The God Talk

Every morning I sit with God and He and I talk.  We somehow always end up on the subject of adoption....I mean, it's important to Him.  He adopted me, right?  And it's important to me, since Matthew and I are adopting, too.  Obviously, it's something that God and I have in common...But, anway, we end up on the subject of adoption & it's always good.  I tell God the truth.  I tell Him I HATE the wait and I HATE not knowing.  I' pretty straight up with my God.  He knows my heart so there is no point in hiding it.  I tell Him that I love this journey & I am amazed, completely blown away, by how He has worked this out & I tell Him that I am excited to see how this story continues to unfold.  I beg Him to bring peace into our lives and let us be content in the wait...but then I usually mention how I always struggle with the peace I am given and my fleshly desire to want to be in control and keep things moving along.

Sometimes I tell God that I am tired.  I am so emotionally tired.  We started the adoption process 5 months ago and we can sorta see the light at the end of the tunnell.  But, in 5 months we have managed to fit in about 12 months worth of work.  Exhausting, no?  God knows.  He gives me strength to keep fighting.

I usually tell Him that I hope we can be Godly examples to our baby.  I tell Him that I will pray for our baby and with our baby.  I pray that He helps me with this...

And then I always pray that the match be today.  Everyday I wake up and pray that today be the day.  I tell God I want it all in His timing but I also know that it's also okay to tell God the desires of my heart.  And everyday I want it to be "The Day."

In the end, God and I end our conversation with promises to talk again throughout the day.  It's pretty cool, I always have access to Him.  His son Jesus works the same way.  I talk to one, I talk to the other.  They're a package deal.  I like that.

Ever So Thankful!

Is it just me or is this week beautiful?  So sunny & an awesome reflection of what is going on in our lives right now.  This is what I am thankful for:

1.Philippians 1:6-  "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"  Good news, yes?  =)  I heard this on the radio this morning & even though I have heard it many times before, for some reason it just made me stop and go "Whoa now!"  What a great promise to rest upon for the day!

2. Monday of this week, I asked all my bloggy-friends for prayer.  Since Matthew & I have switched adoption agencies we have been in a crazy-rush to turn in all the proper paperwork so I asked that you please pray that this process that would take at least TWO WEEKS would take a lot less time so we can bring our baby home!   I am SO grateful that our prayers were answered!  Two weeks?  How about less than 24 hours and all is complete!!!  We are now waiting for our profile to go live on their websites and for our match.  God is so good & He heard our prayers and gave Matthew & I the desire of our heart.  Thank you, Jesus!

3. I also mentioned that my fluff-n-stuff dog, Mo, went to the groomers to get his summer 'do.  He looks like a little lamb/sissy pants.  I promised a picture...So here goes.  Despite the silly hair cut, he still has a great smile, no?

4. Matthew and I have heard from the older & wiser married couples in our lives that we would eventually begin to think alike, finish each other's sentences & pretty much read each other's minds.  Well, if you guys know us, you know that Matthew and I are TOTAL OPPOSITES.  We figured that the day where we became mind-readers would never come.  Well, friends.  It came.  It was hilarious and amazing.  I said "Matthew, on Saturday, let's take our scrabble and go to Starbucks for our date."  (Is that boring of us?).  But Matthew looked at me and said "Are you serious?  That's what I planned!  Seriously, I already decided that's what we should do!"  So, yes.  We have become that couple.  I'm grateful that despite our differences, we totally get each other.

5. I am grateful for all the chances I have been given to share our adoption story.  I am grateful for all the people who have come to us for advice & prayer about starting their own adoption adventure & I am grateful for being able to share & swap stories with other adoptive families. 

Winner*Winner*Chicken Dinner!

The winner of our giftcard giveaway is.....Denise Barbee!

Thank you to everybody who participated &shared, tweeted, pinned & more! 

Prayer Request

Hi Friends,

I wanted to ask you all for prayer.  Matthew & I have submitted our paperwork last week to our agency, we have paid the agency fee, completed our home study, are ready to submit our "Dear Birthmother" letter & photos, and have all the other little duckies in a row, so we are READY. 

