still waiting

So we're still playing the waiting game. Our Homestudy has been sent on to Holt. They will review (and approve) it, and then we move on to the Dossier. We've already begun gathering things for the Dossier. I just got my passport taken care of yesterday, so that makes me happy.

We are having another fundraiser. Another Cookie Lee jewelry party on December 7th. So please come and support our adoption as you purchase gifts for your loved ones.

And today is Thanksgiving. We are so happy to be opening our house and our hearts to another child. I'm thankful for my husband, my children and my awesome extended family. Next year there will be 5 Sloanes coming for Thanksgiving dinner. Be forewarned. :) I'm also Thankful for my church family, my friends and my neighbors. I truly feel that we are a happy family because of the people around us. Thank you all for your support.

One small step for Sloanes...

Another step for adoption!

So we just sent back our homestudy. From what I understand, it now gets sent on to the Adoption Agency (Holt). Then they approve it, we sign it, fork over $900 and move on to the dossier.

The dossier... so daunting. I haven't even begun climbing THAT mountain. But my awesome friend, Marissa, has volunteered to meet with me and help me start climbing the mountain. She's also adopting from Ethiopia. How blessed I am to have her on my same path. She inspires me & helps keep me on the path.

Christian's birthday is next week. We didn't get a chance to create cute invites. Second year in a row we missed doing that. But we have two great parties planned for him. Plus I'm taking his birthday off from work so that I can hang with him and Elijah. It's gonna be a great day.

Looking forward to the next step in the process. Should be quite a ride. Now the fun really starts.

One Giant Step!

So the newest updates to our adoption:

1. We have a meeting with the social workers. The homestudy is basically finished. We have an appointment on Tuesday at which time we get to read our life stories and fork over antoher $900. Honestly, now we're getting somewhere. This step took longer than I had anticipated. We've had the money saved up so this won't be a financial burden yet. That headache is yet to come.

2. After much talk and research, Gabriel and I finally bought a vehicle for me that could accommodate all three of our sons (and our dog). I sadly turned the keys to my Element over to my friend, Chip. (He is the man responsible for me getting an awesome Honda Pilot. Thanks, Chip. By the way: Chip works over at Auction Direct. Let me know if you want an attentive car salesman.) I spent 2 1/2 happy years with my Honda Element, cruising along, breaking the speed limit on a regular basis with my manual transmission. I was truly attached to that car. I was just expressing to Gabe how often I get attached to my cars. I'm often sad to see them go (except for the white mini-van - I never looked back from that sale). But how quickly my affections redirect. I love my Jet Black 2007 Honda Pilot. Such a great, solid, luxurious vehicle.



So that's it for now. The next step will likely be applying for grants to help up pay for the next big step. $9,000. It's all getting real now. :)

I hate eBay!

I probably haven't blogged in a while because I'm just so discouraged with eBay. I feel like I keep running into roadblocks frequently along the way. The most recent is eBay pulling my children's clothing listing because I used the word "onesie" which is Gerber's word. So now I have to relist and hope for the best.

By the way, if you ever want to find my listings, my username is i-love-kitchen-stuff. I'm pretty sure you can search for sellers and find me.

I just spoke today to our Home Study social worker. Apparently we are experiencing a waiting period. We've been instructed NOT to begin gathering our dossier yet. I guess our next step is for me to get my passport. Wait, wait, wait. It's ok. It'll all be worth it.

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What's Next?

So we had our home study on Wednesday. We're waiting on a couple more components before she can complete it. My parents have to get their doctor forms turned in, kids have doctor appt in August and we're waiting on two more letters of reference. We'll likely have our home study returned to us by September 1.

So... our next phase of fundraising has begun. Selling children's clothing on eBay. This clothing was donated to our garage sale, but I thought that if I pulled the name-brand items and put them on eBay, I could generate more sales. So if you're interested in seeing our stuff, just visit my eBay site: i-love-kitchen-stuff. And pray that we meet our goal. We need about $500 before the end of the month. Yikes!

We're Really Getting Somewhere Now!

So the garage sale was an awesome success. Not only did we reach our first goal (to pay for the first half of the home study), but we are actually almost 1/2 way to our second goal (the other half of the home study). We are so grateful for all the donations.

Today we had our second of 3 parenting classes. It was fun. There is one other couple in our class. They are adopting from Columbia. We learned about abandonment and the need for attachment for adopted children. Each time we have one of these classes, it just gets me so excited to meet our new son. We talked a little tonight about names. Because, of course, we can name our child whatever we want once he's adopted. We will likely Americanize his name and give him a Biblical name so that he fits in with the rest of the family. Christian says he's going to teach his new brother how to run and jump on the bed and how to play with his Geo Trax. Elijah says he's going to teach the child everything he and Christian are learning in gymnastics.

We also have gathered almost all the paperwork for the home study. Just a couple more steps, a couple copies and fingerprinting for everyone in the house over 18 (yes, that means mom and dad, too). Our third class is on January 27 and then we can schedule our home study shortly thereafter. Once the home study comes back (I think it takes a couple weeks), we can apply for grants. We can also begin gathering our dossier. Still so much to do, but I feel at least one step closer.

