Our adoption application was received and approved! Last Thursday we drove up to Scottsdale for our joint interview and tomorrow morning (Monday) our social worker is coming for our home visit and individual interviews. I am so happy that things are moving along so quickly with our agency here in AZ. After our home visit and interviews, she just has to write everything up, receive our reference letters, and call three of our references. After that our home study will go to the court to be certified. She is working so quickly because she is concerned we will have a problem with USCIS (immigration) as a result of our move. However, our agency has assured us it will not be an issue. I am hoping they are right. She also mentioned she had a family in the past that moved at the same point in the process as us, and they ran into trouble with the Interstate Compact because their home study wasn't yet updated. So anyway because of her concerns, she is working as fast as she can to complete our home study. So hopefully we won't have any delays bringing Joshua home (that is if we ever get EP approval!).
Our social worker is fantastic and I feel really comfortable with her. She adopted from Korea many years ago (her son is now grown and married with children), so she has so much knowledge and experience to share. I must say my feelings are so different from what they were the first time we went through the home study process. I am much less anxious, I guess it helps to know we have been approved once before. :-) But I would still appreciate prayers for everything to go well tomorrow and for our home study to be completed quickly. And of course, please keep praying for Joshua's EP. This delay has NEVER happened in the history of Korean adoption. It is completely unprecedented and no one, including our agency, seems to know why the delay has occurred or when it will be over.
I am trying to keep busy during this wait. Last week John and I went up to his dad's cabin in the mountains for a few days. Joshua's room is almost done (pictures soon!). And I am working on writing up my testimony.
Hoping this week brings good news!
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Adoption Application - Take 2
As a result of our move to Arizona, we have to basically redo our adoption home study for the state of Arizona. We are going to be working with Dillon Southwest. I chose them for a number of reasons. First, they also have a Korea program and so they are familiar with doing home studies for Korea. Secondly, I am hoping that they will be able to connect us with other Korean adoptive families. Our social worker already offered to share my info with another family! And lastly when it comes time for #2, we will already have a relationship with them. :-) I don't think we will be able to go through our current agency unless we find a waiting child whose needs we think we can meet who is with Eastern and not SWS. I don't qualify for SWS due to having had counseling in the past.
Anyway, I sent off our application today!!! I am so happy. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I should be back to blogging more regularly now. I wasn't allowing myself to blog until I completed the application. Truthfully, I hate (I know it's a strong word) doing these applications. And this second time was especially difficult feeling like I had to prove my worth as a parent so close to Joshua being home. I have really tried not to let the process frustrate me and to always keep a positive attitude about it all, but this time it got to me. I am just glad it's done!
My hubby humored me by allowing me to take his picture with the application.
We are going on 10 weeks waiting for EP approval (it usually only takes 4 weeks). Hopefully, I will have more news soon. I will be posting a prayer request post about it tomorrow.
Anyway, I sent off our application today!!! I am so happy. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I should be back to blogging more regularly now. I wasn't allowing myself to blog until I completed the application. Truthfully, I hate (I know it's a strong word) doing these applications. And this second time was especially difficult feeling like I had to prove my worth as a parent so close to Joshua being home. I have really tried not to let the process frustrate me and to always keep a positive attitude about it all, but this time it got to me. I am just glad it's done!
The stack!
My hubby humored me by allowing me to take his picture with the application.
We are going on 10 weeks waiting for EP approval (it usually only takes 4 weeks). Hopefully, I will have more news soon. I will be posting a prayer request post about it tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Checking in (and some possible adoption news - unfortunately not the good kind)
I am still here. We moved into our house last Thursday and so I was without an internet connection until late Monday night after our household goods were delivered.
All our stuff made it to AZ! Our dining room table has a split in the top of it (barely noticeable), but other than that we had no lost or damaged items. In my book, that is a successful military move!
I am in the midst of unpacking and getting everything set up. John put Joshua's crib together last night :-) I actually have fun setting up and decorating a house, so I am enjoying myself.
I read some potentially devastating news today on the adoption forum. Dillon, who is also partnered with ESWS in Korea, had said that the Ministry has announced that there will be no more EPs issued until July. We have already been waiting 6 weeks for approval. We may now be waiting another month for EP approval, which means we will not travel until at least August and maybe even September. However, there has been no news about this from our agency. I am really hoping it is just a misunderstanding of some sort. I won't believe it until I hear confirmation of it from our agency. I am in shock over the news. I really don't even know what to say about it.
I guess I will just get back to unpacking and hope for the best.
All our stuff made it to AZ! Our dining room table has a split in the top of it (barely noticeable), but other than that we had no lost or damaged items. In my book, that is a successful military move!
I am in the midst of unpacking and getting everything set up. John put Joshua's crib together last night :-) I actually have fun setting up and decorating a house, so I am enjoying myself.
I read some potentially devastating news today on the adoption forum. Dillon, who is also partnered with ESWS in Korea, had said that the Ministry has announced that there will be no more EPs issued until July. We have already been waiting 6 weeks for approval. We may now be waiting another month for EP approval, which means we will not travel until at least August and maybe even September. However, there has been no news about this from our agency. I am really hoping it is just a misunderstanding of some sort. I won't believe it until I hear confirmation of it from our agency. I am in shock over the news. I really don't even know what to say about it.
I guess I will just get back to unpacking and hope for the best.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Our First Week in AZ - Praise and Prayer Requests
It looks like we found a house! We signed the lease today and should move in on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. The Lord was definitely merciful and faithful to provide. Monday evening after we got here, we drove around to get the lay of the land and an idea of which neighborhoods would be most ideal. Tuesday morning we began calling places and quickly realized that with it being the moving season for the military population, houses that had been listed for months were flying off the market if they were newer and in one of the safer, more desirable locations. We decided to narrow our search to the southeast side of Tucson where a lot of other military families live. It is still relatively close to the base and within our price range, but farther away from the heavy crime areas that are right near the base.
Our first choice (based on the pictures on the MLS) was already rented, but we were able to get an appointment that afternoon to see our second choice. In the meantime we went to see one other house, but it backed up to a small shopping center that had a lot of vacancies and was in one of the neighborhoods that is closer to the base. One of my biggest criteria was whether I would feel safe in the house by myself when John is deployed, this house just didn't fit the bill. So we drove around a little more looking at some other neighborhoods and then went back to our hotel to wait for our appointment (no one else had called us back on any other houses). We decided that if the house met our needs we would say yes to it. With the rental market being what it is, we couldn't afford to wait for the "perfect" house and so we set a goal of good enough. Anyone who knows me knows that setting a goal of adequate or good enough is quite an accomplishment for my perfectionist self. The house absolutely was good enough, in truth it is more than adequate.
So we basically found our house our first full day in Tucson! It was actually hard to understand why it was still available, it was like the Lord had it waiting for us. The homeowners are upside down (as most everyone is in AZ), so that was concerning, but they have been successfully renting the house for many years. We were also able to get the homeowners to agree to a foreclosure clause requiring them to notify us within 5 days if they are in any stage of foreclosure and allowing us to break the lease without penalty in that case.
Since we found our house so quickly, I was able to begin working on my autobiography for our application for our new home study with Dillon Southwest. Since Joshua isn't yet home with us, we basically have to do a whole new home study in Arizona and then finalize the adoption here. Arizona law requires that the home study be certified by the court so we have to do almost everything all over again. The good news is that it costs 1/3 of what it costs in Maryland and you don't have to hire a lawyer to finalize the adoption; the county lawyer can represent us. I am hoping to have the application complete this week, so that I am free to focus on the house once we get our household goods delivered.
John is taking his certification exam to become a Family Nurse Practitioner as I write this, please be praying for his success. Update - he passed!!!! So proud of my hubby!
I have also been dealing with a very painful back injury and would love prayer for healing. I actually don't know when I injured it, maybe it was just a combination of all the bending and lifting with the move followed by the drive here. By our final day of driving I was in agony and it has only mildly improved since then. It hurts to bend over, it hurts to stand up, it hurts to sit down, and frequently spasms. I have 27 pound little boy to start picking up! I really want to be feeling better very soon!
No news to report on the adoption front. We are going on week 5 of waiting for EP approval, average is 4-6 weeks, so it could be any day now. After that it is another 1-3 weeks until travel call, though I am thinking 3 weeks is more likely based on the fact that the last group took at least 3 weeks and with an October ATK date, we are one of the last families in that group. I am feeling more ready everyday to meet our boy!!!!
Our first choice (based on the pictures on the MLS) was already rented, but we were able to get an appointment that afternoon to see our second choice. In the meantime we went to see one other house, but it backed up to a small shopping center that had a lot of vacancies and was in one of the neighborhoods that is closer to the base. One of my biggest criteria was whether I would feel safe in the house by myself when John is deployed, this house just didn't fit the bill. So we drove around a little more looking at some other neighborhoods and then went back to our hotel to wait for our appointment (no one else had called us back on any other houses). We decided that if the house met our needs we would say yes to it. With the rental market being what it is, we couldn't afford to wait for the "perfect" house and so we set a goal of good enough. Anyone who knows me knows that setting a goal of adequate or good enough is quite an accomplishment for my perfectionist self. The house absolutely was good enough, in truth it is more than adequate.
