A Christmas gift

On Christmas Eve day I went out and got the mail. In it I received one of the best Christmas presents of this year. Our I600a approval.

We applied for the I600a in Jan (?) We went to St. Paul for fingerprints in Feb. I went again in March because I have "defective" fingerprints. : ) We submitted our home study in May. And then we waited. And waited and waited. Nothing. Finally, I emailed our adoption agency and asked what I should do. They asked me if we did our fingerprints. I said yes. I asked them if they submitted our home study. They said yes. Then I asked, "Where did you send it? Our fingerprints are in St. Paul." They responded, "Oh, we sent your home study to Milwaukee. We will resend it right away." About a month later, (Nov) I received a letter from USCIS saying I needed local police clearance since my fingerprints failed. ( I never realized how important those little buggers are!) So, I got that taken care of and finally, received the paper we have been waiting for!

Could this be your son?

One year ago yesterday, I opened an email titled- ?. In that email was a picture of a dirty little boy with a big belly and a sad little face. And: This is Michael. He is four years old. Could he be your son?

I don't know what goes through other adoptive parents heads the first time they see their child, but I was filled with emotions I couldn't put words to. I even asked some friends if there was a "normal" way people, mothers, were supposed to feel. Well, it's been a year now and I still feel many mixed emotions, often.

Yesterday we were at the Peder Eide concert at Trinity Lutheran. We went to hear him sing his new song- Why Wouldn't I. I used to have it on my blog page. We had the chance to talk to Peder after the concert. It was a very special way for me to celebrate, yes, I can use that word, to remember, that one year ago, I saw my boy for the first time.

I just got the info I was waiting for in regards to the water well. In connection with that, I received a message from the pastor who is currently Michael's foster dad. He said, "Extend my greetings to Michael's parents." It was the first time anyone has called us Michael's parents. Joy and sorrow. Hope and longing. All part of the journey of love.

Not alone for Christmas

I found this song last night. I was amazed at how it echos my emotions lately. And, it reminded me that I'm not the only one waiting, loving, longing.

For all of us, here's Merry Christmas - Third Day

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his lifeand prepare a place for us
so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

Bittersweet thoughts of the holiday season

First of all, I don't know why I need to torture myself with catching up on my friends' blogs of happy pictures and memories of their adopted children safe and sound at home with them right before I update my blog which is still about the waiting.

We put up the Christmas decorations on Sunday. The ponderings of my heart were bittersweet. Last year, I had dreams of what this Christmas would be like. I was sure our little boy would be here by then. There is the Christmas stocking I bought last year when we first received Michael's picture. It's hanging by the fireplace with the rest. And there's the Christmas stocking that's not hanging up too.

I made a Christmas ornament with Michael's picture on it and hung it on the tree tonight.

Alaina's teacher told me today that Alaina has been talking about her brothers a lot lately. The one that's in Liberia and the other one's that in heaven. Evelyn is the Star Student next week and she's including Michael in her family too.

Our gifts arrived for Michael this week. My friend still didn't see him smile. Oh how precious that first glimpse of joy in his eyes will be.

Happy Birthday dear one

November 6 was Michael's fifth birthday.

I can think about what didn't happen for his birthday this year or I can dream about what it will be like next year. I choose the latter.

I am really excited that a friend of a friend is going to Liberia next week and will, hopefully, be taking a small package with her for our boy. Some matchbox cars and of course, some books. : )

So, Happy Birthday, Michael. Know that you a loved beyond measuse, constantly in my thoughts and prayers.

Finally... some news

I just heard yesterday that the adoptions that were in process, nine months ago, are being completed in Liberia. So, just set our story aside for a second, I can't imagine these families, many just waiting for a visa in Jan. 09, to be on hold for so long. But, finally, two dozen families will soon get their kids.

OK, back to us. So, basically, we are next in line. As soon as these "in process" adoptions are finalized, we are next to go.

