Quilts for Sale

Next weekend, we are having our pictures taken by a photographer. We haven't had a family picture since before Cady was born (exept for the ones taken by Mr. Tripod, which always seem to be unlevel). Normally, I take all of our pictures but decided I'd let someone who knows what they are doing take a few of all of us [she and her husband are also adopting (for the second time), so it's a neat connection]. Hopefully, we'll get some good pictures to put in our profile.

As we wait for our next home study (which should be in the next week or two), I am trying to think of creative ways to make a little extra money. I've made quilts for my kids since they were born and every now & then make them for family/friends so I am going to make a few and see if I can sell them. I've set up an account on Etsy and if they sell, the money will go towards the adoption; if they don't, I'll find someone who can use them.

Individual Interviews: Part 1

Today was my interview with our social worker. She was wonderful as usual and is so easy to talk to, which is a good thing because they have to ask some very personal questions. She was able to meet the kids for the first time. Even with strep, Cady was her usual social self, coming downstairs every few minutes to get attention from our guest. Within the next few weeks (after Danny returns from Guatemala), we will have our 3rd home study which involves parenting/disciplining matters; this should be fairly simple since we already have children and actively discipline them :). We may even combine our 3rd and 4th home study into 1 and then will begin working on our profile (this is what the birth mothers look at while choosing the families they will place their child with). So, for now, things are going smoothly and we look forward to what God has planned for us.

*Last night and into the early morning, several parts of Alabama were hit by tornadoes/severe weather. At this time there are at least 2 known fatalities. Please pray for their families and for those who were injured or have lost their home.

Open Adoption

Danny & I attended our first adoption training today. It was a bit long (9-3) but we learned more about adoption and now have some decisions to pray and think about. The theme of this training was openness of today’s adoptions and what it means to us as potential adoptive parents. I’ll admit Danny & I were afraid of the aspect of open adoption when we first began this process. We assumed the worse could happen and had fears of the birth mother or father being a crazed maniac and kidnapping our child if she or he knew anything about us (maybe we watch too much TV).  We now feel a little more at ease with the idea of a somewhat open adoption after hearing an actual birth mother’s story and the assurance she feels when she receives updates periodically of her child growing and being loved by the family she chose for him. We also heard from 3 adoptive families and each one of them has a different degree of openness. While I don’t expect us to become BFF’s with our child’s birth parent, I am more at ease  with open adoption now that I’ve heard from real people who are living proof that it is doable and not so scary.

Not so side note: One of the adoptive families we heard from today began their adoption in Guatemala a few years ago. Their son was a few months old when they began and unfortunately Guatemala’s government changed its adoption policies leaving the US unable to adopt from Guatemala. While their case was grandfathered in, this couple (4 1/2 years later) has not been able to bring their son home due to the large number of court cases in the new, but flawed, system. This child has lived his whole life in an orphanage while his parents live here in the US anxiously waiting for the day they can bring him home. It broke our hearts to hear this, firstly because no child should be away from their family that long and secondly because Guatemalan’s hold a special place in my and Danny’s hearts (Danny and my parents have been on mission trips there and have formed relationships and a love for the people). They have since adopted another little boy from the US but are still holding hope for their first child to be reunited with them. Please pray for this family as they continue the long journey of bringing their precious boy home.

Monday is my next appointment with our social worker. This will be the first time I’ve had an individual interview with her (Danny’s is Tuesday). My interview will be at our house so she gets to meet the kids. Gage and Cady have wanted to meet her, so I’m sure this will be a good experience for them.

Jesus' Birth

Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy-the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)

The Birth of Jesus Christ

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:1-21)

Merry Christmas from The Parkers

Home Study Numero Uno

This morning was our first home study and while we didn’t know what to expect, I’m glad to say it was fairly painless. Our social worker came over to the house for a couple of hours and asked us several background/relationship/everyday-life questions. She was given the grand tour of our home and seemed pleased that there were no drugs or weapons of mass destruction lying around. She was also impressed with Cady’s room; I informed her that only the grandchildren get the privilege of having a one-of-a-kind painted room by Nana.

We were given a couple of ideas for ways to raise money for this adoption. One suggestion was to take donations from families who have items they do not want anymore and then sell them (the stuff, not the families) in a garage sale in the Spring. If anyone is interested in donating items or if you want to help with organizing the sale, just let us know (jkristinparker@yahoo.com or comment below). I’ve never had a garage sale so anyone with expertise is more than welcome to share some insight.

Next we must create individual autobiographies and set up separate interviews with our social worker (Danny & I have been together for the previous 2). After that, it will be time to create our family profile for the birth mothers to see. Fortunately this is something they have set up online so I don’t have to over-obsess about creating one from scratch.

We truly have been blessed and look forward to what God has planned for us as His adopted children.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:3-10)

The 1st Meeting

We had our first meeting with the social worker yesterday and had a lot of our questions answered. We found out that we will more than likely be adopting an infant. For those of you who know me, you know that this makes me very happy. I would be happy with any child, I know that orphans of all ages need homes, but I selfishly hoped I would have at least one more baby. Since we have two children, we may have more of a wait ahead of us because couples without children are put at the top of the list; however, we're not being too picky as to what is "acceptable" to us, so that may be in our favor.

I feel a little more at ease after hearing how our agency cares for the birth mothers and uses this as a ministry to them; sometimes we forget about them. We (I say "we", but I guess I really mean "I") think about the children and the parents who adopt them, but haven't given much thought as to why these women are having to make a truly difficult decision. Whatever their reason may be, I'm so thankful they selflessly choose adoption instead of abortion. I'm also grateful for those who foster, who open up their homes and families to provide, however brief it may be, a loving and safe environment for children who are waiting for their families.

Our next visit with our social worker will be Dec. 8th at our home. In the next few weeks/months, we have quite a bit to do. We have to create a profile that will be shown to prospective mothers, we have to go to the doctor for our check-ups (I of course am used to going to the doctor and getting blood work done, but Danny may not be so excited about this part), we have to get copies of everything from our marriage certificate to our tax returns, etc. So, The Parker's will be busy, busy, busy for the next few months or years (hopefully months). Whatever may come from this, good or bad, we know that God is control and we are excited to see what He has planned for us.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all." (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)

The Next Step

Today, we received our Child Abuse and Neglect (CANS) forms, finger print cards, and State Police Clearance Letter. The CANS forms are basically a criminal history/background check. The forms were completed online by the two of us, but we have to get them notarized and then will mail them to our social worker and she’ll submit them to Security Biometric Clearing Network (SBCN) (a.k.a. really scary-sounding place). We also have to go to our local police dept or DHR office to get finger print cards processed. 

Thursday November 17th is our first meeting with our social worker. I know it will take a while for a child to be placed with us, but we are excited to get things moving along (hence, this blog, where I feel the need to post every little thing that is happening). 

Side Note: T-Shirts are in; please see me, call me, email me if you’d like to buy one. They are really cute and were designed by our kids, Gage (10) & Cady (5).  $12 for kid sizes, $15 for adult, $20 for XXL. All profits go directly to our adoption account.