Say What?

We are finally finished with everything and finalized our home study on Monday!!! Yay!!!! That means that any day now, we can get a call from our social worker telling us they have kids for us. But of course for Chris and I, there's nothing normal about us. Our love story was kind of crazy so by default, the way we get our kids also has to be crazy right? A whole lot of craziness happened last week.

On Monday May 21st, we were asked to go to our agencies office to read and finalize our home study. As we were sitting in Jessica's office, another lady from the agency walked in stating they just received an email for an emergency placement. She was trying to discuss with Jessica different families that would take these kids but they couldn't think of anyone. She kind of glanced over at us and said, "maybe they can take them." Chris looked at her and said, "Well what do you got for us?" She told us that it was a sibling set of 4, ranging from a baby to an 8 year old. We kind of chuckled and looked at each other like there's no way we can take 4 kids!!! We only wanted max of 2 kids, how were we going to take care of 4? Jessica mentioned to us and it was hard to come across an infant without other siblings and that's what we really wanted, was to have an infant. So she left the room and let us talk about it. We talked and we decided that we just couldn't do it. We only had the two cribs and two car seats. We would need 2 other beds, more car seats/boosters, a bigger vehicle to transport everyone and just everything else in general. So we finally decided we just couldn't do it. When Jessica came back in the room we told her our decision and finished reading through our home study.

While we continued to read our home study, I just couldn't stop thinking about these kids. I thought to myself  "Maybe we can take them. I really want an infant. There's 4 kids but these are such great ages. A 7 year old is kind of crazy but not too bad. They are still young." All of these thoughts and more were running through my head. I kept looking over at Chris but I think he was trying to avoid eye contact with me because he knew how much I wanted these kids but it was going to be a lot of work. So I turned to him and said, "Are you sure we can't take them?" By now he really knew how much I wanted to have them and so we agreed on discussing it further. I asked Jessica if we could talk about it some more once we left and give her a call within the next two hours to give her a final answer. She said it was fine so we continued finalizing our home study.

On the way home, we discussed all of our options. We knew this would be a huge risk because there were a lot of unknowns. Being an emergency placement, we didn't know if we would be able to adopt these kids later and that's what we really wanted. We came up with a list of reasons why we couldn't take them. What was holding us back other than having 4 kids at once? The list really helped. We cried and shed some happy tears and finally decided that we would make it work. This is what we have all been praying for. What are the chances that you get asked to take kids without even being approved? Crazy right!? I told you guys, that's pretty much our life, exciting but crazy!

So we called Jessica back and told her we would accept!! They wanted us to do a meet and greet with the two older girls on Thursday but they decided to bypass that. Remember, we still weren't approved so they had to get our home study approved by the supervisor and into the system then sent out to the county. So this past week was crazy trying to get things in order. Friday morning, I got a call from the county telling me they would be dropping off  the girls that very morning. We got them around 11 AM and have had them since.

Here is what we know about the kids: They are all girls. They are Caucasian, they all have beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair except the oldest, hers is brown. We really don't know much about them other than knowing there mom is currently in another state. There dad lives here and still has visitation rights. All we know is that they were neglected and that's why they were taken away. If the parents clean up their act and the kids are reunified, the girls will be placed back with their mother. That's pretty much all of the information that was given to us so far. The father has court coming up so we will be able to find out a little bit more about the situation on that day.

Our lives have changed forever. We went from no kids and doing whatever we wanted to instantly becoming a family of 6. So far it has been really tiring but rewarding at the same time. I was pretty amazed how energetic and accepting these girls were to us. From the beginning they gave us hugs and kisses and continue to do so. They have told us numerous times that they already love us and wish they can stay with us. The 2 older girls absolutely adore Chris and tell him that they wish he were their father. It just completely melts my heart. Chris was definitely ready to be a father and I can already see the love he has for these girls.

