That's right friends!! Our home study is officially done and yes, we passed :) Bonnie sent us a rough draft to read over last night. And this afternoon, we reviewed the home study together. After that, Bonnie showed us pictures from her trip to Ethiopia in January. It was cool to see pictures of places that Matt and I will actually be going to.
We are so excited to check off another big piece of the puzzle. But I must admit, I am anxious that we are getting closer to the dreaded wait--when all of our work is done and there is nothing we can do to speed things up. I'm trying not to think about that now though. It's time to celebrate another step and in the meantime, we still have paperwork to get together for the dossier. We're getting closer everyday to meeting our little one.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Fuller Family Profile
I have wanted to share Matt and I's adoption profile for a while now, but my computer skills are pretty limited!! But I finally got it, however without pictures--it will have to do for now. So many people put a lot of time and effort into our profile, and even though we are not using it as is, we have definitely used bits and pieces as we have been writing letters to the ministry in Ethiopia and filling out questions in regards to the adoption. So thank you again to family and friends, especially my brother who rewrote our entire profile, for your IQ points and time regarding our profile. We are so thankful that so many are behind us regarding our adoption. Love you all!!
About Matt and Megan
Matt and Megan grew up in the same small town in Kansas. Matt spent his childhood helping his dad on the family farm, playing football, fishing, hunting, and spending weekends at the lake with family and friends. Megan’s childhood was spent playing softball and tennis, participating in church youth group, and taking family vacations to historical, interesting and just plain fun destinations across the country. Matt and Megan were high school sweethearts. We started dating when Megan was a sophomore and Matt a senior and never looked back.
Matt is a very driven, intelligent, and fun-loving man. He is a respected software engineer and currently holds two master’s degrees, and soon plans to begin working on his third. Several years ago he decided that we should take up hiking as a hobby, which soon led to camping, biking, and running. Matt also enjoys spending time with his friends playing basketball and poker.
Matt has a younger brother and sister who are married, and each has recently been blessed with a little one. Matt and Megan love spending time with their nephews, who are both 6 months old. We can’t wait for them to get a little bigger, so they can take them camping and hiking. Matt’s parents recently bought the farmstead in Kansas where Matt’s grandparents once lived and Matt enjoys making trips back home to help his parents remodel the farmhouse.
Megan is a dedicated nurse and passionate about caring for her patients. Her compassion for others has never been limited only to her professional life, but spills over into everything she does. Recently Megan completed her third visit to the impoverished regions of Mexico on a mission trip. This trip was extra special to her because she was accompanied by her dad. Megan has also spent her time as a youth leader and high school Sunday school teacher at church. Megan has always been very creative and spends her time decorating her home, taking and editing pictures, and always has a project to work on. She also loves spending time with friends shopping or hanging out at each other’s homes.
Megan has a younger brother who recently completed his undergraduate studies and will be starting graduate school soon. Megan’s parents have a vacation home on Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri. The house serves as a rendezvous point for family and friends throughout the year and we try to plan as many trips as possible. In the fall, many Saturday afternoons are spent at K-State football games with Megan’s entire family and often times Matt’s as well.
Matt and Megan have been married now for eight years and fall more deeply in love with each passing year together. We have worked very hard over the first few years of our marriage to create a solid foundation, both financially and emotionally, for our young family. We love animals and are the proud owners of Jack, our 6 year old dog. We rescued Jack from an animal shelter while they were living in Topeka, Kansas. He is a huge part of our family, and goes almost everywhere we go: on vacations, tailgating, hiking, and camping.
Family is very important to both Megan and Matt. We consider ourselves very blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing and supportive environment. We would love nothing more than for the next chapter of their lives to be spent loving and raising a child.
Matt and Megan
Friday, May 13, 2011
Home Study Status
The home study is going great! In fact, we're all most done with it...I can't believe it! The home study has been much more relaxed than I made it out to be. Bonnie is terrific and makes us feel very comfortable to talk around her. The first day we met, she stayed for about 2 hours. We talked A LOT about us; our relationship, how we decided on adoption, and in particular why Ethiopia. She had a few questions and wanted a little more information regarding some of our comments in our 20 page essay questions we submitted earlier. At the end of that meeting, Bonnie left us with some homework to fill out before our next meeting. The home work included two pages full of possible medical concerns, diseases, infections, malformations, ect. Matt and I have mark on each one if we would be open to possibly adopting a child with that concern and to what degree (mild to severe). It was tough. I hate the thought of possibly missing out on a child because I said no to something. In some ways, I felt like I had too much power to pick and choose. But I trust that God will continue to guide us to the child who is meant for us.
Our second meeting was this last Tuesday for an hour. Bonnie looked around our house. We were able to show her where our baby's room will be!! We visited for a little while longer and discussed how Matt and I deal with conflict. And that's it...now we are just waiting to receive a rough draft of our home study via email. We should have it early next week and then we meet with Bonnie one last time to finalize it. Once we have the official copy of our home study we send it off to immigration and Ethiopia. Time to start working on the international part! So excited!!!