Last weekend, I was at a women's retreat with tons of my dear friends, many asked how things were going for our adoption. I told our story of losing Habakkuk and waiting for Michael many times. It was really soul cleansing. I cried tears that were still stored away. It was a jump start to my heart. I realized that I had stunted loving Michael any deeper b/c of Habakkuk's loss. I "froze" my heart. Sometimes it feels like one of those really late night drives, when you are really tired and have been driving a long time, and you are just sure you are never going to get home. Some days, many actually, it feels like that. If I am honest, it feels like we will never bring our boy home. It's just a dream that will fade away in the light of morning.

Although this weekend hurt, it was good. The kind of pain that reminds you that you are alive. This dream is alive. At just the right time, we will bring our son home.

Thank you for any of you out there that pray for us and especially for Michael.

On this day nothing happened

Have you ever seen one of those tourist site signs that read "On this day in history, nothing happened here" ? That's how I feel lately. Friends ask once in a while if we have any news, we don't. The only thing I've heard recently wasn't helpful. There is some pressure in Liberia, as they finalize the adoption process, to make adoption more difficult. Please pray that won't happened and we will soon know how long until we can bring Michael home.

Diamonds

One of the hardest parts of losing Habakkuk is wondering if we missed God somehow. Adopting two children was not our plan in the beginning. We felt overwhelmed by the thought, but over time it just felt right.

I always thought my wedding ring, with six little diamonds on each side, was a sign that we would have six children someday. Over the past months, looking at my ring would remind me of the children that were coming, our boys.

After Habakkuk died, looking at my ring was painful. Not only because it reminded me that Habakkuk was gone but also the loss of what I thought was a promise.

So, God in His gentle goodness, gave me a new sign. Last Thursday, as I was loading up the bikes for vacation, I notice my ring catching on something. When I looked at it, one of the stones was gone. I looked for it, but didn't find it.

It immediately hit my heart. One of my diamonds is gone. I haven't told anyone this story in person yet, I don't know if I could. But, now when I look at my ring, my heart is filled with sweet sorrow. One of my diamonds is gone.

In Memory of Habakkuk

Last week I was told more about what happened to Habakkuk.

When Habukkuk had malaria, he and Michael were taken to Monrovia so he could be treated. While they were gone, their grandpa died. Families are very important, so the boys went back to their community for the funeral. It was while they were there that Habukkuk got Cholera. I don't think there is any medical facility in their community, so by the time the pastor got there to try to take him to a clinic it was too late.

I also found out that Habukkuk was not the only person to contract Cholera. This community does not have a water well. I assume that means they get the water for all their water needs from an open water source. Our friend will be visiting Liberia at the end of the month. She is going to find out what it will take to put a well in this community. Our dream is to fund raise for the well in memory of Habukkuk.

Great Sadness

This is the email that I sent out yesterday:

Dear friends and family,

It is with tears that I inform you that our little boy, Habakkuk, is home with Jesus instead of with us.

After recovering from malaria, Habakkuk and his older brother, Michael, stayed with a foster family in Monrovia, Liberia. Yesterday, Habakkuk was very ill and was taken to a medical facility. He died there last night of cholera.

Cholera is caused most often by drinking dirty water. In its most severe forms, cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal illnesses known. In a common scenario, the disease progresses from the first liquid stool to shock in 4 to 12 hours, with death following.

Habakkuk was 2 1/2 years old. He lived with his maternal grandparents until recently. He is deeply loved by his family in Liberia as well as our family, as the son and brother we never met.

Please pray for his brother, Michael, and his grandma as they grieve. And pray for us too.

Thank you.
Peggy

Grief

This afternoon I received a phone call that Habakkuk, our two year old, was very ill yesterday and was taking to the clinic/hospital, but they were unable to save him. Habakkuk died last night of cholera.

While we are waiting

I believe our boy is over malaria. However, while he was getting treatment in Monrovia, their grandpa died. Both boys were staying with the pastor that is overseeing their care. The relatives decided that the grandma can't continue to care for the boys alone, so they are now with a foster family. I don't know many details at all. I imagine the benefit is that the pastor is closer and will be able to see them more. But, really, my heart is sad because our boys have lost the only family they know. They don't know there is a mommy and a daddy across the ocean who love them and pray for them. They don't know they have sisters and a brother who talk about them often and wonder what it will be like to have new brothers.