We hope and pray that these girls will be able to stay with us forever and that we can adopt them. But no matter what happens, we know they came to us for a reason. There's always a purpose in Heavenly Father's plan. Even if they stay just for a short time, Chris and I know that we were able to provide a safe environment for them. Everyone says that these girls are blessed and lucky to have us but in reality, we are the ones that are truly blessed and lucky to have them.

Many of you have already come in contact with them and have met their sweet spirits. Unfortunately I can't post pictures of them yet until we adopt them but they are all so cute. We just ask that you all are mindful of them. They were placed with us for a reason and have dealt with some trauma. They have shared with us some things from their past and it just breaks my heart hearing some of the things they went through. Just please keep that in mind as you talk to them. They sometimes act out because of what has happened to them so please just have patience with them and us as brand new parents. Especially for those we go to church with, sorry in advance. We can only share so much with everyone but I will try to keep you all updated. We are so happy to have them and can't wait for you all to meet them!

Almost done!!

Sorry we have been so busy, I kept forgetting to blog! Our social worker, Jessica, has come over to our house the past three weeks to finish interviews and our home inspection. Today was the final visit and we passed our home inspection!!! woohoo!!! So now, our part is done. Jessica will take about a month to write up our home study (basically our profile)  and then submit it to the state. Once it's been submitted, we are officially certified and can receive a call anytime after that.

 

I don't think I've been too clear about how the process works. Chris and I had the option of choosing gender, ethnicity, age, and the amount of kids we wanted. So we told them we were willing to take up to 2 kids, we're open to any gender and any ethnicity. The age range we chose was 0-3. But since we are open to siblings, we are willing to take up to a 6 year old as long as one of them is an infant. So we really have no idea what we are getting or when we are getting them. Once we are certified, we can receive a call the next day telling us that the kids are ready or it can take months. We really don't know. It really is in God's hands at that point. Chris and I just keep praying that we hopefully get a set of baby twins. That explains why we have two cribs. :) But we know that whatever is sent our way, is a true gift from God. They really are going to be our little miracle babies.

 

I just want you all to know that we are so grateful for each and everyone of you. We really couldn't have done any of this without all of the love and support we have received. Thanks to our awesome boutique back in October, we were able to raise enough money to purchase everything we needed: cribs, mattresses, car seats, CPR classes, background checks, literally everything. Chris and I both have had many friends and family ask us how our process is going. I am overwhelmed with love. I love  when people are just as excited as I am. Thanks to all who helped and participated with the boutique, have called, texted, bought us gifts, and have just been there for us. You guys seriously are the greatest!

 

I'm sorry to get a little sappy here but I really couldn't have done this without my husband. We have been waiting for this moment for 5 years and I'm not going to lie, there have been really hard times. There have been times that I have cried myself to sleep just wishing we could have our own kids. But Chris has always been there to comfort me. He has always told me that it would work out on God's time and that one day we would have the family that I always dreamed of having. He has been my rock and has always strengthened me. He always looks at the positive in things and for that I am truly grateful for. This journey has been the best because of him. Seriously, how did I get so lucky? I hope our kids realize how lucky they will be to call him Dad.

 

I hope you guys enjoy these photos of the baby room. We will finish decorating once we know the gender and age of our kids. But for now, this will do. :)

Baby Room

Hey Guys, So we finally started the baby room! It actually took quite some work. We had already planned on painting the room a different color but when we inspected the walls, we noticed that there was wall paper on two of the walls. We thought about just painting over it but noticed some air bubbles and decided to take it all down. I spent one Saturday peeling it off and wiping off the adhesive and Chris spent one of his days off texturizing the walls. Now that it was done, it was finally time to start painting! This past weekend Chris and I primed and painted the room and set up the cribs. We still have more to do but now it's starting to get real.

Removing all of the wallpaper

The wallpaper is finally gone!

Assembling the cribs, isn't Chris so cute!?

Sorry this picture doesn't do justice, the wall color looks better in person. (In case you were
wondering why there are two cribs.... we put down that we would take up to 2 kids, so we had
to buy two beds to have ready) 

Last week we were told that a social worker was assigned to us and she called me to schedule another home inspection! She will be over on Monday and then next Thursday we will be going to our final training. From here, I believe it's only interviews and finishing getting the house ready. Chris and I have been trying really hard to stay on top of things. We ordered some stuff from amazon to make our house child proof and worked on that this last week.

