stuartie and allys adoption adventure

no news yet..

2011-01-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

sorry for the adoption blog drought...but there has been zero to report...we are still waiting with no word from Thailand after it closed with our papers on their desks....it will be a year at the end of February that our papers landed in Thailand...lets pray the silence will be broken soon...

one month today......waiting waiting waiting

2010-04-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

we haven't disappeared...but are still waiting...our papers are still in thailand.....and we are still waiting to hear if the will be accepted and put on the waiting list...or not......its been tricky to stay in peace, as its so hard not knowing what the outcome will be after such a long journey to get to this stage....but thank the Lord for grace....as in Him we trust to open the doors and close the doors that he wills for our lives and the adventure of parenthood.........so until we hear something....we wait....

thailand via dhl.......

2010-03-09T23:49:00.000-08:00

it has been a real roller-coaster the last few weeks....our papers have been sent to thailand and received on Monday morning...we have been told to wait and see if they will be accepted........as a few other people were in the same position as us....whose papers weres just about to be sent when the sudden closure happened.......thailand said they will see how many people are in our position around the world before they make a decision ..on whether to accept our application or not.........so we wait.....trusting that God's will be done and He will keep our feet on the right path....

hi's and lows.....

2010-02-11T23:23:00.000-08:00

adoption is certainly a roller coaster....our papers are one step from leaving Stormont to go to thailand to begin the waiting process.....we just had news yesterday that thailand have closed and won't receive anymore applications untill 2011...this has not happened for many years.....we have a window of hope that ours may be allowed through as they are pretty much ready to go...we are trusting God for the outcome and trying to remain in a place of peace that it will all work out for the best.....so please join us in prayer that they will go through...

up up and away.....

2010-01-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

best news today...are papers are passed at stormont and will be heading to thailand....hip hip hooray!!

our papers are on the move....

2010-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

at long last our adoption papers have finally made it to Stormont to be prepared to go onto Bangkok.....please pray they go through quickly and get to Bangkok asap....

more papers.....

2009-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

we are not finished yet filling in forms....we have a couple more forms to fill out at the minute so our paper work can go to Stormont to be notarized and translated into thai....can't wait until our file is safely in thailand waiting to be matched........

the beginning of the rest....

2009-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

today was a big day on our adoption journey and to be honest the only part i have been nervous about.....today was... Panel Day........ Panel had some delays which meant a long wait for us before we would be invited in to answer some questions.....meanwhile we had our own waiting room to hang out in ..stocked with tea and coffee....bookshelves packed with kids books of which we read most of ..lol....this penguin one was our favourite...

..as the wait continued we resorted to playing that old family favourite.....i spy with my little eye something beginning with................to distract ourselves.....i'm not sure how it always seemed to be stuart's turn ..gave me a flasback into my childhood....:-)

Eventually we were invited into the board to room to meet everyone and answer a couple of questions.........thankfully we got a unanimous YES from panel and as of today are approved to adopt...hooray.....our papers will make their way to Stormont shortly......

Two years and counting...

2009-10-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

just looking at our blog and realsied we have been on this journey for two years......can't believe time has gone so quickly ...but at the same time in my naive thinking in the early days i thought we would be galloping over the finish line any day soon..but in reality we are only half way there........

book recommendation....

2009-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

i must admit i find the technical almost medical journel books on our list to read pretty hard going......i am much more of a practical learner and like to learn through hearing from others and experiencing things...our social worker recommended this book to us...and we both love it...it has been so helpful and such an easy read..highly recommended...

update.......

2009-10-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

oh my goodness i cant believe it is october and my last post was at the end of june...scary...we have been so busy with work..life and the adoption trail.......we officially finished our homestudy on 27th July .... eight sessions in all ....when we closed the door to our social worker we went out into our back garden and popped open a bottle of champagne to mark yet another milestone on this journey...

our social worker has beavered away writing up our report into a nice thick document all about the life of the Browns.......and we are going to face panel very soon......we have had two further prep meeting this week to get all the final loose ends tied up..i must admit this is the only part of the process that has produced butterflies in my tummy.....we are trusting that God has brought us this far and he will continue to led us on......

approaching part 6..

2009-06-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

i have been so bad about blogging lately...the weeks seem to fly by and are full of ...life.......we have done a couple of homestudy sessions since i last blogged and i have got to say...we are still very much enjoying the process..maybe its just us or else our social worker helps to make it an enjoyable experience...it really is an enriching experience.....i love everything about adoption and am so glad we are on this journey.........i must admit i have been thinking very much this week about being a mixed race family living in N.I..after the appalling attacks on the romanian people seeking a better life here...but just need to trust God is in control and will be entwined in every detail of the journey............we received some lovely news this week that friends of ours had been matched with their new daughter in thailand.......makes it all real when you see people you know making it to the end of the journey...............so roll on homestudy so we can get onto the next stage of bringing us closer to meeting our little one face to face instead of just our hearts....

part three.....