The Garage Sale!

Yes, it's coming... the garage sale is upon us. My parents have said that they are willing to run the sale on Friday (while I'll be working) and possibly even Thursday. But Saturday is the big day. I'm so excited. We've been working so hard to price all the items and we've truly made some progress.

The donations have been so generous. I am overwhelmed by the amount of amazing items that people have donated to our cause. Thank you so much! We are truly appreciative. I pray that we can earn enough money to at least begin the home study process. Our goal is $900. It's a pretty steep goal, but again, people have been SO generous. I think we can do it. Please pray for our sanity and success!

Baby Steps

Not much has changed here. We're just starting to get stuff together that both Holt and Hillside want. It's so overwhelming. We're just going to get through it step by step. I had a nice conversation with my friend, Marissa, who is also adopting from Ethiopia. It's so nice to have a support system. Right now I'm writing my auto-biography. I know. Not terribly interesting, but required by Hillside. It's fun but time-consuming.

Our biggest problem right now... the woman who agreed to care for Christian next school year (Pittsford only has 1/2 day kindergarten) backed out on us. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. But we're having a hard time finding someone else. So if you know of any childcare providers (must be Pittsford district) looking to take on a charming kindergartner, please help us connect. I just have to believe that the perfect person will cross our path. That's how we found his present daycare.

Lastly, our garage sale is coming along. I put an ad in the church bulletin hoping for some more stuff. Hopefully we start hearing from people early next week. We need to raise $900 by early July and this is our biggest fundraiser yet. Once the home study is done (probably not until the first week in August), we can begin applying for grants. These are available, but not that easy to get.

Remember to check out the links to the left. Smartraise.com is the website to go to if you are interested in purchasing anything online. If that company is a participant, you pay nothing extra for your purchase, but that company gives a portion of your sale to our cause.

Latest News and Next Steps

So, we just heard from Holt today. We need to begin putting together our Dossier, but that won't be complete until after the home study. Also, parenting lessons. I know. Funny. But there's 9 hours worth of stuff we need know about bringing an Ethiopian child into an already-established family. We're trying to schedule that now.

We're also gearing up for the garage sale. Already a lot of people helping us out with stuff. The garage sale is the weekend of June 18th. If you'd like to donate some stuff, just call Gabriel. He'll come pick it up!

We've Been Accepted!

Yesterday was a very painful day for me on a personal level. But when I sat down to read my email... What good news to learn that we had been accepted by Holt to adopt from Ethiopia. I was definitely a little nervous, but now it is all coming together! Gabriel and I are so excited to begin this venture.

Even the first step can't be easy!

So we even messed up our first step. Holt contacted us. We forgot to include some things (pics, tax statements, contract). The final thing (for this step) is being mailed out tomorrow! I'm so proud of Gabriel who has really picked up the slack during our crazy month of May!

Other news:

We have a follower on our blog (yay! Tracy) and our jewelry party was pretty successful. We're going to host another Cookie Lee Jewelry Party in December.

Our next fundraiser is the garage sale in June. So please contact us to donate your stuff! We are getting so excited.

Lots of ways to help out!

So when we asked the adoption agency how we're supposed to come up with $26,000 to fund this adoption, they suggested that we come up with innovative fundraising ideas. So here are a few coming up:

1. This Friday at our house at 7pm we are hosting a Cookie Lee jewelry party with 2 other adoptive families. Cookie Lee has over 100 pieces priced under $30. Stay for just a few minutes or hang out and socialize with some appetizers and friendly ladies. Don't forget Mother's Day!

2. We are hosting a garage sale fundraiser June 17-19. Have any stuff you were considering donating to Goodwill? Just give us a call and we'll be happy to incorporate your stuff in our garage sale.

On this page you'll find 2 links.

3. smartraise.com - This link will lead you to a web page where you can purchase from popular companies like iTunes, Under Armour, Target, Aeropostale, K-Mart, Macy's and so many more! A portion of your purchase will benefit our adoption.

4. chipin.com - Don't feel like making a purchase right now but want to contribute to our cause? This site (also found in a widget on this page) allows you to simply contribute.

Thank you to everyone for your love, support, prayers and contributions!

Our Donation Site

One small step...

So today we made our doctor appointments! It's just a small step but feels good to check something off the list. Expecting the welcome package in from Holt any time!

And of course this just can't all be about the adoption. Elijah and Christian started gymnastics last week. Today was their second class. They love it!

We've Only Just Begun...

So today we met with our Hillside Adoption Agency social worker. She seems really nice. But now the real work begins. I can't believe how much there is to do already.

• We need to schedule 9 hours of parenting classes... yes, I know we're parents already, but there are many issues we'll face when we bring this child home.
• We each need to write an autobiography. Of course, I think this sounds fun.
• We also need to each fill out a multiple-page questionnaire, and there's even a little one for Elijah to fill out.
• Fingerprints
• Complete physical
• $900 for the home visit (that's the 1st half).

I know. Crazy! There's more once we get our welcome packet from Holt International!