Home- Studies and more...

We had our homestudy yesterday. We spoke with the social worker for almost 2 hours and she was wonderful. We gave her all the documents she needed and she told us that it would take a maximum of 6 weeks to complete everything but hopefully we could complete it sooner. We still have our medicals to turn in to her but the last appointment for those is Monday so she will have them early next week. She needs a couple more of our reference letters to get to her and the state police background checks to get but other than that she has the necessary documents needed. For adoptions they usually require a certain amount of hours on education about adoption international or domestic. My social worker does not require set classes but is giving us handouts and books. We will log our hours in and turn them in to her. We were concerned that she would feel that we lacked the necessary room but it looks as though she might approve us for 2 children between the ages 0-5. Not that we are planning more than Joshua but we just wanted to cover our bases. This way if the judge asks us do we have room we can point out that we were approved for two so yes we have the room.

After our meeting and being told there is no reason our homestudy would not be approved there was such a sense of relief. But there is more an urgency in my mind to figuring out the funds to complete this adoption. The way his country is working they have now changed the way they handle certain things. Before we use to be able to submit our POA's etc and send them in right away so they could basically notify the powers that be that there is a family interested in that child. We sent ours in already but were told now in that country they hold on to those papers until we submit our dossier. So the powers that be do not know anything about us or any interest in Joshua. This means that until our dossier is submitted if a couple goes to that country and requests a blind referral meaning they go there and say we are looking for a child that is between such and such an age his file may be shown to them. It adds a certain amount of uncertainty to the situation. Although it is a huge fear, I am trusting that God will guide us through and know that whatever happens is his will. But this uncertainty means that I need to raise funds sooner rather than later so that when the time comes funding for travel does not hold us back.

Last night my oldest son who is serving in our Navy came back to port after spending a few days out to sea. I spoke with him on the phone and told him that Jacob is walking more and told him about the little video I had gotten and posted to FB. He asked me to repost it so that he could log on and see it so I did. He simply posted underneath it.. I miss home. I sent back.. home misses you :( And we do miss him terribly. As a parent being apart from your children is never easy. Even if it was by his choice of joining the separation still tugs at both parent and child. It is an emotional thing. When I look at Joshua/Cliff's new picture I feel so blessed to see that he is ok yet so emotional too. We are separated not by choice but by circumstance. I look at his face and wonder what he could be thinking.. standing there staring back at the camera probably unsure as to what is going on. The fact that he does not even know we are out there really conflicts me as to how I am suppose to feel. In one hand I think it might be a good thing that he does not have to know truly what he is missing but on the other hand it makes me sick to my stomach that he has never known what a true home means. I get comfort that it looks as though he is in one of the "better" orphanages but feel unrest that it does not matter where he is because the sad reality is he is just a statistic. He is surrounded by those that do a job and in the end if he is not saved he will still suffer the same fate as those before him that weren't adopted in time. I can't blame the workers at these orphanages. There are simply so many children and not enough resources. Government dictates that these children will be lost to institutions at a certain age. I stare at his picture and wonder with each passing family coming in to save their children if he is confused and wonders when someone is getting him. I wonder if they told him to stand on that cushion and look cute for a new picture for his mommy and daddy to see.....I know he probably has no concept right now to truly understand a true home with parents that love him unconditionally- he has not had that experience to say I miss home... but you know what?

HOME MISSES HIM

Our puzzle is still at 16 pieces sold. We still have lots of pieces to sell so if you can spare $10 please consider purchasing one. Don't think of it as buying just a puzzle piece but think of it as bringing a little boy home to his family. If you click here you can get the details. If you would prefer to send a check with the memo stating Warner/Cliff(31) family you can at:

Reece's Rainbow
P.O. Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885

Thank you for all the support you have shown our family. I truly can feel the support of everyone on this journey.. It really is instrumental in saving my sanity :)


~Lisa