I updated my lists of Ghana blogs as I found I am checking in on many that were not on my sidebar. I think I have about 35 of them now. If you are newer to Ghana adoption and reading blogs, check out some of these to see what other families are up to!
For those who digitally scrapbook, I always am updating my Digi Scrappin list of sites I go to for awesome digital scrapping freebies so check them out also!
Have a fabulous week...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Aunt Julie's Wedding
Aunt Julie got married a few weeks ago. Kman and Cater were in the wedding as a flower girl and usher. It was a fabulous time and we all just love our new "Uncle Scott".
Here are a few pics...
Congratulations Julie and Scott!
Here are a few pics...
Congratulations Julie and Scott!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Happy Birthday Kwame...
Today is our little guy's sixth birthday.
It has been a hard few weeks as we thought we would be farther along in the process by now. I was hoping we would have gone to court this week as it would have meant that if we were approved we would have found out on his birthday but our lawyer apparently decided not to go to court this week. Last week we didn't go because he decided not to take a case to court until the homestudy is at least three months old. Thankfully our homestudy is now three months old so that new reason won't apply to us next week.
We really want to meet Kwame and are anxious to bring him home. We get little updates of families saying what a wonderful boy he is and how excited he is to have a family.
My hope is that someone at his adoption center realizes it is his birthday and gives him a little extra attention today. A few other moms are going to meet and bring home their children in the next week or so which means we can send along a little note or something for Kwame and can hopefully get a few pictures!
Happy Birthday Kwame!!
PS- I will be posting more in the coming weeks as today is my last official day of work for the summer! WOO HOO!
It has been a hard few weeks as we thought we would be farther along in the process by now. I was hoping we would have gone to court this week as it would have meant that if we were approved we would have found out on his birthday but our lawyer apparently decided not to go to court this week. Last week we didn't go because he decided not to take a case to court until the homestudy is at least three months old. Thankfully our homestudy is now three months old so that new reason won't apply to us next week.
We really want to meet Kwame and are anxious to bring him home. We get little updates of families saying what a wonderful boy he is and how excited he is to have a family.
My hope is that someone at his adoption center realizes it is his birthday and gives him a little extra attention today. A few other moms are going to meet and bring home their children in the next week or so which means we can send along a little note or something for Kwame and can hopefully get a few pictures!
Happy Birthday Kwame!!
PS- I will be posting more in the coming weeks as today is my last official day of work for the summer! WOO HOO!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
World AIDS Orphans Day
Today, May 7, is World AIDS Orphans Day. World AIDS Orphans Day is a grassroots campaign to draw attention to and advocate on behalf of the millions of children orphaned by AIDS.
Erin posted the following information about AIDS and orphans on her blog. She is also the Adoption Coordinator for HIV+ children for Adoption Advocates International (our adoption agency). You can see her original post here which includes many links to the organizations and such mentioned...
Here are some of the staggering facts. Please read them... please really stop and think a minute about these statistics.
* There are over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS living around the world
RIGHT NOW. 15 million is the equivalent to the number of all of the people
living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. That is an awful lot of
children.
* Well over 12 million AIDS orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa, alone.
* Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India,
China and Russia.
* At least 10 million more children will be orphans by AIDS by 2010.
Do you know how many TOTAL global confirmed cases of the swine flu there have been? As of today (May 6), there have been 1,516 cases. Do you know how many people, world wide, have died of the swine flu as of today?? 31. And look at all the hype... all the action... all the caring.
Do you know how many people around the world DIED of HIV/AIDS in 2007? An estimated TWO MILLION people. That is over 5,400 people a day, dieing of HIV/AIDS. It has been estimated that now, in 2009, 6,500 people will die every day from AIDS, and an estimated 6,000 of those people will leave behind children when they die.
So today, another 6,000 children will be added to the already 15 million children world wide who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The result of being orphaned by AIDS is heart-breaking for these children. From the World AIDS Orphans Day website:
* In addition to the trauma of losing a parent, orphans are often subject to
discrimination and are less likely to receive healthcare, education and other
needed services.
