Wednesday, April 28, 2010

NECKLACES!!!!!

I'm so excited to let you all know that, after speaking with the wonderful women at 147millionorphans.com, I'll be selling the Ugandan Magazine Necklaces to support the wonderful women of the Karamojong tribe, sending 50%+ of the proceeds back to a feeding program run by Amazima Ministries AND helping to fundraise for our adoption costs. I'm so thrilled to have this amazing opportunity to help make a real difference as well as to support us in our adoption dreams!






Sunday, April 25, 2010

Blog Hop About Us

We're the Maxwells. My husband, Dale, and I were married Sept08 but grew up in the same small town so we've known each other our whole lives. We have two beautiful daughters Sophia, who is 3, and Ava, who's 2. We began our adoption journey in 2009 when I started to seriously consider that this was the right choice for our family, and in October we applied to CAFAC and got on the waiting list for a Ethiopian Adoption. About 2 months later my doctors discovered ( after about a year of tests ) a tumor on my right ovary. Benign thankfully. I actually have my FIRST appointment with the specialist TOMORROW. So all you women out there that think that something just doesn't seem right, I urge you to visit your family doctor. Anyway, I love reading/stalking all your wonderful blogs. We live in a town of about 1000, and we'll be the first family EVER to adopt internationally. We haven't told our families yet, we want to wait until there is something to tell. Its hard for us to sit on the waiting list, people who care want to know how the process is going and we have absolutely nothing to tell them. So for now its our special secret but its nice to share our story with other families that are going through the same process as well as to hear your stories and to share in your joys. Thinking about all my blog friends today as they are all going through a different part of their adoptions. All our love!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Lets Give Up

Do you ever have those days when it seems like everything is against you and the hope that you've been holding on to for months feels like it's slipping right out of your hands??? We've been on the "waiting list" to get on the waiting list for our adoption for 7 months now. With the weather warming up, and the girls at that busy age, we haven't had much time to sit around and think about alot of things but lately it just seems like every little roadblock is weighing us down a ton. Dale will be starting school again in two weeks and that is always a stressful time for us. He's gone for two months and we stay here, just us girls. The bills still need to be paid and the work still need to get done. I have my first appointment with the specialist this Monday, booo, the stress is just building up for that one. I have no idea what they're going to tell me. I'd like to talk to my family doctor about it, but he and his family are gone to South Africa on a family visit. So I guess I just have to suck it up and face the music.... good thing I'm taking MY mommy! Now with all these court ruling changes, we worry because we've read so many blogs where families have failed court one or two or THREE times. We can't afford three or four trips to Ethiopia, sometimes we feel like we're in over our heads and that we just need to take a step back to look at our situation............ hmm .....stepped back...thought a bunch.... Yup, right back to where we started, two little girls full of fun and caring, a husband that would do absolutely anything for his family and myself, a stubborn wife with a mission in her heart. It may take us some serious saving, some intense fundraising but the outcome of this decision will be the best that I could ever hope for or imagine. My hearts are with all the families waiting for the approval of court today.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Tuesday Topic: What Led You to Adopt?

Tuesday Topic: What Led You to Adopt?

this is the tuesday question posted by A Bushel and a Peck, and after rolling it around in my mind I decided to respond to it. Do I think that my situation makes me the most deserving..No.. I think there are families out there who are going to have answers to this question that are much more insightful or purposeful, but I wanted to address the question for myself. This was my post ~

When I was in school we'd have "Career Day" once a year. We'd dress up as the person we were striving to one day be. I'd dress up as a mom. And I went ALL OUT. I'd have a baby doll, stuff my oversized overalls with a pillow for that perfect preggo belly, scaptula in my pocket, diaper bag over my shoulder, you name it I did it. I usually had the most elaborate costume of the year for as all you mothers know, we seem to have quite a few different job decriptions in our repertoire. My husband and I were so lucky to have our two girls early in our relationship because we both hope for a big family. Adoption was always an idea we'd talked about from time to time but only in passing conversation. About 11 months ago I started having medical issues and finally after 6 months of testing they discovered large tumors on my ovaries. Can you imagine being 24 years old and being told that you might never be able to have another child. Please don't think me selfish, I LOVE my daughters with ALL of my heart and am thankful for them everyday but our family feels...unfinished. Something called to me and I started watching "gotcha day" videos and reading adoption blogs families had posted and my heart melted. I immediately realized that adoption was the road for us. We have alot of love to give. We are currently on the waiting list for an Ethiopian adoption. My appointment with the specialist is this Monday, but it won't change the decision thats in our hearts. Sometimes I dream about the child we are destined to meet and I wonder if they're dreaming about us as well.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

