Happy New Year

A day or two early, I know! What a year this has been. It is hard to believe that we'll be saying farewell to 2009 tomorrow night. Just for fun, I thought I might do a little year in review!

January - Rang in 2009 with family at the beach.
February - Scott was in a car accident and was thankfully fine.
March - We got a late winter/early spring snow storm that brought about 8 inches of snow.
April - The beginning of the wedding season. Scott's cousin Brad's wedding in Indianapolis kicked it off. We also celebrated Easter with our parents at the beach.
May - The wedding season continued with two more weddings (family and friends). We also got to host Scott's family for a couple of days which was fun!
June - My grandmother passed away.
July - Celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.
August - Had a baby shower hosted by Scott's sisters and went on vacation to Asheville, NC.
September - Received the wonderful news that we had been matched with a birthmom.
October - Spent a relaxing weekend at the beach and got some things ready for baby!
November - Was extremely thankful for the many blessings in our lives especially celebrating Thanksgiving with family. Oh and got more things ready for the baby!
December - Spread Christmas out over 4 days (2 days with the Slonakers and 2 with the Gerkes). It was so much more relaxing and enjoyable. Oh and we let the family in on the baby's name, which was great!

What? You want to know the name too?? Well we think you have waited long enough. Our little boy will be named Caleb William Gerke and he will be here in just about 3 weeks!!

News

You know the old saying, "no news is good news" right? Well in our adoption journey "no news" has contributed to anxiety, stress, worry, fear, and even a few tears. With several weeks possibly even months of "no news" our mind has drifted from excitement, to curiosity, to anxiety and fear. We automatically assumed the worst. Our social worker assured us that this "no news" was not uncommon and that we should think positive and that all signs pointed us in the direction of a successful adoption.

So today, we got the best possible Christmas gift. We had contact with our birthmom's family. She is doing well (uncomfortable, but well) and is still confident with her adoption plan. They say the baby is going to be a big boy because his birthmom is huge! In just two weeks she'll be full term and her due date is five weeks from today.

For the first time, in quite a while, we can breathe a sigh of relief. We feel as if a 100 pound weight has been lifted. Now this "news" also contributed to some feelings of anxiety, stress, and still a few tears, but all in a good way!

I'm on my winter break now, so I'll get back to finishing up some things in the nursery and our goal is to have our little boy's bag packed by the time I head back to school. We'll also start doing some things like installing car seats and finalizing hotel plans (see all good things to be stressed about)!

Thank you for all of your prayers...many of them were answered today when we got that call!!

9 weeks and counting

Today marks the two month date! We have nine weeks until our baby's due date! Just two months ago we found out we were having a boy! And about three months ago we started the amazing process of adopting this little guy! My how things have changed over the past couple of months.

We met with our social worker last week and really didn't get too much new news. We will probably talk with her a couple more times before his arrival just to ask and answer any questions that pop up. But, for the most part, sometime in January we will get "the call" that our birth mother has gone into labor. Once we get the word, we'll hit the road! We also got some good news that we might not have to stay out of state as long as we had once thought. We still might be there around a week, but that is MUCH better than two weeks!

Ohhh....we are 99% set on the name for our little guy. We aren't revealing it yet...soon, I promise.

Still getting ready!

So we are a little more than two months from the arrival of our little man. We haven't heard any more updates, but we meet with our social worker next week. She might have some information for us then.

Baby Gerke's room is just about done. We purchased a gilder/rocker this past weekend and just finished putting together. It's so comfy and matches the room perfectly! We know it will be used a LOT for those middle of the night feedings :-)

We've narrowed the names down to three! It is killing my mom that we won't just pick one and tell her! We can't decide on one and we might not until we see the little guy. So for now and the time being he is just Baby Gerke! I'd say we might have a name picked out by our next post, but that's not very likely :-) We know the middle name will be William, so maybe that can hold you over until we pick/announce the name!

Fall has arrived

Last weekend, we decided to visit some great spots for viewing fall foliage. We stopped by Deep Run Park and took a walk around the lake there. Then the next day we headed to Pony Pasture Rapids along the James River. We had a great time admiring the beautiful colors and got some great pictures too! Just thought we'd share a few!

Here are some from Deep Run Park






And here are some from Pony Pasture Rapids!