* In HIV affected households lacking community support, food consumption can
drop by 40% putting children at risk to hunger, malnutrition and stunting.
* Impoverished and often without support to educate and protect them, orphans
and vulnerable children face increased risk of HIV infection. (And there are
already an estimated 2 million children currently living with HIV).
* Orphans are often easy prey to many forms of exploitation: forced labor,
prostitution and child soldiering.
In the United States, if a child loses a parent to accident or illness, it is considered a terrible tragedy. Such stories are covered by the media, communities mourn and show their support, etc. In Sub-Saharan Africa, parents dieing is a normal part of life. It is still a terrible tragedy for those children, but it happens so often that no one else really pays any attention.
And do you know what makes this really, truly horrible? Do you know what makes my gut twist and my heart ache? HIV IS COMPLETELY TREATABLE.
If a person contracts HIV in the United States or another country where there is treatment readily available, they have an excellent long term prognosis. Most HIV+ people receiving treatment now have close to normal life expectancies and can live in good overall health. With treatment, HIV+ children can be healthy and happy. They can go to school, grow up, go to college, have (healthy!) children, and live long enough to raise them and beyond. Without treatment, an estimated 50% of HIV+ children will die before the hit their second birthday. My Solomon was almost one of those 50%.
HIV does not have to be a death sentence, and yet for thousands of people every day, it is, because the world doesn't care enough to really do something about it.
Can you imagine for one minute if some terrible disease struck the United States (or whatever country you live in) and was killing thousands and orphaning thousands every day? Can you imagine if another country had treatment that could lead to good health and a long life, but it just was too expensive or too difficult or too much trouble to get that medicine to us? We wouldn't stand for it.
So why do we stand for it now?
I can't wrap my head around what 15 million orphans looks like. I can barely wrap my head around the 100 or so HIV+ orphans that I am trying to find adoptive families for. The numbers are staggering, and so is the need for action. Children are the future of our world, and I shudder to think about what this world will be like with so many millions of children growing up without the love and security of a family... and way too often growing up without adequate food, education and medical care. Where does that leave all of us?
Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, US said,
"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"
I know that it feels like the problem is way too big for us to really do anything to make a difference, but I know with all my heart that touching the life of just one, just ONE, child can truly make a difference. And if everyone touched the life of just one child, we could reach them all.
Here are some ways that you can help touch the life of an AIDS orphan this World AIDS Orphans Day.
- Get educated. One of the biggest roadblocks in getting people to care and take action is the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. This is not a disease that only strikes those who "deserve it" (yes, that is really how some people think!). This is a disease that strikes men, women and children... it strikes heterosexuals and homosexuals, it strikes people of all races and social classes and it strikes people in all countries. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem.
Fear is another big roadblock. HIV can not be transmitted in any casual way, and people that are HIV+ are not a threat to those around them. HIV can only be transmitted through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).
I have written a ton about HIV/AIDS, and you can find those posts here. Once you are educated, join my Tell Two Campaign and share the truth about HIV/AIDS with others.
Two excellent books to read about the HIV/AIDS crisis and the orphan crisis are There is No Me Without You and 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa.
- Sponsor an AIDS orphan. There are many wonderful organizations out there that allow you to sponsor a child for a very low cost per month. Doing so makes a great difference in the life of that child, and getting to know the child you sponsor through pictures, updates, letters, etc. will have a great impact on your life as well. I promise. Two wonderful organizations that I work with are AHOPE for Children (which supports AHOPE Ethiopia, a home and community support program for HIV+ children in Ethiopia) and Hardthaven, a home for AIDS orphans in Ghana. I know that financially times are hard for many right now, but we live better than most people in the world and would have to sacrifice very very little to sponsor (and truly help) an orphaned child.
