Merry Christmas!

Since we are still in the Christmas Season, and we FINALLY have a cord to upload pictures from our camera, I thought I would share our most recent experience - - The First Time The Logues Cut Down Their Own Christmas Tree. Enjoy.



So far, Sunday December 21st was the coldest day in Ohio. What a great day to climb this huge hill searching for a tree. Our plan was to cut down the first tree we found and run back to the lodge....


Unfortunately, the first tree reminded me of Charlie Brown's Christmas. So on we went. Brian found the the prettiest tree that was the perfect size.


As you can see, a lady does not do the cutting.

And now for the finished product......



I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Is it possible we will have our son next year to help celebrate Christmas??

Gaudete Sunday

Yesterday Brian & I lit the Rose candle on our Advent Wreath. We are reminded how God sent angels to proclaim His arrival to man.

We celebrated by setting up our Nativity Scene.

There we were, admiring how beautiful it looked until I found myself saying:

"Sheldon. Don't lick the Shepard."

Sheldon is our 80 pound Labrador Retriever.

Two Months

Yesterday officially puts us on 'The List' for two months. We have somewhere between three to five more to go; give or take.

I have actually bought a few outfits. I'm going out on a limb and purchasing clothes for 18 months or older. I figure he will either grow into them, or we can always donate what he has out grown.

I have looked at his room knowing I need to start getting things ready, but at the same time, I have several months to go. Right?

We have filled out one grant application and will work on a few more in the coming weeks.

Really, we are just enjoying our time together and not focusing on The Wait. He will be here when it's time.

Yesterday I received a wonderful email from our good friend and the Godmother of our son:

I just wanted to send you a quick hello and note to let you know you are in my thoughts and prayers on this third day of the month. Today is the feast of St. John of Damascus, father of the Eastern church. It is exciting to think your little one might have been baptized in the eastern rite! Your Advent will be like ours this year, waiting for two babies! The Blessed Christ Child, and the blessed Logue child!

I have to admit I love to think about your little boy and wonder at what he is doing each day. Was he born today? Did he smile, walk, suck his thumb? Did he have his first bath today? And then I think of his beautiful little heart all ready to be filled with the love of his parents; the love that is already there, but he just doesn't know it yet.

Thank you, Alison. For everything.

First Sunday of Advent - Hope

We lit the first purple candle on our Advent Wreath today, which is called the Prophecy Candle. It reminds us Jesus' coming was prophesied hundreds of years before he was born. The color purple represents royalty; Christ is the King of Kings.

Christ the King!

Almighty and merciful God,
you break the power of evil and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and earth
acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Coping with The Wait

Often times, Brian & I are asked, "How's the adoption going?" And right now, all we can answer is, "Good. Now we're just waiting." Which happens to be a very boring answer.

But that's ok.

For now, we are enjoying The Wait. We are enjoying our time together just as Husband and Wife. Knowing full well a chapter in our lives will close and a new one will open as a Family of Three. We are very excited and looking forward to our new titles as Dad & Mom, but we are also cherishing these last moments as just Husband and Wife.

I owe this peacefulness to the virtue of patience. We are appreciating all of our blessings and looking forward to many more.

A Good Read

This is a cute book for little ones involved in any way in the adoption process. Thanks for the recommendation, MJ!

Thank You!

Dear JS & AS,

Accepting the responsibility of being our Little One's Godparents means so much to us. You both are such wonderful examples of followers Christ and living the faith.

We know you will help him find the path God has marked out for him. We know you will support him with your strength and ideals to help him recognize his Christian vocation and to live it graciously. We know you will offer the best spiritual teachings and inspire ways to live the Catholic faith.

We are looking forward to sharing in many celebrations!

God Bless,
The Logues

One Month

Today marks our paperwork being in process for one month. Only four to six more months to go!

Today is also the feast day of Saint Martin de Porres, who was the first black saint from the Americas.

Saint Martin de Porres - Ora Pro Nobis!

