Care Package Received!!!

Yesterday I got an email stating that our little guy received his care package.  We got three new pictures of him with the things we sent. New pictures are the best gift ever when you're waiting to bring home your child. These pictures have me feeling emotional because last month I picked out these items, packed them up, and sent them off.  Now Gabriel is wearing and holding the same items I held in my hands a month ago. He's so far away, the waiting is hard, and we're not even halfway there yet.

Sneak Peek….
I can't show his face, but here is a picture of him with his stuff.  He really does exist guys ;)
He looks like he's getting tall and his feet look so big to me! ( for a 2 year old )

Thank you so much for following along on our journey and praying for us.  We need it!

We still have puzzle pieces available to be sponsored.  Any donation amount.

                         http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/waiting-4-gabe/341337

iPad Mini Giveaway!!! - CANCELLED -

We are finally finished with our home study. Yay!  Now we have 12 hours of training to do at our home study agency over the next three weeks. We've already done 12 hours of online training as well. Even with all the training there is no way to be fully prepared for adoption, for gotcha day, for the day you meet your child for the first time, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Our child is in a foster home where he is loved, he gets a lot of attention, he's attached to his caregivers, so we are expecting him to be very upset when his caregivers hand him over to couple of strangers. Of course, they do their best to prepare the kids for adoption but does a three year old really have the ability to comprehend what is happening?  Probably not, and that's ok because being very upset is a normal, healthy reaction to the situation. Our sweet little guy will be losing everything he knows for the third time in his short life. First he was abandoned and lived at an orphanage for about six months, then he left the orphanage and moved to a foster home, which is great, but still leaving behind what was familiar to him, the third time will be when we adopt him. Then he will be ours and we will be his... forever.  Brave little one.


Our next agency fee is in a couple months and we are about $2900 short. We thought we were closer to that goal, but recently found out that the fee went up almost $1000.

NOTE- THIS GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN CANCELLED

                                                       iPad Mini Giveaway
                                                                      

This is how the iPad giveaway will work:

A donation of $10 = 1 entry

A donation of $15 = 2 entries

We will be checking our You Caring fundraiser page daily to keep up with donations / entries

The winner will be announced on August 14th

Good Luck!


Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.


 http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/waiting-4-gabe/341337

Home study, care package, and t-shirts…oh my!

Still not much happening to report about the adoption process. Our last home study interview is scheduled for Monday. This time our social worker will come to our house and talk to our kids, Mike and I will have a joint interview and she'll look around the house to make sure it looks safe.  I'm not sure why, but Abby and Caleb are so excited! They have been asking about it since we first started the process.

Recently, we were able to send a care package to Gabriel and we should eventually get some pictures of him with the stuff we sent. They won't tell him that it is from his family,  he doesn't know about us yet.  He won't know he  has a family coming for him until we're pretty close to traveling.  We sent him an outfit, touch and feel book, phone that plays music and something to cuddle. Usually families will send a photo book that is used to help prepare the kids for adoption when the time comes but that won't  work for our little guy. Maybe we will send him voice recordings later on in the process.

I can't wait to get the new pictures!  I wish I could share them with you all....eventually I will.

We re-launched our t-shirt fundraiser, this will be the last chance to get one. We have sold 9 on this second round and we have 9 days left.  I would like to sell at least 4 more for us to be able to make a small profit off them. The more we sell the higher the profit. So, if you want one or know someone who might be interested please help us out.  Follow the link below.

                          https://www.bonfirefunds.com/waiting-4-gabe-sloan-family-adoption

…and while we're on the topic of t-shirts, just look at this one.  I cannot wait for the day Gabriel is wearing  this.

Thank you following our adoption journey, please keep us in your prayers.

Banded

I currently do not have an update about our adoption process,  we are working on finishing our home study and I can't wait until I actually have exciting updates to share.

So this week's post will be about some amazing products Abby and I have been using from Banded.

First let's talk about some super awesome things Banded is doing.  Banded partners with Amazima Ministries to help children in Uganda.  Every Banded product purchased provides  3 meals for Amazima's daily feeding program.  Banded also works with the T. J. Martell Foundation, donating 10% of all online sales for leukemia, cancer and AIDS research.  How great is that?!?

Banded sells headbands, scarves, hair ties, apparel and keychains.  The headbands are so comfortable and stay put, no need to adjust.  Abby wore this one all day and never had to fix it once.

                                         

I always wear a headband to the gym and it's so comfortable I forget it's even there.  The 5/15 tank top is so soft and comfy too.  Banded has a goal to reach 5 million meals in 2015.

Here is Abby wearing another cute headband. 

Sparkly headband to dress up an outfit.

Hair ties! I'm one of those girls that always has a hairband on my wrist at all times…just in case,  but I also like to wear bracelets and a hairband just doesn't blend in.  So… I recently started using these type of hair ties and they work perfectly with bracelets and I can still put my hair up if I want to.  This one isn't from Banded but they have a bunch of really cute ones on their website.

And finally… my favorite…the scarf.  I love scarves, they instantly make an outfit so much better!  I got so many compliments when I wore this,  it's super light and doesn't make you hot.  Love it! 