But, we have to wait on the agency to finish processing our paperwork, their lawyer to sign off on our files, an admin/liason to be assigned to our case & a call from their media team to put us online.  This all takes about TWO WEEKS.  I know, I know.  Two weeks is not a long time.  But to us, at this point in the game, it seems like a lifetime...and if I'm really dwelling on it...it seems like two lifetimes. 

Would you please join us in prayer for this?  The child we are adopting is a baby who needs a home.  A baby who few are fighting for.   We are fighting for this baby & every day counts.  Even if it's just days that keep us away from a match.  From meeting our beautiful birthmother, and enjoying the pregnancy of our baby as he or she grows big and strong.  Everyday matters and we are praying that our paperwork is processed and we can be online THIS WEEK or beginning of NEXT week.  We are also praying that our match comes quickly (and so does the baby!).  We  are so ready to be mommy & daddy & it's hard to think that our child is out there somewhere and we don't even know who he or she is...  Please pray & thank you so much.  It's amazing the community that blogging offers, the support, the encouragement and reassurance...none of it goes unnoticed.  =)

Love You All A Ton and A Half

Miscellany Mondayyyy - Yaaay!

Who had a great weekend and has two thumbs?  **This Girl!**

1. The Mo-Dog and I went to the park...He loved it. 

...But then, we went to the groomers & I had to drop him off & I cried, YES, cried! when I had to say goodbye.  They put him in a little playpen and he was smiling at me and wagging his tail and didn't understand that I had to leave.  I walked out the door, called my mom and said "I don't think I should have kids!  How am I ever going to handle kindergarten!?"  Then, of course, I picked him up a few hours later and he looked like a beautiful little lamb/girl/sissy-pants.  There are no pictures of this new-do, but I'll make sure to put one up as soon as his scraggly-haired charming look grows back in...

2. I went a little baby-crazy (duh) this weekend and did some organizing.  We had been on a wait list in our apartment complex to rent out a two-bedroom, but since our adoption is going to cost more than we originally planned, we decided there is nothing wrong with our 1-bedroom for now...but it does mean we have to get a little more creative with organizing and storage.  On the changing table shelves...here is what I came up with:

3. Totally b-l-e-s-s-e-d by a family from the church this weekend!  We were given a Moby Wrap, Snap & Go Stroller & a Snugrider Graco carseat and base all because they wanted to bless us for our adoption!  Say what!?  How amazing is that!?  We are so totally blessed by this family & their generosity.  Seriously.

4. I need a STARBUCKS.  I don't know why, but I am dying over here & totally craving a Skinny Caramel Macchiato.  Grande.  Iced.  YUM. 

5. Oh yah, & sweeeeet & handsome Matthew took me on the best date ever on Saturday!  We went to Portola Coffee (OH YES), and walked around all these awesome boutiques, stopped for lunch at the Cheese Shop and ate outside on the beautiful patio.  It was the BEST.  We  had so much fun & Matthew even bought the baby a present!  See the cute girraffe blanket rolled up in the picture above?  That's from Daddy!  So cute!

{Thankfully} We Embraced the Camera!

So, now that Matthew and I have submitted our paperwork to a new agency (one that we are extremly grateful for!) we now have to submitt a new letter and new photos!  I am thankful for all the times that my hunnie & I have stopped to embrace the camera.  I am so thankful that we can look back at all the fun times we have had crammed into this past year and half of our marriage!  I am also thankful that we will be submitting (most of) these photos to our new agency to show to prospective birthmothers as they decide who to choose as the adoptive family to their babe....

Here are all the moments I am grateful for.  The moments when Matthew and I stopped to make the moment last forever in a photo:

Halloween 2010

(we dressed up as nerds. duh)

Our Dress Rehearsal (3 days before our wedding!)

The Big Day! 1-29-2011

Going to see the Jabawokeez on our honeymoon & becoming part of the show!

Big Bang Friday @ Angel Stadium!