My dear, precious boys,

You are loved. You are wanted. You have a home.
You are not abandoned. We will come for you.
Sleep with peace, play with joy, and smile with hope.

And, as I pray over all my children,
May God shine His face on you and be gracious to you.
May He turn His face towards you and give you peace.
May you love God with all your heart and soul and strength.
May you love Him forever and follow Him all you days.
And may He send His angels to watch over you to guard your heart, your mind and your body.
In Jesus' name.
Amen

Alaina's words

Alaina is sitting on my lap and in her quiet little voice says, "My heart is broken because M and H aren't here yet." Oh, what a sweet girl!

Malaria

I received word yesterday that our two year old son in Liberia has +1 malaria. The pastor overseeing his care has taken him to the clinic for treatment. I'm told +1 malaria is not the most serious level of malaria, but please prayer for his recovery.

And, please pray for me, the long distance mommy. I asked if the boys had mosquito nets about a month ago, but didn't follow up. We could have sent money to make sure. (We will now.) Seriously, malaria kills a child every 30 sec in Africa and a $10 mosquito can prevent it.

Check out www.malarianomore.org. There is a link at the bottom of my blog.

Good news and not so good news

It looks like the new, almost finalized Liberian adoption laws don't have any unexpected surprises in them. That is the good news.

The not so good news is that it also looks like the adoption process will take about 3 months in Liberia. That means that August will be the earliest time we can travel to go get the boys.

Room for 8

Mark and I are making plans to purchase a new vehicle. We need something that will seat all eight of us. After some research, I would really like to find a used Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey or Honda Pilot. My favorite is the Pilot which gets decent gas mileage for an SUV, and has decent space for the stuff 8 people need to travel with. So, keep your eyes open and pray that we find just what we need.

Liberian English

In luau of not having anything new to say, I am pasting this post from another Liberian adoption blog. It has youtube links of conversations in Liberia. I love languages and this is helpful stuff:

The videos are all from the same guy. He obviously likes to deal with relational conflicts, which isn’t indicative of all of Liberian culture, but it does give a window into the types of conflicts that come up within Liberian relationships and how they deal with them. (Yes, we have witnessed a couple of the very vocal exchanges you will see in the video.)What I like about them is that in short clips you get to hear several different people speaking. As you will hear, some Liberians speak a more formal American English that we have an easier time understanding and some speak a stronger Liberian English that gets farther and farther from what we are used to hearing. (On a side note, see if you pick up the humor in each of these sketches.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xpqMOQZcIU
Fatherly Advice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HmriaZn5DQ
Boyfriend Troubles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u6EW6gLRKI
Teacher Student Relationship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ6BWt0GI
A The Civilized People Wedding

Also, I thought it might be helpful to pull what I have written up about Liberian English in our education manual we give to adoptive families. Liberian English vs. American EnglishThroughout the adoption process people may ask you if your children will speak English. The answer is, “Yes, and no.” They speak Liberian English, which is very similar... and very different from American English. Practically, what this means is that the kids will understand a lot of what you say to them, but initially it's much more difficult to understand their Liberian English. Here are some tips for understanding Liberian English:

1. The best thing to understand is that Liberians do not pronounce the end of most of their words. So, if an American says, "Give me some of that apple," from a Liberian it would sound like, "Gi me su u da appu."

2. Also, a very important difference in communicating that isn't verbal but still necessary to understand is that Liberians raise their eyebrows to say, "Yes." They only give a slight nod when the, "Yes," is very emphatic.

3. Obviously, the Liberian accent is unique. This is something that is best understood by listening to anyone from West Africa speak for awhile. If you are adopting a Liberian child, it would be helpful to familiarize yourself with the accent. Get a music CD, watch movies with characters from West Africa, or find someone in your community with a similar accent. The book Blue Clay People is written by William Powers, who worked in Liberia for two years, and it has a lot of Liberian conversations in it. One of the moms who has adopted Liberian boys has a blog in which she often records conversations with them. It is funny, insightful and useful for understanding the dialect. (www.morebridges.blogspot.com) If you are able to go to Liberia to pick up your kids, the experience will give you a great advantage in understanding their language. After listening to the accent from a lot of people speaking, it gets much easier to understand. If you're not able to travel, don't worry. It will just take some more effort on your part to get exposure to the way Liberian English sounds.

