Updates!

Hello There Everyone!!

Thanks so much for ALL of your patience while waiting for our little updates on the blog! Life has been busy over here in the Mercer household. Drew and I have been spending our time in a TON of different places:

-He runs/I rollerblade alongside him
-Tennis :)
-Dog Walks
-Church
-Small Group
-Friend Outings= Bdays, Movies, Dinners, Coffees
-Document Tracking
-Drew's classes with his MBA
-Menu Planning/Grocery Shopping
-House Cleaning/Reorganizing :)

However, there are a few little updates we'd like to communicate!

Our final home study was sent in for our state certification to adopt! Woot Woot!

(Refresher: After getting our certificate of the home study, we'll submit that certificate as well as our application to the nation/immigration services, then after we receive the immigration certification, we'll submit our home study certification, our nation/immigration certification to Africa along with a booty-load of other notarized docs that we're still in the process of compiling)

Oh, and our final request? Siblings 0-3! Ha! We were not anticipating that...however when our case worker was reviewing our paperwork she was like, "I just want to clarify...you're requesting siblings 0-3, and if siblings are not available, then a 0-3 male" Drew and I just looked at each other and replied quickly, "yup." We didn't know how that extra request for another little person got in there OR the extra ages...however, once she said it we smiled so big we couldn't help but agree...

So, in summary- State certification is almost complete, and, it's likely we'll be taking two little persons home from Africa...

Ohhhh to dream. Still seems SO far away! But, we know our God is in this.

And updates on fundraising? Well, we are SO blessed to say that we hit 160 puzzle pieces= $8,000. Wowzas. We're still sooooooo humbled by this...We've still got 340 puzzle pieces to go! Woop Woop! :)

Thanks for all of your support guys, we sure are appreciative!

XOXO,

Drew & Teagan

Miles' Adoption - Home Study #2

On Tuesday night Teagan and I had our second home study with our case manager for Miles' adoption. Prior to me talking about this exciting and important step, let me first talk about his adoption altogether - as this is my first post!

It was at Boba Loca in La Mirada, CA that Miles' adoption first was discussed. It was Teagan and I's first date, we hit up 'Islands' in Fullerton, then went to the Sunday night service @ Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa - but then to prolong our date we hit up some Boba.

We got to know each other quite a bit over dinner and the drive to and from Rock Harbor - so at Boba Loca we started getting "real". After grabbing our smoothie/boba with giant straws, and some further small talk I asked a BIG QUESTION - I asked Teagan at the end of her life what are 3 things that she wanted to say she did. The first thing she said, and without hesitation I might add, is that she wanted to adopt an orphan.

There were three things that went through my head at that point - all simultaneously 1) What an incredible heart this gal has and 2) Man - if I wanted to marry this girl I better want to adopt and 3) I want to marry this girl.

From this night forward, I have been on an adoption journey.

When I married Teagan, there were many things that I wanted for us and our family - but if I was to summarize all those things in one simple sentence it would be this, "I want for the Mercer family to be a family that lives Jesus' love." I dream at the end of my life, I can say I led a family that was weird - that we were a family that turned the idea of a successful American family upside down - that we lived selflessly.

It is amazing to think that God planted this passion in my heart, and God planted the passion of adoption in Teagan's heart - for they are absolutely/definitely/undeniably the same passion. I praise God for this, and I pray he gives us the strength to sustain this passion for our lifetimes.

I want to briefly just say that God has been breaking me of so many things over the past several months - and I know within my heart the reasons (much of it is preparing me to be a dad). But if you are reading this and you call Jesus your King - I encourage you to truly know what that means and what that should look like on a daily basis. I am in process of this, and it has been painful, but I love it...

_______________________________________________________________________

So Tuesday night was our second home study with our case manager, Trina. The purpose of this home study was to ensure we are on the right track for completing the paper work (dossier) in a time frame that aligns with the submission for the legal paperwork with the County of Maricopa, the State of Arizona, the country of the USA, and the country of Ethiopia. May I just say that there is A LOT of paperwork! (Teags and I don't mind it for the purpose of so much paperwork is to ensure orphans are placed in good situations and are not adopted into the sex trade.) Additionally, the second home study is the time where Trina asks us a lot of questions and lastly- 'investigates' our house to ensure it is a safe place for Miles.

We reviewed where we are on the paperwork and basically just got on the same page with Trina. We were able to ask Trina some questions and get some answers. We are about two to three weeks away from officially submitting the Home Study. After submitting the Home Study, we wait for certification, and then submit our Home Study paperwork along with TONS of other paperwork (see below) to Immigration Services for the US and in Dossier format for Ethiopia. To just give you an idea of what the Dossier includes...

- Application Letter
- Husband Birth Certificate
- Wife Birth Certificate
- Marriage Certificate
- Husband Physical Form (Exam)
- Wife Physical Form (Exam)
- Proof of Medical Insurance
- Proof of Life Insurance
- Proof of Auto Insurance
- Proof of Home Owner's Insurance
- Past Tax Documentation (1040, etc)
- Employment Verification Letter
- Past Residential History
- Past Employment History
- Letter of Guardianship
- Husband Police Report
- Wife Police Report
- Husband Fingerprint Verification
- Wife Fingerprint Verification
- Power of Attorney
- Financial Statements (Investments, Mortgage, Income Verification, Debt Verification, etc).
- County Certification (additional paper work)
- State Certification (additional paper work)
- Reference Letters
....and there are quite a few documents I am missing...but you get the drift!

