Tag: paper pregnant

Finally…

Posted on by crystalahollis

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Yesterday we got the phone call we have been waiting for since we resubmitted our home study to be reviewed again. On December 12th the committee in Colombia reviewed our complete dossier and was happy with everything and yesterday they APPROVED us!

So, now the waiting clock officially starts! We were told a 6-12 month wait, but as of now only one family has actually waited a full 6 months to be matched with their child. We of course are hoping to not have to wait a long time, but we know that God is in control and His timing is absolutely perfect. It is such a relief to have all of the paper work and redoing of things behind us and now we wait for that phone call saying we have been matched. Once we have been matched, we quickly get everything together, have an international adoption pediatrician review her medical file, get our adoption visas from Colombia, submit for US immigration and book our travel! It will be a quick whirlwind of about 2 months and then we travel.

Once we have been matched our final payment is due and its around $14,000.00. If you want donate towards it, Click Here We are also going to have some really cool fundraisers coming up, so check back here for more info on them!

My mothers heart has been struggling lately. I am absolutely beyond blessed to have been able to have Easton and consider him to be our miracle baby. I know that our little Ellie is going to be another miracle in our lives, but I recently found out that two people who are close to me were pregnant and did not have to try very hard to become pregnant and when I found out it was bittersweet. I want my baby in my arms, I would love to be able to get pregnant again and have another child. I want Ellie home with me, not in an orphanage. Adoption is beautiful thing and mirrors the gospel and I 100% believe that we have been given this opportunity because we are the family God has chosen for Ellie and she is the daughter God has planned for us to have, but at the same time I am feeling a loss of the other children that we could have had. If you could pray for peace for us and especially me during this time.

We so appreciate each of y’all who are standing beside us in this journey, praying for us, encouraging us and supporting us. We love y’all!

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Posted on by crystalahollis

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On October 10th the committee in Colombia reviewed our file. We were expecting to hear that we were approved that evening. I got a call a few days later from our agency and they said that we wouldn’t hear back from the committee until the end of the month because they had an adoption conference. So we waited. On November 7th I got a call from our agency and it was not the news we wanted. The committee in Colombia had reviewed our home study and they wanted every single “special needs” that we are accepting and are approved for from a six page list added to our home study. It was disappointing to have yet again another set back, but we are so very thankful that they didn’t just reject us, because a 2nd chance at adopting from Colombia is almost impossible. We have been going back and forth updating the home study since July. It has been updated now and it arrived in Austin today, so we are hoping to have it back next week and it can be sent to Colombia. We are hoping and praying that this is the last time and we will finally get our approval. I keep telling myself that this will be all worth it in the end, when our baby girl is in our arms all this stress will be a distant memory.

Since it is Thanksgiving week, I am reflecting on our blessings and what I am thankful for. I am so very thankful for the opportunity to adopt. This process has not been easy at all, but it has taught me patience and to trust God in all the little things. I am thankful for Cody who sees me at my worst and loves me anyway. I am thankful for Easton, he made me a mother and he truly is our miracle baby. I am so thankful I was able to get pregnant and have my Easton. I am thankful for my Mom and Dad and Cody’s mom and stepdad. Their financial support of this adoption has been an enormous blessing. I am thankful for all of you who have supported us in this adoption. So many of y’all have donated, purchased things in our fundraiser and cheered us on! We appreciate y’all! Thank you!

We are doing a candle fundraiser with Candles by Carol, who is a local small business and she has the absolute best candles. If you want to order some, the orders must be in by November 30 to ensure Christmas delivery! I can ship them to you as well if you cover shipping costs. Here are the scents:

Crème Brûlée (cream color)- A sweet, rich scent. Smells like a delicious cake in the oven, Our best seller ever!

Vanilla Spice (tan color)- The perfect mix of sweet vanilla and bold spice.

Heirloom Gardenia (white color)- Fresh sweet gardenia with a hint of bergamot, lily, sandalwood, and a splash of orange blossom.

Sweet Lemon (pale  yellow color)- The perfect combination of fresh, clean, juicy lemon, and sweet creamy vanilla.

Eucalyptus Mint (White Color)- An Uplifting spa scent! Vaporizing eucalyptus with fresh mint.

Cinnamon Apple (Red Color)- Sweet Mcintosh apple with spicy red hot cinnamon.

Creamy Pumpkin (Creamy Orange Color)- Pumpkin and cinnamon with a sweet vanilla bean and a splash of caramel.

Traditional Christmas (Red Color)- Sweet mandarin orange and spicy cinnamon- a Christmas favorite!

Christmas Cookie (Butter Color)- Delicious buttery cookies with creamy vanilla and a touch of cinnamon.

Here are the sizes:

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If you are looking for an end of the year tax deduction and would like to donate directly to our adoption fund, you can do that HERE.

Hopefully, we will have some good news our next update, until then we wait.

Review

Posted on by crystalahollis

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All of our paper work in complete, all the i’s are dotted, all the t’s crossed and all the authentication seals have been given. On Monday, October 10th the orphanage where Ellie is or will be is going to review our file, our photo book and all of our recommendation letters and make a decision to approve us for adoption. We will know Monday evening their decision. Please be praying for favor, for the committee to approve us. I am trying not to worry, not to be anxious, and reminding myself that God is in control and He set this in motion and He has His hand on the entire process.

In this time of waiting I have been reflecting on the faithfulness of God. He really has orchestrated this journey. When we committed to the decision to adopt a baby in February, we did not know how everything would work out, how we would afford it, what Easton would think, etc. Everything has worked out amazingly, we were able to make each of our required payments, a HUGE thanks to my parents, Cody’s mom and stepdad and so many of y’all who have contributed to us. We really really could not have done this without y’all. Thank you for buying t-shirts, donating to our garage sale, buying candles, eating at Joe Willy’s, shopping at our jewelry party, etc…We really are so blessed to have such a wonderful support system. Easton is so excited to have a sister, he already saves a seat for her, asks to wear his Ellie shirt, points to Colombia on the map and asks about her and prays for her every night. He recently started asking when Ellie will come home. I love his tender heart and how caring he already is at such a young age.

Our spring garage sale was such a huge success, we are having another garage sale on October 15th, if you have been cleaning out things and want to get rid of things, we would love to have them for our garage sale. I will come pick them up!

Please be praying for us and for the committee at the orphanage and especially be praying for Ellie. Pray that God will prepare her heart for adoption, prepare her to meet us and accept us as her parents, and that He will protect her. Please pray for us, pray that our hearts will have peace during this waiting season. We love and appreciate y’all so much!