4. There are some common pronunciation differences, like Liberians do not make the "th" sound. Instead, it sounds like "d" or "t". For example, "this" sounds like "dis" and "three" sounds like "tree." They pronounce our short O sound like "aw" so "God" sounds like "Gaw."

5. They have different rules for grammar, so the placement of their words in a sentence is often different or the verb form can be different or partly missing. Like "I am finished" in Liberian is "I fini." Or we may say, "Will you take me to school?" and a Liberian would say, "You carry me to skoow?" Or we say, "How are you?" and a Liberian says, "How you feeling?" Also, Liberians tend to use the present tense of verbs regardless of the time an action took place. This is one of the differences in language that will stay with your Liberian children longest.

6. Liberians will often repeat a word for emphasis. "He ha plenty, plenty toys" to refer to someone having an overwhelming amount of toys or "He funny, funny in de he (head)" to refer to someone who seems mentally unsound.7. Americans and Liberians use different words for a lot of common things. Here are a few:
American/Liberian
How are you?/How you feelin? or How you comu on?
I'm okay/TryinI'm hanging in there/Tryin small or I dry ri (I'm dry rice)
throw/chunk (As in "chunk it here")
shirt/blouse (for women) shirt (for boys)
pants/trousers
flip flops/slippers
tennis shoes/sneakers
okay/aw rie (all right)
a lot/plenty
cookie or cracker/biscuit
hot dog/sausagea
little bit/small or small, small
Dad/Pa
Mom/Ma
to take somewhere/carry
move or move over/dress
soccer/football
done/fini (finish/finished)
your family/yaw peepo (your people)
pajamas/nega (nightgown)
bath/bathe
trash can/bucket
braid/plat (plait)
spank/beat
There are also the bathroom terms that are helpful to know when you are asking if they need to use the facilities. :) They say "pee pee" and "poo poo."Here are a few more that came to mind as I watched the videos:
plead/beg
rogue/thief
shame/embarrass
What do you think?/How you loo a da? (How do you look at that?)

Not much news, but a new journal

Liberia is still officially closed as the updates to the adoption process get signed into law.

We scheduled our final adoption education visit for next Thursday, then our home study can be completed.

I have an appointment to go get my yellow fever shot and malaria medication.

And, although I know the pastor visited the boys last week and said they were doing well, I haven't received the new pictures of the boys yet.

I started a journal for the boys this week. Whenever we were expecting a new baby, I always started a journal to record my thoughts and feelings during that time. That journal eventually grew into a journal for that child. So, I began this journal by going through my personal journals and recording any of my thoughts about adoption over the last few years. I left room on alternating pages to hopefully write in some of what was going on in their lives around the same time. I want the boys to know they were always loved and wanted. And that I was thinking of them and praying for them long before I knew how or when they would join our family.

Malaria No More

No news yet about our boys. The pastor that was going to check on them last week was delayed by the death of one of the little boys he was hoping would be helped by the special needs orphanage that will be opening soon. But, it's too late for him. He died of malaria. His parents were too poor to provide a mosquito net that could have prevented him from getting it. Never underestimate what $10 can do.

Check out Malaria No More at http://www.malarianomore.org/ and the video at the bottom of my blog.

To a child in Africa, the buzz of a mosquito may be the scariest sound of all.

Adoption Education

We met with our social worker from Catholic Charities yesterday to go over the material we have covered so far in our workbook. I am trying to get through that thing so our home study can be completed. One more meeting and we are done!

Oatmeal?

I made my way back to the USCIS office in St. Paul again. I received a notice last week that they were "unable to process" my fingerprints. Fortunately, it's spring break week and I didn't have to take off work again and my brother in law was gracious enough to watch the kids.

However, when my fingerprints were taken again, the lady said they looked like "oatmeal". Not a compliment, I think. She even mentioned ladies from third world countries often have beautiful fingerprints, must be the chemical we expose ourselves to. Humm. Something to think about. Nice to know if I commit any crimes, my fingerprints won't give me away.