Friend's Wedding

Our First Christmas as husband & wife!

Christmas Partay with our church's college group

Vacationing in Puerto Vallarta & swimming with the dolphins

(I am the speck with dark hair & Matt is the speck in the black shirt)

Vacationing in Cabo San Lucas and posing with a baby tiger!

Getting ready to parasail in Cabo

Mustache Madness party with our bestest friends

Work Party

So thankful for all of these moments.  SO thankful for my husband and his awesome smile!  So thankful that we decided to embrace the camera and make these moments last forever!

(Love linking up with these blogs on Thursdays.  Better check 'em out!)

Answered Prayer

Ahem*Ahem*  ATTENTION EVERYBODY! 

Matthew and I finally have the answer to our prayers!  What have we been praying exactly?  We've been praying that God direct us to the ONE agency that has our baby.  We've been praying that He show us where to go & how to get there.  PRAYER ANSWERED!  We will be working with the Adoption Network to adopt our chocolate baby.  You can see the details on that & how we found the Adoption Network by going here.  It was amazing how God shut the other doors & opened wide this one.  It was mind blowing how one day we were questioning how this would happen & the next God has provided.  We serve a mighty God.  He is good.

So, here is how things should go from here on out:

• We have submitted our application & agreement
• They process and set up our account
• Media consultants will contact us & put us online as "active" adoptive parents
• We wait to be matched
• Match
• Baby!!!

The amazing thing is, once we are online, our wait time to a match can be hours to three months.  In other words...It's fast.  We are so excited to bring our baby home & we pray that God continue to provide the last few dollars we need.  Literally...we are less then $6,000 away from being 100% ready.  So would you mind praying for us and baby?  We pray we are ALWAYS in God's will regarding our adoption.  We pray we are matched (quickly!) and we pray that our finances allow us to move forward quickly & easily.

Friends, if this post seems slightly eratic & hair brained it's because I'm so happy.  The paperwork is done, the decisions have been made.  95% of our adoption is fully paid for.  Our home is ready.  Hubby is ready.  Puppy Mo?  He's not really ready but that's okay, he'll get used to it =)....and I am ready.  Hurry up and find us, Baby O'Brien!  We are so ready to smother you in love!

Miscellany Monday

Today I sort of just wanna give you some random tid-bits of information...Food for thought, I guess.  AdoptionJourney.com emailed me 10 Adoption Facts That Will Surprise You & it really did surprise me!  I hope you check the link out to see the other 8 facts but here are the two that really got me thinking...I pray that it gets you thinking too...

Weekend Recap...

It's only been three days since I last posted but I feel like it's been weeks...I'm going to guess it's because the past three days have held like a week's worth of busyness!  So this is what's been going on with the O'Brien fam:

Wednesday and Thursday night my 4am Friends and I were busy getting ready for the garage sale that was held this past Friday & Saturday.  I only have before photos because we were SO busy during the actual event we didn't have time to stop for photos!

These pictures do not even do our garage sale justice.  We had free Starbucks coffee, home made baked goods to buy for a donation only, TONS of AMAZING finds and plenty of generous people willing to pay just a little bit more or willing to not haggle once they knew all the money was going to help bring our baby home!  FYI, there are still good people left in this world.  We also had some amazing people who came just to donate money and pray for us.  Matthew & I were overwhelmed by the love and support that we received.  We thank our Lord in Heaven for this. 

The other thing I wanted to share that happened over this weekend was meeting two little girls.  Their names are Ashleigh and Autumn.  They are in foster care with a beautiful woman from our church who stopped by to support our sale.  Ashleigh was two years old with bright blonde hair and big ol' blue eyes.  Her smile lit my heart up and I was overjoyed just being in her presence.  I melted when she held her arms out to me to be held.  When I said "Cool!" she'd look up at me and smile in a sweet little voice say "Cool!"  She was beautiful.  Her little sister, Autumn, is four months old.  A perfect little princess who loved being cooed over.  Matt held her in his arms and for a split second he knew what it would be like to be wrapped around that itty bitty precious finger.  Her huge blue eyes were so alert and captivating and she had the cutest baby smile.  Matthew looked at me and I looked at him, and we knew we wanted these little ones. 

