November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. Adoption is a subject close to my heart. It runs in my family you might say. My great-grandfather McNeill adopted two boys. One of those boys later took in my dad when he was a 10 year old boy. I have several cousins who are adopted (too many to count). My brother Jim and his wife Carolann adopted four kids from foster care. My other brother David and his wife Patti has adopted a cousins baby boy by direct adoption. I adopted my last three children from kinship foster care.  We helped my second cousin's birth mother get to the hospital for his delivery and she stayed with my parents for two weeks prior in case she went into labor without a phone. My cousin Denise and her husband Phil have adopted all three of their kids using agency adoption. As I was walking out of a program for my older daughter I was given just minuets to witness to a man, he and his wife were thinking of adoption. I often get asked about my adoption. Usually because these people are thinking about adoption but don't know where to start. I recommend Bethany Christian Services who helped us with our last adoption. There are also several state websites that show kids who available for adoption from foster care. Adoption is a great way to make your family complete. If you are thinking about adoption just ask the good people at Bethany Christian Services here in Michigan.

Quote for the day

 I found this quote today it is one of those things people always say you know ..."the kids are so lucky to have someone to love them"...no I reply it is me who is lucky I get so much love from those little ones. Well here is a quote that sums it up really well.

 

John Paul II said...

To adopt a child is a great work of love. When it is done, much is given, but much is also received. It is a true exchange of gifts

Adoption aniversary

September 11th (2009) is a happy day for us it marks the end of foster care and our last adoption was finalized. We try to mark it like and anniversary and make it a happy day. I didn't say anything to the kids this year. It is just special to me, like a secret I hold in my heart. I don't want to emphasize the being adopted thing to the kids. I still want to make it a happy day for all of us. Both Pity-pat and Tippy-toe enjoyed making the applesauce with me. Little man was so happy washing the apples. I love my family.

Hopes, Dreams, Plans

Today Aaron and I discussed our hopes plans and dreams for the three littles. It was interesting to see where we are on the same page and how we differ in our assessment of the kids progress. We both agree it is not in the kids best interest to put them in public school! Tippy-toe will never be able to go to public school. We both know this now. His progress is amazing but emotionally he is still delayed.Even though our goal has been to get them ready for public school. Time to change our goals. I have been invited to a seminal by MSU through my adoption agency. The timing couldn't be more perfect. It is in october so Aaron can't go with me but I still feel I should go alone.

National Adoption Day

Today I want to celebrate the wonderful thing that happened in my life. As you may have read in my earlier posts Pitty-pat, Tippy-toe and Little-man are all adopted. It was the gauntlet of adoptions. See the highlight words and get your score cards out as we went through every kind of adoption but foreign adoption.
     The kids are all my relatives as my second cousin is their birth mother[relative adoption]. We have an open adoption which means she can see the kids and I send her pictures and there are occasional phone calls (she initiates these contacts). The kids were in foster care when I got them so I had to go through the Pride training to have them until the adoption was final. I was fingerprinted and had a criminal background check as part of the foster care adoption. The adoption was outsourced to an independent agency Bethany Christian Services.[agency adoption] At one time I counted we had 9  caseworkers all at the same time. It was a very difficult and frustrating 3 1/2 years of my life. I gave up all privacy, something that was very important to me. I spent ***everyday off ***for ***3 1/2 YEARS*** with a social worker, therapist or at a doctors appointment when we didn't have a monthly court date set that day. Sometimes we had two or more in one day just to fit them all in. The kids were 4 and 5 when they came to live with me.[older adoption] Then the baby came to live with us when he was just two weeks old.[infant adoption]  My family felt like they were put through hell by DHS. I understand-- but there are ways the process could be improved upon.
     It was worth it. We all love these kids. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. There are a few things they don't tell you about foster care adoption but that's another post in itself.

If God calls you to adoption do not be afraid. Everything changes when you adopt. It is a life altering experience. It is a roller coaster ride. It is real life. LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST EVERYDAY!