So we basically found our house our first full day in Tucson! It was actually hard to understand why it was still available, it was like the Lord had it waiting for us. The homeowners are upside down (as most everyone is in AZ), so that was concerning, but they have been successfully renting the house for many years. We were also able to get the homeowners to agree to a foreclosure clause requiring them to notify us within 5 days if they are in any stage of foreclosure and allowing us to break the lease without penalty in that case.
Since we found our house so quickly, I was able to begin working on my autobiography for our application for our new home study with Dillon Southwest. Since Joshua isn't yet home with us, we basically have to do a whole new home study in Arizona and then finalize the adoption here. Arizona law requires that the home study be certified by the court so we have to do almost everything all over again. The good news is that it costs 1/3 of what it costs in Maryland and you don't have to hire a lawyer to finalize the adoption; the county lawyer can represent us. I am hoping to have the application complete this week, so that I am free to focus on the house once we get our household goods delivered.
John is taking his certification exam to become a Family Nurse Practitioner as I write this, please be praying for his success. Update - he passed!!!! So proud of my hubby!
I have also been dealing with a very painful back injury and would love prayer for healing. I actually don't know when I injured it, maybe it was just a combination of all the bending and lifting with the move followed by the drive here. By our final day of driving I was in agony and it has only mildly improved since then. It hurts to bend over, it hurts to stand up, it hurts to sit down, and frequently spasms. I have 27 pound little boy to start picking up! I really want to be feeling better very soon!
No news to report on the adoption front. We are going on week 5 of waiting for EP approval, average is 4-6 weeks, so it could be any day now. After that it is another 1-3 weeks until travel call, though I am thinking 3 weeks is more likely based on the fact that the last group took at least 3 weeks and with an October ATK date, we are one of the last families in that group. I am feeling more ready everyday to meet our boy!!!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
We Are "Home"
2,400 miles later.... and we are "home," or at least at our temporary one at Davis Monthan AFB temporary lodging. It is actually super nice, much nicer than the temporary lodging facility at Eglin AFB (for my friends there who suffered through them)! John checked in at the housing office and unfortunately there is no availability for company grade officers (5 people ahead of us and no one moving out for 30-60 days). So it looks like it will be off-base housing for us. Please be praying we find a place quickly, specifically one in which the homeowner isn't in danger of foreclosure - there is a lot of that out here.
First impressions of AZ: 1) Love the mountains and the desert landscape - just beautiful, 2) A dry heat really does make a difference in how hot it feels (I really dislike humidity), 3) However, the sun is still blazing hot.
What I have learned already: 1) A dirt devil is not just a vacuum cleaner brand, 2) Out here sunglasses aren't just a fashionable accessory, 3) Driving through the crosswinds on the mountain roads should count as exercise, 4) Re-fuel whenever you can because it could be miles before you come across another gas station (thankfully I didn't have to learn this the hard way).
And the house hunt starts........NOW.
First impressions of AZ: 1) Love the mountains and the desert landscape - just beautiful, 2) A dry heat really does make a difference in how hot it feels (I really dislike humidity), 3) However, the sun is still blazing hot.
What I have learned already: 1) A dirt devil is not just a vacuum cleaner brand, 2) Out here sunglasses aren't just a fashionable accessory, 3) Driving through the crosswinds on the mountain roads should count as exercise, 4) Re-fuel whenever you can because it could be miles before you come across another gas station (thankfully I didn't have to learn this the hard way).
And the house hunt starts........NOW.
Friday, June 3, 2011
On our way to Arizona
We are on our way to Arizona. All our stuff was put on the truck last Friday and should be on its way to AZ. It may even get there before we do. Since we don't have a house yet, it will be put in storage until we can take delivery of everything. Overall the whole process went well. The only snafu was when the driver showed up with a huge 18-wheeler instead of the small shuttle truck that had been requested. Anyone who has been to our house will immediately understand the problem. Our street has a good amount of traffic and a 30 mph speed limit. It is also a bus route and an emergency route. The truck was blocking one whole lane of traffic and so it was only a matter of time before the police came (thankfully he was able to move it before that happened). Unfortunately, the driver's company had no more trucks available that day and so he had to go rent a small Uhaul and shuttle our stuff in two truckloads to his truck which he left parked in a not so great neighborhood in DC. We will see how it all turns out :-)
When the packers are packing all the stuff, they usually label the box with the contents and whatever room it came from. Most of Joshua's stuff was located in an empty spot in our living room, so I expected the guy to just label it "living room" and I would sort through it later. But once I told him about Joshua he decided to label things differently:
When the packers are packing all the stuff, they usually label the box with the contents and whatever room it came from. Most of Joshua's stuff was located in an empty spot in our living room, so I expected the guy to just label it "living room" and I would sort through it later. But once I told him about Joshua he decided to label things differently:
Made me so happy :-))
After everything was loaded on the truck we spent the weekend cleaning. We also got to spend a little time with a few friends. I wish it could have been more. It just all happened so fast. Next thing I knew it was Tuesday and we were in our cars and on our way. We got to my brother's house in Austin, TX last night. We are going to take a break from our 3 days of driving and then get back on the road to arrive in Tucson by Monday in time to go to the military housing office before it closes for the day. I wish we could spend more time in Texas. We have friends and other family here we would love to meet up with (including a few friends I have come to know through blogging) if time permitted. However, we want to get to Tucson as quickly as possible so that we can start getting everything ready for Joshua's homecoming.
It still hasn't hit me that I no longer live in Maryland, that we are really moving - probably a coping mechanism :-).
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Why Now Lord?
I have to confess a struggle I was having after getting the news about EP submission for Joshua. It may not make sense to a lot of people and at the same time I know there are many people who would trade places with me in a heartbeat (especially after all of the devastating news for ESWS and SWS families that has come recently), but I have always tried to be honest and transparent on this blog. So here goes. The truth is after the initial elation, I struggled with "why now Lord?" Why Lord did you make me wait over 6 years to become a mom, and at the one time where I would have hit the 'pause' button, you hit the 'fast forward' button?
I have said that we will travel in July, but the truth is we could travel in June. We just don't know. And it was the thought of June travel that had me freaking out a bit. I kept envisioning us bringing Joshua home to a hotel room after we get our travel call. And I was struggling with a lot of guilt about that. We are taking him from a stable home where he is loved and cared for, and I just really want us to be settled in when we get the call to travel.
Ultimately, I guess what I was really struggling with was laying down my idea of how things were supposed to go, at least according to my plan.
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
But obviously the Lord has a different plan, one that requires me to let go of my perfectionism. You see according to my plan, we are supposed to be moved into our house, everything was supposed to be unpacked, the house was supposed to be decorated, and then I would have plenty of time to research and plan our trip to Korea and learn a bit more of the language. And frankly, this still sounds like the best plan to me.
But I don't know everything. And God does. I may not understand why this is the perfect timing, but God does. And so I have to trust. I have to trust that even if things don't happen according to my idea of perfection (and most likely they won't), it will be okay.
I went back to a post I wrote a little while ago on fear, and found this:
We don't just trust God to let us avoid what we fear most. We determine to trust Him no matter what, even if our worst nightmare befalls us (picking up our son is something I am incredibly excited about and grateful for, so please understand my struggle was with the timing).
If we get our travel call in June, then God will take care of me (and Joshua).
If we get our travel call in June, then God has a plan.
If we get our travel call in June, then God desires to accomplish something monumental in me.
If we get our travel call in June, then Gods going to demonstrate His sufficiency to me.
I also went back to my "statement of trust" that is on the top right of my blog, particularly the part from Isaiah 26:8, "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."
I want the Lord to be glorified through what He brings about in our life. I want things to happen according to His will and timing. And so I pray as Jesus did, "Father, glorify your name!" John 12:28.
What matters is that Joshua will be coming home to us. The rest of it really isn't that important.
Thank you Lord for your perfect timing.
I have said that we will travel in July, but the truth is we could travel in June. We just don't know. And it was the thought of June travel that had me freaking out a bit. I kept envisioning us bringing Joshua home to a hotel room after we get our travel call. And I was struggling with a lot of guilt about that. We are taking him from a stable home where he is loved and cared for, and I just really want us to be settled in when we get the call to travel.
Ultimately, I guess what I was really struggling with was laying down my idea of how things were supposed to go, at least according to my plan.
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
But obviously the Lord has a different plan, one that requires me to let go of my perfectionism. You see according to my plan, we are supposed to be moved into our house, everything was supposed to be unpacked, the house was supposed to be decorated, and then I would have plenty of time to research and plan our trip to Korea and learn a bit more of the language. And frankly, this still sounds like the best plan to me.
But I don't know everything. And God does. I may not understand why this is the perfect timing, but God does. And so I have to trust. I have to trust that even if things don't happen according to my idea of perfection (and most likely they won't), it will be okay.
I went back to a post I wrote a little while ago on fear, and found this:
We don't just trust God to let us avoid what we fear most. We determine to trust Him no matter what, even if our worst nightmare befalls us (picking up our son is something I am incredibly excited about and grateful for, so please understand my struggle was with the timing).
"If ____, then God will take care of me."
"If ____, then God has a plan."
"If ____, then God desires to accomplish something monumental in me."
"If ___, then Gods going to demonstrate His sufficiency to me."
If we get our travel call in June, then God will take care of me (and Joshua).
If we get our travel call in June, then God has a plan.
If we get our travel call in June, then God desires to accomplish something monumental in me.