They are not adoptable yet but it seems like only a short matter of time before they are available to join a forever family.  I put in a request with their foster organization to call me this week & I hope there is some sort of chance we can do what it takes to bring these BEAUTIFULLY PERFECT girls home.  It was not what we intended at all when we began the adoption process and there is about a .000001% chance that we could become the parents to Ashleigh & Autumn, but if God wills it the impossible becomes possible.  If nothing else, they have opened our hearts up to things we never thought we wanted and the most loving children in the foster system.  My heart aches when I think about those precious gems & I truly love them & will pray for them EVERY SINGLE DAY.  The one thing I find peace in is that they will go to a loving family who has fought hard to adopt them.  Nothing is easy in the world of foster care and they will be so very loved no matter who ends up blessed by those beautiful faces.

So, I'm sure you can tell the weekend was an emotional, exhausting and rewarding one.  God provided friends to organize this, friends to help host this, people to buy & donate & pray & a foster family to open my eyes and heart to the foster system.  Every baby needs a home.

Oh, and by the way, in case you were wondering, our garage sale brought in $1,500!  PRAISE THE LORD!  That covers the cost of the home study almost completely.  We need only a few thousand more to have this adoption (whatever beautiful child/children God wants us to bring home) completely funded.  Would you consider entering this giveaway?  It's definitely a great one!!!  Click HERE to read more about it!

{Thankful} For My 4 A.M. Friends

"It's the friends you can call up at 4am that matter"

-M. Dietrich

These are the friends I can call at 4 a.m:

Krystin,

     I am so grateful that we are still friends.  10 years?  That's amazing and I had just as much fun planning pep rallies with you as I have planning family events.  You have grown into such a beautiful woman of God, an amazing wife & one of the best mommies I have ever met!  You can turn anything into something postive and you always have a kind word.  You truly make me a better woman!  I am so thankful that I can call you up at any time and know that I can depend on you!

Alysia,

     Could I be anymore excited to be friends with you?  Probably not. We talk about God and His plans for our lives, we drink coffee (I can adopt the whole world!!!), we laugh and watch stupid movies.  You yell at me like Jillian Michaels and encourage me to become a healthy and happy mommy!  I am so blessed to be a part of yours & Adam's life.  I am so excited for the next parts of our friendship: families!  I am always praying for you and God's timing and I am so thankful that I can call you up at any time and know that I can depend on you!

Krichelle,

     I think it's so funny that we crossed paths years ago and we had no idea we would be friends now!  But God knew and brought us into each other's lives at the perfect ime!  You are so fun & so sweet.  You come from a family that is so encouraging, so loving & so ready to share Truth and Love with people & I see that in you.  You are that woman.  It's fun to watch you learn all about mommy-hood and to watch you love your baby girl.  Ryan is a blessed little girl.  I am so happy you appreciate "turtle push-ups!" and I get giddy when I get to drink COFFFEE in front of you and upset you! Haha.  What is a friend if not antagonizing?  I am so thankful that I can call you up at anytime and know that I can depend on you!


These are my best friends.  They're all beautiful, fun, funny, encouraging and Godly.  They all appreciate tolerate my sarcasm and pretend like my jokes are funny.  They put up with me talking about Mo all the time & over analyzing every aspect of our adoption process.  Ask me again in 10 years and I promise that these women will still be in my life.  I'm so thankful for them!

In My Only Little World

There is a song on Christian radio that has a line in it that says:

"In my own little world there is population me"

Uh, can we say truth?  I am always worried about me, about my husband, about my future child...Me, Me, ME.  But, the truth is this life is not about ME at all.  In fact, it's all about YOU!...well, actually, it's all about JESUS, but through that if I profess to LOVE the LORD then I need to make it all about YOU.  How can I serve you?  How can I pray for you?  How can I love you like Jesus loves me?  My purpose in this world is to serve others and point them to our Savior.