Our second meeting was this last Tuesday for an hour. Bonnie looked around our house. We were able to show her where our baby's room will be!! We visited for a little while longer and discussed how Matt and I deal with conflict. And that's it...now we are just waiting to receive a rough draft of our home study via email. We should have it early next week and then we meet with Bonnie one last time to finalize it. Once we have the official copy of our home study we send it off to immigration and Ethiopia. Time to start working on the international part! So excited!!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Next Phase
We will be starting our home study on May 4th at 9am!!! Bonnie is planning to spend a couple of hours with us that morning visiting and touring our house--I better get to cleaning. :) Then we have two more days set to meet after that; the 10th and 19th. I am so excited to be starting another phase.
In the meantime, since I tend to go crazy when I feel like we are just waiting, we have been getting a jump start on the Dossier paperwork-the phase after the homestudy. Hopefully getting a jump start will save us time down the road.
In the meantime, since I tend to go crazy when I feel like we are just waiting, we have been getting a jump start on the Dossier paperwork-the phase after the homestudy. Hopefully getting a jump start will save us time down the road.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Next Step...Home Study
We are making more progress! Our paperwork went in the mail last week and this week we put a check in the mail to start our home study. Our paperwork took 6 stamps to mail and was about an inch thick when all was said and done. Lots of hard work. We made copies of all of it, so that some day we can share it with our child. As we started this process, I'm sure I complained more than once about all the paperwork we had to fill out. Now looking back, what a blessing...they asked some hard questions that Matt and I had to process through and discuss now and not wait until after our child comes home. Hopefully all of our discussions and decisions will help things go smoother when actually faced with certain situations down the road.
So the next step is setting up meetings with our social worker for the home study. It looks like Bonnie is going to be our social worker through this process. We haven't met her yet, but I am sure we will get along great.
Prayer Request: As many of you know, if congress cannot come to an agreement on the budget there is a chance the government might "shut down" until they can agree. This is scary (and frustrating) on many levels, so I hope that you are already praying about this situation. What this specifically means for us however, is that no travel visas will be approved from any US Embassys until there is a budget agreement. For us, this will not matter until after the home study; at which time we will be contacting the US Embassy in Ethiopia to get our travel visas (part of the dossier). If matters are not resolved by then this could mean a major delay until it is resolved. My heart is saddened thinking about those families who are ready for this step and now have to wait. Their hearts must be breaking. My prayer is that congress will be able to work cohesively and make the best decision for our nation and in a timely manner.
I realized that I have not updated you all on the situation in Ethiopia and their possible decision to reduce adoptions by 90%. At this time, adoptions are continuing with only a slight decrease in numbers. It sounds like we will have to fill out a few more papers, but it doesn't seem like a big deal on our end. In Ethiopia, they are trying to put into place a better system in which to make sure the birth fathers are properly notified before the child can be adopted. In the US this is done by contacting the birth father if the mother knows who he is and giving him the chance to decide if he wants to be involved. If the birth father is not known, a notice is posted in the paper giving information about the situation and giving him a chance to step up. So in Ethiopia, they will start doing some form of the same. Adoptions have been on hold for a while there while they re-interviewed birth mothers and located birth fathers, but things seem to be moving now. All of this will help to ensure ethical, thorough adoptions out of Ethiopia.
So the next step is setting up meetings with our social worker for the home study. It looks like Bonnie is going to be our social worker through this process. We haven't met her yet, but I am sure we will get along great.
Prayer Request: As many of you know, if congress cannot come to an agreement on the budget there is a chance the government might "shut down" until they can agree. This is scary (and frustrating) on many levels, so I hope that you are already praying about this situation. What this specifically means for us however, is that no travel visas will be approved from any US Embassys until there is a budget agreement. For us, this will not matter until after the home study; at which time we will be contacting the US Embassy in Ethiopia to get our travel visas (part of the dossier). If matters are not resolved by then this could mean a major delay until it is resolved. My heart is saddened thinking about those families who are ready for this step and now have to wait. Their hearts must be breaking. My prayer is that congress will be able to work cohesively and make the best decision for our nation and in a timely manner.