If we get our travel call in June, then Gods going to demonstrate His sufficiency to me.
I also went back to my "statement of trust" that is on the top right of my blog, particularly the part from Isaiah 26:8, "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."
I want the Lord to be glorified through what He brings about in our life. I want things to happen according to His will and timing. And so I pray as Jesus did, "Father, glorify your name!" John 12:28.
What matters is that Joshua will be coming home to us. The rest of it really isn't that important.
Thank you Lord for your perfect timing.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Let the Adventure Begin!
Things have been pretty crazy over the past week.
First, my hubby graduated on Saturday and is now a Family Nurse Practitioner! I am so proud of him. These past 2 years have involved a tremendous amount of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. During the first year, all John did was go to class and study, and the second year was only a little better. Needless to say, I am so happy to finally have my husband back.
The last of the family members that were in town for John's graduation left today. John and I have been working all day long on packing, sorting, and getting everything ready for the movers who are coming tomorrow. I have been working on getting things cleaned out and organized over the last few weeks since I knew with family in town for the graduation we weren't going to have much time to get ready. They will take two days to pack us and then one day to load everything on the truck, so as of Friday our stuff will be one its way to Arizona. Saturday and Sunday are cleaning days, and we'll have dinner with friends in the evenings. Monday will be a day off to spend with friends and Tuesday after the carpet cleaners finish up, we will hit the road. I am also hoping that somewhere in here we can shop for gifts for Joshua's foster family. It is hard to believe we are leaving in a week. It will take about 40 hours of driving to reach Tucson. We plan on taking a pit stop in Austin over the weekend to give us a break and then we will arrive in Tucson by June 6th. I am so sad to leave our friends here, but I am also beginning to feel excited. I am not sure what the next 3 or 4 years in Arizona will bring, but I am looking forward to finding out because I have a definite sense that the Lord wants us there. Over and over, He confirmed that Tucson was the place He was calling us to.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Let the adventure begin!
First, my hubby graduated on Saturday and is now a Family Nurse Practitioner! I am so proud of him. These past 2 years have involved a tremendous amount of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. During the first year, all John did was go to class and study, and the second year was only a little better. Needless to say, I am so happy to finally have my husband back.
My dad, John and I at dinner that evening
The last of the family members that were in town for John's graduation left today. John and I have been working all day long on packing, sorting, and getting everything ready for the movers who are coming tomorrow. I have been working on getting things cleaned out and organized over the last few weeks since I knew with family in town for the graduation we weren't going to have much time to get ready. They will take two days to pack us and then one day to load everything on the truck, so as of Friday our stuff will be one its way to Arizona. Saturday and Sunday are cleaning days, and we'll have dinner with friends in the evenings. Monday will be a day off to spend with friends and Tuesday after the carpet cleaners finish up, we will hit the road. I am also hoping that somewhere in here we can shop for gifts for Joshua's foster family. It is hard to believe we are leaving in a week. It will take about 40 hours of driving to reach Tucson. We plan on taking a pit stop in Austin over the weekend to give us a break and then we will arrive in Tucson by June 6th. I am so sad to leave our friends here, but I am also beginning to feel excited. I am not sure what the next 3 or 4 years in Arizona will bring, but I am looking forward to finding out because I have a definite sense that the Lord wants us there. Over and over, He confirmed that Tucson was the place He was calling us to.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Let the adventure begin!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
In a sun-scorched land...
As I find myself tempted to worry and fret over whether we will find a house in time, especially with yesterday's great news creating an additional sense of urgency, I realized that I needed to arm myself with the Truth. So I began searching out Bible verses about God's provision and was led to this verse:
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11
Hmmm, a "sun-scorched land," that sounds like Arizona to me :-) .
So I decided that this will be my verse to return to every time I am tempted to worry and be fearful. My Heavenly Father knows all my needs and has promised to meet them "according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19.
"Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear."
Lyrics by Lina Sandell
"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11
Hmmm, a "sun-scorched land," that sounds like Arizona to me :-) .
So I decided that this will be my verse to return to every time I am tempted to worry and be fearful. My Heavenly Father knows all my needs and has promised to meet them "according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19.
"Day by day, and with each passing moment, Strength I find to meet my trials here; Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or for fear."
Lyrics by Lina Sandell
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Less Than a Month Until the Big Move (to Tucson, AZ!)
I know I put the news on Facebook, but I don't think I posted it here yet. It is official we are moving to Tucson, AZ. I wonder how long I will live there before I don't have to think about how to spell Tucson ('c' before 's'). Based on how it's pronounced, don't you think it would make sense that the 's' would go before the 'c'? So it appears that 2-4 years of good hair days are in my future.
I have mixed feelings about the move. Part of me loves the adventure and the chance to explore a new area. I feel I haven't lived where I want to live yet (if that makes any sense). So who knows maybe Arizona is the place where we would want to live, though I am pretty sure that place is Colorado even though I have never been there, or maybe Texas :-)
The other part of me is so sad to say good-bye once again. Since we lived in the DC area before we lived in FL, this is the second time we are saying good-bye to many of our friends here. But what I didn't expect with us being in this area for only 2 years was to have to say good-bye to new friends. But we will have to and though it is hard, I wouldn't want to change a thing because we have met some truly wonderful people. It is especially sad to me to be saying good-bye to the friends I have met recently who have or are adopting from Korea because of the bond we share.
It is scary to think about starting over in a completely new area. I have been to Arizona only once before (a work trip to Phoenix), so I really don't know what it's like there. John grew up in New Mexico so he has a greater familiarity with the southwest and is excited about moving back west - he is not a fan of the east coast at all. Being a bit shy and awkward socially, it is also really intimidating to me to make new friends. I find the first year at a new place is often a very lonely time. What makes this upcoming move a bit more difficult for me is that we will be going through it at such a major transition point in our lives as we become parents for the first time. Since John's last 2 years of school have been absolutely crazy and we really haven't gotten to spend much time with each other, I am really hoping we can just use the time while we don't know many people to reconnect with each other. Plus it will make "cocooning" with Joshua during our transition time much easier with less pressure to see friends and family.
There is one really bright spot for me in all this - a true "God thing." When I first posted about our move, mentioning that Arizona was a possibility, Christy left me a comment that she may also be moving to AZ. Not too long after that Grace organized a group of adoptive families (and adoptive families-to-be) to go to the Lunar New Year celebration at KUMC in Virginia. When I found out Christy was going to be there, I had this feeling that I needed to go, that she was someone I was supposed to get to know. Well fast forward till now, and guess what, Christy and I will be living only an hour from each other in AZ! An hour may sound like a lot, but after living in the DC area, I can tell you it is nothing. It takes me an hour due to traffic to meet up with Christy right now. How amazing is this: 2 women connect through blogging, both love the Lord, both live in the DC area, both are adopting from Korea, both are military spouses, and both end up moving to AZ!!!! How cool is that! To know I will have a friend nearby is such a blessing and is really helping to make this move more bearable. I love that we will be able to go to the airport for each other to celebrate our children's homecoming, set up a weekly play date, and just be there to support one another.
I do have a prayer request. We don't have the time or the finances for a house hunting trip right now, so please be praying we find a house quickly once we get out there. The new base housing is very nice, so we put an application in. We are currently #17 out of 18 on the waitlist. Not sure what are chances are of being offered a house in time so please keep us in your prayers.
I have mixed feelings about the move. Part of me loves the adventure and the chance to explore a new area. I feel I haven't lived where I want to live yet (if that makes any sense). So who knows maybe Arizona is the place where we would want to live, though I am pretty sure that place is Colorado even though I have never been there, or maybe Texas :-)
The other part of me is so sad to say good-bye once again. Since we lived in the DC area before we lived in FL, this is the second time we are saying good-bye to many of our friends here. But what I didn't expect with us being in this area for only 2 years was to have to say good-bye to new friends. But we will have to and though it is hard, I wouldn't want to change a thing because we have met some truly wonderful people. It is especially sad to me to be saying good-bye to the friends I have met recently who have or are adopting from Korea because of the bond we share.
It is scary to think about starting over in a completely new area. I have been to Arizona only once before (a work trip to Phoenix), so I really don't know what it's like there. John grew up in New Mexico so he has a greater familiarity with the southwest and is excited about moving back west - he is not a fan of the east coast at all. Being a bit shy and awkward socially, it is also really intimidating to me to make new friends. I find the first year at a new place is often a very lonely time. What makes this upcoming move a bit more difficult for me is that we will be going through it at such a major transition point in our lives as we become parents for the first time. Since John's last 2 years of school have been absolutely crazy and we really haven't gotten to spend much time with each other, I am really hoping we can just use the time while we don't know many people to reconnect with each other. Plus it will make "cocooning" with Joshua during our transition time much easier with less pressure to see friends and family.
There is one really bright spot for me in all this - a true "God thing." When I first posted about our move, mentioning that Arizona was a possibility, Christy left me a comment that she may also be moving to AZ. Not too long after that Grace organized a group of adoptive families (and adoptive families-to-be) to go to the Lunar New Year celebration at KUMC in Virginia. When I found out Christy was going to be there, I had this feeling that I needed to go, that she was someone I was supposed to get to know. Well fast forward till now, and guess what, Christy and I will be living only an hour from each other in AZ! An hour may sound like a lot, but after living in the DC area, I can tell you it is nothing. It takes me an hour due to traffic to meet up with Christy right now. How amazing is this: 2 women connect through blogging, both love the Lord, both live in the DC area, both are adopting from Korea, both are military spouses, and both end up moving to AZ!!!! How cool is that! To know I will have a friend nearby is such a blessing and is really helping to make this move more bearable. I love that we will be able to go to the airport for each other to celebrate our children's homecoming, set up a weekly play date, and just be there to support one another.