- Consider adopting. Adoption is only an option for a tiny percentage of the 15 million AIDS orphans around the world and it is certainly not the solution to the AIDS crisis or the orphan crisis, but for the tiny percentage of children who do get adopted, it changes their world and their future dramatically (and for the adoptive parents, it is equally amazing). There are agencies and programs placing healthy and special needs orphans from all over the world with new families. If your heart may be open to adopting an HIV+ child, I have about 100 amazing children of all ages waiting for a second chance at love, family and life.
You can read here why I believe in adoption, and you can read here why I feel so passionately about adoption for HIV+ children.
- Support From HIV to Home, an organization that helps provide care for HIV+ orphans and supports and helps parents adopting HIV+ children. They have a wonderful program to help raise money for parents adopting HIV+ children called Kids Walking Kids Home.
- Support Project HOPEFUL, whose mission is to "encourage, educate and enable parents adopting children with HIV/AIDS".
- Visit the World AIDS Orphans website for other ways to touch your heart, get educated and get involved.
Please feel free to share this post anywhere you see fit. Thanks for reading.
Erin posted the following information about AIDS and orphans on her blog. She is also the Adoption Coordinator for HIV+ children for Adoption Advocates International (our adoption agency). You can see her original post here which includes many links to the organizations and such mentioned...
Here are some of the staggering facts. Please read them... please really stop and think a minute about these statistics.
* There are over 15 million children orphaned by AIDS living around the world
RIGHT NOW. 15 million is the equivalent to the number of all of the people
living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. That is an awful lot of
children.
* Well over 12 million AIDS orphans live in Sub-Saharan Africa, alone.
* Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India,
China and Russia.
* At least 10 million more children will be orphans by AIDS by 2010.
Do you know how many TOTAL global confirmed cases of the swine flu there have been? As of today (May 6), there have been 1,516 cases. Do you know how many people, world wide, have died of the swine flu as of today?? 31. And look at all the hype... all the action... all the caring.
Do you know how many people around the world DIED of HIV/AIDS in 2007? An estimated TWO MILLION people. That is over 5,400 people a day, dieing of HIV/AIDS. It has been estimated that now, in 2009, 6,500 people will die every day from AIDS, and an estimated 6,000 of those people will leave behind children when they die.
So today, another 6,000 children will be added to the already 15 million children world wide who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The result of being orphaned by AIDS is heart-breaking for these children. From the World AIDS Orphans Day website:
* In addition to the trauma of losing a parent, orphans are often subject to
discrimination and are less likely to receive healthcare, education and other
needed services.
* In HIV affected households lacking community support, food consumption can
drop by 40% putting children at risk to hunger, malnutrition and stunting.
* Impoverished and often without support to educate and protect them, orphans
and vulnerable children face increased risk of HIV infection. (And there are
already an estimated 2 million children currently living with HIV).
* Orphans are often easy prey to many forms of exploitation: forced labor,
prostitution and child soldiering.
In the United States, if a child loses a parent to accident or illness, it is considered a terrible tragedy. Such stories are covered by the media, communities mourn and show their support, etc. In Sub-Saharan Africa, parents dieing is a normal part of life. It is still a terrible tragedy for those children, but it happens so often that no one else really pays any attention.
And do you know what makes this really, truly horrible? Do you know what makes my gut twist and my heart ache? HIV IS COMPLETELY TREATABLE.
If a person contracts HIV in the United States or another country where there is treatment readily available, they have an excellent long term prognosis. Most HIV+ people receiving treatment now have close to normal life expectancies and can live in good overall health. With treatment, HIV+ children can be healthy and happy. They can go to school, grow up, go to college, have (healthy!) children, and live long enough to raise them and beyond. Without treatment, an estimated 50% of HIV+ children will die before the hit their second birthday. My Solomon was almost one of those 50%.
HIV does not have to be a death sentence, and yet for thousands of people every day, it is, because the world doesn't care enough to really do something about it.
Can you imagine for one minute if some terrible disease struck the United States (or whatever country you live in) and was killing thousands and orphaning thousands every day? Can you imagine if another country had treatment that could lead to good health and a long life, but it just was too expensive or too difficult or too much trouble to get that medicine to us? We wouldn't stand for it.