I realized that I have not updated you all on the situation in Ethiopia and their possible decision to reduce adoptions by 90%. At this time, adoptions are continuing with only a slight decrease in numbers. It sounds like we will have to fill out a few more papers, but it doesn't seem like a big deal on our end. In Ethiopia, they are trying to put into place a better system in which to make sure the birth fathers are properly notified before the child can be adopted. In the US this is done by contacting the birth father if the mother knows who he is and giving him the chance to decide if he wants to be involved. If the birth father is not known, a notice is posted in the paper giving information about the situation and giving him a chance to step up. So in Ethiopia, they will start doing some form of the same. Adoptions have been on hold for a while there while they re-interviewed birth mothers and located birth fathers, but things seem to be moving now. All of this will help to ensure ethical, thorough adoptions out of Ethiopia.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Emotions of "Pregnancy"
I was having a usual conversation with my mom a few weeks ago, discussing the most recent info regarding the adoption. Half way through my mom said, "do you realize you are having the same emotions you would if you were pregnant?" Worrying about our child and praying that they are safe and protected. Loving them more than I could have ever imagined without having ever met them yet. I cannot explain what a blessing this comment was and has been for me. I have spent a lot of time dealing with my feelings regarding not being able to have biological children and now I am actually to the point where I am excited about the journey that is currently leading to our child. What I still struggle with at times, is the fact that I will never be able to experience pregnancy. I will never have a sonogram. I will never feel a baby kick and move in my belly. I will never experience morning sickness. I will never experience labor and delivery. Good or bad; these will not be my experiences. What has been so exciting for me regarding my mom's comment is that I may not be experiencing the physical feelings of pregnancy, but I am able to experience the emotional feelings of pregnancy. God is so good!! Even though he has a different plan mapped out for me, He still knows what I need/want and is still able to give me a sense that I am "pregnant" or at least expecting a little one of our own.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Holt Gala and Auction
Matt and I were able to attend a gala benefit for Holt last night. We had so much fun! We never have an opportunity to get all dressed up, so even that was fun--for me at least! Matt has lost so much weight in the past year that we had to go buy him new suit pants. His suit coat is too big as well, but thought it would work for one night.
We had no idea what to expect going into the night. It started with a silent auction. There was a room full of items to bid on! Lots of different items; some authentic items from world travels, pictures, artwork, books, items from local shops, tickets, lots of Husker stuff. I don't know how much money they made on the silent auction bids, but I guarantee it was a lot. During the silent auction time, we were able to catch up with several couples we went to PIP class with. It's fun to keep up with everyone and see how things are progressing for each of them.
After that, we sat down for supper. We sat at a table with two Holt social workers from Iowa, a couple who are in the process of adopting from China, and two other couples who are friends of Holt families. Molly Holt, daughter of Bertha and Harry Holt- Holt founders- was in attendance. She lives in Korea and helps run the Ilsan Center. The center is home for disabled children until they are adopted. She was the guest speaker. One of the tables donated $600 for Molly to eat supper with them. For supper we had salad, dinner rolls, filet and chicken, wild rice, and asian style vegetables.
The rest of the evening consisted of a live auction. This was quite entertaining!! Some of the items auctioned off included: Husker vs Ohio State tickets, Korean and Indian cooking classes, Asian quilt, Hawaii for a week, Cruises, African safari, and the 77th Heisman Football. Guess what...Matt and I will be going on a cruise!! We have three years to go and three destinations to choose from. I'm thinking a winter get away to Mexico. :)
On top of all that, Holt raised over $40,000 in donations for Ilsan Center last night. Let me make that clear, in addition to all the auction items listed above! After supper, they did what was called "Dessert Dash". We made bids for dessert based on a table bid and were able to pick out desserts based on how much we bid. They raised over $17,000 just for dessert! It was delicious. Our dessert was an assortment of many different cookies.
It was quite a night! I am so thankful to the people there willing to give so freely to benefit Holt. Matt and I strongly believe in what they do and their mission. We're looking forward to many more evenings with our Holt family.
We had no idea what to expect going into the night. It started with a silent auction. There was a room full of items to bid on! Lots of different items; some authentic items from world travels, pictures, artwork, books, items from local shops, tickets, lots of Husker stuff. I don't know how much money they made on the silent auction bids, but I guarantee it was a lot. During the silent auction time, we were able to catch up with several couples we went to PIP class with. It's fun to keep up with everyone and see how things are progressing for each of them.
After that, we sat down for supper. We sat at a table with two Holt social workers from Iowa, a couple who are in the process of adopting from China, and two other couples who are friends of Holt families. Molly Holt, daughter of Bertha and Harry Holt- Holt founders- was in attendance. She lives in Korea and helps run the Ilsan Center. The center is home for disabled children until they are adopted. She was the guest speaker. One of the tables donated $600 for Molly to eat supper with them. For supper we had salad, dinner rolls, filet and chicken, wild rice, and asian style vegetables.
The rest of the evening consisted of a live auction. This was quite entertaining!! Some of the items auctioned off included: Husker vs Ohio State tickets, Korean and Indian cooking classes, Asian quilt, Hawaii for a week, Cruises, African safari, and the 77th Heisman Football. Guess what...Matt and I will be going on a cruise!! We have three years to go and three destinations to choose from. I'm thinking a winter get away to Mexico. :)
On top of all that, Holt raised over $40,000 in donations for Ilsan Center last night. Let me make that clear, in addition to all the auction items listed above! After supper, they did what was called "Dessert Dash". We made bids for dessert based on a table bid and were able to pick out desserts based on how much we bid. They raised over $17,000 just for dessert! It was delicious. Our dessert was an assortment of many different cookies.
It was quite a night! I am so thankful to the people there willing to give so freely to benefit Holt. Matt and I strongly believe in what they do and their mission. We're looking forward to many more evenings with our Holt family.
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