I do have a prayer request. We don't have the time or the finances for a house hunting trip right now, so please be praying we find a house quickly once we get out there. The new base housing is very nice, so we put an application in. We are currently #17 out of 18 on the waitlist. Not sure what are chances are of being offered a house in time so please keep us in your prayers.
Monday, March 21, 2011
My To-Do List
I have a ton of plans for how I want to use this time between now and Joshua's arrival now that I am not working.
First order of business was to join a gym. I don't know if it was related to my miscarriage, and/or the accompanying grief, or my sedentary job, but I have gained about 11 pounds over the last 2 years. I found a great gym with classes I really like very close to my house. I managed to go 4 out of the five days last week, and did a video workout at home on the fifth day. I took the weekend off to let my aching muscles recover a bit, but was back at it today. I am feeling better already!
Adoption-related to-do items:
1)Home study update paperwork - done! We received notarized copies on my last day of work (so technically not on my "no longer working to-do list").
2)Care package #2 - sent off last week
3) Research nursery items and baby gear - ongoing
4) Register - John and I are going tomorrow
5) Buy items not received as gifts
6) Read a few parenting books, I have read lots of adoptive parenting books, but not general parenting books- I have read one (but that was before I stopped working)
7) Practice (re-learn) Korean language
8) Investigate travel to Korea
9) Buy gifts for Joshua's foster family, social worker in Korea, and Eastern staff
Items 5-9 may not be done until after the move.
Home/nesting projects:
1) Organize and get up to date on all our pictures - I have 2 empty scrapbooks made by my sister that just need to have the pictures inserted, a beautiful Army scrapbook that I want to make pages for to document my 6 years in the Army, and boxes (and boxes) of pictures to scan and put in albums
2) Organize recipes - every recipe I have ever received from someone or printed off the internet is in a cabinet above our stove, and it is a mess! Ideally, I would love to combine this project with menu planning, like maybe plan a month's worth of meals and then just rotate through every month. It seems like it would be one less thing to think about once Joshua is home.
3) Add my CD's to our itunes library
4) Clean out file drawers, and file the piles (or throw away!)
5) Clean out all closets and the basement
6) Frame artwork - I have several items I have been given or have purchased recently that are not framed. I try to frame my artwork (and I use the term loosely) by finding frames at thrift stores or yard sales (I found 4 frames for $10 at a thrift store last week, so this is part of the way done).
I can definitely see how fast this time is going to go by; it doesn't seem like I got anywhere near as much done as I wanted to last week. After going to the gym each morning (9:30 am class), I feel like I get a late start to my day. But I know I have to make working out a priority right now. After cleaning my house, putting the care package together, spending an afternoon with a friend who is moving to India for a year, dentist appointment, hair appointment (and a stop at the thrift store next door), researching nursery baby items, searching craigslist, dinner with a friend, and catching up with my hubby, that was pretty much my week last week.
My craigslist searching did pan out I am happy to say - I will post my find in an upcoming post. This past weekend my stepmom was in town. On Saturday we went to the Columbia, MD Mothers of Multiples sale, where I also found some great deals (will also post them soon).
Since John is on spring break this week and I have a going away party for my friend who is going to India to help with, my only goal is to get registered before I leave for Turkey. Then when I get back, I want to tackle the picture and recipe fiasco. Then I'll move on to our files and closets, which will be good preparation for the move.
In the midst of all this, we will be moving (the military will pack us, but there is still preparation that we have to do), house and church hunting, and unpacking and setting up the new house, so this will also keep me busy. I can't wait to finally set up Joshua's room!
So this is the plan....
First order of business was to join a gym. I don't know if it was related to my miscarriage, and/or the accompanying grief, or my sedentary job, but I have gained about 11 pounds over the last 2 years. I found a great gym with classes I really like very close to my house. I managed to go 4 out of the five days last week, and did a video workout at home on the fifth day. I took the weekend off to let my aching muscles recover a bit, but was back at it today. I am feeling better already!
Adoption-related to-do items:
1)
2)
3) Research nursery items and baby gear - ongoing
4) Register - John and I are going tomorrow
5) Buy items not received as gifts
6) Read a few parenting books, I have read lots of adoptive parenting books, but not general parenting books- I have read one (but that was before I stopped working)
7) Practice (re-learn) Korean language
8) Investigate travel to Korea
9) Buy gifts for Joshua's foster family, social worker in Korea, and Eastern staff
Items 5-9 may not be done until after the move.
Home/nesting projects:
1) Organize and get up to date on all our pictures - I have 2 empty scrapbooks made by my sister that just need to have the pictures inserted, a beautiful Army scrapbook that I want to make pages for to document my 6 years in the Army, and boxes (and boxes) of pictures to scan and put in albums
2) Organize recipes - every recipe I have ever received from someone or printed off the internet is in a cabinet above our stove, and it is a mess! Ideally, I would love to combine this project with menu planning, like maybe plan a month's worth of meals and then just rotate through every month. It seems like it would be one less thing to think about once Joshua is home.
3) Add my CD's to our itunes library
4) Clean out file drawers, and file the piles (or throw away!)
5) Clean out all closets and the basement
6) Frame artwork - I have several items I have been given or have purchased recently that are not framed. I try to frame my artwork (and I use the term loosely) by finding frames at thrift stores or yard sales (I found 4 frames for $10 at a thrift store last week, so this is part of the way done).
I can definitely see how fast this time is going to go by; it doesn't seem like I got anywhere near as much done as I wanted to last week. After going to the gym each morning (9:30 am class), I feel like I get a late start to my day. But I know I have to make working out a priority right now. After cleaning my house, putting the care package together, spending an afternoon with a friend who is moving to India for a year, dentist appointment, hair appointment (and a stop at the thrift store next door), researching nursery baby items, searching craigslist, dinner with a friend, and catching up with my hubby, that was pretty much my week last week.
My craigslist searching did pan out I am happy to say - I will post my find in an upcoming post. This past weekend my stepmom was in town. On Saturday we went to the Columbia, MD Mothers of Multiples sale, where I also found some great deals (will also post them soon).
Since John is on spring break this week and I have a going away party for my friend who is going to India to help with, my only goal is to get registered before I leave for Turkey. Then when I get back, I want to tackle the picture and recipe fiasco. Then I'll move on to our files and closets, which will be good preparation for the move.
In the midst of all this, we will be moving (the military will pack us, but there is still preparation that we have to do), house and church hunting, and unpacking and setting up the new house, so this will also keep me busy. I can't wait to finally set up Joshua's room!
So this is the plan....
Monday, January 31, 2011
Are 2-4 Years of Good Hair Days in My Future?
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support after my last post. John and I completed the preference list for our next military assignment and got it turned in to his senior officer. We feel pretty comfortable with our choices given the 13 potential options, many of which are considered undesirable locations.
We based our decision largely on the following:
- The presence of an adoption agency that had an already established partnership agreement with our agency
- The presence of an adoption agency with a Korea program (we want to be around other families who have or are adopting from Korea)
- Presence of an Asian American (and preferably Korean) community, as a minimum Korean churches, restaurants, and grocery stores (we really, really don't want our son to be or feel like he is the only Korean person around)
I realize there are some who won't understand or agree with our reasoning, but I feel the decision to adopt transracially/transculturally comes with responsibility. As far as it is in our control and to the best of our ability, we want to ensure our son is around other Korean adoptees and other Korean Americans. As is the case this time, we may not have the option of living in an area like the DC metro area, Los Angeles, New York, or New Jersey which all have large Korean communities, but we will do the best we can. This also means we can't select places based only on their closeness to family.
There are many assignments in the military where none of the above three requirements would be met and so we are trying to avoid those places. Basically, that meant we chose metropolitan areas.
So here is how we ranked the potential choices we were given:
1. Davis Monthan AFB - Tuscon, AZ
2. Luke AFB - Phoenix, AZ
3. Randolph AFB - Universal City, TX (just outside of San Antonio)
4. Lackland AFB - San Antonio, TX
5. Tinker AFB - Oklahoma City, OK (believe it or not it actually has the highest percentage of the population that are Asian of almost all these choices, but it doesn't have an agency that is partnered with ours, and it has tornadoes, so it is #5 )
6. Sheppard AFB - Wichita Falls, TX
7. Goodfellow AFB - San Angelo, TX
8. Scott AFB - near Belleville, IL
9. Keesler AFB - Biloxi, MS
10. Barksdale AFB - Shreveport, LA (sorry to my Louisiana friends, it is nothing against Louisiana, it just didn't meet the above requirements)
11. FE Warren - Cheyenne, Wyoming
12. Kirtland AFB - Albuquerque, NM
13. Cannon AFB - Clovis, NM
I had the opportunity to visit Phoenix for work last August. The dry heat is my friend - my hair looked better than it ever has all week long, even after walking around outside in the heat. So maybe 2-4 years of good hair days are in my future.