So today, and gosh, I hope everyday, I will find ways to serve others.  I hope that this isn't just a moment of selflessness, but I pray that this is me turning my own little world into population: you.

The whole point of this, is that the blogging community is so amazing.  Especially the adoption blogging community.  I cannot tell you how many beautiful women I have met just by blogging.  Gotta check out my "Blogs I Love" page and see a few of those women & their blogs.  The very top one "Love Makes A Family" has an AMAZING story.  In includes a sweet boy from Ethiopia named Mareto and will now include a precious and beautiful little girl who is still in Ethiopia waiting for this family to come take her from the orphanage and bring her home to love.  This was not a referral they were waiting for, in fact if you read about her story, they thought they had plenty more time to raise the money...but guess what?  God, as always, came for a surprise visit!  Their referral is here & they need $15,000!  Yes, they need $15,000, like yesterday!  How can you help?  There are lots of ways.  Including entering their giveaway.  It's awesome!  Lauren always has the best gift baskets.  I enter in EVERY time...and one of these times, I am soooo gonna win!  But, would you consider entering?  Donating?  PRAYING?

I truly & sincerly love reading about this family & pray for them daily.  I cannot wait to see their adoption story with baby #2 unfold.  God is in this, so it's bound to be amazing.  Please check out Lauren's blog.  Follow, comment, pray, donate, enter in to win.  Let them be blessed by your heart!

Just Waitin'

The house is ready.  Our hearts are ready.  Our family is ready.  The paperwork is ready.  What does a family who is paper ready to adopt look like?

It looks a lot like this!

Thats our grant applications to be sent out tomorrow, our approved home study and a letter retaining our lawyer.  There is nothing left for us to do but enjoy our lives, do a little more nesting, PRAY FOR A MATCH, work on our marriage, enjoy our friends & family, enjoy our freedom, take lots of naps & get lots of rest, oooh & awww at sweet things we are wanting to buy our baby, rest some more PRAY FOR A MATCH, and rest some more.  We are all set to adopt.  The only thing missing from this process now is a birthmother to pick us as the adoptive parents of her family!  Here is praying for a quick match & smooth process from here on out!!!

Miscellany Monday

Let's cut to the chase of turning around this mundane Monday into a marvelous Monday!

1. We had a few surprise adoption decisions that had to be made this weekend...the decision process basically included me wallowing on the couch upset that adoption isn't easy.  Eventually, I snapped out of it and the hubby and I realized that life is messy, adoption is messy & things are complicated!  We know where God is sending us and what is right may not always be easy and what is easy may not always be right.  

2. My sister decided to cheer me up.  This is what happens when you hang out with an excited Auntie-to-Be!

 

3. We are having a GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY.  You can enter in to win $100 worth of giftcards all while helping us bring our baby home!  Please consider joining in!  We would be blessed by your giving!

4. We are having a garage sale on Friday & Saturday of this weekend!  If you live in Orange County, CA...message me for info!  It is going to be HUUUGE!  I am so excited for a long, exhausting weekend to raise money!

5. I am looking for a new great adoption blog out there!  Does anybody have any recommendations?  I would love to see what other adoptive families are up to!

6. Hannah at Happy Days, made me buttons!  Woot woot!  She was one of the sweetest bloggers that I have "met."  Look at these cute buttons!:

<a border="0" href="http://www.littleobrienfamily.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i363/wifeysinger06/obrien1.jpg" /></a>

<a border="0" href="http://www.littleobrienfamily.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i363/wifeysinger06/obrien2.png" /></a>

You should grab one of these beauties!  =)...and thank you, Hannah!

7. Funny side note: I was dressing for work this morning, grabbed a favorite pair of underwear (or in my house, we like to call them chonies), and looked at the tag...where in BRIGHT RED/BOLDED LETTERS it says KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE.  Should I be worried?  First of all, why would my bum be close to a fire?  Note to self: Do not wear these chonies to a bonfire.  Or sit by a fireplace.  Or place my bum on a fire...since apparently my underwear are flammable....