So why do we stand for it now?
I can't wrap my head around what 15 million orphans looks like. I can barely wrap my head around the 100 or so HIV+ orphans that I am trying to find adoptive families for. The numbers are staggering, and so is the need for action. Children are the future of our world, and I shudder to think about what this world will be like with so many millions of children growing up without the love and security of a family... and way too often growing up without adequate food, education and medical care. Where does that leave all of us?
Rich Stearns, President of World Vision, US said,
"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"
I know that it feels like the problem is way too big for us to really do anything to make a difference, but I know with all my heart that touching the life of just one, just ONE, child can truly make a difference. And if everyone touched the life of just one child, we could reach them all.
Here are some ways that you can help touch the life of an AIDS orphan this World AIDS Orphans Day.
- Get educated. One of the biggest roadblocks in getting people to care and take action is the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. This is not a disease that only strikes those who "deserve it" (yes, that is really how some people think!). This is a disease that strikes men, women and children... it strikes heterosexuals and homosexuals, it strikes people of all races and social classes and it strikes people in all countries. HIV/AIDS is a HUMAN problem.
Fear is another big roadblock. HIV can not be transmitted in any casual way, and people that are HIV+ are not a threat to those around them. HIV can only be transmitted through sexual contact, birth, breastfeeding and blood to blood contact (such as sharing needles).
I have written a ton about HIV/AIDS, and you can find those posts here. Once you are educated, join my Tell Two Campaign and share the truth about HIV/AIDS with others.
Two excellent books to read about the HIV/AIDS crisis and the orphan crisis are There is No Me Without You and 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa.
- Sponsor an AIDS orphan. There are many wonderful organizations out there that allow you to sponsor a child for a very low cost per month. Doing so makes a great difference in the life of that child, and getting to know the child you sponsor through pictures, updates, letters, etc. will have a great impact on your life as well. I promise. Two wonderful organizations that I work with are AHOPE for Children (which supports AHOPE Ethiopia, a home and community support program for HIV+ children in Ethiopia) and Hardthaven, a home for AIDS orphans in Ghana. I know that financially times are hard for many right now, but we live better than most people in the world and would have to sacrifice very very little to sponsor (and truly help) an orphaned child.
- Consider adopting. Adoption is only an option for a tiny percentage of the 15 million AIDS orphans around the world and it is certainly not the solution to the AIDS crisis or the orphan crisis, but for the tiny percentage of children who do get adopted, it changes their world and their future dramatically (and for the adoptive parents, it is equally amazing). There are agencies and programs placing healthy and special needs orphans from all over the world with new families. If your heart may be open to adopting an HIV+ child, I have about 100 amazing children of all ages waiting for a second chance at love, family and life.
You can read here why I believe in adoption, and you can read here why I feel so passionately about adoption for HIV+ children.
- Support From HIV to Home, an organization that helps provide care for HIV+ orphans and supports and helps parents adopting HIV+ children. They have a wonderful program to help raise money for parents adopting HIV+ children called Kids Walking Kids Home.
- Support Project HOPEFUL, whose mission is to "encourage, educate and enable parents adopting children with HIV/AIDS".
- Visit the World AIDS Orphans website for other ways to touch your heart, get educated and get involved.
Please feel free to share this post anywhere you see fit. Thanks for reading.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Why isn't Kwame's sweet face on this blog yet???
So many people have been asking about the adoption and when we will bring Kwame home. This is where we are at...
It has been a kind of crazy few weeks in the Ghana adoption world. Basically, there have been some concerns at some orphanages in Ghana. While checking into this, all new adoption applications in the region Kwame is from were halted for a week or so. This has delayed our paperwork getting turned in for court. Additionally, we caused a delay by waiting for our tax return to pay some of the adoption fees.
These things together have made our adoption go slower than it would have otherwise. In fact, the families that got their referrals the same day as us have left for Ghana this week to meet their children.. this of course makes me sad for Kwame who will not be seeing his parents for a while yet...