Okay, so we didn't choose Arizona based on the potential for my hair to look good, though with hair as baby fine as mine is, it sure is a bonus. Arizona was the only place that had an agency with a Korea program that was already a partner agency with our agency, and so it went to the top of the list.
Christy, it made me so happy to read your comment on my last post that there is a chance you might also be moving to Arizona! One of the things that will be most difficult for me about moving is that I have begun to meet other families adopting from Korea here in the DC area. I really want Joshua to have "Seoul brothers" to have play dates with and to have a support network of other adoptive parents wherever we end up.
Overall, I am feeling better about the move and the timing of everything. Deep down I think I have been fearing the whole adoption would fall apart because of it. I called our adoption agency to talk about our upcoming move which did a lot to allay my fears. She recommended we try not to go to a couple of states if we could help it (one of which wasn't even a possibility), but overall she said our move wasn't going to be a problem. I was mainly concerned about having to update our home study once we got to the new state and what would happen if we got our travel call before we could get it updated. She said it wouldn't be a problem as long as our home study from Maryland wasn't due to expire (which it won't be since we are in the process of renewing it now). I told her everyone had been telling us that we were going to get our travel call in May right when we are trying to move. She laughed and said, "That isn't going to happen," meaning there was no way we would be traveling by then given the fact that our paperwork didn't go to Korea until October 5th. She said she didn't think we would travel until August or maybe even September, which would be the full "up to 11 months" that we have been told our wait would be.
At least we should have plenty of time to update our home study and set up Joshua's room at our new house ;-)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Prayer Request
We just got back last night from a quick weekend trip to Florida (Melbourne, not Eglin) to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. My brother and his fiance, and John and I got in late Friday night and surprised him. I had an such amazing time! It was one of the best trips to see my family I have ever had.
It didn't give much of an opportunity for rest this weekend, but it was totally worth it.
I have 2 prayer requests and would greatly appreciate your prayers:
First, could you please pray for my friend Wendi? After many years of infertility, she is pregnant with her third child, and just had an emergency appendectomy in Turkey. I can't imagine how scary this must be for her. Mom and baby are reportedly doing well after the surgery.
Secondly, the Air Force FNP potential assignment list just came out. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are due to move at the end of May, possibly the end of June, to John's next assignment with the Air Force. Our adoption agency got permission from Eastern for our move after explaining to them that military families have no choice about moving. However, this was before the extended wait until travel happened. Prior to this, we were supposed to be traveling to Korea before our move, and now it may not happen until after. It just adds further complication to the process and I am just not sure how it is all going to go in terms of timing, which creates some anxiety in me. We may have to do a completely new home study for the new state - I think this is the part that worries me most in terms of the timing.
We need to rank order the 13 potential assignments on the list. To my family, none of them are in Florida :-(
I'll give a few hints. Based solely on the number of bases on the list that are in Texas, we have a good chance of ending up there. However, both of the Arizona bases that we had been thinking about are also on the list. None of the other places on our dream sheet are on the list.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom for John and I as we make our choices and for favor with those making the assignments.
I know that the Lord has orchestrated our entire adoption process and He will continue to do so. It is all in His hands. I have to believe He has a place prepared for us. And so I choose, this day, to place my trust in Him.
It didn't give much of an opportunity for rest this weekend, but it was totally worth it.
I have 2 prayer requests and would greatly appreciate your prayers:
First, could you please pray for my friend Wendi? After many years of infertility, she is pregnant with her third child, and just had an emergency appendectomy in Turkey. I can't imagine how scary this must be for her. Mom and baby are reportedly doing well after the surgery.
Secondly, the Air Force FNP potential assignment list just came out. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are due to move at the end of May, possibly the end of June, to John's next assignment with the Air Force. Our adoption agency got permission from Eastern for our move after explaining to them that military families have no choice about moving. However, this was before the extended wait until travel happened. Prior to this, we were supposed to be traveling to Korea before our move, and now it may not happen until after. It just adds further complication to the process and I am just not sure how it is all going to go in terms of timing, which creates some anxiety in me. We may have to do a completely new home study for the new state - I think this is the part that worries me most in terms of the timing.
We need to rank order the 13 potential assignments on the list. To my family, none of them are in Florida :-(
I'll give a few hints. Based solely on the number of bases on the list that are in Texas, we have a good chance of ending up there. However, both of the Arizona bases that we had been thinking about are also on the list. None of the other places on our dream sheet are on the list.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom for John and I as we make our choices and for favor with those making the assignments.
I know that the Lord has orchestrated our entire adoption process and He will continue to do so. It is all in His hands. I have to believe He has a place prepared for us. And so I choose, this day, to place my trust in Him.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Our "Dream Sheet"
I have been busy, busy, busy. Last week I was in Phoenix, AZ for work. It was my first trip to Arizona and I must say I liked it. The people were so friendly (especially compared to DC). It was great to have a chance to check it out because it was one of the places we selected as a potential next duty assignment for John. John graduates from Family Nurse Practitioner school next May and so we will be moving shortly thereafter. We recently had to give the Air Force a list, often called a "dream sheet" of the places we would like to go. Of course, the Air Force is free to completely ignore this list, and it is entirely possible it will amount to nothing more than a "dream." Our primary consideration in selecting places was where we feel we can best complete our adoption with as little trouble as possible. Basically, this means places places where our adoption agency has a partner agency within driving distance and preferably one that also has a Korea program. An agency with a Korea program is a plus since they will be familiar with doing home studies for Korea and there will be other adoptive families with whom we can connect. We eliminated Air Force Bases that are in the middle of nowhere (which is quite a lot of them) and tried to choose places where there is a decent sized Korean community. Basically, we ended up having to select places that are near or in metropolitan areas. This list is probably mainly of interest to my family, but since some of them read my blog, here it is:
1. Davis Monthan AFB, AZ (Tuscon)
2. Travis AFB, CA (northern California near San Francisco)
3. Buckley AFB, CO (Denver)
4. Patrick AFB, FL (near Melbourne where my parents and most of my siblings live)
5. MacDill AFB, FL (Tampa, about 3 hours from my family)
6. Luke AFB, AZ (Phoenix)
7. Hill AFB, UT (Salt Lake City)
8. Lackland AFB, TX (San Antonio)
9. Langley AFB, VA (Virginia Beach)
10.Robbins AFB, GA (about 100 miles from Atlanta, 6 hours from my family)
To be honest, I never thought I would choose to live in Florida again, but I like the idea of our child being able to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins more often. I have found myself imagining my family being able to meet us at the airport to welcome us home from Korea and meet our little one. I am just praying we get sent to the best place for our family and the adoption process.
We are off to Hawaii tomorrow! I am so excited! I managed to finish one other post which I am setting to post while I am gone, but otherwise I won't be posting for the next week.
Hope everyone has a great week!
1. Davis Monthan AFB, AZ (Tuscon)
2. Travis AFB, CA (northern California near San Francisco)
3. Buckley AFB, CO (Denver)
4. Patrick AFB, FL (near Melbourne where my parents and most of my siblings live)
5. MacDill AFB, FL (Tampa, about 3 hours from my family)
6. Luke AFB, AZ (Phoenix)
7. Hill AFB, UT (Salt Lake City)
8. Lackland AFB, TX (San Antonio)
9. Langley AFB, VA (Virginia Beach)
10.Robbins AFB, GA (about 100 miles from Atlanta, 6 hours from my family)
To be honest, I never thought I would choose to live in Florida again, but I like the idea of our child being able to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins more often. I have found myself imagining my family being able to meet us at the airport to welcome us home from Korea and meet our little one. I am just praying we get sent to the best place for our family and the adoption process.
We are off to Hawaii tomorrow! I am so excited! I managed to finish one other post which I am setting to post while I am gone, but otherwise I won't be posting for the next week.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Catching Up
It has been a while since I have been able to post regularly so I definitely have some catching up to do. I am also behind on emails so if you haven't heard back from me, I am so sorry. I am hopefully going to get caught up today on emails and all the blogs I read.
John and I are pretty much settled into our new house. I have had several requests for pictures and so I will post some as soon as I can. I wish I had taken some pictures of the house when it was empty. Now that our furniture is here, I, in my perfectionism, want to wait until everything is fully ready and decorated before I post pictures. And now for a recap. We signed our lease on the 16th of May and moved in on the 18th. We only had to wait a few days for our furniture to arrive. Overall, the move went very well. Nothing was lost by the moving company and there was only minor damage to few pieces of furniture. John was able to fix all of it without too much trouble. My crock pot was broken, but that is the only thing that didn't make it through the move. For a military move, I would say we made out very well (I have heard horror stories of couches broken in half - who knew that was even possible). The next week and a half was spent unpacking, setting up, and getting the house decorated. I am pretty much finished except for hanging curtains and a few pieces of artwork that I haven't decided where to put. I also have some shopping to do for new lampshades, a shower curtain, bathroom rugs, curtains, and that sort of thing. I also had some very successful yard sale trips with my cousin. I got 2 matching wooden nightstands for $10 each and a small wooden bookcase for $15. My cousin found a wooden coffee table for our living room for $25 at a thrift store. this enabled me to move our other coffee table to the family room where it looks much better. These finds really filled in the gaps. We did end up buying a cheap TV stand, a bookcase, and a table set for the sun room at Ikea. Our next purchase is a new mattress for our bedroom and then we will move the one we are using now to the guest bedroom. Decorating and setting up a new house is my favorite part of moving so I have been having fun getting set up and seeing things come together. For the most part our house is made up of hand me down furniture, thrift store finds, and stuff from Ikea (their more traditional stuff). I like the challenge of putting it all together so that it hopefully doesn't look like a thrift store.