So, I had to swear under oath that I am Peggy Halvorsen. Now, our I600a application should be on it's way....

Success!

Well, my hunt for beautiful brown dolls is over for now. My girls all have a new baby to love. It's been delightful to see them play with their new dolls.

I found two at Kmart. They had a nice selection. One is from Saver's. And the baby doll that Grace is holding is from Toys R Us in Brookfield. It was even on clearance cause the box was beat up.

I am still looking for Loving Family dolls though.

When Love Takes You In

Here are the lyrics to the new song I posted. I always cry when I hear this song, now more than ever.

When Love Takes You In
by Steven Curtis Chapman

I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you S
o one more night you cry yourself to sleep A
nd drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

Update soon

The pastor in Liberia who is overseeing the care of our boys will be visiting them this week. We are hoping to get an update on how they are doing and maybe some new pictures. Liberian adoptions are still closed, but I am told the government is making progress and should be ready to reopen soon.

As we prepare our children for their new siblings, I've been looking for ethnic dolls, anything from baby dolls to Loving Family dollhouse dolls. I can't find any good deals on-line. Anyone out there have any ideas? Or other ideas of fun ways to prepare kids for adoption?

Fingerprints done!

Well, it was an interesting day. Last night, we were concerned that the roads would be too bad to travel, so we were glad to find that everything got plowed.We started off by dropping our school age kids at a friend's house an hour before school started so we could get on our way.

We made really good time, including a little traffic once we got on 494. We arrived at the Bloomington office 15 min early, only to find out that we weren't supposed to go to the Bloomington office. Our appointment was at the St. Paul office. And although the correct address was on our form, the address and directions from the website was for Bloomington. We got some hasty directions to the other office, packed Alaina back in the van and prayed we could still get in for our appointment. I tried to call the office on my cell phone, but as I've said before, calling government offices is a jungle. Finally, I did get to a real person and she said if they could still get us in, they would and if not we would have to reschedule. Thanks, very helpful. With our best guess and God's help, we arrived at the St. Paul office 20 min. late.

We were relieved that we were able to get in for our appointment with no trouble and celebrated at a nearby Perkin's when we were done. As soon as Alaina's mac n cheese was served, she said she was going to spit up, I, foolishly, didn't think she knew what she was talking about and she promptly delivered blue blast (cool aid/sprite combo) all over her food. It was gross, but funny because her nostrils were blue because it spewed out that way too.

One other interesting thing, when I got my fingerprints, the lady asked me what I do. I told her I'm a mom and daycare provider. She said, "Oh, you have really worn fingertips." I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Later, Mark said, "Oh, she told me I have nice hands." (He was just kidding.) : )

However, the most exciting news of the day I didn't find out until tonight. My good friend, Mary, received news that they passed court in Ethiopia, which means the two sweet, adorable kids that she and her husband are adopting are officially and legally theirs forever. To learn more about their story go to:
http://www.loveisgreaterthanfear.blogspot.com

An uncommon life

Not everyone is delighted that we are adopting two little boys. Some of our family are concerned about our decision. They hope that we have really considered all the challenges we may encounter. And although there is no way of knowing what is ahead, Mark and I believe it's worth the risk. The joy and delight of welcoming our little boys into our family, our belief that God is bigger than any problem or challenge ahead, our commitment to love over fear compel us. Here's an awesome little video that explains our decision to live a crazy love, uncommon life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ

Do what you are told

Yesterday I received another notice from USIC (I think that’s what it’s called), but the date for our fingerprints was different. Have you ever tried to call a government office to talk to a real person? Wow, leave it to the government to make things difficult. My first attempt ended with the automated system hanging up on me. Whatever! I don’t even know what I did the second time but I did eventually get to a “real” person. When I told her I got two appointments on different days, she said, “Sweet!” Huh? She said, “Oh, that’s great! They bumped your appointment up to a closer date.”
Me- What if Sat works better than Friday for us?
“Well, you better go to the earlier one, they probably filled the later one.”

So, now we are arranging plans to make a trip to Bloomington on Fri. Feb. 27.

