It is with heavy hearts that we share this news. After nearly 18 months of waiting for these 2 girls (which we were referred on June 17, 2011), we were told on Friday morning, that our adoption of them would not go forward. We are devastated, but have started to come to grips with the reality of losing them.
We cannot share any details of the situation, but we want to make clear, that this was a situation unique to these girls and us. It is a decision that has been made in the best interests of all parties, and we have assurances that the girls will continue to be loved and cared for.
We have felt a great deal of support from our "international' agency, our local agency, and the orphanage in Ethiopia. We felt that they did everything they could in the situation to give us information when they received it, and supported us when breaking the news to us. We also want to thank all those friends and family that have been incredibly supportive throughout this ordeal. It means a lot to both of us.
We struggle with where to go from here, but we hope that we will still yet have some good news to share eventually. We will be taking some time away from the blog, but will continue again once there is news to share.
Sheldon & Hilary
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Happy Birthday!
We are still here and will keep on posting when we are able and/or when we have news we can share.
Today is S's Birthday. She turns 3. It has been nearly 500 days since we first saw pictures of her. We wish her a very happy birthday.
We love you dearly already, and hope that you had a great day. We hope that we will someday be able to meet you! Have a great day, and enjoy playing with all your friends. Hopefully you got a nice treat for your birthday, and we celebrated your birthday with this nice cake. We wish you were here!!!
We Love You!
Today is S's Birthday. She turns 3. It has been nearly 500 days since we first saw pictures of her. We wish her a very happy birthday.
We love you dearly already, and hope that you had a great day. We hope that we will someday be able to meet you! Have a great day, and enjoy playing with all your friends. Hopefully you got a nice treat for your birthday, and we celebrated your birthday with this nice cake. We wish you were here!!!
We Love You!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
One Year Referral-versary
One Year ago, our future was changed forever. You can read all about it here. As I went back to look at that post, it feels like so long ago as well as just yesterday.
Well, one year has passed, and we continue to wait. It was a tough Father's Day, and I hope this is the last one we need to "celebrate" without our girls. We continue to press forward in getting answers as to why this has happened, but as it stands, there is nothing new.
What have we done in this past year to prepare?
- We have gotten our girls room ready, complete with painting a scenery picture on the wall (all Hilary), and creative decals.
- We have set up their bunk beds, and made the beds.
- We are somewhat packed up, and ready to go (at least all the stuff for the girls is mostly packed up)
- We have done some landscaping in the back yard to make it a bit more kid friendly.
- We (and by we, I mean Hilary), have made crotchet toys for the girls. There are 4 dolls, an elephant, a bee, a pig, and a mouse. (This sounds like the opening to a really bad joke)
- and much more
We have been so blessed to have the support that we have received from family and friends, many of whom we have never even actually met. On Friday, I received a call at work from someone who told me that a package had been left for me at my neighbors place. I was totally confused as to who would do that, but had a couple of ideas as to why we would have received it.
As soon as I got home from work on Friday, I went to pick it up. It was a gift basket from a couple that I have never met, and never talked to, but we have become pretty good email buddies over the past year. They are getting home in the next couple of days after a lengthy stay in Ethiopia to pick up their son. Yay for them!
Jessa and Doug, we both have been completely blessed by your friendship, and we know that we will have to get together once our girls are home as well. Here are the pictures of the gift basket we received. (the tree on the wall is actually a decal that Hilary has decorated our house with, not part of the basket :) )
Once again, thank you all for the love and support you guys have all given us. We hope to be able to share good news with you all soon.
Well, one year has passed, and we continue to wait. It was a tough Father's Day, and I hope this is the last one we need to "celebrate" without our girls. We continue to press forward in getting answers as to why this has happened, but as it stands, there is nothing new.
What have we done in this past year to prepare?
- We have gotten our girls room ready, complete with painting a scenery picture on the wall (all Hilary), and creative decals.
- We have set up their bunk beds, and made the beds.
- We are somewhat packed up, and ready to go (at least all the stuff for the girls is mostly packed up)
- We have done some landscaping in the back yard to make it a bit more kid friendly.
- We (and by we, I mean Hilary), have made crotchet toys for the girls. There are 4 dolls, an elephant, a bee, a pig, and a mouse. (This sounds like the opening to a really bad joke)
- and much more
We have been so blessed to have the support that we have received from family and friends, many of whom we have never even actually met. On Friday, I received a call at work from someone who told me that a package had been left for me at my neighbors place. I was totally confused as to who would do that, but had a couple of ideas as to why we would have received it.
As soon as I got home from work on Friday, I went to pick it up. It was a gift basket from a couple that I have never met, and never talked to, but we have become pretty good email buddies over the past year. They are getting home in the next couple of days after a lengthy stay in Ethiopia to pick up their son. Yay for them!
