Two Blogs Converge

I've decided that I'm just not up to the task of maintaining two separate blogs, so from here on out, all updates on our adoption will be posted on FROM THE HEART, our family blog.

If you've been following me here, THANK YOU, but for everyone 's sake I think having one blog will be better!

The Bottom Line

Because it was written about so well HERE, I'm going to link to another adoptive mom's blog today. Please go read her post that will explain why Aiden is considered "at risk" and why we are feeling the urgency to get him soon and bring him HOME!

Today is Aiden's Daddy's Birthday!

Happy Birthday John! I love you, and Aiden will be so blessed to call you Daddy one day soon!

The other night, John and I were praying for Aiden before bed. I prayed and then John prayed starting his prayer like this, "Father, I ask you to protect my son, keep him safe from harm, surround him with angels...."

The thing that stunned my heart and made me so grateful for the man I married was the "MY SON" part of his prayer. We said "yes" to Aiden as a family, and in our hearts he is ours. My husband echoes Malachi 4:6 in his life as his heart has truly turned toward this child of ours, this precious one that he calls "son."

So we wait on the Lord and trust that He will bring Aiden safely home, our hearts have turned, and we call him "son."

If you're interested in hearing another great Father-Son story today featuring Coach Gene Stallings talking about his son Johnny who had DS, Click HERE!

The Beatitudes of the Exceptional Child by Andre Masse

Blessed are you who take time to listen to difficult speech for you help us to know that if we persevere we can be understood.

Blessed are you who walk with us in public places and ignore the stares of strangers for in your companionship we find havens of relaxation.

Blessed are you who never bid us to "hurry up" and more blessed you who do not snatch our tasks from our hands to do them for us, for often we need time more than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us as we enter new and untried ventures for our failures will be outweighed by the times when we surpise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help for our greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you who help us with the graciousness of Christ Who did not bruise the reed and quench the flax for often we need help we cannot ask for.

Blessed are you when by all these things you assure us that the thing that make us individuals is not in our peculiar muscles, not in our wounded nervous system, not in our difficulties in learning but in the God-given self which no infirmity can confine.

Published in National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry - Summer 1998

We pray daily for Aiden, and I am awed by the fact that God is beginning to weave him into the very fabric of our family. Not a day goes by that I don't pray that God will preserve and protect him and bring him speedily into our home. And I pray above all that we will love him well, with the true measure of love that the Father has for him.

Just What is Down Syndrome Anyway?

• Down syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
• Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. One in every 733 babies is born with Down syndrome.
• There are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States.
• Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels.
• The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. But due to higher fertility rates in younger women, 80 percent of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.
  
• People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.
  
• A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all.
  
• Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades - from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.
  
• People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways.
  
• All people with Down syndrome experience cognitive delays, but the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses.
  
• Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.
  
• Researchers are making great strides in identifying the genes on Chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Many feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future.

31 for 21 and I'm Just a Few Days Behind

October is Down Syndrome awareness month. Get it down is encouraging bloggers to post 31 posts on DS during this month. I'm behind but I'm going to start now! 31 (posts) for 21 (Trisomy 21).

This will be good for me. I'm determined to learn something new about DS daily and share with you my findings! Here we go!

For fun, check out this blog that we've been enjoying as a family, Dan Drinker
Dan is an young man with DS and his brother Will is working on a video documentary of his life. You'll laugh a lot and learn a lot!

DS Children Adjusting to an Adoptive Family

I recently posted a question on Meredith's blog. Meredith is helping me state-side through our adoption process! She is the adoptive mom of two beautiful children with D's. She now helps couples working through Reece's Rainbow! I am so grateful for her.

Click HERE to read my question and her answer to my question about DS children adjusting to their adoptive families!

THANKS MEREDITH!

Heart Pain

Some days I look at this little guys face and my heart wants to just burst out of my chest.
Oh, Jesus, please help us to bring our son home soon.

HAVE PASSPORTS WILL TRAVEL!!!!

They finally came! This means that all the paperwork I'm done with that I've been waiting to get notarized and apostilled can be DONE!

Things are moving along now!

Paperwork...

Still trudging away at the paperwork. I'm getting close to having a few things wrapped up though. We got our FBI fingerprints and state clearances back this week. Waiting on our passports now.