"ART" Projects










Not sure what to do with all the artwork your kids are starting to create and home, or bringing home from school? A while ago I noticed the girls seemed really interested in the art work I had hanging in our living room. It was just a few pre-framed pictures I'd picked up at Walmart that I thought would fit in with our decor. That's when I got the idea, instead of having a fridge that looked like it had been attacked by a paper and crayon monster I'd incorporate what the girls made into our everyday living space. I went back to Walmart and picked up four EMPTY frames, at home I took our roll of easel paper and stretched it across the kitchen table where the girls sit. Then I dispensed the crayons and felts and sat back with a coffee to relax...and to watch that crayon was going on the paper and not on clothes and faces. When the girls were done I picked four areas that were the most colored, or decorated and cut them to fit the frames I'd already pre-measured. I hung my new works-of-art in our living room. Now when we have company, the first thing the girls want to do is show of their little masterpieces hanging for all to see. I know that their so proud of what they do. We replace the pictures with new ones every one or two months, it depends on the artist moods. ( and the mamas ) and I put the old ones into a folder to keep for the girls. It's a great way to display all that creativity that our kids are full of, and makes the kids feel incredibly special.




Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Weaning & Whining

With daughters that are only 14 months apart sometimes I feel like I have twins. And because they are so close we felt bad taking something away from one and not the other. When Sophia turned 2 I decided that I'd had ENOUGH of soothers in my house, so both Sophia and Ava ( who wasn't yet 1 ) reluctantly turned in their soothers and I felt like I'd won a small battle with little diffuculty... boy if I'd known what was in store! Smart parents would have taken soothers AND bottles at the same time, but we decided to let them keep the bottles a while longer. What could it hurt. The girls were on the bottle since hour 1, having major surgery at 19 prevented me from being able to breastfeed my children so they are both formulas fed babies. ( and perfectly healthy kids ) The older the girls got, the more panicked I got thinking I might NEVER get them to give up the bottle. I tried everything, the "big girls" talk, water in the bottle, milk in the cup. Every tip or trick that I got from family and friends going through the same process. All I got in my house was alot of whining, crying and screaming for their bottles which I finally realized were their "comfort objects" It had turned into a battle of wills and I WILLING gave in by the end of the day when they hadn't drank a drop and were pleading for a drink. And when you have two its like they're teaming up on you because they know it'll finally break you down. Finally I had enough, enough of being told by family that "they really should be on cups by NOW" ... I KNOW THAT PEOPLE and enough of being bossed around by two ( adorably cute ) little girls who can somethimes act like little monsters. So I resorted to guerrilla tactics. I took their bottles, caps, nipples and all other bottle paraphernalia put in in a bag gave it to their dad who promptly took it out back and threw it into the dumpster. It was a long week, with pleading .... from my husband who asked if they could please just have a bottle for an hour or two and he'd gladly go pick two up. But today at the ages of 2 and 3 I can proudly say that my daughters have kicked the habit and are permenatly on the cup. HURRAY a victory I can be proud of!! Now maybe we can concentrate on getting them 100% potty trained... ugh thats saved for another pot of coffee and an other blog. Hope all you mommies and mommies to be are enjoying the spring. Can't wait to blog with you again!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Haiti opening its adoption doors....

When we decided that we were ready to begin the adoption process we did things a little backwards. Since wait times seem to be getting longer and longer, we applied to CAFAC first. I wasn't prepared to go through the Home Study Process and then wait for 12-24 months before our application to adopt came off the waiting list. That was about 7 months ago. We've now started looking at our local Albertan Home Study Providers. I was contacted by the Christian Adoption Service a few days ago with an update. APPLICATIONS TO HAITI WILL NOW PROCEED. This is the April update from the CAS website

"Christian Adoptions has been informed that Adoption Services is accepting applications for Haiti and that files will proceed to Haiti as in the past. Applicants must expect two trips to Haiti, one for court, and one to accept placement. New requirements and changes in regulations are likely to be forwarded in the near future, but for now orphanages are accepting applications as in the past. At this time we assume time lines to be long, as in the past; children matched took more than 12 months to process and be allowed to come to Canada."

I know that this is wonderful news to alot of families that were waiting for the ok to go ahead with a Haitian adoption. My thoughts and hopes are with you as you start laying down the stepping stones to your children!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter!!!

So we got through another Easter without a sugar overload, which meant we didn't have to go through the terrible tantrum's I like to refer to as the "sugar high detox". This year, because the girls are so young still, we opted out of the candy route and got a few cute puzzles for them instead. That certainly didn't mean that they didn't get handfulls from the other family members that came by today to see them. Oh well... Having big families on both sides, Dale and myself, we had to decide who's family dinner to attend. It was my families turn so we loaded up the girls and the supplies we'd need for the day and ventured out to the family farm. Between the aunts, uncle, grandma, grandpa and three dogs that have become my parents new "children" now that we're all out of the house, the girls were entertained for the entire day and promtly fell asleep as soon as they were strapped into the carseats for the ride home. It was a great day spent together. From our family to yours Happy Easter! Heres wishing you a wonderful day filled with laughter and love!