I am filled with so much joy! I know the room isn't completely done but it just makes my heart so happy to go in that room and see those two cribs. Our friends and family have just been so supportive and I can't stop thinking about how lucky Chris and I are. Both of our families are just so great! Everyone is just so willing to help and we have already received gifts for the babies. Sorry I keep referring to babies, I'm just really hoping for babies (twins if possible). But our kids are already so lucky so be surrounded by so many loving people. I love them already and can't wait to meet them! Dear little ones, you are loved more than you will ever know.

Home Safety Review

Monday, we had our first home inspection. Over the weekend, Chris, Hondo and I deep cleaned the house. We made sure to mow and clean the backyard, deep clean everything inside the house and emptied out stuff in the garage.  I was a bit nervous because I didn't know what to expect and I didn't know if our house was "ready" enough to have a kid in there. When Barbara (from our agency) called to schedule the home inspection she told me to plan on 2 hours. Me being an OCD clean freak thought to myself, this place better be spotless if she's going to be here for 2 hours! What would she possibly be looking at if she was going to be there for that amount of time? Turns out that it went a lot better than what I expected.

 

 When she first got there she went over some paperwork that we needed to finish. We have about 5 more things we need to turn in. Then she continued with the home inspection checking drawers, temperatures, smoke alarms, bedrooms, bathrooms, backyard, everything. We didn't really know what to prepare beforehand so for not knowing, I would we say we did a pretty darn good job. There were only minor things she found that we have to fix. For example, we need outlet covers, some locks to lock our cleanings supplies, we need to buy a first aid kit, hide a little bit of our cords, and set up the baby room. The "biggest" problem was the wood that we have outside. They have nails on them so we need to take them off and Chris has some tools in the garage that need to be put away. And that to us was still an easy fix.

So after she was done inspecting, she went over those things with us. And she was really impressed with everything we have already accomplished. As of right now, she told us that we are about 85% done with the process. Other than the last few papers that need to be turned in, we have one last class we have to attend, some interviews with our social worker (that will soon be assigned to us) and our final home study. So we are almost there!

Now comes the fun part. We get to decorate the baby room! I have waited for this for a while now and I'm really excited. Chris got some paint from his buddy yesterday. So hopefully this weekend we will be able to start painting. Two weeks ago, we bought a 4 in 1 crib that we got a super good deal on. It's super nice because the crib turns into a toddler bed so if we end up getting a 3 year old, we can still use it. Since we are willing to adopt up to two kids, we need to go buy another one and also buy some car seats. I'm really going to have some fun with this. I have always had baby fever so this makes me really excited! We couldn't be any happier with what has been going on so far and we can't wait to finish the process. We will keep you all updated as we take the next final steps.

Update

 There has been quite a bit that has happened since the last post. Here are a few updates:

  Our agency told us that one of our requirements was to complete 24 hours of training. They provided classes for us but they didn't know if they had any openings for us until January. I was not too happy with having to wait that long but luckily in October, we were fortunate to get in. Most of the classes focused on trauma, but I honestly believe that those classes also taught us how to prepare ourselves to become good parents. 

There were a total of 3 packets of paperwork we had to fill out. Earlier this week, we were able to finish the last of our paper work packets and send them off. We also took CPR classes and are now certified. We stopped by lowes and picked up a fire extinguisher for our up coming home inspection on the 29th of January. 

We are extremely nervous and excited for everything that is happening! Now the holidays are over and the new year has begun. We have an extra boost of energy and excitement to finish the last few items we need to check off our list. 

Pop Up Boutique!