So we are still waiting to go to court. This is kind of a bummer as it will take longer than I hoped to get Kwame home. I hoped to be able to get him home in time to start school in August (we start around Aug. 10 here) but it would take every thing working beautifully and going in our favor for that to happen at this point.
There was some good news that did come out of regarding paperwork today. It may be possible for me to file my I600 here. If this is the case, I will not need to travel to Ghana to file this packet of paperwork. This might save us some time and money. For those of you that think I am talking in a different language in this paragraph... basically there is a packet that we turn in so that we can bring Kwame into the country. That packet can be turned in here in AZ, processed and sent to Ghana or we can file it in Ghana. In the past, our agency required we file it in Ghana as the timeline is more predictable and usually much quicker than filing it here.
As much as I would love to go to Ghana again, paying for two adoptions in two years in this economy has been really tough for us. I think if we only need to go once, that either TR and Kman or just TR would go to Ghana to bring Kwame home. We will see.
With all that said, things can change tomorrow and the rules could be totally different. Either way, I am flexible (okay, I really just "say" I am flexible to myself hoping it will be true!) No, really, I am hanging in there...I am just so excited to be adopting Kwame and we want him home already!!
With the slight halt of new cases they had though, it just makes me want to get through court. I will feel much better once that is done. Our agency asks that we don't post pictures of our children until we pass court and then I can post all the pictures I want of our son's handsome face all over this blog!!!! AND YOU KNOW I WILL- (I have over 50 of them my blogging peeps!! :-)
It has been a kind of crazy few weeks in the Ghana adoption world. Basically, there have been some concerns at some orphanages in Ghana. While checking into this, all new adoption applications in the region Kwame is from were halted for a week or so. This has delayed our paperwork getting turned in for court. Additionally, we caused a delay by waiting for our tax return to pay some of the adoption fees.
These things together have made our adoption go slower than it would have otherwise. In fact, the families that got their referrals the same day as us have left for Ghana this week to meet their children.. this of course makes me sad for Kwame who will not be seeing his parents for a while yet...
So we are still waiting to go to court. This is kind of a bummer as it will take longer than I hoped to get Kwame home. I hoped to be able to get him home in time to start school in August (we start around Aug. 10 here) but it would take every thing working beautifully and going in our favor for that to happen at this point.
There was some good news that did come out of regarding paperwork today. It may be possible for me to file my I600 here. If this is the case, I will not need to travel to Ghana to file this packet of paperwork. This might save us some time and money. For those of you that think I am talking in a different language in this paragraph... basically there is a packet that we turn in so that we can bring Kwame into the country. That packet can be turned in here in AZ, processed and sent to Ghana or we can file it in Ghana. In the past, our agency required we file it in Ghana as the timeline is more predictable and usually much quicker than filing it here.
As much as I would love to go to Ghana again, paying for two adoptions in two years in this economy has been really tough for us. I think if we only need to go once, that either TR and Kman or just TR would go to Ghana to bring Kwame home. We will see.
With all that said, things can change tomorrow and the rules could be totally different. Either way, I am flexible (okay, I really just "say" I am flexible to myself hoping it will be true!) No, really, I am hanging in there...I am just so excited to be adopting Kwame and we want him home already!!
With the slight halt of new cases they had though, it just makes me want to get through court. I will feel much better once that is done. Our agency asks that we don't post pictures of our children until we pass court and then I can post all the pictures I want of our son's handsome face all over this blog!!!! AND YOU KNOW I WILL- (I have over 50 of them my blogging peeps!! :-)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
A beautiful Easter day...
We had a wonderful Easter. Mass was at the property where our church will be built in the next few years. I couldn't resist this pic of the girls walking together. Now the pic would have been better in a field of flowers or with a beautiful church and cross in the background but we have dirt and what looks like crime scene tape!LOL Cater insisted on carrying my broken umbrella to help her with the sun. Dear Goodness that girl!
