Updates Galore!!!

How about some updates for ya?! Yes, let's see what's going on in the world of some of our past families...

Last weeks' family, the Camerons closed out the week with a total of $1,705. Nice work, y'all! This week's family, the Dinsmores are up to $1044!

The Hapners are on their way to pick up Moses!

The Krohns (left, below) brought Nahome home, and became Isaiah's parents. The Vermes (below right) passed court with Maya and are waiting for Embassy clearance.

And the Tenges, too. 

And the Braniffs brought home Noah! Check out this slideshow if you feel like happy crying this morning. 

So that, my friends, is what your dollar bills are up to. That feels good, doesn't it?! Look at all those smiles. You're a part of something big and awesome. If you'd like to give to this weeks' family, then here ya go...

See ya tomorrow!

New Week, New Family

Hey guys, happy Monday!!! Ready to do our Monday thing?! Let's do it.

This week we'll be blessing the Dinsmore family. Mom, Lara, has a little adoption blog you may have heard of... The Farmers Wife Tells All. If you're not already following that one (I'm sure you are), head over to follow the whole story as it unfolds. Lara's even been sweet enough to do a wonderful guest post early this year for us (check it out if you missed it). Last year the Dinsmores adopted Ambrose from Uganda, and now they are headed back to adopt a sweet 8 year old girl named Mary. Here's that story:

And here's a word from Mom: 

We are a family of five; a mom and dad, five year old "twin" boys and
a two year old girl. Our younger 5 year old, Ambrose, came to us
through African adoption last year and has been such a joy to our
family ever since. We are so grateful to call him our son. Through his
adoption we have come to know the redemption God offers in such a very
real way.

After completing our first adoption, we knew our family was not done
expanding. Our children were eager for us to adopt again and even
asked for an older sibling. Each night they would include this special
request in their prayers; that God would let us bring home a "big
brother or sister." Just a couple of months ago, we learned about an 8
year old little girl waiting for her family in our son's country. What
struck us first about her was her name, Mary. You see, we had always
hoped to name one of our daughters Mary. The more we learned about her
story, we knew she would be our daughter! We are now prayerfully
anticipating her arrival.

Let's see what we can do to help out this week! Donate your dollar (or more, whatever you feel led to do) by clicking that orange DONATE button up there. All donations are tax deductible through that link to Mary's Project Hopeful account. 

***So far you guys have blessed the Dinsmores with $418!***

And how about a GIVEAWAY?! Leave me a comment after you donate and you'll be entered to win one of our new Tshirts! If you already paid you'll get a refund or an additional tee! 

OK, OK, I hear ya!!!

I have heard your cry for T-shirts! It's happening! I've placed the order for a bunch of these cute shirts. I have a shirt like this and I love it. Let me tell you a little about it. This one is charcoal gray. It's very feminine, but not super snug. It's kind of drapey, flowy. Perfect for wearing with jeans, a thin tank underneath, and some fall boots. That's how I'll be wearing mine anyway. I'm featuring the give1 logo and that's it. I was going for simplicity on this one.

They are pretty true to size, but like I said, drapey, so it sort of depends how you want to wear it. I adore mine, but I will say that they are a tad low cut when you bend over and stuff like that, so I wear mine in layers with a tank underneath. To help you figure sizes, I'm broadcasting myself in all my glory. I'm a size 8 and a medium usually, and I own the medium in this one. I am going for a large this time though, because I like really loose tees with my skinny jeans during the fall and I'm pretending like it's about to be fall.

I am selling them for $25 shipped through this Storenvy site. Just for transparency, I'll let you know that all the money goes straight to our bank account. Believe me, I'm super tired of fundraising, but the awesome new website (hint: click on 'back to the map' over there at the top of your sidebar. there's a starbucks giveaway on the asia blog today) is insanely awesome and I paid for all of the sites and logos and splash page and all that myself. We don't advertise and we don't get paid in any way, and I've recently dropped some serious dough on our adoption and all the new sites and I'm in the red. So the t-shirts are just a way to recoup some of that. Not high pressure at all though. I promise to not blow up Facebook with sales pitches 5x a day everyday! They are in production right now and I'm guessing they'll be headed your way in about 2 weeks. I'm super looking forward to it!!!