Vote Your Conscience

Ethiopia

Here are some interesting facts about Ethiopia (according to BBC Weather.com):

The National Name is Ya'Ityopya Federalawi Dimolrasiyawi Repeblic - which means Federal Deomocratic Republic of Ethiopia

Ethiopia's Capital is Addis Ababa (where we will be staying when we travel)

The currency is Ethiopian Birr. If you exchanged $1 US dollar today, you would receive $9.80 in Ethiopia Birr.

In 2005, the population was 74,189,000 in 423,513 square miles. That's like having 9 Manhattans cramed into the city of Los Angeles.

The official language is Amharic, but Arabic, Tigrinya, Orominga, and 100 other different local languages are also spoken.

45% of Ethiopians are Muslim, 35% are Ethiopian Orthodox (which has its own patriarch since 1976), 12% are animist, and only 8% are of the Christian religion.

So Now What?

Now that all of our paperwork is in Ethiopia - - we wait. Our best guess is we should have our referral sometime in February, March, or April? Our referral will be a picture of The Boy with any available medical or family information.

So five to seven months may seem like a long time. But, I know exactly what's going to happen. Since I am the Queen of Procrastination and Murphy's Law almost always applies to me, we will be the family who receives the fastest referral and I will have nothing ready.

I would like to purchase things for The Boy, but I'm not sure what to buy. Most mom's know they are having newborn, so they know to buy newborn things. The Boy could be anywhere from a baby to 4 years old! Any suggestions??

Dossier To Ethiopia 10/03/2008

From our agency in Virginia, our dossier traveled to Memphis, Tennessee. From there, it went to Paris, France. From Paris, it traveled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. From Dubai, it reached Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

That's right. All of our paperwork is finally in Ethiopia.

It's official. The Wait has finally begun!

Good News, I Hope??

I spoke to our Family Coordinator who was reviewing dossiers this morning.

She said if I did not hear from her today, assume all our paperwork is in order.

I did not hear from her, so I'm assuming all is well?

So far, so good.........?

Signed, Sealed, & Delivered

Weighing in at 2 pounds 9 ounces, this afternoon our dossier was sent to Virginia!

From there our Family Coordinator double checks everything, authenticates it, then sends it off to Ethiopia!

Here's to hoping there is nothing wrong or missing. I checked our paperwork so many times, I have every detail memorized.

Now, on to the USPS website to stalk our package............

**** September 25, 2008 Update **** The email we received from our Family Coordinator:
I got your dossier today, it will be reviewed, certified and authenticated then shipped to Ethiopia within the next 3 weeks. We will contact you if there is anything missing. Otherwise you will hear from us on the day we ship it to Ethiopia. Congratulations on completing this major task!

State Seal & The Next Step

I am happy to report we were able to get our State Seal at the State Secretary's Office last Tuesday without any major issues. Most adopting parents are ecstatic when this step is complete because it is the last bit of paperwork needed to be done before everything is sent to be processed.

Don't get me wrong, The Logues are very happy all of our paperwork is complete. Now we are waiting for some investment money to be transferred so we can mail some of the agency fees with our dossier.

If we aren't waiting on one thing, we're waiting on another.

God is really teaching me the virtue of patience.

Here We Come, Columbus

Tuesday I'm taking a day off work and heading down to Columbus to have our documents certified at the Secretary of State Office.

Here's to hoping things go smooth.....

The Questions of the Day

"I need to have some documents notarized, but first I need to know when the notary's commission expires."
---- You see, this is an important question because the notary's commission cannot expire within 12 months of signing the Power of Attorney paperwork. A lesson learned after the first go-around with the first Power of Attorney and the first notary.

"Can you tell me where I need to go to get a County Seal on some notarized documents?"
---- This is a question I asked several times today. Once at the County Court House (the lady answering the phone, who has 'been a notary for 20 years', had no idea what I was talking about), once at the Commissioners Office, once at Family Court, and once at Probate Court. Finally, Brian had to take over because I.had.had.enough.

"How did you know to call the Clerk of Courts?"
---- This was directed to my husband, and his response was: 'I googled it'. My response was to call the lady who 'has been a notary for 20 years' at the County Court House and politely tell her the next time someone needs a County Seal, she needs to direct them to the Clerk of Courts.