After that we went to my aunt's home for a family get together. Kman has been carrying his sister on his back more since seeing Akwasi and Rita and Racheal carry her when they get together. I told him his new brother may want to carry her too so I think he wants to be a pro at carrying Selina by then. He has only almost dropped her once!
So ladies, I finally did it! We got yarn braids done just in time for Easter. Many of you know that Selina does not like getting her hair done. She seems like she is pretty sensitive to having her hair combed and pulled on no matter how gentle I am. We have gone to hair parties, done hair at all different times and tried many different things. Well, on Friday, she let me do about five braids. I was in shock! So in short, I was up that night and Saturday night until 3 am getting as many braids done as she slept! We did about four hours during the day too for a total of about 12 hours. Considering every thing, I am pleased with my first attempt!
My cousin Leah did an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids that they thoroughly enjoyed. I had to laugh as I later watched Kman and Cater doing some egg trading. I remember doing the same thing with my sister with Easter and Halloween candy years ago. Funny how years can pass and times can change but trading holiday candy is still cool!
So in short, we enjoyed a day of happiness and good health! After Selina's hospital visit and being able to take her to the hospital and get her help, I appreciate that it is truly a blessing to live in a country where we can get medical help for our children. I am so thankful for that this Easter. I hope yours was blessed too...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Dossier, Welcome Bag- CHECK!!
Last week I was busy getting our dossier and welcome bag ready to go to Ghana. I mailed it off to a family traveling to Ghana this week so they can take it over for us!
THE DOSSIER
Our dossier is a package of information that we prepare for Ghana to look at when considering our application to adopt Kwame. Among the contents is our homestudy, birth certificates, medical information and our official application from the government in Ghana, etc. It is not difficult to put together but is so nice to have completed! This information will be combined with information on Kwame and is presented in court in Ghana. Hopefully we will go to court and be declared his parents in the next two months.
THE WELCOME BAG
I had so much fun putting together Kwame's welcome bag. A welcome bag is a gallon size bag that we fill with items for Kwame to let him know that we will be his family and to tell him about us. It is done by all families in our agency for the child(ren) they are adopting. It typically includes a shirt, photo album, stuffed animal and another small trinket or two. Kwame knows his welcome bag is coming and is very excited to receive it.
When I put together Selina's bag last year, I took a long time choosing the items I put in it and thinking it through. I was so glad I did.
When I took custody of Selina in June and we left Ghana, I guess I pictured that she would have something to bring with her that was hers. In the first pictures of her I saw that she was wearing some dangling earrings. I hoped that they were from her mother and that I could have them and hang on to them for her but like the clothes she arrived at the adoption center in, they did not belong to her. The reality was that after almost two years, we walked out that day with the few items I had sent her in that welcome bag and a toothbrush.
So for Kwame, I wanted to do something special knowing it might be all he has that is his. I knew his favorite color was red so I incorporated that into the bag.
The shirt... Like with Selina, I wanted a personalized shirt. In nine out of ten pictures I see of Kwame, he is smiling and waving at the camera with his mouth shut. It is so cute and always makes me smile. I heard from a traveling parent that the staff tells him not to do that in his pictures but he does anyway. It is obviously what he feels comfortable doing. So, in honor of that, I took a picture of the kids waving at the camera and smiling with their mouths closed. I put a picture of him along with the kid's pics on a shirt bearing our last name and the number 4 since there will be four "D" kids. I also was able to have the shirt done on an Under Armour shirt this time which will be a little cooler than cotton.
The photo album... I decided this time to digitally scrap a smaller album for him. I did 14 pages introducing each family member and our pets. I did a page showing his house and the school he will go to when he comes home. At the end, I did a few pages of him and his friends including his friends that recently left Eban House to go to America. I know he will really enjoy opening the book and seeing not only his new family but a few pictures of him with his friends. We also included a note from his brother and from us. This will be nice because if anything happens to a page in Africa, I can print another one out here so that he can have this book forever. Here are two of the pages...