2009-04-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

well part three is completed and we are galloping towards part four......we have really enjoyed this process so far....its actually so good to talk through things and continually confirm in our hearts that this is totally the right move for us..........excited to keep going.............we chatted a little about the timeline......and as we expected it will be 2011 before we meet our little one......unless a miracle takes place...just as well be believe in those....:-)

part two......

2009-04-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

second session in homestudy completed today...next one in two weeks time........again both really enjoyed the time.......looking forward to next one....every step we take confirms again and again that we are on the right track and adoption is so right for us......

part one........

2009-04-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

first session done......must say we both really enjoyed it and and look forward to the second on monday..it feels so good to finally have movement...feeling that we are inching closer to finally coming face to face with the little bundle God has chosen us to share our lives with.........

homestudy starts........

2009-04-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

at last...we are beginning.......we have been told we would be starting our homestudy since autumn and it kept getting put back .....again and again.......well not anymore....tomorrow morning we will be having our first homestudy interview........we have waited so long for this...it is so hard to believe the ball is actually beginning to roll again......praying it picks up momentum and doesn't slow down till we reach the goal..............

at last the phone rings...

2009-03-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

late sunday night the phone rang..........and to our surprise it was our social worker who has been off sick for a couple of months......she is back to work......and we are to finally get started our home study in 2 weeks time.......hooray...........at last.......and as we open the door to our social worker we should be closing it behind our last builder (i hope)...His timing is perfect......

thailand........day ten

2009-02-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

this is our last day in thailand...and it is also our 9th wedding anniversary today

.........tonight we leave hua hin for bangkok airport...and say goodbye to thailand until our next visit..........

thailand........day nine

2009-02-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

we went into hua hin today and found the sofitel grand centara which has won preservation awards as it used to be one of the places the king and queen entertained and has a museum with the walls lined with old black and white photos....

topiary gardens were amazing with huge flocks of birds and elephants..

such a tranquil space in the middle of a busy city

thailand........day eight

2009-02-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

today we enjoyed a thai massage beside the beach....i had put it off...after seeing the shapes they bent people into...but we both braved it...it was quite an experience and different parts were stretched and cracked.....

thailand........day seven

2009-02-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

today we went elephant trekking at a local elephant sanctuary for former working elephants......on arrival we were greeted with drinks and lots of smiles and our elephant with its driver was brought along for us...we climbed about ten steps bringing us level with the elephants back and we had to step over and climp onto the seat on its back....slightly nervous i must admit..and i am the one happy galloping around on horseback..so i was thinking if i am a little nervous ..Stuart must be petrified....as here we are on a 15 foot elephant sitting on a chair thats a further couple of feet above its back..

and when it started walking its gait was so slow and its whole back rocks from side to side...giving the impression your seat could come flying off.....anyway after a bit of white knuckle time we began to relax and enjoy the journey...the driver had little english but we made a little conversation..our elephant was 50 years old and she had been riding elephants for 10 years....i happened to mention that i ride horses in ireland trying to connect with her...after about 15 minutes she stopped the elephant and climbed down its raised leg...and offered to take pics..i nervously asked would it take off at all....thinking that the news would report two very white irish people last seen taking off through the jungle on top of an elephant..she confirmed it wouldn't ......so we handed over the camera.......then she offered that i climb down onto its neck for a turn...i thought why not ..i wont get to do this in ireland......so i clambered down thinking this would be a good photo op...but she just started walking off and left me driving the elephant for about 30 mins......ahhhhhhhhh......

i told stuart i couldn't hear him praying out loud...as i had absolutely nothing to hold onto...just my balance to rely on ...on its ever twisting lilting neck.....

the elephant has such thick hairs all over it was like sitting on Velcro in my shorts...long trousers would have been good........up steep hills we climbed and down steep slopes.....and i must admit i loved it...she was so beautiful....so obedient for such a vast beast...............when the driver finally took over again and i climbed back up to my seat...suddenly the seat that had once felt insecure suddenly felt luxurious.....................

thailand........day six

2009-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

today after relaxing and enjoying walking on the beach....we got a truck taxi to go to the top of Takieb Mountain...