I am looking forward to the day I can look back at all these little episodes and think they were hilarious.....

Immigration - Part IV

Shhhh......

We received our I-171H in the mail yesterday. I still have a few more things to get in order before I can certify everything - thinking I had at least two more weeks before its arrival.

I know this is a glimpse into the future. Who would like to place bets that The Logues will get a referral and travel before anything is ready for The Boy?

I work best under pressure.

Immigration - Part III

This morning we had our fingerprints scanned at USCIS. We were in and out within a half an hour. On a Saturday, nonetheless!

Here's to hoping our I-171H arrives that fast! That is the last official paper we need to complete our dossier. Then everything is shipped off to Ethiopia. Then The Wait actually begins....

Immigration - Part II

Great news! We received our Immigration appointment today! We are scheduled for fingerprinting Saturday August 9th. Can you believe a governmental office is open on a Saturday?! This is fantastic news for us - - now we won't have to take a day off work!

Immigration - Part I

I am happy to report all of our paperwork, including our finalized home study, has been mailed to the USCIS in Columbus. Now we just wait for our fingerprint appointment.

Can anyone shed some light on the length of time from when their paperwork was mailed until an appointment was scheduled?


**July 28th Update from the Post Office - - Your item was delivered at 9:43 AM on July 28, 2008 in COLUMBUS, OH 43215.

Now it's only a matter of time before we hear from Immigration....

Some Common Questions

Many people are starting to ask similar questions, so I thought I would address them here:

Where are you in the process?
Right now we have barely begun The Wait. Technically, we haven't really started The Wait. All of our home study paperwork is complete. We are waiting for Immigration to inform us of our appointment for our last set of fingerprints. Once those are complete and Immigration gives us the ok to bring home a child from overseas, our dossier (the giant pile of paperwork detailing every last piece of information about our lives) is sent to Ethiopia. Then The Wait actually begins. We expect to be waiting for about 7 to 9 months for a referral once our paperwork reaches Ethiopia.

Do you know who you are adopting?
We don't have a specific child yet. We have decided on a boy anywhere from birth to 48 months. Once our paperwork reaches Ethiopia, our dossier is translated, and a child is matched to us. Once a boy is referred to The Logues, then his information is sent to us. Usually this includes pictures, medical information, maybe a video, and possibly some family history. Think of the referral as an ultrasound - - the first time we actually see our son.

Do you get to go to Ethiopia?
Heck yeah! Once we accept our referral, there is another waiting period of 6 to 8 weeks. During this time, our paperwork is submitted to court to have The Boy legally become a Logue. Travel plans are made by our agency and off we go! One of the great things about traveling is multiple families adopting through our agency travel together. While traveling we will have an escort, driver, and translator to help us navigate through everything. Our son will come from an orphanage, however, once he is referred to us, he is placed into a transitional home which helps prepare him for the move to America and to his new family.

Do you get to name him?
Obviously, he will already have a name. Most adopting parents change the first name to an English/American name and keep the first name as a middle name. The age of The Boy will determine if we change his name. I don't want to cause too much trauma! And, yes, we have names picked out. I am one of those who have to see The Boy before I can actually name him.


Questions are a sign of interest, so keep them coming!

Thanks, Terra

Email from our Family Coordinator:

I have reviewed and approved your home study. It included all of the information that we needed. It is now ready to be finalize. Thank you.

Results: Who Will Complete Their Paperwork First?

I think the numbers speak for themselves.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Today we passed our fire inspection, which is one of the final pieces of paperwork needed! Thank you, Rick, for bringing your Electrician Expertise over last weekend. That final piece of paper from the Fire Inspector is in the mail and on its way to our Social Worker.

We also received a rough draft of our home study. It's interesting to read someone else's perspective about us. My favorite line in the home study reads: "The home is nicely decorated and house keeping standards are excellent." I'm sure it reads the same in everyone's home study, but I like to think it's personal.

