Just when we thought we were done...

So our week started off with the knowledge that we needed to cancel the Bonfire fundraiser. There are many reasons why this happened, but the good news is that we'll be having another fundraiser in October (probably an Italian buffet).

But we are also raising money by collecting gently used children's clothing for resale. In some cases I'll be compiling the clothing into lots for resale. Otherwise, I'll be attempting to consign most items.

Then, just when I thought we were done w/ the dossier...

So today I went through all our dossier stuff as I need to go into my school and photocopy the whole thing, and (of course) we're still missing a couple things.

For those of you who don't know what a dossier is, it's like a person's life on paper (financial, medical, employment, etc.). Sounds easy, right? except that so many of the items need to be notarized. And a couple need to be certified by the state!

I just realized that my employer letter (shows my salary and stuff) had to be notarized. Of course. So I now have to get this re-done (had it done the first time around Christmas) as my human resources administrator is likely new and I need THEIR signature notarized. Like, am I supposed to bring a notary with me????

The final stretch of the dossier!

So now we wait for others... What are we waiting for?

1. We are waiting for the State of New York to put their stamp of authentication on two documents. This should only take a few days.
2. We are waiting on 2 individuals who are completing our new letter of recommendation. This should be done in the next couple days.
3. We are waiting for my parents (who live with us) to complete their HIV and TB tests (per Ethiopia) and their doctor forms to be signed.

The good news is that we have no responsibilities right now. So we've decided to have a fundraiser:

Sloane BBQ & Bonfire

Please join us for our adoption fundraiser! August 6th. You will be treated to a delicious grilled dinner, great music and fun in the back yard followed up by smores and other campfire goodies!

Adults = $15 donation
Children = $5 donation
Children under 5 = free

There will be other donation opportunities (for children and adults), so please bring your dollars!

Please feel free to RSVP via Shari's facebook account (shari palermo sloane) or via a response to this blog in the comments.

Although it would be so much fun to have our friends and family present, we understand if you can't attend. If you would still like to send a donation, just ask for our address.

The next step of our process is $9,000 for Ethiopia to view our dossier and to have them match us up with a child. We are truly committed to providing a home for a child that God has waiting for us in Ethiopia. Please help us make this blessing a reality.

Next!

On to the next phase of the adoption. Sending in the dossier, which is basically our lives on paper. We are awaiting the fingerprint information to come back. Mom & Dad just got fingerprinted last week.

So we need to update a couple things for the dossier already. Now our doctor forms have to include a couple new pieces of information. Problem is... I recently changed doctors. So I'm wondering if this is going to be difficult. That's literally the last step before we send in our dossier. Guess we gotta get to it.

So that's about it.

OK. Now we're rollin!

Now we're in for the ride of our lives! So now the immigration part of the process is under way. The application is called the I-600A. It's not a big problem. Pretty easy to complete. The fingerprinting process will be a little challenging as my parents are in Florida and they must be fingerprinted too. So we have to figure that out still. This step = $1,100.

Also, we need to put the finishing touches on the dossier. Not much left on that. This step = $3,000.

Then we get our referral (that's where we get to "meet" our new son via a photo and documentation). So exciting!

Please pray for us as we plan and carry out our next fundraiser. We need to raise money and fast! We're going to host an Italian buffet at our home, with MANY delicious dishes. I'm thinking late February.

So how are we really going to pay this astronomical amount (about $24,000 total). We attempted to attain a home equity line of credit but were turned down :( so now we are going to have to take out a personal loan at 10.25%. Yikes! So we'll have to be paying on that loan each month until our tax credit comes, which is likely February of 2012. The interest we pay may be tax deductible, which is a glimmer of silver lining.

And of course we will be happy to accept your monetary support. The widget above will assist you in the giving process. We thank you in advance and promise to keep all of our supporters updated regularly via this blog. We'll let you know more as we continue the process.

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. :)