known as monkey mountain...due to the wild monkeys that live there that people enjoy feeding......at the bottom is a harbour where local fishermen sort out their catch for sale........the road up was almost vertical at some times and i was trying not to look over the big drop at the sides..........when we got up there it was like a wee village and shops .....

we climbed the steps that led to a temple and offered stunning views over all of hau hin...i realised that i dont really enjoy large groups of wild cheeky monkeys (excuse the pun)

they are unpredictable and as i was trying to mind my own business making my way up the vertical steps in the heat on made a b-line for me and jumped right on my wrapping itself round me....not impressed....i screamed and shook it off......stuart was nowhere to be seen as he was already at the top taking pictures...moments later a monk came along with a catapult and moved them off the steps ...............a moment to late i think..........

thailand........day five

2009-02-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

enjoyed a long walk on the beach..the hua hin beach is an uninterrupted 6km long and we loved taking in the sights along the way....as the different boothes offering thai massage and the horses going up and down the beach

and all the fishermen out at sea hard at work in the baking heat.....in the afternoon we went into the city and visited one of thailands oldest railway stations...

later that night we went to the local big mall that had open air live Jazz every evening and enjoyed the music while enjoying some good food........
its impossible to not notice the poverty here that sits alongside the wealthy..people live in little shacks beside posh hotels with tin roofs that must be unbearable in the height of summer...... we saw much fewer people beg than i had expected everyone is trying to sell something to make a living and only those who are very ill or handicapped were begging Thia's are a very resilient people........

thailand........day four

2009-02-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

today we are leaving behind bangkok for the quieter Hua Hin...........our driver arrived at the hotel to take us on the three hour transfer.........after an hour or so we both started nodding off....he asked if we would like to stop to buy a drink or stretch our legs....he was quite determined...so we said ok....when we got back in the car...he was so happy we were awake again and filled the rest of the journey being our full on tour guide..he was so lovely and his english was brilliant..so we took full advantage and learnt as much as we could...we stopped of on the way to look at the salt fields as he explained how it all worked....we arrived at our next hotel and greeted by many happy smiles..most of the staff seemed to be unfer 25 ...we laughed and felt like we were at thai youth camp........we quickly dumped or bags in our room and made our way to teh beach that our hotel sat beside...so beautiful and peaceful...

.and the air is so clean......as we relaxed on the beach for an hour or so we both said we strangely miss Bangkok.....we still felt as if we were at the pace of bangkok and would have to be ready to slow down a bit..........we later went in to check our Hua hin ...to our surprise this was a big bustling city .....much bigger than we had expected....we went to the night markets......

enjoyed my favourite mode of transport on the way home....TUK TUK....................

thailand........day three

2009-02-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

i spent a couple of hours reading at the pool ...as stuart left at 6am for tour of the grand palace..i choose to miss the trip..as my back was still pretty sore...and i knew if i rested for the morning..i would be better for the rest of the holiday......later in the day we took a taxi to the NBK shopping mall..i think just about everyone said we had to go there as its the biggest mall.......our taxi driver was really sweet and gave us a bit of a tour on route and lots of helpful hints to save us money travelling about...his taxi was extra special inside...i dont think i have seen just as much decoration inside one car.......the traffic was so crazy it was seriously bumper to bumper for so long .....i felt a little tempted my the motorbike taxi's.....but only a little.....

the mall was vast........i felt dizzy standing on the ground and looking up at the never ending levels and the ceilings were quite low the higher you got...everyone and anyone had a few square feet that was their shop trying to make a living.......i think we must have only gotten round half of it before we decided we needed outside again........we took our taxi drivers advice and ventured for the sky train..

.it is the only way to travel around bangkok....up above all the traffic...it was great...slightly squashed as we jumped aboard at rush hour.......stuart decided we should walk the couple miles back to our hotel from the train stop......we walked through one of the parks and we so happened to be there while the national anthem was being played and everyone stood still until it was over...this happens every day at the same time..

.further up the park we heard music and came across several hundred people doing some funny form of aerobics...such the weird sight..........both of us really like bangkok....apart from the pollution ....there is so much variety and so much to discover......i look froward to investigating more in future trips.......

thailand ......day two.........

