What I am reading...

Help for the Hopeless Child, Dr. Federici

Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control, Heather Forbes and Brian Post

Yes they are adoption books:)

Still on my list is Holding Time, this is out of print so couldn't buy it a Schuler's BookStore with my gift certificate.

I have also been knitting. I have made 3 hats to give to friends (long story involving facebook), and for gifts in Bulgaria. Cathryn has asked me to knit a hat for her too, she choose electric blue, hmmm. Tried talking her out of it but that is what she wants. Will post pics when I download them.

And with the rest of my free time, ha, ha, I have been doing the 30 Day Shred with Julia Michael's. I have been doing it every other day so it will take me 60 days to look as good as her. Just kidding!

Yes we are still waiting on travel dates, until then I am buying things to play with Calvin at the orphanage. Have to say girls are more fun shopping for! But I am loving this. We will put his crib up this weekend, his room or ours that is the question?

We got our referral...

Last week we were told the MOJ would receive our paperwork and we should receive a referral for the little boy we requested off the special needs list on the MOJ site. We waited all week and heard nothing. Friday January 21st I emailed our caseworker, and she said maybe we would hear something Monday.

Monday comes around and I am waiting and waiting, keeping busy with homeschooling and knitting. Checking our email every now and then (okay, so maybe every 15 minutes). Once 3pm comes around I have come to the realization that we probably didn't hear anything. So I email our caseworker again, and ask if she has heard anything. No response. Okay, so I am feeling sad, crying out to God to please move things so we can bring our son home.

Hubby comes home from work, we sit down for dinner as a family. Then the phone rings, 6:25pm. Our caseworker says Hello Celeste. How are you doing?" I reply, 'it depends what you have to tell me. ' She laughs, I am ready to cry. She then say I wouldn't call with bad news. OKAY, soooo. She then tells me we have a son. We got our referral on Friday and should receive translated medical and travel dates in the next week. She then says, " I thought you would be screaming and laughing." Ummm, nope. I reply,"This has been a rollercoaster ride, never knowing if it was going to happen or not." I think I was in shock and denial. It wasn't until after dinner, devotions and kids put to bed that I finally looked at my husband and said. "Well lets put up the crib. We have a son! We have to facebook all our friends who have been praying and let our family know." Hubby is still being cautious. We have his referral, we know his medical condition but we still have to visit him, make sure the medicals are correct and then still go through court. If everything works out we should have him home by summer time. Still can't believe it, I guess it will be reality when I am actually in Bulgaria holding him. Please continue to pray for him, he had heart surgery over Thanksgiving. Pray for his recovery and health, protection and that a caregiver has compassion on him and shows him affection and love. Thank you for your prayers and following us on this roller coaster of a ride called International Adoption.

Cardboard Photo book for our son

http://www.hullabaloostories.com/

A fellow bloggie friend who has gone on her first trip to Bulgaria posted this great etsy store that makes photo books. What I love about it is that you can make a 5x5 cardboard book with photos to leave at the orphanage with your child. I just ordered mine, and it is so easy to do. We included pictures of our selves, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Can't wait to see it. Check it out. It does take about 2-3 weeks to get it. So keep that in mind for traveling.

I feel like it is never going to actually happen....

Get our referral that is. I see others traveling to visit their child and then bring them home, I see friends having babies and then more babies. Yes we could have gone that route, but we felt God calling us to adopt this time around, provide a home for a child already born with out a family.

But it will be 3 years since we started this process, in March, and the closer we get to actually getting our referral the more obstacles get in the way. It is very frustrating and testing what little patients I have.

We heard today that our paperwork is still being translated,so it never made it to the MOJ meeting this week. I am tired of guessing when it will be so for now, it will happen when it happens. Hopefully next week, but who knows. I sure don't.

Looking forward to celebrating Caroline's 8th birthday in 2 weeks time, and life goes on without our little man home with us. Please continue to pray for his health, safety and that he will be home soon (hopefully by his birthday).

2 Years registered with Bulgaria

Yesterday we have been registered with Bulgaria's government for 2 years, waiting for a referral. We keep hearing things are moving along, which they are compared to 3 years ago. But not many referrals are being made in America and they take off for summer and a few weeks at Christmas. I would never advertise this program as a program for healthy young children. It is like all other programs in Eastern Europe...special needs or a very long wait (more like 3 years for healthy under 3 years old). The only people who seem to be traveling from America are families who are adopting special needs, or have been waiting over 3 years. It is very discouraging. Ukraine is now only older children or special needs and Russia is way too expensive ($60,000 +). IF and this is a big IF we ever do this again I would go with Korea.

I am getting off track again!!!

So we are hoping the MOJ receives the notarized and apostilled paperwork we had to send them, yesterday, at their next meeting. When that is I don't know. I think they are meeting at the end of each week now. We are praying that we receive the referral of a special needs child that was on the moj site. Please pray with us that God moves mountains this week so we can get his referral and get travel dates. I am still praying we get to travel in February to meet him. I am torn as to whether we should go private at that time so we can share private information with friends and family (not the whole world). OR if I should stay public, as I know I have loved reading others blogs when they have traveled overseas to visit their children and pick them up. It is a difficult decision.

On another note, it is 2011 and our family is doing the radical experiment. What is that you ask, get the book and find out. RADICAL by Platt. We are praying for the world each night with our children. We use operationworld.org. They give you info on each country, demographics, and what the people need prayer for. We have prayed for Algeria, Albania and Afghanistan. We are also reading through the Bible as a family. We are listening to the book of Genesis right now on CD. As life goes on, we pray for our son in Bulgaria that God will heal his body, that he is being comforted and taken care of until we can bring him home and that we will travel soon to meet him. Looking forward to seeing what God has planned for us in 2011, and that He gives us the grace to persevere through trials, and the joy to praise Him in all things.

Book Give A Way....the winner is

I had 4 people leave a comment on my blog and 3 people email me or facebook me about being in the giveaway for RADICAL. My daughter Caroline picked the name out of a bowl and the winner is Renee who adopted Ava from Bulgaria. Renee private message me on facebook or leave on my blog your address and I will put it in the mail tomorrow for you. You will love it.

We sat down as a family today to do the radical experiment for one year. We are going to pray for the world, read through the Bible, give sacrificially, go out into the community, and make disciples. Looking forward to what God has in store for our family in 2011.

We still haven't heard anything from Bulgaria concerning a referral, and were told they celebrate orthodox Christmas (Jan 6th) in Bulgaria. So I am not expecting to hear anything this week. I did go to IKEA last week and bought a blue carpet for Calvin's room, a comforter, waterproof mattress pad and some other odds and ends for our home. LOVE that place, wish we had one closer to home. Happy New Year everyone.