My hubby says the most romantic things....

We went to Dr. M's office today - he is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. It was "recommended" for our home study that we talk with a doctor about arthrogryposis and the treatment/prognosis for Henry.

He looked at one of  the two pictures we have and said Henry definitely has arthrogryposis of his knees and feet, but cannot tell about the hips from the picture...he also said that there may be some hand involvement from the position of his hand/fingers.

When we mentioned Henry also had a cleft palate he said that this raises the possiblity that Henry may have an additional congenital "syndrome" that involving other systems such as the heart, kidneys, etc. and that we should be aware of this possibility when adopting.

My DEAR husband replied, "If that is the case, we will deal with it when he is here. We are "all in" - no matter what."

Thank you God for my wonderful husband. I love him more every day.

Adoption To-Do List for the Week

I thought it might keep me accountable to post on Monday what needs to get done this week for our adoption..........

and then update what actually got done on Friday!

WEEK of MARCH 28, 2011

1) Physicals for 3 youngest kiddies on Thursday
2) Fill out paperwork packet #1 given at home study
3) Request mortgage and home ownership information
4) Meet with pediatric orthopedic doc on Wednesday

Gotta keep things moving if I want to meet my baby this summer!!

First Home Study Appointment

We had our first meeting with the social worker at her office to officially start the home study process.

(Thanks for babysitting Mom!)

After seeming a bit surprised that a family with six children wanted to adopt a child with special needs, the social worker seemed very positive about our plans and started us on the next round of paperwork, including physicals for everyone in the whole family!

Please keep us in your prayers these next few weeks that we can accomplish everything we need to do and submit all the documents - after that, we will be assigned the social worker to actually come to our home and inspect/observe/interview.

On this Feast of the Annunciation, thankful to Mary for her "YES" and trying to follow her example and give our whole-hearted assent to what God has in store for our family!

WELCOME FACEBOOK FRIENDS!!!

I hope you guys don't mind the little "teasers" the last few days...just wanted to make our Announcement a bit more fun!

Henry (a name to protect his identity) was born on July 24, 2010 with a cleft palate and a condition called arthrogryposis in his legs and feet.  Arthrogryposis is a congential condition which involves curved or hooked joints and limited range of motion of the affected joints. In Henry’s country, children with mental and physical disabilities are usually given up at birth. If they are not adopted by age five, they are transferred to an institution where the care is less than ideal at best and tragic at worst, especially for a child facing extra challenges (see this post below).

The international adoption process can be rough. In addition to completing multiple steps here in the United States, it will probably be necessary for us to make at least two trips to Eastern Europe to satisfy the legal requirements of that country. It is estimated that the entire adoption process will cost between $25,000 and $40,000.   Additionally, once we bring Henry home, he will need extensive medical care and physical therapy. 

We are adopting with the help of a non-profit organization called “Reece’s Rainbow,” which specializes in the international adoption of children with Downs Syndrome and other disabilities.  They have established a fund which will be used to help us cover the costs associated with Henry’s adoption expenses.   Any donations you make to Henry’s fund through Reece’s Rainbow are tax deductable and the identity of donors and amounts given are not disclosed to us.  Just click on the cute small pic of Henry in his "button" to the right. We would welcome any donation, no matter how small! Someone has donated $6 already, God bless! 

Thanks for all your support and for sharing in our joy!

Bringing Baby to the Lord

I stopped by the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at our parish for a few minutes on the way back home from a school meeting and errands...

OK, and a cup of (decaf) coffee at Starbucks, you got me!!

As I was sitting in prayer I remembered bringing Tessa along as a baby to the same Chapel...

one time she was so sleepy I laid her down on a blanket on the floor and she napped for almost an hour in front of the Monstrance!

I thought, "Why not do it again? Jesus said to bring him the little children."

So I took out my picture of Henry and laid it on the floor in front of me before Our Lord in the Eucharist while I prayed....

someday I will to bring him here in person....

Why?

Why is a family with six wonderful healthy children spending time and money to go overseas (twice!) to bring home a baby with special needs??

Proverbs 24:12 -
"Once our eyes are opened, we cannot pretend we do not know what to do.
God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act."

www.covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2011/03/prayers-for-carrington.html

www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2010/11/reckless-abandon.html

and on a MUCH happier note...

www.schwenzerfamilyupdates.blogspot.com/2011/03/moment-weve-all-been-waiting-for.html

"I have been waiting here all my life for you."

"Nuff said.

Out in the Open!

Thanks so much for joining us!

We had a wonderful weekend on two fronts:

First, it was our daughter Tessa's 2nd Birthday on Saturday!

Second, we shared the news of our adoption of Henry with our extended families!

It was so wonderful to see the tears and joy for us and our family...

because we are the lucky ones who get to share our life and love with a little guy who NEEDS it so much!

Hang on Henry....

Mommy and Daddy are working as fast as we can to bring you home!!!

Here we go!

We will be up and running soon!

Can't wait to start sharing!

Paul and Carla