I spend the day getting financial stuff together for the home study... my least favorite part.

I have to keep focused on my list of things to do because if I start thinking about Aiden too much, I just fall apart. Our facilitator over sees told me "not to get too attached" until things are more official. I guess he doesn't understand the nature of my heart. Too late for "not getting too attached." I long for the day when I have all FIVE of my children playing around at my feet.

Oh, in order to get a little relief from the paperwork, I've been working on finishing our family room. We'll need the space soon for sure. It's been the most neglected room in our house... just kind of sitting there gross and in need of care. I spend the past weekend painting and it feels better already. We have carpet to rip out and flooring to install, but we are waiting on the funds for that! We were blessed with a really great deal on some used furniture, so all we need is the flooring and we've got a great family room to hang out in this winter!

That must be my adoption nesting kicking in! It happened with Elia too!

The State of Pennsylvania

The state of Pennsylvania needs to know everywhere we have lived since 1975 and everyone who has ever lived with us since 1975. This is for our PA state criminal background clearances. We now have to have criminal background checks for every state we've lived in over the past 5 yrs. I'm glad it's only two states. Missouri basically needed our name and address, the guys in the PA criminal check office must be bored!

Can someone please explain this to me?
I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if they really need street addresses or just city and state. Next step is to call the parents and get some help!

I guess they thought I needed something else to keep me busy!

Home Study Update

We had a great visit with our social worker today to turn in much of our paperwork for her to write our home study, and to do our home visit.

Here are the things you can pray for:
1. That our FBI and State checks/fingerprints will come back soon.
2. That our Passports come in soon.
3. That those who are writing reference letters will do them right away!
4. That additional finances will come in!

THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF YOU WHO HAVE DONATED VIA PAYPAY!

Here's a POST that was really encouraging to me today!

Plugging Away!

1. The fingerprinting went beautifully. We celebrated with a "real date" later that evening.

2. The three older kids have had their physicals.

3. John and I have physicals next week. Elia in a couple weeks.

4. Our home visit with our social worker is Thursday morning.

5. Every other day or so, I return to my check list and feel like I'm actually making progress!

6. I can't find John's social security card anywhere. I'm sure it's in a drawer, but I think I'll apply for a new one just in case it doesn't show up.

That's about as exciting as it gets folks!

Hot Date with the Hubby

John and I have a date today at 12:30 to get our FBI fingerprints and state background checks turned in. Sounds like fun times for sure!

The Faithfulness of God

This past Saturday a check was placed in our hands for $5000 toward Aiden's adoption. I cannot begin to tell you what this had done to our faith and how on a practical level it allows us to plow ahead full speed!

I have never doubted the Lord's ability to provide when it comes to adoption. His heart is so for adoption, after all He adopted each of us and paid the full price for our ransom with the life of His very own Son. It is His heart in us that has caused us to fall in love with a tiny boy we have never met.

We saw the Lord provide over $16,000 for Elia's adoption with miracle after miracle. We had gotten to the point though that without finances we couldn't move forward much more with paperwork. I love that God saw the YES in our hearts and moved on the hearts of some very very dear individuals to play an enormous part in rescuing Aiden and helping us to get him HOME!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Oh, and if you haven't read the 1st comment under my last post I've copied it here for you! This comment MADE MY DAY!

"So excited to see sweet Aiden has a family....now my parents can stop sweating :-) His picture has been over our sink for a few months as he was assigned to us as part of the prayer ministry of Reeces Rainbow. Just waned you to know we have been faithfully praying for him and your family (not knowing who you were) and we will continue to do so!

Many blessings
Joy Portis

Giving through Reeces Rainbow

I was asked today about giving through Reece's Rainbow. First, the funds go into an account and 100% of what is given will be available to us for our adoption expenses. This can cover our adoption fees and our travel expenses which will be quite large.

If for some reason we are unable to adopt Aiden for personal reasons- which we certainly do not anticipate- the funds would stay in an account for whoever is able to adopt him. If for some reason, and very unlikely, that Aiden is not able to be adopted, the funds would stay in our family account for us to adopt another orphan with Down Syndrome.

Again our most immediate need is for $2,000-3,000 to cover our paperwork filing and processing, getting passports, fingerprints, and having our home study updated. If you wish to contribute to those expenses you can donate by using our PayPal link, by sending a check directly to us, or by giving through our IHOP payroll. (feel free to email me if you need more information on this).

Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.

Excuse Me While I Take Care of Details

If you've adopted, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't let me just say I have a mound of paperwork to wade through that's enough to make the faint at heart think twice. However, I have a boy to bring home, and the quicker I do this, the quicker he'll be home.

Pray for me please.

The State of My Heart

We have fallen in love with a little boy we do not know. The Holy Spirit transcends the miles and years of separation. I can tell you this, it was love at first sight. There were many faces pictured on the website the day that we saw Aiden, and this one little boy captured our heart and stole our affections. To me that speaks of the divine. It carries me to Psalm 139 reminding me that all of our days were ordained before one of them came to be, that everyone of them was written in His book! In the Story of Our Lives in the Story of Aiden's Life, there is a moving and powerful chapter where our stories converge. August 26, 2008 was a day the Lord spoke into existence before time began. It was the day I laid eyes on a little boy and new he was my son, the day that each member of our family proceeded to feel the same connection, and said YES to this precious life. It was the day our love story began.

Thank you for sharing in our journey!

Quick Update!

Thank you for all the wonderful comments and for sharing in our excitement!

Here is a link to the page on Reece's Rainbow where you can see our profile next to Aiden's picture. Just to clear a few things up, they are spelling his name Aidan, but I think I like "Aiden" better, so I'll be blogging it as "Aiden". Also, Elia and Aiden are 1 yr and 6 days apart, not just 6 days apart. I messed up when I read the original post about Aiden and thought he was not quite two. He will however be 3 in March. Sorry for the confusion.

So, here's the bottom line, we need about 22K over the next few months. We immediately need about $2000-$3000 for physicals, fingerprinting, filing for documents, and our home study update. If anyone wants to give to our immediate needs, you can give on our paypal account (in the sidebar) or if you can give through our IHOP account (tax deductible). If you're wanting to give to the larger adoption fund, you can donate (tax deductible) on the Reece's Rainbow site under Aiden's picture.

We thank you for your prayers and support! HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL!

Read, Set, GO!

The time has come! We're adopting again. We've had several situations come up over the past few months that have seemed like they might "be the one" and none of them has been right for one reason or another. Over the past months the Lord has brought the issue of Down Syndrome to the front of our minds. We are aware of the life time commitment that raising a child with Down Syndrome involves and we have felt the YES of the Lord over this for us as a family.

Just this week the Lord brought a little one to our attention. His name is Aiden and he is from the Eastern Europe- he is at the same orphanage where Derek and Renee's boys are. Yes, an international adoption for us this time! Just as Tracie was getting familiar and gaining an strong grasp of domestic adoption, the Lord is stretching us by taking us into a less familiar territory. So here we go! We're so grateful that Derek and Renee are walking this road ahead of us, and that we have them to help us through it.

Aiden was born 3/1/06 (just 6 days before Elia)! He has Down Syndrome, as well as a heart valve defect. The minute we saw Aiden's picture, our hearts were totally drawn in. The kids first response was, "When can we bring him home?" Elia just kept pointing to the screen and saying, "awww, bubo, bubo!!" (her word for baby). There are no real words to describe how we have fallen in love with this wee one in just moments, other than to say the Holy Spirit has planted him in our hearts.

If all goes well and the Lord brings him into our family, we will name him "Aiden Joseph"- Aiden means "little flame" and Joseph means "he will enlarge"- we believe the prophetic destiny over Aiden's life is that he will be a little flame that will grow. We believe that his life will be a light to many and will set the hearts of others ablaze with the true spirit of adoption and a heart to live out James 1:27.

We will begin our home study update process immediately. Please pray for the funds needed for that first step. ($800 for the home study update, and the expense of physicals for John and Tracie, FBI clearances, etc) Our intial need is for about $2000 to get this ball rolling. We anticipate our total expenses over the next few months to be in the neighborhood of $22,000. We have seen the Lord provide for adoptions over and over again and we have no doubt that he can do this for this precious one! If all goes well the facilitator we are using through Reece's Rainbow felt we might be able to bring him home in January.


Please pray for us and pray for Aiden! We will keep you updated with progress as things move along! Much, Much more to come!

Love,
John and Tracie
Nick, Taylor, Isabelle, Elia (and Aiden)