8.. With all of this craziness that is going on...we need a place for a constant reminder of God's good love towards us.  What better place than a mirror?  This is where my best narcissistic self emerges, so where better to put a reminder on God as my No. 1?

{Happy Monday, Friends!} 

Gift Card Giveaway {Our Adoption Raffle!}

I am so excited to know that even though there are peaks and valleys in our adoption process that we are right where the Lord wants us and we know that our little baby is out there growing big and strong in his mommy's tummy for us while he is growing big and strong in our hearts!  We are about $9,000 short of a completely funded adoption and if you want to know what costs we have already covered and what we still need you can check out this post.  We are trying to earn this by lots of saving, applying for grants, change collecting, can recycling, garage sale hosting, and now a giveaway.  =)


We have an awesome gift card bundle that you have the chance to win.  It's $5 per entry and every penny will be deposited directly from our PayPal account into our account with our lawyer who will write the checks for all further expenses.  We so need your help but we want to make it fun & give you a chance to get something in return!  This is definitely one of those win-win situations.  We are blessed by your giving.  Here is how you enter:

• For every $5 donated to our PayPal account you will be entered in once (so for $10 you will be entered in twice, $15 enters you in three times, etc.)

• If you sign up to follow this blog you will receive an extra entry.  (Just leave me a comment or send me an email with your full name that you are now a follower!)

• You can also share this link on your Facebook, Blog, or Twitter account and you will receive another extra entry!  Just let me know how you shared it and where the link is!

That means there are three different ways to win!  You can enter until Sunday, June 24th and on Monday morning, June 25th, we will announce the winner so check back to see if you're the lucky one!  But, don't forget, that either way, this is a win-win!  By entering for a chance to win you are helping a sweet baby find a home and you are helping us give a home to our first child.

Here is what you will have the chance to win:

Giftcard Bundle

$25 Target gift card

$20 Starbucks gift card

$10 Jamba Juice gift card

$10 I tunes gift card

$25 Visa gift card

$10 Chik-Fil-A gift card

That is $100 worth of gift cards!  I think I would enter in to win...but that probably wouldn't look too good if I announced that I was the winner!  Again, you can enter by donating $5 towards the adoption of Baby O'Brien, by becoming  a follower or by sharing & encouraging others to enter the giveaway!  We hope you enter in and we  thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, support and prayers! Let the fun begin =)

The Adoption Breakdown

I know a lot of people may not be familiar with the adoption process & a lot of people have been stopping by from other blogs so you may  not be familiar with our adoption process.  So let me break this thing down for you:

• I was 18 years old and found out I would not be able to carry my child.  Just the way the cookie crumbled.  I moved on & continued to live life. Life led me to Matthew.  He proposed, I said yes.  We married, we honeymooned, we decided to start a family.  I went to one appointment with an infertility specialist.  I decided I hated the way it made me feel & this was not the route for us.  

• We began to pursue adoption and knew this is what God wanted from us.  We decided to adopt with the help of a local church ministry in the adoption "business."  We went to the seminar, we filled out an application, we wrote a letter to potential birthmothers (pregnant women who have decided to place their child up for adoption), interviewed & were approved.  [This part of the process cost us a total of $2,625]

• We needed a social worker licensed by the state of California to approve us for adoption.  This is called a home study.  Once we decided on an agency to conduct our home study, we had to do 10 hours of online parenting classes, be declared physically & mentally stable by doctors, show proof of employment, health insurance, life insurance, income, birth and marriage.  We had to write about ourselves, send in pictures, give them our tax forms, pay stubs, and anything else that sounds official & interview twice.  This coming Wednesday we will be officially approved with a report from our social worker saying that she thinks we will be suitable parents! [This part of the process cost us a total of $2,605]

• In order to receive financial assistance, we had to retain a lawyer.  Families who adopt always need a lawyer.  They make things official (duh).  We decided to use a wonderful Christian lawyer.  [This part of the process cost us $500]