The hat... I decided to include a baseball cap in his bag. He loves soccer and our last name happens to be the name of a college somewhere back east so I ordered a hat bearing our last name with a soccer ball on it from the college bookstore. How perfect is that?!! On top of that, I got Kman the same hat and he is wearing the hat in the picture on Kwame's shirt! I thought Kwame would enjoy having a hat that he can look down on his shirt and see his brother wearing too!
So I was able to barely fit those things and a few trinkets in the gallon sized bag but I did (never mind the bag can't be closed)!! I also included a few hot wheels since he said he likes race cars.
I am so excited for him to get his bag this week. It is currently in route to Ghana as I type this!!
All in all, it is nice to be done with the dossier and to be that much closer to going to court! Now I am able to just relax(yea, right) and focus on getting things ready at home for Kwame!
THE DOSSIER
Our dossier is a package of information that we prepare for Ghana to look at when considering our application to adopt Kwame. Among the contents is our homestudy, birth certificates, medical information and our official application from the government in Ghana, etc. It is not difficult to put together but is so nice to have completed! This information will be combined with information on Kwame and is presented in court in Ghana. Hopefully we will go to court and be declared his parents in the next two months.
THE WELCOME BAG
I had so much fun putting together Kwame's welcome bag. A welcome bag is a gallon size bag that we fill with items for Kwame to let him know that we will be his family and to tell him about us. It is done by all families in our agency for the child(ren) they are adopting. It typically includes a shirt, photo album, stuffed animal and another small trinket or two. Kwame knows his welcome bag is coming and is very excited to receive it.
When I put together Selina's bag last year, I took a long time choosing the items I put in it and thinking it through. I was so glad I did.
When I took custody of Selina in June and we left Ghana, I guess I pictured that she would have something to bring with her that was hers. In the first pictures of her I saw that she was wearing some dangling earrings. I hoped that they were from her mother and that I could have them and hang on to them for her but like the clothes she arrived at the adoption center in, they did not belong to her. The reality was that after almost two years, we walked out that day with the few items I had sent her in that welcome bag and a toothbrush.
So for Kwame, I wanted to do something special knowing it might be all he has that is his. I knew his favorite color was red so I incorporated that into the bag.
The shirt... Like with Selina, I wanted a personalized shirt. In nine out of ten pictures I see of Kwame, he is smiling and waving at the camera with his mouth shut. It is so cute and always makes me smile. I heard from a traveling parent that the staff tells him not to do that in his pictures but he does anyway. It is obviously what he feels comfortable doing. So, in honor of that, I took a picture of the kids waving at the camera and smiling with their mouths closed. I put a picture of him along with the kid's pics on a shirt bearing our last name and the number 4 since there will be four "D" kids. I also was able to have the shirt done on an Under Armour shirt this time which will be a little cooler than cotton.
The photo album... I decided this time to digitally scrap a smaller album for him. I did 14 pages introducing each family member and our pets. I did a page showing his house and the school he will go to when he comes home. At the end, I did a few pages of him and his friends including his friends that recently left Eban House to go to America. I know he will really enjoy opening the book and seeing not only his new family but a few pictures of him with his friends. We also included a note from his brother and from us. This will be nice because if anything happens to a page in Africa, I can print another one out here so that he can have this book forever. Here are two of the pages...
The hat... I decided to include a baseball cap in his bag. He loves soccer and our last name happens to be the name of a college somewhere back east so I ordered a hat bearing our last name with a soccer ball on it from the college bookstore. How perfect is that?!! On top of that, I got Kman the same hat and he is wearing the hat in the picture on Kwame's shirt! I thought Kwame would enjoy having a hat that he can look down on his shirt and see his brother wearing too!
So I was able to barely fit those things and a few trinkets in the gallon sized bag but I did (never mind the bag can't be closed)!! I also included a few hot wheels since he said he likes race cars.
I am so excited for him to get his bag this week. It is currently in route to Ghana as I type this!!
All in all, it is nice to be done with the dossier and to be that much closer to going to court! Now I am able to just relax(yea, right) and focus on getting things ready at home for Kwame!
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