Passport and Fingerprints

Whoohoo! We got our fingerprint date for the I600 in the mail today as well as my passport! Our date in Bloomington for fingerprints is Sat. Feb. 28. I'm really glad neither of us have to take off of work to go.

Where will we put them?

Well, thank God for our new house! We just moved into a very nice four bedroom home in June. When we moved in, the girls decided they all wanted to share a room, so we moved them into the largest room, which has a little extra room attached to it. I don’t know if that room was supposed to be a bathroom that never got finished or a nursery or what, but they used it for a play room. So, recently, Evelyn expressed interest in having her own room. I decided that maybe that would be a good birthday gift since she is turning nine March 17.

Last weekend I began moving stuff out of the room that had been empty. I decided to move the crib (that I use for daycare) into the toy room and eventually, we would switch the little girl room with the mom and dad room so when the boys come home, they can stay in the little room (former playroom) near us. But, for now, I’m working on Evelyn’s room. We went to Menard’s on Sat. to look at paint. By the way, I hate painting, but I love my daughter. Oh, and I’m terrible at picking out a good color. So, I grabbed some options and called a friend to help. But, while we where there, we found a horse boarder. This boarder has Evelyn’s name written all over it! It was perfect for her, and as it turns out, is perfect for the room too. The room is currently a light yellow color and matches the pastel colors in the horse border perfectly. Ahhh, no painting! It only took me a half hour to put up the border and Evelyn slept in her new room last night!

Double Blessing

On Dec. 13, 2008 I received an email with a question mark in the subject line. I opened the email and was greeted with “This is Michael. He is 4 years old. Could he be your son?”

We had just begun the adoption process at the end of Nov. after years of waiting for the right time. I wasn’t anticipating a referral any time soon, so this was a surprise. Attached to the email was a picture of a little boy. That picture has been on our refrigerator ever since, even though we promised ourselves we would not get attached. As I inquired more about Michael, I learned that his paperwork isn’t through the government yet and that he has a half brother. I don’t know how you are supposed to feel when you see the picture of your son, but I felt confused. I actually emailed some of my friends that had adopted or were in the process of adopting to ask how you know that a child is supposed to be yours.

If you have read the beginning of our story, you know that in the spring of ’05 I had a sense that there was a baby boy in Africa that was supposed to be my son. This little boy was a baby at that time. I think what threw me was that he had a sibling. Of course I immediately began to wonder if we could adopt them both and I felt overwhelmed. Now, if you know me, I am not easily overwhelmed. I love a challenge and often find an easy life boring. But, this felt too big for me. I decided to believe that maybe this little boy did not live with his brother and maybe they weren’t really that close and maybe someone near Eau Claire would adopt his brother and we could stay in touch. So, that’s where we left it until Feb. 3 when I received the full report on the two boys. When I saw their pictures and read their story, I knew I could not be the one to separate them. Either we would choose to adopt them both or allow someone else to adopt them.

I had delayed sending in the I600 (immigration form) until we had saved up a little more money and I was preparing to send it in that week. On that form it asks how many children you are planning to adopt. A couple of days before Feb. 3, I wrote down that we would adopt 2 children. I thought, “Well, if there is any chance that we might adopt two I better write it in now.” So, when Mark and I got this information, I had already been thinking about it. I don’t know what changed in me, but this time I didn’t feel overwhelmed or scared. I actually hoped that we would be able to do it. As well as sending in the I600, I had also gathered up the rest of the documents we needed for the home study. I send them in with a note that we would like to talk about adopting two children. Our social worker got back to us and set up a time to talk. Honestly, I was nervous about it all week. But, Thurs. Feb. 12 our social worker agreed to approve us for two little boys!

I was so excited, I wanted to call someone and tell them, but honestly, I wasn't sure many of my friends and family would be excited too. So I really didn't tell many people right away. But, I did have the chance to share the story briefly in church on Sunday. Yesterday, Mark mentioned it on the radio. So, I firgured it was time to tell the whole story of this crazy journey of love that we are on.

We're in the Leader Telegram!

Interesting how things happen, but besides pursuing a family dream of adoption, Mark and I are also dreaming of developing a spiritual community. This dream is featured in the religion page today.