And on a somewhat different topic, check out the pics Wynne took while we were in Ethiopia!

Could you just eat him up?! One week and two days in the worst wait yet, and I can almost smell him. 

Vain Girls Guide to Ethiopia

I got the amazing privledge of meeting Beth (creator of this lovely
site!) this week in Ethiopia and she told me we needed to write a
“vain girls guide to ethiopia” and she’s right! I have been nervous to
post but after 5+ weeks of being in Ethiopia (waiting for embassy!)
and visiting with and photographing numerous adoptive families - I
thought this was a subject I could tackle.

So the time has come!  You have waited, completed paperwork, home
studies, fingerprints, fundraised, waited some more - and now it’s
finally time to head to Ethiopia to meet your child(ren)!  It’s such
an exciting time and I know there is much on your mind - so let me
share a few little tips for your African travel.

There are a few things that I never leave home without.  Wipes (not
just for the babies!), gum and coffee.  Granted Ethiopia has pretty
amazing coffee, still - VIA packs from Starbucks are high on the list.
I blogged (here) all about my must have travel list.  But I thought
I’d do a special edition for all of your adoptive mommas out there.  I
wish I could say I had it all together when we left for our court trip
but I had 33 hours to prepare, so there were a few things I left at
home I wish I hadn’t.  Now, we all know the plane ride is terribly
long - so you’ll want to be comfortable.  A good neck pillow is a
must, along with good eye cover thingy (you know!) - for sleeping, and
don’t forget your ear phones.  I always pack an extra pair of clothes
in my carry on just in case our bags are lost.  And I carry a zip lock
with mini facewash (or face wipes), toothpaste & toothbrush, deodorant
and a little bit of makeup.  That way when I “go to sleep” I do my
night time routine & same when I wake up.  It makes me feel like a
normal human being.  As far as what to pack for your time in country -
bring things that you know you look good in & are comfortable in (hey!
there will be pictures!).  You don’t have to be all missionary-ish.
Right now in Ethiopia it’s chilly & rains every day - so jeans, close
toe shoes!, and a cardigan and light rain jacket are perfect.  I do
always have to accesorize (noonday anyone?) and attempt to fix my
hair.  Make sure you bring converters for your hair dryer & styling
tool of choice.  I wish I had my tan steve madden boots to wear here
also....so if you have some cute tall boots that you want to rock in
Ethiopia & you have room...bring em!  Now, court!  I really don’t
think they could care less what you wear, but most adoptive families
like to wear their Sunday best to court.  I wore leggings & a dress
and my husband wore khaki pants and a polo.  So go in your man’s
closest and pick out your favorite shirt & pack it for him :)

As far as what you should bring for your child(ren) it totally depends
on the age.  My babies are 5 & 6 months old so I brought a few cute
outfits (I changed them into them for family photos!), blankets to
leave with them in their crib (that I had slept with - so they smelt
like me), a book to read with them, and two little lovies.  When my
husband comes back for embassy he’ll bring our baby carriers, outfits
for plane home, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper bag, little toys, etc
- but this trip we really didn’t bring that much.  Because everything
you give them now will be most likely stay with the transition
home/orphanage - so I didn’t want to bring anything too special that I
knew wasn’t going to be going home with them.  Something else you
might want to bring (that I didn’t get to do!) is pictures to leave
with them.  I’ve seen people do the really cute soft picture albums
(from target baby section) that they leave - or pictures to tape above
their beds.  A friend this week brought a ink stamp & card stock to
stamp their babies hands and feet - so sweet!  For older kids,
bringing little things to do together is good - bubbles, soccer ball,
stickers, any sort of little toy/ball that they can play with (I saw
someone had a cute blow up globe ball they got at Hobby Lobby).  And
like most kids you know, they too know how to swipe your iphone/ipod -
so having pictures of family or video to show them is really fun also.
I have seen a few friends (with toddler and older kids) bring a
special necklace they bought just for them & they presented it to
them.  Such a sweet moment between parents & child. You might also
want to check with your agency about the foster home/orphanages needs
- and if you have room or can pack an extra bag, they would be really
blessed from donations you bring that they specifically need.

