we got a good laugh out of it. Then we took the box off her bed and she shortly went to sleep. Smart little tyke!

I'm a big girl now--I use a sippy!

I love my daddy!!!

"I helped Mommy in the kitchen for the first time this past Sunday.  Only mystery to me is that just as I decided to REALLY be helpful and reach for the peeler, she put me down on the floor.  She said something about me possibly hurting myself. Now why would she say a thing like that?"

"Mommy and I give each other lots and lots of hugs and kisses.  Mommy just LOVES it when I wrap my little arms around her neck or grab her face and give her an open-mouth kiss.  She says something about it melting her heart.  What does that mean?"

 

Seven month SWEETIE!!!!

Adoption Journey Update--2/18/13 (from email)

Well, well.  Finally we have some positive news to give you all! 

As we mentioned in previous updates, we’ve been frustrated at the apparent lack of action on our attorney’s part.  It seemed like he wasn’t in any hurry.  Well, as it turns out, he HAS been doing stuff.  He’s been trying repeatedly to get in touch with the tribe as well as Bmom’s legal husband—not actually K’s birth father—(whose rights have to also be terminated), but was unsuccessful.  Long story short, we found out that we can go ahead with finalizing the adoption even if the tribe never responds.  WONDERFUL NEWS!!!  They have been silent so long, and we wondered if they'd ever respond.  So, as of our conversation last week with our attorney, if the tribe doesn't respond by March 15^th,  he is going to move ahead with finalization.  Basically what that means is that he will get a court order saying that he does not have to notify the tribe or the other birth-father about the finalization hearing.  Then we will submit the paperwork to the state social worker, she’ll write the report, and then John (our attorney) will get a finalization court date.  Once that date happens, K will be legally ours, and all this waiting and wondering will be OVER! 

John said that if the tribe would have wanted K, they would have been on the phone the minute they heard about her (which was before she was born).  Also, in the highly unlikely event that they took us to court right now to get K, it would look really bad for them that they’d waited this long to take action. 

Bottom line: we are just sooooo excited that the end is in sight!  It could very well take several months yet for the above steps to take place, but by spring K should be legally our daughter.  It’s hard to put into words what that will mean to us.  I think it would be hard to understand unless you’ve walked this road with your own child.  Whatever the case, we are praising the Lord, and so very eager to be done with this whole business!

Praise the Lord!

Judi