THE SHAEFFER FAMILY

I love it when you can look at a situation in someone’s life and say, “WOW! God really worked a miracle there!” Well, we were able to experience this in our own lives in an AMAZING way. A few weeks ago, we found out that I’m PREGNANT!!!!!!! Wow!!! Didn’t see that one coming.

It’s no secret that we thought this was next to impossible. We had trouble having Cameron and after he was born and we started trying for the second one, we learned that it wasn’t just going to be difficult like it was with Cameron, it was going to be harder.

When Cameron was about a year, we started several different medications that were supposed to help. Not only did they not give us the intended results, they didn’t work AT ALL. My blood work basically showed no change while I was on them.

In November, Michael and I sat down and he told me that he had really been praying about what we were supposed to do. He felt that God was telling him that we needed to quit the medications and start the adoption process. (Read our beginning posts about how adoption was always in the plan) I immediately felt in agreement with what God was showing Him and really had a peace about it. Not to mention, I was really glad to be getting off the medications. After I spent some time praying as well, I knew for sure that this was what we were supposed to do.

We started our adoption process in December and it seemed like it was taking us forever. We had to wait to get our initial money, then everything went nuts with Ethiopia, so we slowed down a little to see what was going on. Then we had TONS of trouble with our home study (most undocumented, just trust me- it was CRAZY) that delayed us by nearly 4 months. We didn’t know what God was doing, or why everything wasn’t going smoothly we just trusted that we were supposed to go through it. I had a meeting with our LCSW on Tuesday July 26, and that was the last thing we had to do before we could move on and file for immigration (a total of about $2,000). On Friday July 29, I found out I was pregnant.

Now, We don’t know what this means for our adoption. We do know that our agency won’t let us continue through the process while we are expecting. We have heard 2 different possibilities. They will just put us on hold (and hold our money until our baby is 3 months and we can start back-only having to repay what has expired), or our adoption will be completely closed and we will start over at the beginning when our baby is 3 months old. We’re still waiting to hear back from them and talk through everything.

Now I hope you noticed that I said WHEN we restart the adoption process. We still have a passion for adoption and KNOW that God has called us to this, He has just changed our time frame and added an amazing blessing to the mix!!!!!!!

This morning Cameron and I went running (well, he was in the stroller, but you get the idea). When we were on the way back home, Cameron started this conversation out of nowhere…

Cameron: “My baby sister is in Africa” (He is convinced he is getting a sister, even though we tell him he may get a brother, he refuses to acknowledge that)

Kim: “That’s right, she is”

Cameron: “Why is she not here?”

Kim: <choking back tears> “Well, we have to wait until it’s time to go get her.”

Cameron: “Where’s Africa?”

Kim: “Very far, far, away.”

Cameron: “We go far, far, away and go get her today?”

Kim: <Tears starting to flow> Not today, honey. But we love her very much and we can pray for her while we wait to go get her.

Cameron: “What’s she doing today?”

Kim: <Even more tears> “Well, I don’t know, but we can pray that people that love her are taking care of her until we go get her.”

Cameron: “I love my baby sister!”

Kim: <NO words, just lots of tears.>

Cameron is right, we do LOVE his baby sister (or brother) VERY much. We can’t wait until we get to go very far, far away and pick her (him) up!

Well, it is official!  We are now registered for the craziest thing Kim and I have ever agreed to do.

A few weeks back, Kim got an email from one of her close friends, Jenn, about a marathon/half-marathon in New Braunfels, TX that benefits families in the adoption process.  Jenn said she was going to run it and asked Kim if she wanted to run as well.  A few days, and a lot of persuasion later, both Kim and I have agreed to run the Chosen Marathon for Adoption.

We started training a couple weeks ago and will be doing a 9 week Couch to 5K running plan to prep us to do the 12 week Hal Higdon half marathon training.  So far it is going great and both Kim and I are really getting into this.

Are you interested in running a marathon/half marathon that benefits our adoption?  Check out the Chosen Marathon for Adoption website and register as a part of ‘Team Shaeffer.’  All of your registration fees go directly to supporting our adoption.

Since, we know that we will have our completed home study we are getting all of our dossier components completed and ready to send.

Several months ago we were given direction about what all we needed for our dossier and how it was supposed to be completed. We were going to need…

- Power of Attorney (Notarized and Certified)

- Original Statement about why we want to adopt from Ethiopia

– 3 pages of photographs

- Completed Home Study

- Letter of Employment (Notarized)

- Financial Statement (Notarized)

- Original Birth Certificates

– Copy of Passports

- Original Marriage Certificate

- Declaration of Health (Notarized)

- Police Clearance Letter (Notarized)

- 2 Reference Letters

- Post Placement Contract (Notarized)

- Copy of USCIS Approval of I-600A (this is the immigration paperwork)

Just this week our agency contacted us and informed us that with all of the uncertainty of the timeframe with Ethiopia now (read previous post) they are having us complete our dossier in parts. Anything that has to be notarized or has the possibility of expiring will be done later as Part 2.

Part 1 consists of the italicized parts of the list. We have everything we need for Part one except our I-600A aproval (which we should have in about a month), then we will be one step closer to our child!