A few other things not to forget to pack: snacks to keep in your purse
(for long days at transition home), kleenex, chapstick, hand
sanitizer, sleeping aid, any medication you have, dry shampoo (in case
the water goes out) and your camera.

You are going to be great.  Be confident, excited and at peace.  The
moment you meet your child, you will forget about all the craziness in
packing to go to a foreign country.  You will fall in love!  While you
are in Ethiopia, be sure to go for coffee at Kaldis, shop for
traditional outfits, bring home some Tamoca coffee, have a fun night
out at the traditional resturant,  and fall in love with the people of
Ethoipia.

Zambian Adoption Q&A

One of our long time readers, Laura, sent in a super informative Q&A about Zambian adoption. I love that there are so many options out there, and that each bit of Africa offers something different. Thank you, Laura! If you want to follow her blog as it progresses, check it out here.

Currently, it is very difficult to adopt a younger child (less than three years of age). However, if you are open to an older child or special needs than it may be OK, but still with its challenges. The adoption system is currently being revamped with a recent change in government, as of September 2012.

Basic Requirements:

You may be married or single to adopt. Single women may adopt either gender. Single men may only adopt boys.

You must be at least 25 years of age. If married, one of the spouses must be over 25 years of age.

You must be at least 21 years of age older than the child you intend to adopt. If married, one of the spouses must be at least 21 years older than the child intended to be adopted.

There is a "mandatory" 3 month fostering period. However, this may be waived by the High Court Magistrate for certain cases (special needs, etc.). 

Currently, there are no US agencies working with the Zambian government so everything is independently done. The Zambian government is currently piloting adoption programs with Canada and Sweden. 

Approximate cost of adoption from Zambia:

Airfare - $2000 round trip for 1 adult, and $1200 for one way child

Government fees - $10 for committal order fee, may be asked to provide cell phone time or transportation for social workers

Lawyer (recommended, not required) - $1500

Lodging, Accomodation, and Transportation for 3 months - $4500

--

Approximate Total: $9200 

1) Application to Zambian government through the Ministry of Social Welfare to apply for the identification of a orphaned child

- This is done at the National Social Welfare office. An American homestudy and USCIC immigration pre-approval is very helpful (and I would recommend) but isn't necessarily required.

(This process took approximately 1 month of time for us and wasn't difficult. We were easily approved based on our American homestudy and letters we provided to SW. Other Americans I have known to adopt have also been easily approved.)

2) Zambian Social Welfare identifies a child that is available for adoption

- This is done at the District Social Welfare Office by the Social Welfare Officer (Lusaka is very busy and I know that families seem to be having an easier time outside of Lusaka)

- Babies are not usually available. If a young child is desired, the age range is usually 0-3 years.

- Being open to an older child (greater than 5 years) and/or one with Special Needs makes you MUCH MORE likely to have a child identified

(One child was identified for us but the relatives chose to care for the child. No other children were identified over the period of 9 months. We self-identified our son as being available for adoption through our time volunteering at the orphanage. The Zambian Government has piloted adoption programs with Sweden and Canada and I don't know of any children that have been identified for American families by the Zam Gov't in the last 9 months.)

3) An assessment report is done by the Zambian Social Welfare Officer to assess capability of parents and housing situation

4) Committal order is done through the court which gives the child into your custody

(Because our son had special needs, our committal order was done 10 days after he was identified as available for adoption - extremely fast for Zambia!)

5) "Officially" Apply for Adoption through Social Welfare office which gives you the  "Effective Date of Notice" letter which starts the "mandatory" 3 month fostering period. This is a letter from the National Social Welfare Office which states the date upon which the fostering-to-adopt period officially starts.

- Requires another assesment by the Zambian Social Worker

(Done for us about 1 month after our committal order - should be done as soon as possible after the committal order)

6) Apply for Court

- Typically done after the "mandatory" 3 month fostering period - may be waived for special needs 

- Lawyer is recommended but not required

- Case will be presented before a magistrate at the High Court

7) USCIS approval 

8) Apply for Zambian birth certificate, adoption decree, and passport

9) Come home! :)

Additional Resources:

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_info.php?country-select=zambia

Facebook group: "Adopting from Zambia"

Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zambia_adoptions/

New Week, New Family

Hey guys,

I think I'm back in the swing of things! I'm ready to get a new family live!!!