Jessa and Doug, we both have been completely blessed by your friendship, and we know that we will have to get together once our girls are home as well. Here are the pictures of the gift basket we received. (the tree on the wall is actually a decal that Hilary has decorated our house with, not part of the basket :) )
Once again, thank you all for the love and support you guys have all given us. We hope to be able to share good news with you all soon.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Another Referral-versary
I wonder if we could get this word (referral-versary) into a dictionary. We've now had 10 of them.. It sounds like there may be some movement again, but it is still difficult to keep on waiting. Our motivation for the odd jobs around the house is decreasing, as our energy level is decreasing with all the waiting we're doing... Please continue to pray for patience for us...
So what did we do to "celebrate"? It was a particularly hard day on April 17th, so we went out for supper, and had a good time, trying to relax, and not think of everything else.... We also picked up Hilary's sister and a friend from the airport.
Hilary did a little more during the day as she spent some time learning how to, and sewing little dresses for our girls. I think she did a great job.
So what did we do to "celebrate"? It was a particularly hard day on April 17th, so we went out for supper, and had a good time, trying to relax, and not think of everything else.... We also picked up Hilary's sister and a friend from the airport.
Hilary did a little more during the day as she spent some time learning how to, and sewing little dresses for our girls. I think she did a great job.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"Happy" Referral-versary to us....
Sadly, it has been 9 months since our referral. In even our "worst case" scenarios, we expected to be home with the girls by now.
The last few weeks have been increasingly difficult as we know the girls are growing older without us. We are blessed to have all the support that we have but we also want the girls to feel that support and start making friends and meeting cousins and that kind of thing already...
So, what did we do on this referral-versary? We went to a parenting class. It was a course/seminar based on the Neufeld Attachment parenting style (not sure if that's the correct way to state that :) ). We both found it very interesting, and will definitely apply some of what we learned to our parenting style. I'm also hoping to finish the book I started reading a while back, "Holding on to your kids", at the suggestion by one of our friends who has also adopted.
Thank you all for the prayers. Hopefully the next post will be a celebratory one!
The last few weeks have been increasingly difficult as we know the girls are growing older without us. We are blessed to have all the support that we have but we also want the girls to feel that support and start making friends and meeting cousins and that kind of thing already...
So, what did we do on this referral-versary? We went to a parenting class. It was a course/seminar based on the Neufeld Attachment parenting style (not sure if that's the correct way to state that :) ). We both found it very interesting, and will definitely apply some of what we learned to our parenting style. I'm also hoping to finish the book I started reading a while back, "Holding on to your kids", at the suggestion by one of our friends who has also adopted.
Thank you all for the prayers. Hopefully the next post will be a celebratory one!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Dueck List
As promised, I will post a copy of the list of items we have on our list (I use the term "we" very loosely, as Hilary has done most of the list prep.... I hate lists, but apparently they are something that keeps some people organized)
This may bore half of you, and interest half of you, but we'd love feedback. I know that a number of other parents in the adoption world have posted their lists, and we have compiled ours by taking much of what they have listed, and making it our own.... Enjoy.
Girls – 24m, 2T, 3T, 4T sizes
This may bore half of you, and interest half of you, but we'd love feedback. I know that a number of other parents in the adoption world have posted their lists, and we have compiled ours by taking much of what they have listed, and making it our own.... Enjoy.
Clothes
Hilary:
o
Belt
o
Shirts
o