3 months to go

Yesterday was October 23rd. That marks three months until our little boy's due date. Just a month ago we found out the due date and that we'd have a little boy. So much has happened since then.

We told our family and friends....we got so many wishes of congratulation and well wishes. We are so thankful for all of them as well as the prayers that are coming with them. Keep the prayers coming we still have 3 more months!

We keep talking to social workers to make sure things are on track and that everyone has everything they need so that things so smoothly. We have found that no matter how anxious and excited we are, people still move at their own speed. So we are still working on that lesson in patience!

We are getting things ready for our baby boy. We received so many great things at the shower and have been spending those gift cards we got too. They have come in so handy getting things like the car seat! And of course we've been picking an out an outfit or two :-)

We also been looking at some hotels near where our little boy will be born. We are trying to look into an efficiency place. That way we have a kitchenette so we can cook meals (or at least heat them up) since we'll be there for up to possibly two weeks. We've narrowed down our options and have found a place that is set up like a 1 bedroom apartment that allows dogs too! I just feel sorry for who ever stays next to us, since we'll have a newborn and a dog!

And last but not least, we are trying to narrow down some names! We have a couple contenders but haven't settled on one! We know the middle name, that part was easy. We still have three months to figure that out too!

The last month went quickly, we're hoping the next three go just as fast!

OH BOY!!

We have some exciting news!! We have been matched with a birthmother who is due in January! Come January we will be adopting a newborn baby BOY!!! Needless to say, Scott and I are more than excited. Over the past couple of weeks we have been speaking to social workers, the birthmother and members of her family to try to get things lined up for when our little boy arrives in January. We are adopting out of state, so that will require a one to two week stay in a hotel, but it won't matter because, we'll have our little bundle of joy with us!

We still have a long ways to go on our adoption journey, so we ask that you all keep praying that everything goes as planned between now and January (his due date is January 23rd) and that our little boy is born healthy and happy! We appreciate all the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes so far, just keep it coming for a couple more months :-)

We will try to update our blog as often as possible with new updates and once we get that little boy, we'll post a picture as soon as we can!

Missing in Action

Yes, I know...we have been Missing in Action for the past couple of months. What a busy few months it has been!

First, Scott's wonderful sisters threw me an amazing baby shower. It was a great time! Scott and I were truly appreciate of everyone who came to the shower, sent gifts and well wishes, and just continues to support us through this journey! The baby's room is now done and ready for a baby!! Here's a pic of the nursery completed and of the wonderful women who were at the shower!





Just a couple of days after the shower, Scott and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a little vacation. It was the perfect getaway! We rented a cabin that was so cozy and had it's own hot tub! We visited the Biltmore Mansion and that was amazing! We had so much fun White Water Rafting on the French Broad River, that we want to give it a try here in Richmond! And anyone who knows us well, knows that we love the Blue Ridge Parkway, so of course we had to explore the southern most portion of our beloved parkway! it was the perfect amount of fun and relaxation!
Here's a pic of us in the parkway!



And now I'm back to school and busy as ever! I was ready to start back to work. I like to be on a routine and I was far from a routine this summer! Give me another couple months and I'll be counting down to summer again! Maybe since I'm back in a routine, I'll be better about blogging!

It is coming together!

The baby's room is really coming together. Paint is on the walls, furniture is in, I even hung some shelves today (I love shelves that have build in levels!). I made (yes, made!) some valances for the windows this past weekend. The room is slowly taking shape. My next task is putting up a vinyl saying on the wall. I'm a little nervous about this one. I can come off, but it won't go back on if I mess up. There are just a couple more finishing touches and it will be done. My new goal is to have is 95% done by the time of my baby/adoption shower on August 1st. Scott's sisters are throwing me a shower, I am really excited about it :-) I'll be sure to post pics when it is 95% done!

FAQ #2

Q: How long foes it take? Won't you have to wait forever?

A: The average wait to adopt is about two years. According to surveys completed by Adoptive Families magazine, parents bring their children home within two years of turning in their paperwork. International adoptions have slowed down and domestic adoptions have sped up. With that in mind, the number are always changing.

Which brings the next question...

Q: Is it really possible to adopt an American newborn?

A: The large majority of adoptees are U.S. born. International adoptees just tend to attract more attention from the media. In any given year in the United States, about 100,000 children join their families through adoption. About 25% are placed at birth by their birthmother. About half are adopted from foster care. For the past 30 years more than 75% of adoptions are of U.S.-born children.