We will meet with our Social Worker next week to finalize everything. We chose not to send our paperwork to USCIS until the home study was complete. Immigration needs a copy of the home study before they give us the 'ok' to bring a child home to the United States. Once immigration receives and processes our paperwork, an appointment is made for our final fingerprinting. Once that is finished, we send everything to Ethiopia and The Wait begins!

We still have awhile before anything exciting happens, but this is a major step toward the prize. Can you believe Brian & I are going to be somebody's parents?!

Home Study Part II

Last night we had our second and final ‘pre adoption’ in home visit with our social worker. Again, it was a breeze. I would like to report I was not as fanatical about cleanliness as I was in preparing for our previous visit.

Andrea: “We need to clean our house. The social worker is coming tomorrow.”

Brian: “I am not washing walls.”

Thank you, Brian, for coping with my obsessive compulsiveness when it comes to the state of our home. I know it’s challenging for you at times and I appreciate your patience. Thanks for putting up with me.

Will he be baptized?

One of the major questions on my mind about our Little Guy is whether he will already be baptized. To some, this may not be an important question. Some faiths wait until a child becomes old enough accept Jesus into their hearts. Being Catholic, I believe a child needs to be baptized as soon as possible.

Why? Baptism is one of the Seven Sacraments and is one of the Sacraments of Initiation into the Church and it cleans us of original sin. Obviously, babies do not understand the commitment to God and to Jesus, however the parents of those infants can understand and live those values. As parents, it is our Christian responsibility to pass them on to our children.

Children learn to be Christian by the example of their parents; experiencing Christianity at home. The ‘domestic church’ prepares children for the local and world Church. Just as the Father is the head of our spirituality, the ‘domestic father’ is the head of our ‘domestic church’ and he teaches the foundation of faith at home.

After all, didn’t Jesus say “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” --- Matthew 19:14

Bottom Line *** Anyone who has adopted knows some medical information is received with the referral. I am curious to know if any religious information is also received. Orthodox Christianity, which is very similar to Eastern Catholic Christianity, has a dominant presence in central and northern Ethiopia. I am wondering what type of formation, if any, our Little Guy has been exposed to. Care to share any thoughts or personal experiences?

Home Study Part I

The home study visit went really well. It was like showing a new friend our home for the first time. As a matter of fact, she hardly looked around at all! We spent most of the time talking at our kitchen table. Is it wrong to feel a little disappointed she didn’t notice my radiantly clean walls?

Our preferred age range came up in conversation with our social worker, and in our initial application we decided on a little boy 24 to 48 months thinking it would be a shorter wait time. However, it seems an infant actually has a shorter wait time for a referral. That being said, we changed our age to birth to 48 months. Wow!! Can someone show me how to handle a baby?! Only recently did I learn a ‘Pack and Play’ is not a transportable jungle gym……

Guess what we did this weekend?

Shampooed the carpets (upstairs & down)
Swept the hardwood floors
Mopped the hardwood floors
Washed the walls (Brian wasn’t into that one)
Vacuumed the carpets
Cleaned the bathroom top to bottom
Scrubbed the kitchen top to bottom
Cleaned the refrigerator inside & out
Dusted everything...
Stained the hardwood floor in the spare room (which is where The Little One will sleep)
Mowed the grass
Washed the dog
Raked the grass clipping
Weeded the yard and garden
Swept the hardwood floors again
Rearranged some furniture

All while my Mom was visiting from Indiana. Bring it on, Social Worker. Bring.It.On.

And, yes. Tomorrow before she comes, I will vacuum and sweep one more time. Call it what you want, but I call it Satisfaction.

Getting Closer...

We are very close in completing our paperwork. We only have a few minor things, and two major things to finish. This first major thing is finishing our home study. Our Social Worker will make her first visit to our home Monday. Yes, this Monday! This is sooner than I thought (believe me, I’m not complaining), so I only have a few precious days to scrub my house from top to bottom. I already feel sorry for Brian…

Then our Social Worker is scheduled to come the following week for her second home visit. Then one more meeting and the home study is done! Afterwards, we deal with the second major thing -- Immigration. We send paperwork, including the home study, to USCIS. Once we get the ok from immigration, everything is off to Ethiopia and The Wait begins….