2009-02-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

we went to the adoption centre today to meet with the social worker who will handle our case when our papers arrive in Thailand (eventually)........it took about 20 mins to get there from our hotel and when we arrived you notice the difference of being in a building with no air con especially when you are still adjusting......we got led to a room to wait for her as she was running late..her assiatant made us comfortable with some nice cold water to sip at..she was very sweet...when the social worker arrived she was not as i expected ..she was plump and jolly and very mummy like...i instantly felt relaxed ....we tried to ask some sensible questions...but i got distracted as she was wearing a bracelet with little charms all around that were the same as my dog Jude..which i happily informed her...i felt even more at home then......after our meeting we were able to make some decisions that we had been unsure about before...so that was good.....her assistant hailed a taxi from the main road to take us to the orphanage... the assistant didnt speak english, nor did the taxi driver...so stuart and i got into a taxi not knowing the name of the orphanage ...how far away it was..or anything.......... after travelling for about 40 minutes i began to get nervous..thinking this guy could be taking us anywhere..how silly are we.......when all of a sudden her pulled over and asked a group of guys a question..who all start laughing....still not comforting...they pointed down the street..turns out he was lost and had driven past it...praise God...we were there.....we were told we could go in and play with the toddlers and only play with the babies through the big open window...and no photos allowed.......i actually found it quite upsetting being in with the toddlers as lots were showing signs of being in an institution..and this was a good orphanage with lots of carers.......the babies were much more open for attention and that gave us a bit of light relief.............getting a taxi home was fun as we were quite far out from the city centre..the guard who was on the gate helped us..by standing in the middle of the road blowing his whistle and using his radio to try and get us one...eventually he was successful.......

when safely back to our base..we went out walking to a big mall just next to our hotel...and got some food ....it is so hot walking around bangkok and the pollution is so thick...i understand why so many wear masks as you could cut it with a knife.....we both said how we could feel it sitting in our throats.....which is affectionately named Bangkok lung apparently.......and this is even with the pollution improved some...i cant imagine what it would feel like before...as you feel like you are only inhaling dirt and fumes all the time........there is so much happening in everywhere and my head was spinning trying to see everything and miss being hit by the traffic flying about everywhere...one things for sure bangkok is definitely not boring.....

home ..........

2009-02-08T00:15:00.000-08:00

we are home from thailand safe and sound.......although we arrived back to a bit of a surprise....a few days before we came home the temperature plummeted ....pipes burst....the front of our house flooded....praise God for attentive neighbours who called the police........anyway.....i will write about our trip here in a day or two when things get settled....all as i can say now is that we are in love with the thai people now more than ever.....................oh and also our social workers ankle still not healed so it will be end of february before we start.....................His timing is always perfect.....it will come to pass........

thai memories......

2009-01-25T00:20:00.000-08:00

well this is our last day in wet and cold northern ireland before we set off for hot and sunny thailand........our bags are almost packed...and we are praying that this will be such a special trip .....a time of making lots of lovely thai memories...............

bangkok appointment..............

2009-01-19T00:26:00.000-08:00

i was able to speak with the social worker in Bangkok this morning.....who looks after all the adoptions to the Uk.....she was so lovely and is going to take the time to meet with us when we are in Bangkok next week.........and also take us to visit a childrens home.....it makes it all feel real now............this time next week we will be up in the sky and on our way.......................

sharing adventures..........

2009-01-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

i am going to meet with a lady tonight for coffee who has two lovely sons from thailand..........it is so great to learn from those who have gone before you....who are willing to share experiences...........that is so much a part of why stuart and i decided to upload our adoption journey on the www........as it is so rich to be able to share lifes experiences with others.....the good and the bad.....and i remember when we first started praying about adoption...i would search the www to try and gather information.......so i hope our journey helps others....as much as others sharing their adoption adventure has helped us...........life was never meant to be lived alone but shared.................

just a sharp scratch...........

2009-01-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

tonight stuart and i rolled up our sleeves and got a big injection in each arm.....some of our shots needed updated for travel.....so it was a face off.....to see who could make the least expression when the nurse said.....just a sharp scratch.........stuart won...........it always makes me snigger when they say that........cause its so not true....it would make better sense to say.......sharp stab.....then some stinging...........i guess the first was is a little more comforting.........we had to wait for ten minutes after we had the injections..before we were allowed to leave.........to make sure no reactions........in that time the nurse asked some questions about our trip...and we shared with her about adopting...........

delay......

2009-01-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

well we had hoped to be starting our homestudy by now...but got a message today saying our social worker had broken her ankle.........and it would be three to four weeks before we get started..........which is frustratling on one hand....but on the other.....we are leaving for thailand in 2 and half weeks and will be there for 2 weeks...so really we will be starting when we get home...so God must know this is better timing......so we will stay in a place of peace...and go with it..trusting it will all come to pass.............

suitcases.................