This is the Cameron family. They are stinkin' adorable and have a really cute video. :)

Here's a word from Mama:

 On July 4th we accepted a referral for a beautiful 21 month old boy from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Our dossier has been sent to the Congo and we are awaiting a court date for Kai.  We are very very excited to bring him home.  He has four older brothers ages 6, 4, and 2 years old who are just as eager to have their brother home and they are already planning on teaching him how to ride a bike, skateboard, and surf.  We were able to fund Kai's full adoption expenses through our savings, fundraisers, and a loan.  What we do need now is to fundraise for our travel and airfare expenses so we can bring Kai home.  We are currently planning on traveling in December to meet our precious son.

You ready to bless this family and this little guy, Kai? Me too. Donate here and tell your friends. 

***So far the Camerons have raised $1605 towards their travel expenses!!!! That's almost a plane ticket, y'all! ***

We're Home. Round One.

While I'm anxiously awaiting the post entitled 'We're home. Round Two', today is not that post. But we're almost there. So we've had a baby this week. Would you like to meet him? You've waited long enough!

This is Judah Tegegn Cupitt. We call him Jude.

Obviously he has the most amazing eyelashes I've ever seen. Those are real. And his mouth is adorable. He's just too cute for words. I'm thinking his hair has some serious 'fro potential, which I'm stoked about. (Chrissy, I actually took Babycakes to an orphanage. Yes, I did. I am that person. And you were right, the mint is the best. I'm totally going to have to order again!)

The trip was amazing. There is so much about adoption that is just so different, but it was so neat. We made lifelong buddies with our suite mates. We are so antisocial I thought having suite mates would be torture, but guess what? They are too! So we totally hit it off.

I got to meet so many people that I only knew online. Wynne came out and took our pics. We were hanging with the Vermes and the Krohns and even bumped into Jenna. Worlds collide.

Ok, ready for my favorite things about Africa?

• man snuggling: it's so funny and it just never got old for me. The guys there hold hands, put their arms around each other when they're walking around, and there was even some gentle caressing. I was dying. You can tell me it's cultural, you can tell me to grow up, but I can't do it. It's just so funny! If my husband tried that on his best friend in Texas...
• donkeys! What's my damage with donkeys? I have no idea! But the traffic in Addis is insane!!! And who gets the right of way? Whoever was there first? Um... no. Pedestrians? Yeah, right. Good luck. Nope, donkeys can maneuver and tear up the roads. Again, never got old. And I never got a decent picture! There was this painting that I wanted so bad with this donkey and all these blue VW vans in the background. (Hint hint, honey. For next time. You read me?) 
• doro wot: this is confusing. They write in Amharic, which you can't read, right? Then they spell it out in English. But it's written Doro Wot. But if you say 'doro wot' they act like you're an alien. So, instead, say 'doro wet' and it'll all be ok. Why don't they just write 'wet' if they want you to say it like that? I don't know. 
• I really loved the weather. Right now it's their rainy season and it's like Texas winter. I totally didn't get how cold it would be. A cardigan is not enough. But boots are a good thing. All the ladies there are wearing skinny jeans, fashion boots, tshirts, and scarves. Did you see that post Kelly did yesterday on the FashionABLE scarves? Yeah, you'll need one of those. 

Worst thing about Ethiopia: public humiliation by way of dancing and (I seriously kid you not) piggyback ride in front of like 300 people. I almost broke a skinny man. Chubby white girls worst nightmare! It really doesn't get worse than that. Can you seriously think of anything worse than wearing a cape and a hijab and riding on the back of a tiny Ethiopian man through a crowd of hundreds? I dare you to think of something. So though I may have enjoyed Ethiopia, I'm thoroughly convinced that Ethiopia hates me. (PS. If you are one of the many people with video footage of this tragic event, please oh please, never let me see it. Or my good friend, Destiny. I'll never hear the end of it as it is.) 

So that's the recap. I can't wait to bring this little man home. It's still quite surreal that he's ours. Anyhoo, have a good weekend. Don't forget to donate to the Phillips before their week runs out. I'm off to do it. I love you guys.