Wow!!

Keeping Our Eye on the Prize

Last Wednesday Brian & I had our first meeting with our Social Worker. Going into the orientation meeting, we thought we were going to be the youngest couple. Surprisingly, I think we were the oldest of the three couples. Or maybe it seemed that way since Brian looks (and acts) much older than he is.

We spent most of two hours going over paperwork and what to expect during the home study process. The paperwork is crazy. There is a mountain of paperwork for Ethiopia, then a second mountain of paperwork for The State of Ohio. I think we’ve blown our chances of entering the Witness Protection Program with all the information we have to give. Some of the requirements are a bit excessive. For example, we have to have a fire exit plan posted on each floor; like the ones you see in hotel rooms. I get the idea, but…

I’ll admit it. I was getting frustrated and discouraged and even a little bitter. Then reality set it. So what’s a little paperwork to bring home our boy? Most women go through nine months of pregnancy sometimes causing stretch marks, then hours of labor. I’m only going through a few months of paperwork causing stress marks, then a great trip to Africa. Both are great experiences, except I don’t need Coco Butter. So instead of being disheartened by the amount of paperwork and requirements, I’m going to scale the piles of paper sitting on our desk. The faster we get it done, the faster he will be here.

God's Grace

I think all people who make any major decisions in life have that ‘Ah-Ha Moment’. It’s that moment you know you want to marry that special person. Or when the real estate agent walks you through that perfect house you know you want to buy and raise a family in. Or even that moment you couldn’t quite grasp that concept, then something is triggered and it all makes complete sense. I think this ‘Ah-Ha Moment’ also includes adoption. Here was my moment:

Earlier this year while still considering adoption, I was in the middle of my third year teaching the First Communion Catechism Class within my parish. I had a class of 15 brilliant seven and eight year olds who loved coming to Sunday School, and taught me as much, if not more, than I taught them. On this particular Sunday we were working out of our workbooks focusing on praying for others and their needs. On one page within the chapter there were two pictures; one with a man standing in front of his home which looked like it had be destroyed by a storm. We talked about what this man needed versus what he wanted. The second picture was a group of African children sitting around a table with empty plates and cups. I had asked a similar question as before, “What do these children most need?” With the apparent answer being food, one very astute boy sitting in the front row answers first with, “A good home.”

That exact moment I knew the Holy Spirit was guiding me to open up and trust adopting was the right decision for my family. It was that moment I knew to let go of all the fear of finances, paperwork, and the unknown and embrace the excitement of starting a family. It was that brief moment I understood what Jesus’ disciples felt at Pentecost.

Thank you, Matthew, for being so wise. Though it may seem you just answered a simple question, you really taught Mrs. Logue these ‘Ah-Ha Moments’ are really God’s Graces.

Show me the money!

One of two major questions on everyone’s mind is Isn’t adoption expensive? And the answer is, yes & no. Yes, it is expensive, but isn’t having a kid period expensive? With our agency (American World Adoption Agency), all the cost and fees are not required up front all at once. You pay a little here and a little there. Our agency is very good about including all the expenses right down to the courier expense, so we know what to expect.

The second major question: Is it affordable? Really, this is the polite way to ask if we can afford it. Again, the answer is yes & no. Of course we do not have thousands of dollars in some offshore account. However, we have done quite of bit of research and found many recourses to help adopting families. There are grants that can be applied for once the home study is complete, the government offers a nice tax credit to those families who adopt, and there are several low interest adoption loans. The real question is Can you afford taking a leap of faith and trust God will provide? And to that the answer is yes.

**Personal Note** When I first saw the total cost of international adoption I was completely discouraged. I thought there is no way we could do it, but I still sent away for information. After a lot of reading my confidence was built up again, until we began filling out the application and I came across the How do you plan on funding this adoption? question. Panic took over me because I had to actually write it on paper. After a lot of anxiety and analyzing our finances we had our plan. So far, everything has worked out perfectly. The hardest part is getting past the fear and seeing the big picture. And what a great picture it is!