John started school the day the furniture arrived. Thankfully, it was just an in-processing day that didn't last long so he was able to be here with me when the furniture arrived. The next weekend was a 4-day weekend for the Memorial Day holiday so he had some time off for which I was very thankful. The last week in May they had orientation and classes started the first week in June. John describes it as a fire hose. He and his classmates are incredibly stressed out. They say that the first year is incredibly difficult, with this initial summer term being the most difficult of all. He basically has to learn the entire human anatomy in 10 weeks, plus classes where they discuss the role of the Family Nurse Practitioner, cell biology, and health assessment (giving a physical). When he is not in class, he spends almost all of his time in the lab learning anatomy or studying. I think he is feeling pretty overwhelmed. We actually went to the ER on Thursday night because John woke up in incredible pain from esophageal spasms. He has been having some problems with GERD for a while now. Under stress, the symptoms have really intensified. He was put on some medication so hopefully he will start feeling better very soon. They pretty much tell the spouses not to expect much from their spouse during this time. Thankfully, we have managed to carve out a little time together each week for dinner out, a bike ride, and church. His first test is on Tuesday so say a prayer for John if you would.
As I mentioned previously, we had decided that the best thing for me to do right now was go back to work. I had been working on my Master of Public Health, a program I began in Jan 2007, shortly after getting out of the army. We decided to put my degree on hold while we went through IVF because it was just too much to handle together. If I had gotten pregnant, I would have put my degree on hold even longer to allow me to be a stay-at-home mom. Obviously, that is not happening so I was left with the choice of going back to work or finishing my degree. I absolutely adore the field of public health and I know it is ultimately the area I want to work in. However, I was not thrilled with the program at the school I was attending. It is a new program and I think they are still working out some of the kinks. Also, they are still in the accrediting process. Transferring to a school here in MD is really not an option because the cost of graduate school here is horrendous. Also, we have not giving up our hope of becoming parents and so I didn't want to start something I couldn't finish if we were to become parents. This left me with going back to work. But truly I was dreading the job hunt and my heart really wasn't in it. I asked God for His mercy and He truly provided more than I could have asked or imagined. You can read more about it here. I can't believe the Lord provided a job before I even started looking. I feel truly blessed to have a job in this economy and especially one that matches up so perfectly with my skills and interests. Also, it is only a 15 minute commute! In DC, that is an absolute dream. Many people spend an hour, or even more, each way commuting here in the DC area. For both John and I to have such short commutes is such a blessing. My job is in the Graduate School of Nursing working for one of John's professors. She is doing research on stress, coping, and health promoting behaviors in military spouses. She initially focused on looking at these issues during deployment, but she is interested in looking at how military life in general affects spouses. So I will actually be using much of the skills and knowledge I gained in graduate school. After the interview, which was more like an informational interview than a typical job interview, it was decided that I would start this past Monday. My first week of work went very well and it seems like a pretty good work environment. It was tough getting use to working again and I was pretty tired each day after work (and very sore feet).
In other news, we are still church hunting. We visited the church we use to attend when we lived here before, but we are just not sure that it is where the Lord is leading us. We decided to try the church where my cousin goes because they launched a new campus here in Silver Spring. It is geared towards people in their 20s and 30s, a lot of whom are single. They have a Sunday evening service so we are going there for the second time tonight. Please pray that the Lord leads us to the place He has for us.
I was asked by Alicia if I liked the east coast. I really like the DC area a lot. I was stationed here when I was in the army. This is where John and I met and got married. Also, I was born in West Virginia, and as a child lived in both Maryland and Virginia. I still have several very close friends in the area that were part of my small group (Bible study/fellowship group for those who might not be familiar with the term). I was part of this group when John and I were apart for his first year plus a few months of his time in the Air Force. I was still in the army so I had to finish my time here before I could join him in Florida. These ladies became a very special part of my life. It was my first experience with Christian fellowship and I will never forget it. That being said, I still miss our friends and church in Florida a great deal.
The move and the new job has definitely been a distraction from the news of receiving a BFN from our last IVF cycle. It basically delayed the grieving process. The last week in May, when John was at orientation, I was able to have some time of grieving. In many ways, I am still grieving. I am not grieving the negative so much as the the end of IF treatment and the likelihood that we will never have a biological child. With the news we received last cycle and the fact that it didn't go so well, the negative was expected. We both feel that we have given things our best shot and that we are done with treatment. Even though it was only 2 cycles, I feel like it was the equivalent of 4. Basically, 2 of our cycles ended before they could even start because of the inability of our embryos to make it to be frozen. I see people all over the blogosphere that have 5 day transfers and 5 day freezes with beautiful blasts. The fact that ours can't make it to blast is indicative of a problem that IVF simply cannot overcome. The next step is to cancel out of the shared risk program and give away my leftover drugs. This is a hard step for me because it signifies an acknowledgment that we are at the end of the road. I will post an offer for the drugs very soon. I know that I need to fully grieve the loss of pregnancy and biological parenthood before moving on. However, we feel clear about the direction we are going to be heading in. John and I sense that God is leading us to pursue adoption. In no way do I consider adoption to be second best or plan B. So please don't mistake my grief as saying I have such feelings. I believe adoption is always plan A for those whom God leads to pursue it. I believe that it's just that sometimes you have to go down different paths in order for God to prepare your heart for what He has for you. I believe this is what God has done in our hearts. I will post more about this very soon, but I didn't want to delay posting about being led towards adoption any longer because I know I hinted in an early post about being led in a different direction.
Sorry for such a long post. I will try to be much better about blogging from now on. I need to figure out a new routine now that I am working.
John and I are pretty much settled into our new house. I have had several requests for pictures and so I will post some as soon as I can. I wish I had taken some pictures of the house when it was empty. Now that our furniture is here, I, in my perfectionism, want to wait until everything is fully ready and decorated before I post pictures. And now for a recap. We signed our lease on the 16th of May and moved in on the 18th. We only had to wait a few days for our furniture to arrive. Overall, the move went very well. Nothing was lost by the moving company and there was only minor damage to few pieces of furniture. John was able to fix all of it without too much trouble. My crock pot was broken, but that is the only thing that didn't make it through the move. For a military move, I would say we made out very well (I have heard horror stories of couches broken in half - who knew that was even possible). The next week and a half was spent unpacking, setting up, and getting the house decorated. I am pretty much finished except for hanging curtains and a few pieces of artwork that I haven't decided where to put. I also have some shopping to do for new lampshades, a shower curtain, bathroom rugs, curtains, and that sort of thing. I also had some very successful yard sale trips with my cousin. I got 2 matching wooden nightstands for $10 each and a small wooden bookcase for $15. My cousin found a wooden coffee table for our living room for $25 at a thrift store. this enabled me to move our other coffee table to the family room where it looks much better. These finds really filled in the gaps. We did end up buying a cheap TV stand, a bookcase, and a table set for the sun room at Ikea. Our next purchase is a new mattress for our bedroom and then we will move the one we are using now to the guest bedroom. Decorating and setting up a new house is my favorite part of moving so I have been having fun getting set up and seeing things come together. For the most part our house is made up of hand me down furniture, thrift store finds, and stuff from Ikea (their more traditional stuff). I like the challenge of putting it all together so that it hopefully doesn't look like a thrift store.
John started school the day the furniture arrived. Thankfully, it was just an in-processing day that didn't last long so he was able to be here with me when the furniture arrived. The next weekend was a 4-day weekend for the Memorial Day holiday so he had some time off for which I was very thankful. The last week in May they had orientation and classes started the first week in June. John describes it as a fire hose. He and his classmates are incredibly stressed out. They say that the first year is incredibly difficult, with this initial summer term being the most difficult of all. He basically has to learn the entire human anatomy in 10 weeks, plus classes where they discuss the role of the Family Nurse Practitioner, cell biology, and health assessment (giving a physical). When he is not in class, he spends almost all of his time in the lab learning anatomy or studying. I think he is feeling pretty overwhelmed. We actually went to the ER on Thursday night because John woke up in incredible pain from esophageal spasms. He has been having some problems with GERD for a while now. Under stress, the symptoms have really intensified. He was put on some medication so hopefully he will start feeling better very soon. They pretty much tell the spouses not to expect much from their spouse during this time. Thankfully, we have managed to carve out a little time together each week for dinner out, a bike ride, and church. His first test is on Tuesday so say a prayer for John if you would.
