Persistence Pays Off - Pictures

Okay, after being persistent, pictures of Jacob arrived via e-mail today (so very happy to see our little guy).  Here is one of the pictures they sent (as you can see, his scabies are healing very well - he looks so much better):

So, our little guy is now 18 months old and growing and thriving (such a blessing to hear for this Mommy so far away from him).  I pray he'll get his care package from us very soon so he can begin to learn our voices.  In the meantime, I'll start preparing his next care package.  I can't wait to hold him and let him know even though he wasn't physically with us we have thought and prayed for him every single day - just waiting to bring him home.  God knew who Jacob's parents and siblings would be and we can't wait to show him that he is very special to us in so many ways (so many prayers, so much love).

New Update Minus Photos

So we did get an update last week, but the photos were missing (which was a bummer - so wanted to see his smiling face).  Anyway, we are just waiting and praying for Jacob each and every day.  We have heard that his scabies is healing with the treatment even though the hospital did take a biopsy of his arm (sure to confirm the scabies).  He is doing very well and his last update was that he weighs 26 pounds and is 30 inches tall and a very curious little guy. 

All we do now is wait - it hard at times, but God knows what he is doing and Jacob will arrive in his perfect timing.  I do wonder from time to time what raising two busy little boys and one precious little girl will look like.  It will be busier, but we'll figure everything out.  I do feel peace at this point in our journey of adoption and I'm trying to treasure life as a family of 4 while I can.  I have peace because I know who holds my hand and walks with me daily.  We have been facing hard situations during this journey, but we march onward and look upward.  Continue to pray for little Jacob that we can get him home soon and that his scabies will heal and he will grow and thrive.

What???

I was gathering our tax documents over the weekend and stumbled across our approval documents for our I-600 and I-600A.  Imagine my horror when the expiration date on one of the forms was 2011 (we felt that document should read 2013 like our white form read).  Anyway, after worrying about this for 2 days and that this would hold up Jacob coming home I called our case worker and she assured me that all is okay (we are approved and the expiration is not until 2013 - which Jacob should be home way before then).  I can breath again!  Anyway, the ups and downs of this process is mind blowing and I am so glad all is okay paperwork wise (that was scary).

Anyway, hopefully we'll have a update sometime this week (Jacob turns 18 months old on the 26th).  Praying his rash is healing well and we'll get a wonderful photo soon.

Diagnosis Finally!!!

So we finally have a diagnosis of Jacob's skin rash.  He has scabies.  That diagnosis sounds horrible to some people, but to us it is a huge blessing - it is nothing serious (very treatable and that's all we care about).  We are just glad he should be healed in a few weeks and back to his normal self.  We are so thankful for so many things at this time.  We are thankful for all the prayers during this unsure time - it has kept us going each and every day.  It is hard to be the Mommy to a little guy you cannot comfort or care for.  We are also so thankful for Jacob's foster mom.  She is a huge blessing to not only Jacob but also to us.  We are on count down now (almost 8 months and Jacob will be coming home) - we can't wait.  Who knows, God may surprise us with bringing him home even sooner (never can tell).

Funds - What's Left...

I have this question from a lot from people - so how much is left to completely pay for your adoption?  For those of you out there adopting or thinking about it, what you owe is different based on domestic or international, country, and if you use a social worker or not.  So, in the country of South Korea the overall amount owed including travel and finalization of the adoption is...  Grand total please - close to $35,000.  Yes, the cost of a very nice new car!  Other countries are more and some are less.  Really depends on where you end up adopting from. 

Some people have asked us why South Korea.  I have had a heart for Asia for well over 11 years and always knew since then that adoption was on my mind (thinking God would lead us to China to a baby girl) - surprise, he lead us to South Korea to a boy (which is a very funny story and very much a God thing).  We knew when we looked at Jacob he was our son (hard to explain, but we knew - that's all I can say).  The funny thing is that Jacob looks very similar to my side of the family (to our son Mason and other family members on that side). 

Now back to the original question, how much is left?  We have paid for the bulk of the adoption (faxing, mailing, documents, agency fees, etc - I could go on and on) and have raised approximately $2000 (yard sale, t-shirts, and coffee).  What is remaining is our expenses for travel and and finalization.  So what is that amount you ask me - try alittle over $9,000 (I know, big amount - a good used car to most of us).  Anyway, now time to sharpen my skills at grant writing (there are a lot of grants, so surely we'll qualify for one - if nothing else, it would be nice if we get some monies to assist).  This has definitely been a test of faith for us and we know in the end all will be well (Jacob will be home with a Mom and a Dad and a brother and sister).  That's the good news.  We can't wait to see what God has in store for Jacob and our family.

Care Package #2

Yippy!!!  I finally completed our 2nd Care Package for Jacob last night (the whole family was involved in this one).  In this package we put a Hallmark recordable photo book (a way to introduce him to not only our faces but our voices), disposable camera (which they recommend to send - guess the foster mom will take pictures for us to pickup later), a toy fire truck, a Percy the train, and a Mickey Mouse (the kids picked out the toys).  Anyway, I am so excited to send these to Jacob - it's the one way we can care for him here.  Now we will begin working on a 3rd care package (probably to be finished in the next 3 months).  Anyway, below is a picture of our care package - I'm so amazed at how much we can get in a gallon ziplock bag with squeezing (it is air tight).

2012 and the future

Well, we are a week into 2012 and wonder what is ahead of us for this coming year.  One thing that should happen is we should be traveling to South Korea at some point (probably late summer/early fall) to pickup Jacob.  I am still working on Jacob's next care package (I know - I've been working on it since Nov.).  As soon as am I done, I will post a picture and send it on to him.  Anyway, we are praying that 2012 will be the best year yet.
We have learned a lot it seems like from this adoption.  We are learning to live more lean and selling everything we have it seems.  Here are a few of the things we have changed - I have discovered shopping at Aldi and loving it - I save like 50% and we have so much more food now and I don't have to coupon clip (which I hate - just me, I can't stand having to clip coupons).  We are learning to eat at home for almost all our meals (eating out is a special occasion now).  We have dropped our cable to basic and learned the joys of Hulu and Netflix (cutting our TV viewing cost from $100+ to only $32).  We really question our purchases now and talk about if we really need them or not.  Just sold our Mercury Mountaineer - been like 7 years since we have only had 2 cars (next step will be turning my husband's gas drinking truck into a gas saving vehicle - but that might be months down the line).  It's funny, life is so much more simpler now then it was before and we are not missing anything.  If nothing else, we play more board games and spend more time together.  We are learning to lean more on God (which is a huge thing for me - since I am type A and want to try to fix everything myself - it never works when I try to do it without God). 
When I think about it, it seems so silly that there are price tags on these sweet children's heads (they need homes, but can't get one without a price being paid for them).  I believe that the initial pain we have felt of having to give up some of what we felt at one point in our lives as "comforts" will pay off in the end.  In the end, Jacob, will have a home - someone to call, Mommy and Daddy.  Someone to love him unconditionally.  We will have our 2nd son home and he will have a brother and a sister and wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who adore and love him.  Don't get me wrong, I understand things will be tough for a short season once he arrives home, but what addition to your family is not a transition?  With each child we have had it has been an adjustment, but we learn how to continue on.  Same will be true for Jacob.  We pray everyday that he will love us immediately and understand who we are, but at the same time I have to accept that he has someone he is bonding to and the smells and tastes of the food will all be different here - his life will be different (and that will take transition). 
On a final note, please continue to pray for Jacob's rash.  We will know shortly what the rash is and how they are going to treat it.  We did get good news that the rash has not spread but it is still there (pray it is nothing serious).