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-FEATURES.asp?id=BJ5HN8IDIBL

Not only that, but it was Mark's turn to write a column for Faith Matters, which also appeared in today's paper.

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-FEATURES.asp?id=BJ6479FVID1

The Halvorsen family

My husband, Mark, and I married Oct. 17, 1998. We have four amazing children living with us now, and two more on the way.

Our children:

Evelyn, almost 9, smart, sensitive, contemplative girl. She likes things organized and sensible. I often know what she is thinking, since we think a like. Evelyn loves animals, especially horses.

Dawson, 7 years old. He is ALL boy! He loves to wrestle and play at his friends' houses. He likes computer and video games. He is also an excellent reader. He has a very tough and tender side. We call him Tender Warrior.

Grace, 5 years oldShe is my sunshine girl. She is enthusiatic and excited about life. Sometimes she can hardly contain herself and I'm not sure she can talk if her hands are restrained. Grace is a snuggler and gives great hugs.

Alaina Joy is a 3 years old princess. She wears dresses or skirts every day. She is cute and bossy, definately the loudest of the bunch, which probably helps when she's also the smallest. Alaina is also a snuggler and is often seen with her yellow blankie.

We also have two other little boys that we will learn more about soon. They are currently living in Liberia, West Africa. We hope to bring them home as soon as we can.

Our Adoption story

Mark and I have talked about adoption since we got married. We would have a few kids and adopt. We knew our fourth child was our last biological child. While I was pregnant with Alaina, our fourth child, I had a strong feeling that there was a little boy in Africa that was our son. I was at church at the time and I went out to the lobby. I saw Greg and Kathy Smith there and told them about the feeling I was having. They prayed with me.

Over the next year or so, every once in a while I would have that sense that our son was in Africa and I would pray for him. A few years later, Mark did an adoption Front Page show for Adoption Awareness month in Nov. I remember that night, sitting on the couch with tears in my eyes, while he told me about how the show had impacted him and wondered if it was time for us to seriously consider adoption.

After the holidays, I began researching adoption agencies and types of adoptions. After a short seach, it just didn't seem like it was the right time. We continued to learn more about adoption and asked questions from people who had adopted. We investigated foster care adoption, special needs adoption, and foster care. In the spring of 2008, I thought it was time for us to adopt. I begun filling out the home study application and gathering the many, many documents. Then, Mark suggested that perhaps this was the time for our family to move to a bigger house. Four growing active kids in a 3 bedroom ranch was getting a bit crowded. However, I could not pursue adoption and moving at the same time. So, I turned my attention to preparing our house to sell. It's a longer story, but the short story is that God blessed us with a big 4 bedroom house two blocks away from our previous one.

In the meantime, Mark and I decided to team up with some friends to put on an event to promote adoption. It grew into Hope for Forgotten Children. This one day event offered three tracks: Prospective Adoption, Post Adoption and Orphan Care. It was really exciting to be part of planning this event. And we were pleased that the event broke even. This encouraged us to begin planning for the next event the coming year. At our follow up meeting in Nov. after the event was over, our friend told us about how we could do a private adoption in Liberia, West Africa. As she spoke, I wondered in my heart if the door was finally opening for us to adopt. Mark and I talked that night and we both felt like this was a path we should pursue.
I pulled up the application I worked on earlier that spring, updated it and the other paperwork and sent it off to our adoption agency. We planned to be in the Milwaukee area over Thanksgiving. Amazingly, our social worker agreed to meet with us Friday and Saturday to complete our intervere process. Graciously, Mark's mom and stepdad took care of our kids while we were gone.

Since then, there has been more paperwork to fill out and more copies to make. Our social worker came to our house in December to do the home visit. I sent in the form for the I600a and filed for a passport last week.We began our 16 hours of adoption education a couple weeks ago. So, after years of waiting, in a few short months we are on our way.

Me? A blogger?

OK, I've heard about blogs. I've read a few. Lots of my friends have them, but somehow they seem a little scary to me. Can I figure this out? Will it look stupid? What do I have to say that anymore wants to read? Well, swallow all that and let's go.