Undergarments
o
Socks
o
Jeans
o
Capri’s
o
Tank
Tops
o
Sweaters
o
Bathing
Suits
o
PJs
o
Slippers
o
Runners
o
Flip
Flops
o
Bandanna
o
Court
Clothes
o
Skirts
o
Light
Jacket
o
My
Edge
o
Knee
Highs
o
Hat
o
Shawl
Sheldon
o
Belt
o
Shirts
o
Underwear
o
Socks
o
Jeans
o
Shorts
o
Tank
Tops
o
Sweaters
o
Swim
Trunks
o
PJs
o
Slippers
o
Runners
o
Sandals
o
Court
Clothes
o
Light
Jacket
o
Hat
o
Shirts
o
Sweaters
o
Pants
o
Socks
o
Underwear
o
Bathing
Suites
o
PJs
o
Slippers
o
Flip
Flops
o
Runners
o
Dresses
o
Pull-ups
o
Hats
o
Belts
o
Bibs
Toiletries
o
Adult
Shampoo
o
Adult
Conditioner
o
Girls
Shampoo
o
Girls
Conditioner
o
Girls
Leave in Conditioner
o
Tooth
Brushes
o
Tooth
Pastes
o
Floss
o
Combs
o
Brushes
o
Hair
Ties
o
Hair
Elastics
o
Hair
Clips
o
Coconut
Oil
o
Cocoa/Shea
Butter
o
Lotion
o
Towels
o
Deodorant
o
Hand
towels
o Face
Cloths
o
Razors
o
Shaving
Cream
o
Anti-Bacterial
Soap
o
Hand
Sanitizer
o
Hair
Dryer
o
Curling
Iron
o
Ear
Plugs
o
Face
Cleanser
o
Face
Cream
o
Hair
Removing Cream
o
Pads
o
Panty
Liners
o
Make
up
o
Tweezers
o
Nail
Clippers
o Glasses
and Cases
o Sunglasses
o
Kleenex
(travel size)
o
Toilet
Paper
o
Baby
Wipes
o
Q-tips
Medical
o
Adult
Tylenol
o
Children’s
Tylenol
o
Tums
o
Pepto
Bismal
o
Sun Block
o
Aloe
Vera
o
Adult
Gravol
o Children’s
Gravol
o
Malaria
Meds
o
Band-Aids
o
Scalp
Fungus Cream
o
Ringworm
Cream
o
Scabies
Cream
o
Polysporin
o
Adult
Vitamins
o
Children’s
Vitamins
o
Medicine
Droppers
o
Thermometer
o
Vicks
o
Cough
Medicine
o Anti
itch Cream
o
Immodium
Miscellaneous
o
Bibles
o
Mosquito
Nets
o
Yarn
o
Crotchet
Hook
o
Books
to read
o
Plug
Adapter
o
Laundry
Detergent
o
Laundry
Line with suction cups
o
Clothes
Pegs
o
Post
Court Gifts for Girls
o
Satin
Pillow Cases
o
Water
Bottles
o
Duct
Tape
o
Black
Markers
o
Garbage
Bags
o
Flash
Lights
o Head
Lamps
o
Disposable
Gloves
o
Hangers
o
Bug
Spray
o
Notarized
Copies of Passports
o
Questions
for Birth Family
o
Questions
for Orphanage
o
Bungee
Cords
o
Measuring
Tape
o
Rain
Ponchos
o
Pad
Lock and Key
o
Dish
Detergent
o
Watch
(wear)
o
Shake
Awake Alarm Clock
o
Safety
Pins
o Umbrella
o
Phrase
Book in Amharic
o
Sewing
Kit
o
Pop
Up Laundry bins
o
Pop
Up Cubes
o
Wash
Cloths
o
Paper
Towel
o
Ziploc
Bags
o
Thank
you Cards
o
Disposable
Camera
o
Regular
Camera
o
Video
Camera
o
Rubber
Bands
o
Little
Blow Up Tub
o
Tide
to Go
o Clorox
Wipes
o Scissors
o
Scotch
Tape
o
Sticky
Tack
o
Baby
Carrier
o
List
of Phone # and Email
o
Friends
and Family
o
Adoption
Options
o
MOT
o
Weygoss
o
KVI
o
Drivers
o
Contacts
o
Ect.
o
Plastic
o
Bowls
o
Plates
o
Cups
o
Cutlery
o
Photo
Albums
o
Girls
o
Birth
Family
o
Batteries
o
AA
o
AAA
o
Hearing
Aid
Carry on Bags
o
Pens
and Pencils
o
Paper
o
Laptop
and Charger Cables
o
External
Hard Drive
o
Snacks
o
Air
Line Tickets
o
E-reader
o
Magazines
o
Passports
o
Yellow
Fever Vaccination Certificates
o
Gum
o
Money
(U.S. and small amount CDN)
o
Camera
and Charger
o
Video
Camera and Charger
o
USB
Cable
o
Plug
Converter
o
I
Pod Touch
o
I
Phone
o
Head
Phones
o
Ear
Plugs
o
Toilet
Paper
o
Face
Cloth
o
Ziploc
Bags
o
Sunglasses
o
Empty
Plastic Water Bottles
o
One
Day Change of Clothes
o
Confirmation
of Hotel Booking
o
Phone
# and Email of Family, Friends, Contacts, Ect.
o
Mints
o
Baby
wipes
o
Comb/Brush
o
Chap
Stick
o
Carabiners
o
Travel
Size
o
Deodorant
o
Shampoo
o
Tooth
Brush
o
Tooth
Paste
o
Kleenex
o
Hand
Sanitizer
Food & Snacks
o
Sheldon’s
Granola Bars
o
Hilary’s
Granola Bars
o
Water
Bottles
o
Dried
Fruit
o
Gatorade
Powder
o
Gum
o
Mints
o Hard
Candy
o Soft
Candy
o Cheese
Powder for KD
o
Instant
Oatmeal
o
Tea
o
Hummus
( just add water)
o
Beef
Jerky
o
Peanuts
o
Pop
Tarts (s’mores)
Fun Things for the Girls
o
Coloring
Books
o
Crayons
o
Note
Books
o
Seek
and Find Books
o
Children’s
Music
o
Dolls
and Stuffies (that we’ve slept with)
o
Beach
Ball
o
Hot
Wheel Cars
o
Bubbles
o
Soft
Frisbee
o
Blankets
(that we’ve slept with)
o
Small
Card Games (memory)
o
Small
Kid Games (fishing)
o
Etch
a Sketch
o
Mini
Lego Set
o
Beads
and String
o
Dry
Erase Board
o Skipping
Rope
o
Pencils
that Don’t Need Sharpening
o
Little
People, cars, and animals
If you are wondering how we are going to get all this into 4 suitcases, that makes 2 of us... We'll have to see how it goes as it all gets closer, but we may end up with an extra container just to get us all the way over there...
So what does everyone think? Too much? What are we missing? What are we bringing that we don't need to....Ruth? Darci? Jessa? Got any more ideas for us :)
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