The First Trimester

Dear Sweet Babe (or Babes) of Ours,

Your dad and I are so excited about soon squeezing you and showering you with kisses.  Your older brothers are so giddy about sharing toys with you, letting you wear their Superman costume, and wrestling with you.  We pray for you each night.  You were made to be part of our family, and we will do our best to make sure you are in our arms as soon as possible.

We have gotten through the paperwork pregnancy and are one day closer to hugging you.  On to the next trimester...the approval of Immigration and referral...

Love you, love you, love you!

Finished with Home Study Report

Woohoooooo!  Our social worker, Hallie, notified us last night that our report was complete and would soon be sent by email to our agency, International Family Services!  This is a major milestone in that it enables us to submit our application to the US Immigration Service.  It will take one to two months to receive an approval letter from them, at which point we will tell Moldova we would like to be matched with a child.  Over the next week, Richard Price, the COO for my agency, will work to fine tune our submission to Immigration to ensure efficiency.  Then George and I will await our assigned time to be fingerprinted.

"Test everything.  Hold on to the good.  Avoid every kind of evil."  I Thessalonians 5:21-22

Ready, Set, Wait!

Monday is the big day!  Hallie will come to the house to meet the boys and check out the house.  We will complete our final class on Monday night.  George has his physical with Dr. Missy Hixson between the home visit and class.  Our background checks are in from all states, including California!  Thank you, Lord, for making these pieces come together.  When Hallie completes the report, we move into the immigration process and wait to begin our dossier documents.  Every day we are one day closer to the babes God made to be part of our family!

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."  Psalm 40:1

What's in a Name?

Each night Elliot and Gavin write in their prayer journals and reflect upon who and what they are thankful for and/or want to lift up in prayer.  Tonight while praying for "our little brother in Moldova," Elliot said, "Let's name him Zachary.  If we get two brothers, we can have a George, too!"  I reminded him that we had two in our home with the name George.  Gavin suggested Zick...Zick and Zach!  Upon further discussion, Elliot decided on Zach and Spencer.  He wrote the following on a sheet of paper and presented it to me:

Elliot
Zach
Spencer
Gavin
4 brothers

Lord, please have Your hand in even the naming of our son or sons.  You already know who they are and what we should call them.  Help them to always know they were meant to be part of our family.  That is who You made them to be.  Regardless of the first names we give them, they will be Hamptons.  Thank you for sending them to us!

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  Ezekiel 36:26

Pushing Forward

Yesterday was a big day for us in that we met with Hallie Bishop for our individual and couple interviews. For about an hour and a half, we had a chance to reflect as Hallie asked us about our marriage, our views on parenting, our values, and our own backgrounds. We left feeling so grateful for the family God has already built for us and the one He continues to build. Thank you, God, for being "mighty to save"! I handed over a lot of paperwork and was excited to have so many checks on my list and a few items left to target.

We returned last night for adoption education from 5:30-8. We have two nights of class to go and a home visit. Every day we are one step closer to hugging our new little babe(s)!

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."  Joshua 24:15

A prayer by Dawn Davenport from The Complete Book on International Adoption

I pray that all children will be loved for who they are, for no reason other than that they are.
I pray that all children will be loved as first best, not second best; that they will be loved with an intensity that can move mountains, because life will present plenty of mountains that will need to be moved.
I pray that all children will have someone who will...
...seek them, and only them, out of the crowd on the stage;
...push them to reach for their goals and discover their unique gifts;
....hold them accountable for their actions with love and dignity;
...advocate for them through this maze called life;
...explain the unexplainable; and
...smile when they walk into the room, just because they did.
Mostly I pray that all children will have someone who knows them well enough and loves them deeply enough to see the divine spar that is unique in them.
I pray that this be the birthright of all children through out the world. And since this birthright can only be fulfilled by parents, I pray that each child, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, finds their parent and each parent finds their child.
Thanks, God.
Amen.

The Paperwork Pregnancy Begins

Yes, sign me up! Now, what do you need from me?

What our Home Study Agency needs from us...

Background Checks for each state where you have resided since the age of 18 years...Ohio (both of us), Mississippi (Danielle), Alabama (Danielle), Illinois (both of us), Tennessee (both of us), California (both of us), Iowa (George), Minnesota (George), Florida (George), Pennsylvania (George). If only all states would agree about one form and process!

Medical Exams...George--scheduled, Danielle--scheduled, Elliot--had it done in past twelve months, Gavin--had it done in past twelve months.

Birth and marriage proof...Certified birth certificates--Danielle and George, certified marriage certificate, Copies of birth certificates--Elliot and Gavin

Questionnaires...Adoption questionnaires, Marriage questionnaires, Autobiographies for George and Danielle

Finances...Tax returns, Personal Financial Review, W-2 statements, Employment letter/verification/income

Insurance...Life insurance policies for George and Danielle, Medical insurance proof

Passports...Copies of passports for George and Danielle

Driver's Licenses...Copies of driver's licenses for George and Danielle

Family photograph--Easy one!!!

Classes scheduled--May 7, May 14, May 21

Interviews with social worker--George, Danielle, as a couple, as a family in our home, home safety review

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23