2009-01-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

today the suitcases came out of the attic and are in position in the spare room.....awaiting packing in the next couple of weeks.....:-)........hopefully get to start our homestudy this month....still awaiting that phone call........oh well.....God's timing will be perfect..it always is..........

land of a thousand smiles.....

2008-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

we cant believe we are heading to thailand in a few weeks..........its so hard to imagine needing ...shorts.....flip flops and sunglasses as i am typing this wearing my north face puffa and snuggled under a blanket........we are so looking forward to getting our first real experience of the land of a thousand smiles.....soaking up the culture, sights and smells and being surrounded with all that is thailand...........this is such a long process...i know for me.....it will help it to feel so much more real....instead of a dream...getting to be amongst so many thai faces .....and visiting the social worker...and making memories and bringing home treasures that will make landmarks in our hearts as we travel this adoption road........

patience....................

2008-12-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

still waiting to hear from our social worker to arrange our first appointment to get our homestudy underway..........more lessons in waiting...........i am sure it is developing something wonderful in both of us.............i feel when we get to the end of this journey we will have grasped a small insight into the meaning of the word 'patience'......its certainly not an understanding that comes freely.... .....well while we wait....all else is changing in preparation......we are both changing jobs in the new year ...which will enable us to lead much more sociable lives with the hours we will work....and in the big picture...more family friendly for when our little one arrives..................

airport open...

2008-12-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

good news tonight..the protesting in Bangkok airport is ending ...and the airport is re-opening......great news for all those travelling to collect their little ones nad for those who have had the ordeal of being trapped there with no way home.....praying it continues to remain peaceful..............

big 'cheer'.....

2008-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

hooray we are finally number one on the list to start our home study..stuart called michael today to get an update on where we were on the list and he had just finished his meeting with his team...and had just assigned us to our social worker...who we met at the start of the journey..when we first talked with a social worker in our home......so a big 'cheer' we are finally moving..She is just signing off a study and then will be contacting us to arrange our first appointment.....

money boxes....

2008-11-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

last night my mum surprised us with a cute asian girl..money box....so pretty...for us to put spare change into and she and my sister are going to do the same........also i forgot to mention i have started my own card making business...well hobby...called cherryblossom...i am going to sell them at craft fairs...and all proceeds are going into our adoption fund......every little counts....

books as thick as my front doorstep.....

2008-11-02T02:52:00.000-08:00

thought i would write a little note about trying not to feel overwhelmed reading the giant books we have been advised to study.......i am not joking it has taken me several night to just read ten pages as the print is so tiny and i almost feel like i should be wearing wrist supports to help me hold it up in bed.............there is so much to take in i almost have to talk myself down from freaking out and hiding it under the bed....i know there is so much to learn...but surely it can't all come through a book.......i hope...... common sense and the leading of our God who wants the best for our child...will come into play....anyway...i will continue to plough on...please pray i can make it...........:-)

thailand here we come...........

2008-11-02T02:45:00.000-08:00

we are so excited we booked our holiday to thailand on friday................we leave on the 26th january for nearly two weeks......3 days in bangkok and then the rest of the time in hau hin....

we will be in thailand over our 9th wedding anniversary......we are so blessed to have this opportunity of soaking up the culture and sights, sounds and smells of the homeland of our little one to be......and excited to know that the next time we visit this amazing country we will be booking an extra seat on the plane on the homeward bound leg.............

Coincidence?

2008-10-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

The second random conversation I (Stuart) have had happened the other day. I was at the post office sending a letter to the immigration department for part of our pre home study home work the person serving me said she recognised the address. The conversation continued and she told me that she has adopted twice. As we finished she wished ally and me lots of luck with our adventure. This was such a surprise and a further encouragement.

Still hoping to begin home study in next couple of months.

Watch this space.

S:

papers papers papers......................................

2008-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

since the last blog, we have been busy, writing our personal history and even Judes profile! embassy letters, letters from our mortgage lender and also we have had our medicals done - we passed - mine was like the medical from faulty towers....which took him two hours instead of 30mins, as he lost my form, and all the other staff went home, leaving me alone with Doc who was tripping over himself due to embarrassment from keeping me waiting so long due to the form loss..........needless to say for the first time in my life my BP was a little increased, and his words 'my pulse was raising'.....so all in all a bit of a saga, i dont want to repeat.....we will hand in all our papers on tuesday and then we wait......for homestudy to begin....please God could it be soon....it hard not to feel impatient when i read american blogs of couples adopting and they have their little one home within year and they think it took ages....when we have been waiting over a year now to JUST start our homestudy.............

tues 23rd..........

