Johanna's Car Seat

I just won a car seat on ebay for my little Johanna Faith. I am so excited to get this great bargain!! It is a NEW Britax Decathlon in Tiffany. I looked at one on Babies 'R Us and it was $284. That didn't include shipping. In the store it is probably more. This ebay car seat is only 30 miles from me so I can pick it up - no shipping cost. I won it for $223!! What a deal!

The Britax Decathlon is good for 5 to 65 pounds. I don't know for sure how it will look at 50 pounds but I will try to keep it super-clean.

Buying Life Insurance

I have never bought life insurance on my own before. I either had it with a job or just didn't have it. Well, now that I will have a child dependent on my, I have to have it. I talked to a former teacher who sells insurance but decided to go with the agency that has our car and home insurance. I thought it would be lower with lots of coverage there but I was wrong. However, I think it will be better insurance in the long run.

Today the nurse came over for a little physical for the insurance company. I didn't think about not going to the bathroom before she came. She wanted a urine sample up the "this line". Well, I didn't get it to the line but I guess it was good enough. She took my blood pressure three times. Do they want to see if it goes up while she is poking, proding and asking all kinds of personal questions? I don't think it did. She weighed me and read the scales five pounds lower than they said. I didn't correct her. If she had read it five pounds higher than the actual weight I would have spoke up LOUDLY!! She got my height, took two tubes of blood and left. Overall it was no big deal. Oh, she will be back anytime for my drivers' license # since it was in the car this morning and the car wasn't at home. I think I am healthy enough to be insured.

Oops!! I messed up!

It no big deal really. I just don't have an appointment to get fingerprinted yet. I thought I was suppose to take my home study with me when I get fingerprinted. WRONG! I send it in and then wait, 2-3 weeks, for a letter from USCIS. After that we get fingerprinted. So . . . add another couple weeks on to the waiting time.

In the meantime I will get my dossier sent to Topeka for apostilles. All I have left to get is the house information. I will pick up my bank letter later today. I hope to get it all notarized on Friday.

On another topic, I made my first "Weeks Exchange" with Blue/Green and RCI today. We own a time-share like with Blue/Green. Yesterday I called and reserved a week with them. It is in S. Carolina for 4th of July week. (If any of you are Blue/Green or RCI owners, here's a great vacation for you!!) Anyway, today I trade that week for a week in Winter Park, CO starting August 31, Labor Day weekend. I am a little proud of myself for accomplishing that.

Moving Along . . . .Finally!!

My social worker called this morning. My home study is finished and he will mail it out this week!!!! YEA!!! I made an appointment for Mom and I to get fingerprinted at the USCIS Office in Kansas City on April 6. (There is an office in Wichita which is closer but they don't do fingerprints.) We will have to close daycare for a day but . . . oh well. I am sooooooo EXCITED!!!! Now I have to print off my dossier paperwork and have Jeanine notarize it. It will then be sent to Topeka for apostilles. I am moving along again and getting so much closer to MY JOHANNA FAITH!!!

Preach To Me - Pastor Neil & Apostle Paul

It amazes me how God gives my pastor Neil Burum just the right words to speak to me at the right time.
Early this morning I had made up my mind again that I would switch my adoption from Kazakhstan to Guatemala so I won't have to fly. I need to stop believing that and tell myself that is Satan putting fears into my mind.
Then this morning in church the sermon was just for me. Pastor Neil spoke on Apostle Paul's words from II Timothy 4. He started with Paul talking about fighting the good fight, finishing the race and keeping the race. Well, I have started the adoption. Now I have to fight to the end and finish the race (my Kazakhstan adoption).
I will keep my faith in God that what He has started He will complete. That being my adoption. My fight is to get Johanna Faith here and to be her mother. I will not let Satan defeat me and the plan that God has for me. If I do that, my daughter may never have a family of her own. She may remain in an orphanage until she is on her own and that would be my fault for giving in to the fears that Satan keeps putting in my mind.
GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN!!

My Kazakhstan Manual - Redoing Paperwork

How could I forget??? I emailed my LMI coordinator yesterday with a question about a form and she told me to refer to my manual. Silly me!! I forgot I had that! I am now redoing some of the forms I had saved on my computer to fit the way my agency wants them. They also have several forms that I hadn't prepared and I am typing those too. How many different ways can you tell the government of Kazakhstan that you will send post placements once a year for an adopted child? I think I typed four forms just stating that fact or something similar.

