Mom's Journey.......
So many people have asked me "What made you decide to adopt???" I tell them it was something Michael and I have always talked about, even before we thought to have Braden. We even thought about it before we thought about Georgia. So why now??? I can honestly say with genuine, steadfast belief ~ God only knows.
I wish I could pinpoint exactly when the idea exploded in my being, but about April of last year, it did. With so much force, I think Michael thought I had totally lost it. I'm sure he has moments, even now, where those thoughts re-emerge, but he wisely keeps them to himself!
It took him awhile to get to where I was mentally with the whole idea but once he was there, he remained. I think the depth of his feelings took even him by surprise..... he wanted this with all his being, and even when I was ready to give up (which was more than once) he reminded me of how my faith reassured him, and kept him going, and that we could do this and we would see it through. Here we are, days away from stepping onto Continental Flight #1206 .........
I remember that day as we readied Michael for his trip to Rochester, reading the August Update for Colombia. I remember looking at the pictures of the Waiting Children and the only one that caught my eye was Kelly. I kept going back to her picture, wondering what is was that caught me. But caught I was. Michael and I never actually sat down together and looked at her picture until after he returned from his trip. On the way to the airport it was casually mentioned, "Hey, did you happen to notice the picture of the one girl named Kelly???" Yes, I did.
So after a few emails back and forth with Julie, we received some updated information. Julie wanted to make sure we both were comfortable with what we received, wanted us to let her know if we still were interested.......I truly believe it was out of our hands at that point. We assured her that , yes, we were interested, and that we wanted to officially request the adoption of one Miss Kelly Johana Sapuy Ramirez.
Since then, we have been on a whirlwind of paperwork and postage fees and waiting.......it's hard waiting on things you have no control over and I learned a little bit of patience along the way, some of you may find this hard to believe, but patience I learned. In the end, it took about 3 months to get all completed paperwork to submit our Dossier. On December 9th, exactly 4 months after we inquired about Kelly, we received our official assignment from the government of Colombia, granting permission for us to adopt Kelly Johana.
There have been so many things that have gone through my mind over the last few months, it would take a long time to put them to words. I worry about so much. It's what I do: worry. (As my husband says, " go with what you know!") I worry about how I will make her feel safe, feel loved, help her fit in with her peers, can I comfort her when she's afraid and confused, can I instill in her confidence (this will be a tricky one, since self-confidence is not where I am particularly strong), will she get along with Braden and Georgia, will Braden and Georgia adjust without too much trauma, and on a less important somewhat silly note, whether or not she'll like her room, the clothes I spent a small fortune on, will she want to wear make-up, does she shave her legs, how will Chloe (my cat) feel when there is yet one more person taking up her "lap" space ..................the list of worries is endless, but I am up to finding out!
I would like to thank those of you who have prayed for us, encouraged us, laughed with us and kept us going. Who would have thought that making one decision could change so much of your life? We have new friendships, extended family and a husband/father who chose to take a leap of faith to believe in something he wasn't sure was necessarily worth believing in. We would not be where we are today if not for all your love and support. We look forward to sharing the rest of our journey with you!
For those of you that may not know this, Michael and I are not very good at asking for help when we most need it (no, really.....) but we are learning. It won't be easy in the coming months as we will all have some adjustments to make but one thing we have learned is that strength and support come in unexpected ways ~ We have learned to have faith in something other than our own abilities.
My husband has graciously allowed me to sit in the ice box of a cellar where the computer is located to draft my part of this journey but I think it is time I resumed my place in the chaos above me.
I would like to close with something that has gotten me through the waiting, the self-doubt, the financial worries, the emotional low points and everything in between......
"Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need." ~ James 1:3-4
God Bless ~ Joie
I wish I could pinpoint exactly when the idea exploded in my being, but about April of last year, it did. With so much force, I think Michael thought I had totally lost it. I'm sure he has moments, even now, where those thoughts re-emerge, but he wisely keeps them to himself!
It took him awhile to get to where I was mentally with the whole idea but once he was there, he remained. I think the depth of his feelings took even him by surprise..... he wanted this with all his being, and even when I was ready to give up (which was more than once) he reminded me of how my faith reassured him, and kept him going, and that we could do this and we would see it through. Here we are, days away from stepping onto Continental Flight #1206 .........
I remember that day as we readied Michael for his trip to Rochester, reading the August Update for Colombia. I remember looking at the pictures of the Waiting Children and the only one that caught my eye was Kelly. I kept going back to her picture, wondering what is was that caught me. But caught I was. Michael and I never actually sat down together and looked at her picture until after he returned from his trip. On the way to the airport it was casually mentioned, "Hey, did you happen to notice the picture of the one girl named Kelly???" Yes, I did.
So after a few emails back and forth with Julie, we received some updated information. Julie wanted to make sure we both were comfortable with what we received, wanted us to let her know if we still were interested.......I truly believe it was out of our hands at that point. We assured her that , yes, we were interested, and that we wanted to officially request the adoption of one Miss Kelly Johana Sapuy Ramirez.
Since then, we have been on a whirlwind of paperwork and postage fees and waiting.......it's hard waiting on things you have no control over and I learned a little bit of patience along the way, some of you may find this hard to believe, but patience I learned. In the end, it took about 3 months to get all completed paperwork to submit our Dossier. On December 9th, exactly 4 months after we inquired about Kelly, we received our official assignment from the government of Colombia, granting permission for us to adopt Kelly Johana.
There have been so many things that have gone through my mind over the last few months, it would take a long time to put them to words. I worry about so much. It's what I do: worry. (As my husband says, " go with what you know!") I worry about how I will make her feel safe, feel loved, help her fit in with her peers, can I comfort her when she's afraid and confused, can I instill in her confidence (this will be a tricky one, since self-confidence is not where I am particularly strong), will she get along with Braden and Georgia, will Braden and Georgia adjust without too much trauma, and on a less important somewhat silly note, whether or not she'll like her room, the clothes I spent a small fortune on, will she want to wear make-up, does she shave her legs, how will Chloe (my cat) feel when there is yet one more person taking up her "lap" space ..................the list of worries is endless, but I am up to finding out!
I would like to thank those of you who have prayed for us, encouraged us, laughed with us and kept us going. Who would have thought that making one decision could change so much of your life? We have new friendships, extended family and a husband/father who chose to take a leap of faith to believe in something he wasn't sure was necessarily worth believing in. We would not be where we are today if not for all your love and support. We look forward to sharing the rest of our journey with you!
For those of you that may not know this, Michael and I are not very good at asking for help when we most need it (no, really.....) but we are learning. It won't be easy in the coming months as we will all have some adjustments to make but one thing we have learned is that strength and support come in unexpected ways ~ We have learned to have faith in something other than our own abilities.
My husband has graciously allowed me to sit in the ice box of a cellar where the computer is located to draft my part of this journey but I think it is time I resumed my place in the chaos above me.
I would like to close with something that has gotten me through the waiting, the self-doubt, the financial worries, the emotional low points and everything in between......
"Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need." ~ James 1:3-4
God Bless ~ Joie
posted by Michael Thelander at 2:53 PM
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