2008-09-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

it has begun...we met Michael this morning and signed papers to start police checks and medicals....plus wrote a cheque for 750 pounds to pay for it...it feels a little more like its happening...although on the way home Stuart was beginning to worry that we will look on paper like we don't earn enough...even though we know God provides and we never go without....

here is us driving down the road to michaels office

here is us going into the office

the funny thing is we were asked to contact our mortgage lender to request a letter to show we make all our payments etc....Stuart did it as soon as we got home...and guess what...out of all the people he could of spoken to in England in that huge company....the lady that took his call is also adopting and was chatting away to Stuart all about it...she said..i know exactly what you need..leave it with me....its like every time we get a wobble..and wonder..how God...he drops in a wee god moment to remind us he is in control and we are on the right track...thank you Lord

we have also got loads of homework - like writing our personal history and getting medicals done and many other things......

the night before.....

2008-09-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

well tomorrow the wagons wheels begin turning...we are going to see michael in the morning to start our poilce and medical checks...yeah...so hard to believe we are actually getting started after over a year of waiting...But God is so good giving us peace to go with it and trust him in the timing.....

we had a great coffee night with a couple a few nights ago who live close by who have a lovely daughter from thailand.....God is so funny....stuart met the husband of this couple through a random work meeting and the rest is history.........

its a family thing.....

2008-09-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

so blessed with generous gifts from family to help with the legal costs..we are so blessed to have so much support from our wider family, we so much want them all to be a part of this exciting journey and all their support in every way is very much appreciated.

you have one new message.....

2008-09-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

3rd september 2008
we had been home from work oday about an hour when i realised we had one new message on our answering phone! it happened to be micael robinson our social worker- asking us to come in for a meeting to start our police and medial checks - hooray - this means we are on our way........slowly but surely...........its the tortoise and the hare....................

our pre adoption thailand trip .........

2008-08-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

I know how other people felt now keeping an adoption blog…. The process I so drawn out that you can go for ages with nothing to write about…. But today we have a little something to write about..

We have been able to get some monies together to enable us to do a pre adoption Thailand trip – yeah!- we hoped we could but weren’t sure about funds – but again God provides.
We have gone to several travel agents and to be completely honest they have been so unhelpful that they were one step away from being rude and having me ask to see the manager.
So when Stuart mentioned going to see travel agents to check out our trip plans and dates – I wasn’t that excited – but quietly prayed God would help us….. We went to a couple of big name places and again - no help at all …
I remembered a little private agent in our local town that we had gone into all excited when we committed to adopt from Thailand and snagged a brochure on the Far East – so we could dream gazing at pictures of Thailand and the people n the pics…

Well it was like night and day – they guy was almost excitable he was so helpful – and helped us make a great plan for a trip all within the budget we hoped to stay within……..

So it looks like Jan 2009 we will be heading to Thailand just a couple weeks before our 9th wedding anniversary ……….hooray………..

Now we can actually flick through the brochures and know in 5 months we will actually be there….thank you God………

ps. also when we got home from the travel agents we had an email that had just arrived from someone that was on our intercountry adoption training with us....timing....

update on home study countdown....

2008-07-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

stuart called michael yesterday, he is the head social worker of intercountry adoption and works covering our area........

we were getting an update on were we are on the waiting list to get started on our homestudy, he was able to tell us we are now number 10 on the list and come october we will hve been waiting a year - he hopes worst case senerio it will be done by the end of the year.....

so please pray that when the new social workers come on board to take on cases the list will go down quickly bringing us to number 1..............

meanwhile we are geting on with our media watch - and would rally love to look at finances to enable us to make a trip to thailand before we adopt.................

summer madness conect....

2008-07-10T03:12:00.000-07:00

at the end of june we take a crowd of youth to a big youth festival in belfast.... stuart and i love catching up with people and sharing heats and dreams. we had a very special encounter with a family who i used to work with years ago - they are a family of eight with the two youngest kids adopted from thailand. it was so special to finally conect and share about out journeys, and they introduced us to other couples adopting from thailand........

update 10th June

2008-06-10T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Well it has been several weeks now since an update and the main reason for the lack of posts is, well, nothing is really happening at present. We are awaiting our health trust to assign a social worker to begin work on our case file and begin the home study.

So just to keep us focused Ally purchased a little pressy today. it is called ‘international duck’ and well you can see below it is a duck with lots of random stamps all over him to show where he has been. Thought this might be a little reminder of how our family will have many stamps on their passports.

