Vacation Time

A little R&R for the Belz! We are off to the Dominican Republic! Until we return, you all take care!






GO BLUES!....Scott, Mike, and Walker Bring Home Some Winners!!!

Home Study Pre-Work Away!

Only took about 1 1/2 months to get the stuff together but I sent it yesterday to Judy FedEx overnight. Longest part was the personal information packets which were 16 pages of questions that each of us had to complete. Lucky for us we did not have to answer the questions about already having children. That saved 8 or 9 questions! The packets serve as a "get to know us" for the person that will be coming to do our home study. When we start the home study, we will also have to attend a series of classes called Parents in Progress, which will educate Trish and I on being adoptive parents. Next step is to have Holt verify the docs and then bill us for our home study. Judy said that she has hired another social worker so I think that we will see him/her. In the meantime, we can continue to read through the guidebook which is jam-packed with tons of information. I love reading the travel section, not just because I am an airplane freak, but from what we have read, it is good to plan ahead, because once we DO get travel approval -later on down the road- we have to give Holt our hotel info ASAP. Just think of all the frequent flyer miles we will rack up!

ALSO! For those of you who are our references, please be on the lookout for something from Holt International, for your completion. Again We thank you VERY much!

Thinking.....

I sit back and ponder......SO many moms and dads take for granted being biological parents. It just seems "natural" to them and never run into issues with having children etc. Get pregnant have showers, showers and more showers, birth, homecoming without even thinking. Not to say that all do, but many really do not realize how very lucky they are. Many nights Tricia and I talked about why us? All the unfairness, seeing our friends being pregnant having multiple children (we love them all by the way!!!). It just was so much to handle while we searched for a solution to navigate around the "cancer" roadblock that so many countries and a few agencies (THANK GOD FOR HOLT INTL) throw up when adoptive parents want to JUST BE PARENTS! We should we be looked as different? It seemed at times that we would never find an agency or a country. Many countries treat cancer like the plague! "Oh no...we won't even look at you" or "10 years post" ...please! Well I look at Tricia and see what she has gone through. Hospital pictures during surgery, our 1 year anniversary ..... survivors walks with the Wellness Community,how hard she works to one day as Mimi says "Run that place" and just everyday since January 2003. It really all starts to make sense now. All the heartbreaks are coming full circle for us now. We are asked so many times "How come you don't adopt domestically?" Well God had a plan for Tricia and I. Obviously we have no control over WHEN we would be parents or WHERE, but He knew. Our chance to change the life of a child in another part of the world. 20,000 miles away. Someone who would more than likely sit in foster care or another facility for the remainder of their youth. Well that is reason enough for us. Go to the Holt forums look at the pictures of the children that are in state care, that right there is enough. I wish we could adopt them all. Just being parents.......something that no mom or dad should take for granted...EVER...

Wishing Everything Moves This Fast!

We received our State fingerprint files back. NO CRIMINAL RECORDS :-) These are just one of many docs that will be included into our dossier after home study.
While we wait, we love to read the stories of the other Holt Vietnam families that are in country and further in the process than we are Really it kind of gives us some perspective on what to expect. Have a great weekend. Finally starting to feel like fall here!

Status Quo

Happy Friday. I wanted you all to check out the blog that this family has going. They are in Vietnam now getting sarah. She was from Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City. They are now in Hanoi doing her processing. Read through their story and follow too. It is updated daily with new pictures etc.

www.sarahmakessix.blogspot.com

Have a great weekend!