Phew!  So, during this time, while all of this was going on, we stumbled upon another adoption agency.  These people aren't a Christian entity, nor are they non-profit.  They are an adoption business.  But, they sold us on what they do.  We decided to change paths and will be submitting our application, profile, pictures & another birthmother letter to this new agency. Here is why: With the original ministry, if a girl chose us to adopt her child & we declined the offer, there would be a multitude of other couples in line just waiting for a chance to adopt her child.  Their prices are fair and honest, they are believers in Christ & are just all around good people.  With the network we will now work through, the birthmother who chooses us may not have many people hoping to adopt her baby.  She may not have one single couple at all.  Why?  Because she isn't white.  The color of the babies skin can determine whether adoption will cost $40,000 or $20,000.  This girl needs us, her baby needs us, and we need her baby.  So, even though changing agencies will cost us significantly more in agency fees, our God is a big God with big plans for us.

Here is a break down of what we are financially ready and able to pay:

• $8,800 to apply with the agency

• $6,800 upon a match with a birthmother (meaning somebody wants us to adopt their child)

Here is what we are not ready to pay & still need funds for:

• $1,000-Adoption Service Provider (tells the birthmother her rights and helps her sign all the proper paperwork)

• $2,000-Birthmother expenses (we are legally bound to financially support the birthmother if needed.  We offered $2,000 worth of financial support.)

• $3,000-Lawyers Fee

• $1,800-Post adoption fees (this makes the baby officially 'ours')

Here is what we may need:

• $2,000-Traveling fees if the baby is born out of state

• $6000-Lawyer fees to make the adoption legal in a state other than California (if baby is born in another state).

We normally would not worry about the extra money we still need funds for, but the difference between this adoption and most others is that the adoption of a non-white child is always a lot faster.  We have been told to expect to be picked by a birthmother within hours to weeks of submitting our application.  If that is the case, whether the baby is due in a day or in two months, the money has to be ready to be given out to all the proper parties at the time of being chosen.

Basically, we still need $7,800.  We are having garage sales, an awesome raffle (GIFTCARD GIVEAWAY!), and applying for every adoption grant we are elligible for.  But, we know that our baby is out there, right now, somewhere in his (or her) mommy's tummy growing strong for us.  We know this money will be provided but we can't go into this lightly.  I am asking, no, begging, you to please help us.  Can you donate items for a garage sale?  Can you sacrifice your Starbucks Cappucino and donate $4 to support us? Can you pray every day for provisions (and patience)?  Do you have a special talent or skill that can be raffled off as a blog-giveaway?  Will you please consider joining us on our journey?

P.S. We probably love you a lot for praying for us  =)

Baby-Mania Thankful

Okay, I'm sure nobody has really noticed but I've got baby on the brain! It's not too obvious, right? :)Hahaaa! But really, can you blame me!? There is some exciting stuff going on for the little O'Brien family and there is nothing like some good ole' fashioned organizing to soothe the soul...Matthew and I live in a one bedroom apartment and we have asked to move into a two bedroom but decided against it until the adoption is official because not only does moving cost but to move will cost $1,000s in redoing adoption paperwork! EEP!

With that said, we are grateful that our one bedroom apartment is huge and has an attached patio/garden. I took advantage of the peace and quiet at home and got the house a little more baby ready:

I am grateful that baby has space in the kitchen for all his/her pacies and such

I am grateful that we have a good sized linen closet and shelves all cleared out for more of baby's stuff!

I am grateful for a shelf in our bedroom for some baby books! Mother Goose and Henry's Moon were my special books as a little girl, Matthew loved I Love You Forever and can you guess which was a new special purchase for babe!?

And I am grateful for this piece of art that I think is especially baby appropriate that now adorns the front of our adoption binder:

These little things, like clearing a shelf for a baby are tremendously exciting and are cause for overwhelming amounts of gratefulness in our hearts!

Hurry home Baby O'Brien!

(Thanks, Cami, for Thankful Thursday!)