S&A:

Steve Jobs, Ceo Apple Inc. Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

2008-04-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Some profound timeless truth!

invite to aoptive families nite

2008-04-03T11:07:00.001-07:00

3rd april

God's good giving us something to do meantime, we got a letter in the post inviting us to an evening with the guest speaker the head of intercounrty adoption (who looks after cases in our trust)so at least we get to meet some people from our own area....
the night is next wednesday

last day training....................

2008-04-03T11:06:00.001-07:00

2nd april

good final day of training, nice to have the break in between, looking at racisim and some difficult subjects like that, we worked through case studies and had an adoptive parent come and share her story which was so encourging and a lovely way to finish.

no we just wait until we get notice to start our homestudy. praying God speeds it up and moves our names to the top of the waiting list..........

training day number two............................

2008-04-03T11:05:00.002-07:00

19th march
well we are all starting to understand why they break up the 3 days training as this is so intense, we were doing about attachment today and watching some upsetting case study videos - quite overwhelming!
we were also joined by the head pediatrician who will be looking after our little one when they return home with us. it was such a blessing to see again God's hand at work again - as she is so passionate about the children coming in though intercountry adoption and offers a service that you can only get in the belfast trust which is were we are.

really lovely to get to know other couples who are on the same journey as us, some of them have been with us from the info day as well which is really nice...

we have lots of homework to do before our last day of training, like family trees, care plan and deciding on 6 words that describe us individually, plus our continued media watch.............

training day number one.......

2008-04-03T11:05:00.001-07:00

18th march................

first day of intercountry adoption training! feels so encouraging to actually feel like we are finally getting to do something. the room was filled with nervous chit chat and some tense moments of silence, as we all waited for he two hosting social workers to begin. i took such a fit of giggles when we had to feed back to the rest of the group what we had learnt about the person sitting next to us. he was lie sitting beside the schoolboy that made you snigger. even if i did receive some dirty looks it helped break the ice.

the first day was filled with people frantically asking question about timeline and countries all trying to get some answers(have to admit we were joining in too as on the Friday we had been told it could be another 12 months before we start the homestudy instead of the few we were expecting)which made it difficult for the leaders to keep us all on track a whistle was almost needed at times, it was all pretty intense but good to help us think things through and also i think we are still pretty committed to thailand.........feeling pretty exhausted after day number one and going to get an early night for day two.......

training....

2008-03-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Had an arrival on Saturday 8th March via royal mail. It was both our international adoption training folders - they are huge the postal delivery guy had to use both hands when carrying it to the front door.

We are so excited they are crammed full of information, tasks and so many topics we wouldn't even have thought would be in there. Although I must admit after reading through some of it i did have a few moments of feeling overwhelmed and nearly reaching for a brown paper bag :-) although studious Stuart took it all in his stride!

But we just need to take baby steps and suddenly find we have got to the end.....roll on next week training course................

thai support group

2008-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

contacted an old acquaintance who i used to work for and also used to attend the same church, who i found out helps lead the thai family support group, as we are quite sure unless God changes our hearts we will be trying to adopt from thailand....

it is so great how God prepares all this crossing of hearts years in advance....

22nd january our first training day............

2008-01-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

well its 7:40pm and i am just settled on the sofa with Jude curled up tightly beside me (its raining she goes into hibernation mode)we have just got back from our fist full day of training for international adoption.

talk about a role reversal Stuart was so excited/nervous that he has been awake and may i add up since about 5am this morning while i peacefully slept on till 7am! needless to say he is now in his p.js slupping on a cup of t...

well we made our way through the Belfast rush hour traffic and got a parking spot with enough time to spare to grab a coffee in starbucks and gather ourselves before we wandered down the lisburn road to begin our day learning more about intercountry adoption.

we even managed to be seated about 10 mins early and were welcomed by Michael (social worker who interviewed us) and Alison the other social worker running the day.

there were 22 of us some were there to find out more to help make a decision and then several couples like us who knew its what was right for them and were getting through all the stages to get us to the home study.

we took in so much info our heads were spinning by the end ...asked questions and listened to others and drank lots more coffee..........................

near the end of the day a lovely lady came in to share with us her and her husbands journey adopting their little baby from Colombia. it was so lovely to hear her and to see the lovely pics, and helped remind us that all the waiting and politics and paper work will be worth it in the end..as this is Gods special plan for us- her process to 4 years and we are sooooooooooooooooo praying God will open doors and speed up the process.

one sentence that Alison (social worker) finished with was that this direction was for those who love adventure and were able to push through trials together - it made both of us smile as just look at the title of our blog,...............

..............

2008-01-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Winston Churchill

phone call............