Source: Adoptive Families August 2009 issue

Step-by-step

We reached another milestone yesterday! We got the crib together. We don't have a mattress yet, but that will come! Here's pics with the room painted and the furniture in it.

Not quite the after...

So here is an in between pic of the room. That room took THREE coats of this yellow paint! I learned my lesson and should have primed the walls, but with tan wall who knew it was going to be too dark for yellow! It is brighter than I wanted, but I still like it. More pics to come soon!

Adoption FAQ

In the most recent issue of Adoptive Families, there was an interesting article about questions that people may ask and how to answer. Since announcing that were adopting, we have fielded a lot of questions. Some were in the article and some weren't. It has been our hope (and will continue to be our hope) that we can help educate people on adoption and so we thought it would be helpful to post a couple of these Q's and A's ever once in a while. Even if you don't have that question, the answer might interest you!

So here goes FAQ #1

Q: Is adoption expensive? How can you afford it?
A: The average cost of adoption in 2008 was $27,000. Grants and reimbursements can reduce the expense. The federal adoption tax credit ($12,500 for adoptions completed in 2009) can reduce out-of-pocket cost significantly, bringing adoption well into reach.

Source: The July/August 2009 issue of Adoptive Families

And the winner is....YELLOW!

Oyster Bisque, Daisy Spell, Vanilla Wafer, Capri Cream, Blonde Beauty, Moonshine, Cuddle, Lemon Cream, Yellow Bliss...who knew there were so many shades of yellow??? We have decided to tackle the baby's room this coming week. I know, I know, you're probably thinking is she for real this time? Yes, we are! We went to Lowes last night and picked up about 15 different paint swatches.

It is my job today to decide on one, so we can go get paint and start! Well, I have held them all up to the furniture, bedding, blankets, etc. and they all look good (I did eliminate a couple). Then I need to find some curtains and recover the loud striped chair in the room. Do I find fabric first or match fabric with the paint color?? I'll probably end up matching to whatever we paint!

I have posted some "before" pics. Stay tuned to see what shade we went with and the "after" pics!

Where have you been?

It has been quite some time since I last blogged. Things have been so busy this month. Scott and I have been out of town or hosting something pretty much every weekend. We are grateful that we have been busy this month. It has taken our minds off the adoption a little bit. I, of course, check the agency's website a couple times a week to see if any of the families waiting have been placed. But even with that, I quickly move on to the next task because we have had so much to do. I was reminded the last time I checked the agency's website that we started this process a little over a year ago. The picture we used for our birthmother letter was taken last Memorial Day weekend. It is hard to believe a year has gone by since we started this journey. We are being patient and know that the right baby will find us at the right time.

I thought I'd share a couple of pics from our very BUSY May!


This was taken at Scott's 2nd cousin's wedding in early May. Pictured is Scott's cousin Sam, Sarah, the bride, Laura, me, and Stephanie.


Scott & I at Laura's wedding.


Scott and our nephew, Noah, playing at the park.


My friend from college was married this past weekend. Pictured is me, Katherine, and Kristie.

So what are you waiting for?

We have gotten used to getting the "So, how's the adoption coming?" question. In fact if you have asked the answer you have probably heard from us is "We're just waiting!". This past weekend we were at a family wedding and this dialogue occurred, but the next question made me realize that maybe we need to come up with a better answer. When I told someone "We're just waiting!", the next question was "So, what are you waiting for?". I thought it was a pretty fair question. We aren't the only ones who are new to this whole adoption thing, and it made me realized that others might not know exactly what happens next!

Since we have agreed to adopt a baby (or twins...yes we agreed to twins!!) from the age of birth to a year, we have three different possibilities for the "next step".

1. We will get matched with a birthmother. She will pick us from a collection of couples whose profile she has read. Our social worker will be able to tell her more about us with the information she learned from the homestudy process. If the birthmother chooses to do so, we will meet before the birth to get to know her and have her get to know us.

2. We will be matched with a baby. The birthmother may not have had an adoption plan before the birth, but has made the decision to find an adoptive family once the baby is born.

3. We may be matched with a baby who is a bit older (up to a year) who was in temporary foster care. Our agency does temporary 89 day foster placement for birthmothers that haven't made an adoption plan, but still need some time to think about what is best for the baby.