I hope my personal notary can come over tomorrow afternoon and notarize all these for me. I want to get them sent off to the State Secretary for Authentication on Friday. I found out some good news from the manual. For Authentication I only have to pay once for each notary!! I should only have three notaries since I am using a daycare parent to do all of my personal forms. That will save a little money there.

I finished painting the little rocking chair for Johanna's nursery. It doesn't look great but it isn't too bad either. I will probably find a large rag-type doll or a stuffed animal to put in it. I need to re-arrange my bedroom to give Johanna her own space. Glad I have a huge room.

Paperwork! Paperwork! Paperwork!

That is the theme for the week. I am going out of town next week and want to get my dossier to the state to get appostilles before I leave so I am trying to get everything finished this week. I have to buy health and life insurance and that is no small decision to make. I work for my mother in home daycare and have to have a letter from her stating my employment. It has to be done on "company letterhead." I had to design a letterhead this morning and next I will have to type the letter for Mom to sign. I had to go to the county appraiser's office to get the specs. on our house and lot for one form. Can I take all the mileage off on my taxes?
In between this I have painted a three shelf bookshelf for Johanna's nursery and am now painting a little rocking chair. I am still looking for a good used dresser that I can paint too. Thankfully, I work in my home so I have lots of time to do all these things. Adoption is a LOT OF WORK!!!!

Playing the Waiting Game

I don't think I like this game. I wish I could change the rules. I wish the game would go faster. I am not playing alone though. I have met lots of people on the Yahoo Groups who are playing with me. We share a lot as we play this game and talk about the process, the LOI, MOE, MFA, dossier, etc. Things would probably only understand if you are a part of this game or have played before. Some of my new friends have finally finished. Kim and Frank left for Kazakhstan this morning to meet their new son. WOW!!! I can hardly wait until I am at that point in the game. My time will come. God told me it would. In the meantime, I wait and wait and wait . . .
with patience.

Accepting Donations

I have just set up a donation button with Paypal to accept donations on this site. Any amount donations are accepted and greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you have any trouble using the link so I can get any kinks out as soon as possible. Thank you very much from me and from Johanna.

Start Writing!!!

I had my final appointment with my social worker on Saturday morning. I am now ready for him to start writing my home study. Actually, I am ready for him to be finish but that would be pushing it a little. He has to get the KBI checks first since the first agency I had doing my home study didn't get the correct ones. Hopefully, with his connections, he will get those really quick. I like something my SW said after the appointment was over and we were just sitting around visiting with my mom. He looked at me and said, "You are way qualified." That was great!! I loved hearing that.
After that appointment I went saw some family who seems to think the opposite of my SW. For some reason they don't think I deserve a family of my own or to have the thing I desire the most. A comment was made to me by a cousin that really hurt. I didn't let it out until later when I was alone in the car with just my mother. My sweet niece who was sitting in the back seat assured me that I have her support.
I know I have loads of family and friends who do support me and will do whatever they can to help. I need to be thankful for these people in my life and not worry about the rest. Maybe they are so unhappy that it bothers them to see how happy I am. I'll pray for their happiness.

So, now I wait for the home study to be finished and start preparing my dossier. I am walking on a cloud for now and that is wonderful!!!!

Fund Rasing Opportunity

I have been invited to have a booth at the Annual "Women's Day Out" that Miles of Smiles puts on for fund raising. Miles of Smiles is a therapuetic horseback riding program in my town. Anyway, these is a pretty big event here and a lot of women attend. I will have to pay $75 for the booth but then can use it for fund raising for my adoption. I have been searching the internet for ideas of things to sell and I haven't really decided on one thing yet. I may take orders for a few different things and have just a little to sell on stock. Some ideas I have come up with are gourmet popcorn from Popcorn Palace and/or personalized luggage tags. I don't remember the name of the company but there a lots of different neat-looking (and bright) tags to choose from. I collect the info from buyers and the company puts the personal info on the tags. With summer coming up, these might go over very well. I pay $2.50 for a set and each set sells for $10. That's a pretty good profit if I can sell a lot. I can also take orders elsewhere, like church, daycare, neighborhood, etc. I found out the the "Mountain Man" lady wasn't going to be at the "Women's Day Out" this year and was hoping I could do that but that has reps and isn't just for anyone to sell.

If you have any great ideas and want to let me know, feel welcome. I can't sell food that would be sold at a concession stand. The building where the event is held has a concession so that kind of stuff is off-limits. Oh, I have to register by March 15 (not sure if I have to have my idea then or not) and the event takes place April 21 or 28.