Our Adoption On Washington

The Sounds of the Adoption Process.

Do you hear it?

My fingers tapping.

The tick tocking of the clock.

That's called the sound of waiting.

That is currently where we are at in our adoption process of our Burkinabe princess or "Mia" as we call her.  Will Mia be her name? Only God knows, but until then it was much easier to give her a name so our "Mia" it is. 

At the end of October we completed our home-study process. This process took much longer then our non-hague home-study but we are thankful that it only took 3 months, some states have a much longer process. We mailed off our immigration approval paperwork the first of November and received the approval the first of January.  We had a few issues with the approval in which the officer put the wrong year on the approval and it kept arriving in the mail smeared with ink. We were finally successful in getting a clean, correct copy after 2 tries and a 2 week delay.  

Our dossier in now in the hands of the Burkina Faso government.  It has been since January 24th. 

Some people have asked where we are at in the process.  Here is the 6 step process to adopt from Burkina Faso.

1. Choose an Accredited Adoption Service Provider
2. Apply to USCIS to be found eligible to adopt
3. Be matched with a child by authorities in Burkina Faso
4. Apply to USCIS for the child to be found eligible for immigration to the United States and receive U.S. agreement to proceed with the adoption
5. Adopt (or Obtain Legal Custody) of child in Burkina Faso
6. Obtain a U.S. immigrant visa for your child and bring your child home

We are currently on step #3.  The Central Authority has our Dossier and is working on matching us with a child that based on that.  I have no idea how long this process usually takes. I can not tell you if our file has even been looked at yet.

This journey is more like searching in the dark for a light switch.  You know the switch is there, you know it's general location but you have no idea when your fingers are going to touch it. 

In the meantime, we are still raising money so when the time comes we have it on hand.  Abbey recently committed to raising her portion of her plane ticket to bring Mia home. She raised over $900 in a little over 2 weeks selling her peppermint patties, chocolate drizzled pretzels, and chocolate chip cookies. WOW!! She was stunned and overwhelmed but so grateful for this blessing.  She has approximately $600 more to raise but I'd say she's made a huge dent, wouldn't you! 

Soon we need to get started on the renovations of our 3rd floor attic.  We will be putting 2 bedrooms, one 3/4 bath and a play area for the kids on the 3rd floor which is currently an attic.  Each child is excited to have their own room and space.  There is A LOT to be done, including subfloor, wiring, plumbing, insulation, new window, heating, cooling...and the list goes on and on. I can't wait to get all of this completed so that we can start preparing Mia's bedroom.  I have it pictured in my mind and it's beautiful.

So soon, besides the sounds of fingers tapping, you'll hear hammers pounding and saws spinning.

and hopefully, sounds of glee as we see a picture of our daughter for the first time.

 

 

 

 

Delightful Travels down the Road of Life

Time keeps ticking....

Progress has been made....

Where do I start? 

Danil, my dear sweet Danil.  Oh how our road travels to the most delightful places.  Our detours are getting few and far between.  These days, more days than not, Danil has found his cozy place.  He's kind, helpful, and full of joy (and still complete randomness).  Lately, he's been very eagar to please and take great joy in the peace that it brings to our home.  The potholes are quick and the detours are short.  He still struggles with feelings of "everyone is out to get me, surely it can't be my fault" and feelings of greif.  But when I look back over the last 2 1/2 years, my heart smiles at the progress we have made.

Danil turned 8 years old in December.  He's gained 11 lbs and grown 6 inches since coming home.   

Thankful when he made his birthday wish, he wished it out loud.  It was such a shame that he will not be getting 1,000 puppies anytime soon.

As you know, we have had lots of trouble getting Danil to eat because of control and anxiety issues.  But we are making lots of progess.  He ate soup for the first time (since coming home) about a week ago without one mutter of disapproval.  The soup contained parsley flakes, carrots, and celery.  A year ago, there would have been a total meltdown, and perhaps vomiting, had this been placed in front of him. But at this meal, he simply picked out the celery and carrots and at the parsley flakes. This was huge for Danil and huge for our family.

Danil has experienced a lot this past year.  

He got nibbled on by some birds.

 

 

He milked a cow.  Remember when Danil first came home and started to gain his English.  One of the first questions was "Why you not have a cow?" 

 

He found "his" sport.  The first practice he walked away with a black eye but we were so proud that he stuck with it.  He loves baseball and is so excited to start this next season.

 

 

He ran his first race.  I was messy and colorful, just like our Danil. 

 

 

He started the 2nd grade.  And boy has he blown this one out of the park! The boy who came home with so many red cards in Kindergarten is now reaching the top of the behavior color chart so many times, I've lost count.

 

Danil, Abbey and Grant were baptized by Kevin.  What an amazing moment to watch our kids outwardly express their love for Jesus.  

 

 

He's sailed the ocean and swam in the carribean.  He's trusted me to snorkel in water where he couldn't touch.  And he's become quite the swimmer. 

 

He got a new friend on Christmas morning from Santa.  He exclaimed "Now I know Santa is real, because Mom and Dad would have never got me a giant Teddy Bear!"

 

And finally, He grew his 2 front teeth!!!! We were beginning to wonder if we would ever see them! 

So that is our "Google Earth map" of the last year with Danil.  We are so grateful that God placed him in our family. We look forward to the many road trips ahead.  Even if there are still a few bumps and detours, the end destination is worth it.  

We love you Danil Krulik, thank you for being a part of our journey.