As I mentioned previously, we had decided that the best thing for me to do right now was go back to work. I had been working on my Master of Public Health, a program I began in Jan 2007, shortly after getting out of the army. We decided to put my degree on hold while we went through IVF because it was just too much to handle together. If I had gotten pregnant, I would have put my degree on hold even longer to allow me to be a stay-at-home mom. Obviously, that is not happening so I was left with the choice of going back to work or finishing my degree. I absolutely adore the field of public health and I know it is ultimately the area I want to work in. However, I was not thrilled with the program at the school I was attending. It is a new program and I think they are still working out some of the kinks. Also, they are still in the accrediting process. Transferring to a school here in MD is really not an option because the cost of graduate school here is horrendous. Also, we have not giving up our hope of becoming parents and so I didn't want to start something I couldn't finish if we were to become parents. This left me with going back to work. But truly I was dreading the job hunt and my heart really wasn't in it. I asked God for His mercy and He truly provided more than I could have asked or imagined. You can read more about it here. I can't believe the Lord provided a job before I even started looking. I feel truly blessed to have a job in this economy and especially one that matches up so perfectly with my skills and interests. Also, it is only a 15 minute commute! In DC, that is an absolute dream. Many people spend an hour, or even more, each way commuting here in the DC area. For both John and I to have such short commutes is such a blessing. My job is in the Graduate School of Nursing working for one of John's professors. She is doing research on stress, coping, and health promoting behaviors in military spouses. She initially focused on looking at these issues during deployment, but she is interested in looking at how military life in general affects spouses. So I will actually be using much of the skills and knowledge I gained in graduate school. After the interview, which was more like an informational interview than a typical job interview, it was decided that I would start this past Monday. My first week of work went very well and it seems like a pretty good work environment. It was tough getting use to working again and I was pretty tired each day after work (and very sore feet).
In other news, we are still church hunting. We visited the church we use to attend when we lived here before, but we are just not sure that it is where the Lord is leading us. We decided to try the church where my cousin goes because they launched a new campus here in Silver Spring. It is geared towards people in their 20s and 30s, a lot of whom are single. They have a Sunday evening service so we are going there for the second time tonight. Please pray that the Lord leads us to the place He has for us.
I was asked by Alicia if I liked the east coast. I really like the DC area a lot. I was stationed here when I was in the army. This is where John and I met and got married. Also, I was born in West Virginia, and as a child lived in both Maryland and Virginia. I still have several very close friends in the area that were part of my small group (Bible study/fellowship group for those who might not be familiar with the term). I was part of this group when John and I were apart for his first year plus a few months of his time in the Air Force. I was still in the army so I had to finish my time here before I could join him in Florida. These ladies became a very special part of my life. It was my first experience with Christian fellowship and I will never forget it. That being said, I still miss our friends and church in Florida a great deal.
The move and the new job has definitely been a distraction from the news of receiving a BFN from our last IVF cycle. It basically delayed the grieving process. The last week in May, when John was at orientation, I was able to have some time of grieving. In many ways, I am still grieving. I am not grieving the negative so much as the the end of IF treatment and the likelihood that we will never have a biological child. With the news we received last cycle and the fact that it didn't go so well, the negative was expected. We both feel that we have given things our best shot and that we are done with treatment. Even though it was only 2 cycles, I feel like it was the equivalent of 4. Basically, 2 of our cycles ended before they could even start because of the inability of our embryos to make it to be frozen. I see people all over the blogosphere that have 5 day transfers and 5 day freezes with beautiful blasts. The fact that ours can't make it to blast is indicative of a problem that IVF simply cannot overcome. The next step is to cancel out of the shared risk program and give away my leftover drugs. This is a hard step for me because it signifies an acknowledgment that we are at the end of the road. I will post an offer for the drugs very soon. I know that I need to fully grieve the loss of pregnancy and biological parenthood before moving on. However, we feel clear about the direction we are going to be heading in. John and I sense that God is leading us to pursue adoption. In no way do I consider adoption to be second best or plan B. So please don't mistake my grief as saying I have such feelings. I believe adoption is always plan A for those whom God leads to pursue it. I believe that it's just that sometimes you have to go down different paths in order for God to prepare your heart for what He has for you. I believe this is what God has done in our hearts. I will post more about this very soon, but I didn't want to delay posting about being led towards adoption any longer because I know I hinted in an early post about being led in a different direction.
Sorry for such a long post. I will try to be much better about blogging from now on. I need to figure out a new routine now that I am working.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Job Interview at 1:00 PM Eastern
I am amazed at God's faithfulness and mercy to me. John and I had decided that the best thing for me to do right now would be for me to go back to work. The plan was to begin the job hunt as soon as we got settled into the house, so sometime this week. I was dreading this job hunt because, to be honest, all I really want to do is be a stay at home mom. So I had asked God for His mercy in helping me to find a job quickly and easily. Well last Friday, before I even started looking, there was a picnic at John's school to welcome new students. Right before we left we ran into one of the faculty. She had wanted to meet John because one of his colleagues at Eglin (who was a friend of hers) had sent her a letter of introduction for John. She said she heard I would be looking for work also and asked me to tell her about my background. Turns out she is looking for a research associate. My skills and interests match up perfectly for the research she will be doing. This past weekend I updated my CV and sent it to her. She seemed pleased by it and so we arranged to meet today for an interview. On Tuesday, I received an employment offer from the contractor for the position. I don't know how firm the offer is since nothing has been signed yet. I am meeting with her today at 1:00 PM. Please pray that all goes well with the interview. I will give more details later about the position and how faithful God was in providing this for me.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
We Have a House!
We found a great house! We finally signed the lease yesterday after waiting for a few days to hear whether we were approved by the homeowner. We picked up the keys today. It has everything we were hoping for: wood floors in the living room, a fireplace, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, den, sun room, fenced-in back yard, plenty of storage space in the basement, and a great location. We are inside the beltway, within 5 minutes of 495 and a metro station. John's commute should not ever be more than 30 minutes, and in the morning it should be far less.
We really like our landlord. He lives here in the area and spent a portion of his childhood in the house. The house belonged to his mother, but she is now living in an assisted living facility. He came in after his mother moved out and renovated most of the house. I like that this house was not a flip or an investment property for him. It makes us feel a lot more secure about the situation given all the foreclosures we hear about. Also, Montgomery county has a lot of protection for tenants, especially when compared to Florida. It is almost impossible to evict a tenant here and he is by law not allowed to place the house on the market during the 2 years of our lease.
We will probably stay with my cousin for a couple more days before moving in because the moving company isn't able to deliver our stuff until Thursday. We are very excited about the house and can't wait to get settled in. It has been difficult just waiting around. I think John and I both started to get very frustrated while we waited to hear whether or not we had the house. But God is faithful and He definitely provided for us. We are very thankful.
We really like our landlord. He lives here in the area and spent a portion of his childhood in the house. The house belonged to his mother, but she is now living in an assisted living facility. He came in after his mother moved out and renovated most of the house. I like that this house was not a flip or an investment property for him. It makes us feel a lot more secure about the situation given all the foreclosures we hear about. Also, Montgomery county has a lot of protection for tenants, especially when compared to Florida. It is almost impossible to evict a tenant here and he is by law not allowed to place the house on the market during the 2 years of our lease.
We will probably stay with my cousin for a couple more days before moving in because the moving company isn't able to deliver our stuff until Thursday. We are very excited about the house and can't wait to get settled in. It has been difficult just waiting around. I think John and I both started to get very frustrated while we waited to hear whether or not we had the house. But God is faithful and He definitely provided for us. We are very thankful.
Monday, May 11, 2009
House Hunting - Please Pray
I went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center today to get blood drawn. Now I just have to wait to get the official results.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for me yesterday. It ended up being a pretty good day. I think being honest about my feelings and posting them here really helped. I was able to have a good cry and then move on. In the morning, John and I tackled a couple projects around my cousin's house as a way of thanking her for letting us stay at her house. She is away on a business trip until Thursday. John fixed a toilet, shelf, and door and I planted a few flowers on her deck and got it cleaned up. After that we picked up lunch and headed to Sligo Creek Park for a picnic. We took our Bible and spent some time reading and praying about next steps. Then we went and explored a neighborhood where we saw a house we liked. After we got home we called our moms, lounged around, had dinner, and then I watched the Celebrity Apprentice finale.
Last Friday we started our house hunting. Let me just say it did not go well. I was so discouraged, almost to the point of despair (my hormones may have been partly to blame). I can not understand how people expect to rent some of the houses we saw in the condition they are in - some of them were just awful. We found one house we liked. It had every feature we had hoped for and it was in a good location, but it had one major problem. It stunk. And I mean really badly. Initially, we thought (I think we were basically feeling desperate at this point) that maybe they just needed to get the carpets cleaned so we went ahead and filled out the application for that house. But after we got home and talked about it, we decided that the carpet probably needed more than a cleaning to get the smell out. It was kind of like a really, really bad dog (urine) smell, but with something else as well. Let me just say I would not be surprised to hear that someone or something died in that house. So we decided to look at a slightly higher price range and see if that helps us find what we are looking for. Thankfully, we were able to call our real estate agent prior to her submitting the application on the smelly house and so I don't think we will even be out the application fee. At the higher price range we found a few houses we are interested in seeing and we are going to see them today. Please pray for God's provision of a house for us and for wisdom and guidance for John and I. We really need to be in a house by May 21st when John has to start school. Needing something that is available immediately certainly limits us, but nothing is impossible with God. Thank you for praying. I know God is faithful and has promised to meet all our needs.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19
Thank you to everyone who prayed for me yesterday. It ended up being a pretty good day. I think being honest about my feelings and posting them here really helped. I was able to have a good cry and then move on. In the morning, John and I tackled a couple projects around my cousin's house as a way of thanking her for letting us stay at her house. She is away on a business trip until Thursday. John fixed a toilet, shelf, and door and I planted a few flowers on her deck and got it cleaned up. After that we picked up lunch and headed to Sligo Creek Park for a picnic. We took our Bible and spent some time reading and praying about next steps. Then we went and explored a neighborhood where we saw a house we liked. After we got home we called our moms, lounged around, had dinner, and then I watched the Celebrity Apprentice finale.