*Update* Right now we are gathering all of our required paperwork. So far, this has been flawless. We should be meeting with our social worker next week for our orientation meeting. My goal is to have everything complete (including the home study) by the end of June. Slowly, we have been working on his room, and I have been picking up a few things here and there. We are very grateful for all the prayers, encouraging support, and kind words! Thank you again, Alison, for the Spiritual Bouquet!

Forgive me, Family Coordinators, for I have forgotten.

I am really hoping the family coordinators at our agency are not judging my parental skills on the organization of our paperwork. Since officially beginning our adoption in March, I have had to mail in paperwork twice. Each time only required a few pieces of paper, and both times I have forgotten to include one of those important pieces of paper! For those who have adopted know this could prolong things.

I figure, if I’m going to forget something, better now than during the Dossier Phase. So I’m in the clear? Right? There is still time to redeem my parental skills? Right?

As for right now, Brian & I are waiting for our Family Coordinator to call us and explain what is required in our dossier, and for our Social Worker to call and set up appointments. Until then, I'm going to practice cleaning my house until the official Andrea-Is-Obsessed-And-Bleaching-Everything-In-Sight kind of cleaning starts. Which, by the way Brian, will begin the second I hang up with the Social Worker.

Press Conference

Why adoption?
We had talked about adoption and knew eventually we would do it ….. like, years from now. When we had a bigger house. When we were older. When we had saved enough money. When it was 100% planned according to us. But, as you know, life does not work that way. We can agree God’s timing is not our timing. God’s timing is perfect. So here we are, taking a huge leap of faith. Jesus I Trust In You.

Why Ethiopia?
And to that I ask: Why not Ethiopia? (Sidebar: I married a philosophy major.)

How long will the process take?
There are 3 major stages – Dossier, Referral, and Travel. During the dossier phase, we will be gathering all the necessary documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, etc) to send to the INS. Fortunately we do have a bit of control on the length of time. The faster we get this together, the faster it’s sent to Ethiopia. *fingers crossed* This is done in conjunction with our homestudy, which is meeting with a social worker. You think I’m obsessed with cleaning my house now? Just wait until we reach this part of the process! Next comes The Wait. We wait for a referral. This is the part I’m dreading. But I’ve decided I’m not going to be defeated by The Wait. I will spend my time getting his room ready, organizing his clothes, and all the nesting type things mothers do. Finally, when we receive and accept our referral (How could you say no?), we travel to Ethiopia and spend one week in Addis Abba bonding with our son and taking care of some final paperwork. So all said and done, once our initial paperwork is in order we expect a referral within five to seven months.

I have also been asked (specifically by my husband) Why Saint Thomas More?
For those who need a review in Catholicism and Sainthood (Brian), Saint Thomas More was a 15^th Century lawyer educated at Oxford and author of the famous book Utopia. After his first wife passed away he remarried his second wife to care for his four children. During his height of his career under Henry VIII, he resigned disagreeing with Henry’s opinions concerning marriage and the supremacy of the Pope. He was tried and convicted of treason, and on the scaffold, he told the spectators he was dying as "the King's good servant-but God's first." He is the patron saint of lawyers, civil servants, court clerks, large families, and …… adopted children.

Saint Thomas More – Pray for Us

Not only did Andrea just recently get a cell phone, but The Logues now have a blog. The technology in this house is out of control. What’s next, a dishwasher?

Yes, the intention of this blog is to spread the comedy stylings of Brian & Andrea, but also to keep our family and friends informed on what’s happening in our universe. Obviously, there is something big going on here; hence The Blog.

With our hearts full of joy and anticipation, we have made the wonderful decision to adopt! We are in the very early stages of the very long process. We have been accepted into the Ethiopian Program within our agency. We will begin our home study and begin preparing our dossier in the next few weeks. Right now, we are working on our online Hague requirements. God willing, within a year we will be traveling to Ethiopia to bring home our son.

Though this blog my not be updated regularly like most, we will post as new information develops. So keep checking in!