Go check out the website, you won't be disappointed and you'll be making a difference in children's lives while buying yourself cute stuff!

http://banded2gether.com

FAQ's

This week marks one year since God started speaking to my heart about adopting a child with special needs.  What a year it has been!  I can't even explain all the feelings and emotions I've felt already.

This post will be addressing some of the questions we often get asked about our adoption, but first a quick update…

We finally dropped off our home study paperwork to our social worker,  now we can finish our interviews and home visit.  When our home study is complete the rest of the paperwork will start to move along faster.  We're moving forward,  not a whole lot to report.  On to the FAQ's…..

1. Who, What, Where, When, Why?

We're adopting a little boy from China, he's blind, he is two now and will be three when we bring him home. The process will be up to a year and it's all part of God's plan for our family.

2. How long will the process be?

It will be 10-12 months,  we are hoping closer to 10 months because we would love to have Gabriel in our arms for his birthday in March.  So many March birthdays in the family :)

3. Can he see at all? He doesn't look blind.

As far as we know, Gabriel has no vision or light sense ( according to his file).  There are different eye conditions that cause blindness.  Some people have eyes that look perfectly normal but they are still blind.  It is unclear what specific eye condition Gabriel has.

4. How much will it cost? How will you afford it?

The total process will be about $35,000.  We are fundraising ( as you know),  soon we will be able to apply for grants,  we're selling things from around the house, Mike is working extra hours and weekends,  and if we need to get a loan we will, after all,  people get loans for cars that cost as much or more than the cost of adoption.  A lot of factors go in to the cost of adoption, we're paying for services NOT the child we are adopting.

5. Do you have to travel to China?

Yes,  we will be in china for about two weeks. We've never been away from our kids for that long :(

…and I, ( Kari) am not the best traveler, flying is not my favorite and it's a really long flight, but I'll be fine. We are looking forward to seeing China.

6. Are you scared/ nervous about life with a blind child?

Mike was a little intimidated at first but I,  personally have had complete peace about it.  Visual impairment was the first special need I felt drawn to when God placed adoption on my heart a year ago.

7.  Will he have to go to The School for the Blind?

Nope,  We are grateful that the Tennessee School for the Blind is an option but the public school system provides services for blind children and we plan to start out there and see how it goes.

  

8. How did you go about finding this particular child?

There are advocacy websites with lists of waiting children.  I had been looking at these for a year while we were praying about adoption.  I actually saw Gabriel on three sites in one morning and took that as a sign that I should request his file.  We had his file put on hold while we were reviewing it and on Good Friday we said "yes, this is our child",  and began this crazy process.

9. Is he in an orphanage?

No, he is living in a wonderful foster home for children with visual impairments and he is loved.

10. Other information:

Gabriel is just learning to walk, he is not talking yet but he does babble and he can understand his care takers when they speak to him.  

Thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful to anyone who might have questions for us.


We have lots of middle puzzle pieces left. Sponsor a piece for $10.  Link below

http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/waiting-4-gabe/341337

T-Shirts!

I'm happy to announce the launch of our T-Shirt fundraiser.  I am so excited about these shirts,  I'll be buying six of them, one for each of us including our little Gabe.  We are doing this fundraiser through Bonfire Funds,  the shirts they use are soft and comfy, good quality shirts.  Our goal is to sell at least 50 shirts,  the fundraiser will run for three weeks.  There are five style options to choose from, ranging from $20 - $40.  The basic t- shirts that I will be buying for our family are $20.  The shipping is $5 flat rate per order, it doesn't matter how many shirts are in your order.  Shirts will be shipped after the close of the fundraiser.

Who doesn't love a comfy t-shirt?  Now you can get a comfy t-shirt with a super awesome design while helping to support us in bringing Gabe home.  You will also be raising awareness about the number of orphans in the world as you wear your shirt.  Win-win-win!!!
Thanks everyone!

The link below will direct you to our Bonfire Funds page

https://www.bonfirefunds.com/waiting-4-gabe-sloan-family-adoption

Thoughts on Mother's Day

This year Mother's Day was different because a special little someone was missing.  It's difficult knowing you have a child across the world and you're waiting to wrap your arms around him, scoop him up, and bring him home. Waiting is hard…..

  ….Then I think about Gabriel's birth mother and my heart breaks for her.  I think about how empty Mother's Day must have been for her and the grief she must feel.  There is no doubt in my mind that she loved him,  she left him in a place where she knew he would be found quickly and taken care of.  She loved him for almost a year before she made that decision.  There are no words to describe the pain she must of felt in that moment.  I'm sure she didn't know what else to do and hoped he would have a better life if she could just let go.  I can't imagine the weight of having to make a decision like that.  So, I pray for her, I pray that she would have peace in her heart and I pray that she would somehow know her baby boy will be loved forever.  Waiting is hard, but at least I know he will eventually be in my arms.  For Gabriel's birth mother,  she has to live knowing he will never be in her arms again….and that's hard for her.  Let's pray for the birth mothers ( and fathers ).  

                                                                                                                       ~Kari

https://www.youcaring.com/waiting4gabe