As you guys know, we had our pop up boutique last week Saturday. When the idea came up of hosting a pop up boutique, I was excited and nervous. My biggest worry was that we weren't going to find enough vendors to participate. Boy was I wrong! With the help of friends and family we were able to spread the word on social media and word of mouth and we got about 20 vendors to come help support our cause. It turned out way better than what I had expected!! Everyone set up their pop up tents and booths and everything looked so nice. (sorry for the picture overload)

Representing our awesome t-shirts.

  We had some awesome tacos at our boutique. Thanks to Chris' friend Jesse and his cousin, we were able to feed all those hungry people.

A lot of people participated in the Disneyland Raffle and the silent auction we had. Everyone that participated in the silent auction definitely scored. We were very fortunate to have many donations to make this happen.

Overall we just want to thank everyone:  vendors, shoppers, those that donated and posted on social media and helped spread the word, family, friends, everybody! Our goal going into this was to raise $1000. At the end of the boutique, we were able to raise $2700! Woohoo!!  We really couldn't have done any of this without your help. We feel truly blessed to know so many great people that care and love us. Thanks for all of your support! We really appreciate it. :)

A little bit about us

In October, Chris and I will be married for 5 years. We always knew that we wanted to have a forever family but unfortunately for us, it hasn't been as easy as "makin' bacon." Lets rewind and give you the low down on the big question,  "why don't we have kids?"  

At the age of 8 months, Chris was diagnosed  with a rare cancer called neuroblastoma. His family was told he only had a 5% chance of survival. His treatment involved multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, full body radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. The treatments were successful but unfortunately at age 8, he was diagnosed with cancer again, this time of the Thyroid. The treatments took a toll on his body. He was told at a young age he would not be able to have kids. But Chris beat the odds. Here he is 26 years later, healthy, alive, and a true miracle. 

Chris with his aunt

Chris with his grandpa

Being from Wisconsin, I never imagined myself living in California. But in 2009 that all changed. I decided that I wanted to serve a mission for my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or more commonly know as the Mormon church. So I prepared all that was needed and on June 10th, 2010, I was on my way to Spokane Washington. Little did I know that I would meet my future husband.

During that year and a half on my mission I met Chris (former Elder Ortiz) and we became really good friends. Before returning home, Chris had asked me to write him some letters.So that's what I did and the rest is history. It only took him 2 months after his mission to propose to me and 2 months after that we were married. Yes, we are your regular crazy Mormon kids. We hadn't even gone on one date before we were engaged. But here we are happily married, ready to start a family.

Final days of my mission

During our "dating" days Chris informed me that he couldn't have kids because of the cancer treatments. I always  knew I wanted to have kids but that never stopped me from loving and marrying him. We had heard that there were others that had neuroblastoma and were fortunate to have kids. So we decided to do a little more testing at UCSF in San Francisco. We tried everything we could but still no luck. Being told by doctors that you can't have your own biological children is not the most exciting news but we weren't discouraged because we knew there were other options and that God had a different plan for us. After much fasting and prayer, we knew our path was to do foster to adopt. So here we are ready to start this next step.

This road has definitely been a roller coaster for me but it's been  a lot easier with my husband. He is full of so much love and compassion and is always optimistic. He has been so supportive through this whole journey thus far and he always looks for the best in everything. I definitely couldn't do any of this without him. I see the way he plays with his nieces and nephews and know that he will carry on that same love to our children and be a great father. 

Chris here: I had to butt in and brag about how amazing my wife is! My wife is a beautiful, selfless daughter of our Heavenly Father and  this was the hardest, most terrifying thing to do. Telling your future wife that you couldn't have kids was very difficult, especially when her life goal was to be a mom. She willingly and lovingly put her wants aside and knew this would not be an easy road. I couldn't be any happier and am extremely grateful for her. I know that she will love any child that comes into our home with that same selfless and abounding love. God is good and we couldn't be anymore excited to start this journey.

Writing this has been hard for Chris and I. We aren't usually ones to put our private matters out for everyone to read. We have never wanted to seek out sympathy or anyone to pity us. We really would like to use this blog to help others through this same journey and to help others understand. We are ready to start this adventure and are excited to see what the lord has in store for us.