Which ever possibility comes our way, the end outcome is all the same. We get to bring home a precious little baby to become a part of our family. We don't know when it will happen, but each day brings us closer to meeting our little baby Gerke!

It's been a while...

This was a busy month...busy, but productive.

As some of you know, Scott was in a car accident back in February. He was OK, but the car was totaled. He is really luck to be OK, thanks to his seat belt. His car flipped over and all he had was a couple of scratches and bruises. We are definitely thanking God that he was OK. So needless to say we went car shopping. We loved the car that was totaled, so we thought about getting the same thing, but with the deals they have going on now, we got a nicer car for a great deal. Plus...lucky me, I get to drive it and Scott's got the old Camry :-) We are headed to court tomorrow too what happens to the lady that hit Scott. Hopefully the punishment fits the crime, since it was a hit and run!

We finally cleared out the nursery. No more boxes, just the changing table, a chair, and crib parts. My spring break is in a couple of weeks, so I plan on painting. We decided to go with a pale yellow. Once the paint it up, we'll go ahead and put the crib together. Even after those two things, I still have a list of things to do in that room before it is baby ready.

Scott's sisters have offered to host a baby shower for me, so we did go ahead and register. That was strange for us. At times it doesn't quite seem real that we're going to be parents. Walking through the isles with the scanner made it pretty real. Of course we registered for a lot of gender (and age) neutral things.

April and May will be busy months for sure! We're headed to Indiana for Scott's cousin's wedding in a couple of weeks. Then we'll spend Easter at the beach with both of our parents. I'm headed to a Women's Retreat on the river toward the end of April. There are some wedding and baby showers sprinkled in there too. I think after that the weekend of Scott's birthday and Mother's Day, we'll finally be able to sit back relax for a weekend.

One could complain, but it will make the time go by fast. And every week that passes, is a week closer to getting our baby!

Help Us Lobby for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit

The Federal Adoption Tax Credit makes adoption so much more affordable for people like us, that have chosen to grow our family through adoption. The current tax credit is due to expire in December of 2010. We hope to have completed our adoption by then, but you never know when we might try to adopt our second :-)

The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213 will help the current tax credit from being replaced, and instead make it permanent. You can find out more information about this important Act by clicking this link.

The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213

You can also lobby for the Act by writing your your Representative or Senator.

Write your Representative

Write your Senator

No Doubt About It!

Hands down...without a doubt...couldn't be more true...We have the absolute best family and friends!

When we broke the news that we were adopting, we were knew that we would immediately get support from our friends and family. Well here we are, a couple of months later and we're still getting e-mails, notes, letters, phones calls all showing your support for us! It means the world to us. It is that encouragement and support that keeps us going.

Thanks for being such great family and friends!

We have been trying to get the nursery together. We are currenly on a standstill trying to decide whether or not paint. The room is beige and looks great with the dark furniture, but I'm still leaning toward yellow. We just can't decide. Plus we still have a bunch of boxes in there that we need to get rid of. So...it is still a work in progress!

Happy New Year!

We hope you have had a great start to the new year! It is hard to believe that 2008 has come and gone. It was a busy year for us. One with a lot of changes, but they have all been changes for the better.

December was an especially busy month, as it always is. We spent time with friends and families preparing our hearts for Christmas. We saw both sides of the family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We were very luck to attend our nephew's baptism in Newport News. Then we wrapped up the year with a trip down to the beach. It was a full beach house with the two of us, Scott's parents, Scott's sisters and brother in-law, our two nephews, Scott's aunt and uncle, and three cousins. We has a great time just being bums, playing games, and watching TV. And now back to work :-(

We enjoyed reading all of your Christmas cards and all of the prayers you included with them for our adoption process. We haven't heard anything for a while, but that is to be expected. We appreciate everyone waiting anxiously with us! Of course we'll let you all know as soon as we know anything!

This winter we are slowly going to get the nursery together. We cleared out the room this weekend (man, there was a lot of stuff in there). We'll probably put some furniture together next weekend. It has been sitting in boxes for about a month now. We need to make sure everything is in good condition and not missing any parts. We are just going to take our time and do things little by little, but of course if we hear anything we'll speed up that process!

Sorry for the long blog, but it had been a while. We had been getting some subtle and not so subtle hints on the need to update! Hope 2009 is a great one for you and your family!