2008-01-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

5th jan

had a lovely phone call from a friend of my aunties. she and her husband have adopted from cambodia and in the process of adopting from thailand - it was so lovely to talk to someone who has been on the journey and in the midst of it again - she kindly let me ask lots of questions and listen about their adventure.

it is lovely to be apart of this community and to find support from those who i dont even know but whos hearts are joined though adoption............

we are waiting to begin the 1st part of our international adoption training the fist day is the 22nd jan so we look forward to geting started......

info night

2007-11-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

well we went to an adoption info night on thursday 15th november in the Ramada hotel. About 100 people turned up so that was encouraging. we weren't sure what to expect - but quickly realised it was really for those considering adopting from NI and as we know we are adopting internationally it wasn't really for us - but we met several people we know - so it was lovely to share with each other about where we are at on this adventure................

invited to a celebration of adoption.............

2007-11-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

we were invited to go to a prayer service of thanksgiving for adoptive families on 3rd November it was so special to be surrounded with so many familes who had run the race of adoption and also those like us who have just left the starting gates - i must confess to feeling such waves of emotion as i walked through the doors and caught my first glance of happy smiling children from all over the world...................................

This is a wee pic of our 'stand in' adoption, we adopted him at the celebration service we attended on Saturday.

S&A

milestone meeting................................

2007-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

15th october -

after alot of praying we nervously made our way into the reception to meet with the head social worker - it felt like being in the headmasters waiting room both of us trying to make conversation with the receptionist like we do this sort of thing everyday :-)

after a short wait we were lead up to the very top floor to his office when we walked in the wall in front of us was covered in pics of families with their new arrival - already i had to stop myself from bursting into tears.............

after a little grilling in the nicest possible sense, he agreed that we were right for international adoption and were now on the waiting list for a home study - YAY - it was if a weight lifted of us and a joy filled our spirits we are on our way on this incredible adventure God has laid before us.

on the way out we were given a form to take home and fill in and post back to enroll us in the first of our international adoption training days......... call us keen but we stopped of at a cafe filled it in and stuart drove down the next day and left it in. lets take with waiting our were possible...............

the BIG phonecall.............

2007-11-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

9th October stuart had an hour long phonecall with the head of international adoption - he asked all the questions about us as a couple why we wanted to adopt and so on and so on.............. after their in depth chat he agreed to meet with us to discuss it further - and actually the first point of our meeting was for him to assess if we were suitable for international adoption, the meeting was schedualed for 15th october .............................

Meeting ";@£$% the social worker.........

2007-11-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

on 8th october with 5 weeks of (unpatient, stuart kept telling me to be patient as it was all part of us learning to wait on this long journey) waiting we finally had a meeting with a local social worker who dealt with both local adoption and international adoption. after 10 minutes of her sharing about loacl adoption it was clear to all of us that international adoption was the way for us to go.
so we quizzed her and tried to gather as much useful information as possible - after we pretty much drained her fountain of knowledge she referred us to the head of international adoption in N ireland......

small beginings

2007-11-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

after a year of praying God has lead us to move towards adoption to begin our family - on 3rd September 2007 we contacted social services to find out how to begin the adoption procedure.

are you adopted?

2007-11-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

by Max Lucado

When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Here is how it happens. You come before the judgment seat of God full of rebellion and mistakes. Because of his justice he cannot dismiss your sin, but because of his love he cannot dismiss you. So, in an act which stunned the heavens, he punished himself on the cross for your sins. God’s justice and love are equally honored. And you, God’s creation, are forgiven. But the story doesn’t end with God’s forgiveness.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15–16 NASB).But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4–5 NASB).It would be enough if God just cleansed your name, but he does more. He gives you his name. It would be enough if God just set you free, but he does more. He takes you home. He takes you home to the Great House of God.

Adoptive parents understand this more than anyone. I certainly don’t mean to offend any biological parents—I’m one myself. We biological parents know well the earnest longing to have a child. But in many cases our cribs were filled easily. We decided to have a child and a child came. In fact, sometimes the child came with no decision. I’ve heard of unplanned pregnancies, but I’ve never heard of an unplanned adoption.That’s why adoptive parents understand God’s passion to adopt us. They know what it means to feel an empty space inside. They know what it means to hunt, to set out on a mission, and take responsibility for a child with a spotted past and a dubious future. If anybody understands God’s ardor for his children, it’s someone who has rescued an orphan from despair, for that is what God has done for us.God has adopted you. God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home.

it's true we are....

2007-10-31T14:51:00.001-07:00

oh yes we are indeed!