Last Friday we started our house hunting. Let me just say it did not go well. I was so discouraged, almost to the point of despair (my hormones may have been partly to blame). I can not understand how people expect to rent some of the houses we saw in the condition they are in - some of them were just awful. We found one house we liked. It had every feature we had hoped for and it was in a good location, but it had one major problem. It stunk. And I mean really badly. Initially, we thought (I think we were basically feeling desperate at this point) that maybe they just needed to get the carpets cleaned so we went ahead and filled out the application for that house. But after we got home and talked about it, we decided that the carpet probably needed more than a cleaning to get the smell out. It was kind of like a really, really bad dog (urine) smell, but with something else as well. Let me just say I would not be surprised to hear that someone or something died in that house. So we decided to look at a slightly higher price range and see if that helps us find what we are looking for. Thankfully, we were able to call our real estate agent prior to her submitting the application on the smelly house and so I don't think we will even be out the application fee. At the higher price range we found a few houses we are interested in seeing and we are going to see them today. Please pray for God's provision of a house for us and for wisdom and guidance for John and I. We really need to be in a house by May 21st when John has to start school. Needing something that is available immediately certainly limits us, but nothing is impossible with God. Thank you for praying. I know God is faithful and has promised to meet all our needs.
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:19
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Quick Update
We are all packed up and we are officially out of our house as of yesterday. We have actually been staying at the base's temporary lodging facility (it's like a hotel) since last Wednesday, but we passed our inspection and handed over the keys yesterday. We have been keeping busy having lots of lunches and dinners with friends. I really can't believe we are leaving tomorrow. I can't believe I am saying this, given how I felt about this place when we first moved here, but I am just so sad to be leaving. I was in tears pretty much the entire church service on Sunday. We have met so many wonderful friends here, especially over this last year. I would list them all, but I only have a little bit of time on the computer. I think you all know who you are anyways. Saying good-bye is just so hard. I know it is only good-bye for now and we will see each other again soon. I love you all so much.
I must say moving makes the 2ww pass very quickly. I could probably take a HPT tomorrow and have it show up if it was positive. But on the wise advice of my husband, I have agreed to wait until we reach DC and test on Friday morning. My RE has arranged for me to take my official test at the Walter Reed IVF program (military's program) on Monday. I am going being letting everyone know the outcome, even close friends and family, here on the blog. I just think phone calls will be too difficult for me at first. I know that there may be people wondering what the right thing is to say. Just be positive, that's all I ask. I would be very hurt by "well we'll just have to wait and see" type responses. And most of all just pray for us.
I must say moving makes the 2ww pass very quickly. I could probably take a HPT tomorrow and have it show up if it was positive. But on the wise advice of my husband, I have agreed to wait until we reach DC and test on Friday morning. My RE has arranged for me to take my official test at the Walter Reed IVF program (military's program) on Monday. I am going being letting everyone know the outcome, even close friends and family, here on the blog. I just think phone calls will be too difficult for me at first. I know that there may be people wondering what the right thing is to say. Just be positive, that's all I ask. I would be very hurt by "well we'll just have to wait and see" type responses. And most of all just pray for us.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Packing up Tomorrow!
The movers come tomorrow and Thursday to pack our stuff for the move to DC. Tonight we have to pack our clothes and other stuff that is going with us in the car.
Technically, I am supposed to be on bed rest until Thursday afternoon. I have observed a 24 hour period of bed rest and I am going to try to take it as easy as possible over the next few days, but there really isn't anything I can do to stay on a strict bed rest. With retrieval not happening until last Friday, we really got behind on our packing schedule. I have to pack my clothes and the stuff that I will need immediately. Obviously, John will load the cars so I won't be lifting anything. I have heard that there really is no difference in pregnancy rates between those who are put on bed rest and those who aren't. Still, if there is anyone who has been through this and did not have bed rest (and especially if you got pregnant), I would love it if you would leave me a reassuring comment.
I believe our Internet connection is being shut off after today, so I may not be posting or commenting on your blogs as much. John has a laptop, but it is not entirely set up yet. I am hoping he will get it up and running soon.
Also, I wanted to clear up something about the egg freezing I mentioned in a couple of my previous posts in case it came out wrong. I had said that they were experimenting with this new procedure to hopefully help cancer patients and those with religious/moral objections to freezing embryos. John and I chose to limit the number of embryos, not because we are against freezing, but because we were afraid of ending up in a situation where we had more embryos than we could ever use ourselves. Even though we know that a 100% success rate is highly unlikely, we wanted to assume 100% and know we would be willing to commit to giving everyone of them a chance at life. Having the miscarriage, very much lessened what I feel I could endure in terms of further cycles. I have several friends in the blogosphere and in real life with frozen embryos and I didn't want any of you to think that I thought it was wrong or was passing judgment on you in any way. The egg freezing appealed to me for a couple of different reasons. First, even though we did shared risk and have a 3rd egg retrieval if we need one, I would have to travel back to Mobile, AL from DC in order to do it. We already found out transferring to another reproductive center in DC is not possible with the shared risk program. I know people do travel all the time for IVF, but it would involve either a prolonged period away from John or getting monitoring set up in DC and just coming down to Mobile for the egg retrieval itself. While this is possible, it would probably cost us a lot more money (for both the travel and the monitoring) which is a major factor for us to consider. Currently, Dr. K gives a substantial discount to military members for the monitoring. We pay $700.00 instead of the usual $2000.00 fee. I am also guessing monitoring will cost a lot more in DC, since everything else does. We felt like freezing my eggs would give us a third option and at the same time leave a door open for further treatment if we so desired it down the road. We wouldn't be able to use the eggs as part of the shared risk program (we would have to cancel out), but we could avoid ever having to do another egg retrieval which shared risk would require. We would have to pay for the transfer procedure and that is about it. It would be very similar to doing a frozen embryo transfer. The other reason freezing eggs appealed to me is because its main purpose is to help cancer patients. My sister Debbie just recently had Hodgkin's lymphoma. She completed chemotherapy and radiation and is now, praise God, cancer-free. I know that her future fertility was something that was a great concern to her when she was going through all this. The current methods for freezing eggs are just not very good, which is why this research is needed. Even if I never use the eggs myself, I feel like this research could help others, like my sister, in the future.
Technically, I am supposed to be on bed rest until Thursday afternoon. I have observed a 24 hour period of bed rest and I am going to try to take it as easy as possible over the next few days, but there really isn't anything I can do to stay on a strict bed rest. With retrieval not happening until last Friday, we really got behind on our packing schedule. I have to pack my clothes and the stuff that I will need immediately. Obviously, John will load the cars so I won't be lifting anything. I have heard that there really is no difference in pregnancy rates between those who are put on bed rest and those who aren't. Still, if there is anyone who has been through this and did not have bed rest (and especially if you got pregnant), I would love it if you would leave me a reassuring comment.
I believe our Internet connection is being shut off after today, so I may not be posting or commenting on your blogs as much. John has a laptop, but it is not entirely set up yet. I am hoping he will get it up and running soon.
Also, I wanted to clear up something about the egg freezing I mentioned in a couple of my previous posts in case it came out wrong. I had said that they were experimenting with this new procedure to hopefully help cancer patients and those with religious/moral objections to freezing embryos. John and I chose to limit the number of embryos, not because we are against freezing, but because we were afraid of ending up in a situation where we had more embryos than we could ever use ourselves. Even though we know that a 100% success rate is highly unlikely, we wanted to assume 100% and know we would be willing to commit to giving everyone of them a chance at life. Having the miscarriage, very much lessened what I feel I could endure in terms of further cycles. I have several friends in the blogosphere and in real life with frozen embryos and I didn't want any of you to think that I thought it was wrong or was passing judgment on you in any way. The egg freezing appealed to me for a couple of different reasons. First, even though we did shared risk and have a 3rd egg retrieval if we need one, I would have to travel back to Mobile, AL from DC in order to do it. We already found out transferring to another reproductive center in DC is not possible with the shared risk program. I know people do travel all the time for IVF, but it would involve either a prolonged period away from John or getting monitoring set up in DC and just coming down to Mobile for the egg retrieval itself. While this is possible, it would probably cost us a lot more money (for both the travel and the monitoring) which is a major factor for us to consider. Currently, Dr. K gives a substantial discount to military members for the monitoring. We pay $700.00 instead of the usual $2000.00 fee. I am also guessing monitoring will cost a lot more in DC, since everything else does. We felt like freezing my eggs would give us a third option and at the same time leave a door open for further treatment if we so desired it down the road. We wouldn't be able to use the eggs as part of the shared risk program (we would have to cancel out), but we could avoid ever having to do another egg retrieval which shared risk would require. We would have to pay for the transfer procedure and that is about it. It would be very similar to doing a frozen embryo transfer. The other reason freezing eggs appealed to me is because its main purpose is to help cancer patients. My sister Debbie just recently had Hodgkin's lymphoma. She completed chemotherapy and radiation and is now, praise God, cancer-free. I know that her future fertility was something that was a great concern to her when she was going through all this. The current methods for freezing eggs are just not very good, which is why this research is needed. Even if I never use the eggs myself, I feel like this research could help others, like my sister, in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)