Once we reviewed our progress of the above documentation - we went onto her questions for us.

Trina asked us quite a few questions. For example:
- Where/How did we meet?
- When did we decide to adopt?
- Why Ethiopia?
- How is our marriage?
- What is our plan, if we had one, for building our family beyond Miles' adoption?
- How we described one another?
- What we feel about Miles' birth parents?
- How we viewed Ethiopian culture?
- What we might expect life to be once Miles is home?
- How we view/handle the loss of loved ones?

I am missing quite a few questions here, but again you get my drift...

Teagan and I were able to articulate pretty good answers for these questions (#BIOLA education) - but one question that stood out to the both of us was our view towards Miles' birth parents. We were so glad to be asked this question, for we were able to have the opportunity to articulate our thoughts about it! We pray for his birth mom and birth dad every day, but how do we feel toward them? This is so tough - for we don't know yet Miles' situation. Was he placed in an orphanage because of his parents' death? or Was he placed in an orphanage because his parent(s) wanted a better life for him? or Was he abandoned? We know nothing at this point - but we pray that Miles' parents care for him - both of them. That he is nurtured through out his development in his birth mom's womb, that his dad provides for him - as best as he can. And at the point where Miles is placed in an orphanage, we pray that God provides his birth parents PEACE - that they are doing the very best thing for him. And that God speaks to them, that He tells them their son is going to have adoptive parents that LOVE him and are going to give him a GREAT life!

After Q&A with Trina was over, she then investigated the house. I believe we passed. She didn't seem to care about the Matt Kemp and Kobe Bryant fat heads on our living room wall, nor Marco Rubio's life size cardboard cut out in our bed room. (KIDDING!!)

So next steps...finish up our Home Study, and our next and final home study is scheduled for October 16th. Then, comprise the rest of our notaries for the Dossier, and from there it will be another year or so (likely more) before we get our little guy home. Thank you for your continued support, if only you are reading this! But we ask that you pray for us! These are the things that you can tangibly pray for:

1) Miles' health
2) Miles' birth parents (what we described above)
3) Teags and I's preparation

Much love...

Drew

About Keeping Our Blog Current...

To say we’ve had a wild summer is an absolute understatement. To keep things short, Drew changed jobs this summer and therefore caused us to have to pause in the adoption process for a couple of months while we get situated. While that pause felt like an eternity, we are moving full force ahead to complete all of the necessary items for our dossier!

So, what have we completed since the first home study?

-The full home study application

-Autobiographies

-Parenting explanations by way of discipline and reward

-Financial Statements

-Scheduling of our Physicals

-Fingerprints and Cashier Checks

What’s next?

-Home Study #2 (Tomorrow)

-More paperwork that needs to be notarized

-Reference Letters

-State papers

-More approvals

-Immigration papers

-Two more home studies (apparently our interrogations-eek!)

How much have we raised?

-We are SO pumped to say that we have raised a good $7,200! Praise the Lord! Seriously, it has been such a faith builder to see the people who care so much for our little guy. We've had reallllly old friends come out and get a piece, to acquaintances, and of course, some precious family. Our goal to raise at least another $12,800! And, we're confident that this can happen! Our hearts are SO full, and incredibly encouraged.

Love to you all...more to come this week! Drew will be updating on Wednesday regarding our home study summary :)

Home Study Uno

Alright, alright...I know- it's been a while. We've been busy! Besides normal life being busier/crazier/more-out-of-whack than normal, we've been working hardcore on our home study & dossier. Last Tuesday we had our first Home Study (trumpet sounds)! It was successful -slash- kind of nerve racking. We met with two other adoptive families and our case worker. It was encouraging to meet with the other adoptive families for a number of reasons. Hearing how the Lord is providing for them through miraculous ways, how He's leading them so clearly, and how His purpose is manifesting in them consistently was ALL such a relief to Drew and I. One couple was adopting their second child internationally, and that was somewhat of a relief to us by way of the Agency and the process. The Home Study itself was incredibly educational. We learned SO much about our little guy. The thing that hit me the most was the psychological state of sweet Miles. Our case worker used great illustrations to show how a functional and dysfunctional need based relationship starts at birth (see below)

I found these diagrams really beneficial. The next thing that I found to be ultra informative is our sweet Miles' state of grief when we bring him home. It's been crazy because I already feel like my heart has become heavier and heavier since going down this road of getting him home. It's as if the Lord is preparing & breaking my heart to understand this sweet soul that He's going to bless us with. Our case worker reminded us that Miles will be in a state of grief when he gets home...whether that be the grief of a caretaker, a blanket, a scent, a sound, even his flavor of formula...ugggg. Right when I heard that I just wanted to run out of the room and weep. I already feel that sense of protection...so, if I get it my way...I'm going to try to bring home e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g (Crazy person coming through). Oh Lord, please protect Mr. Miles. Anyway, all in all, the meeting was informative, and made us fall even more in love with this little guy.

Afterwards we went to Baja Fresh and just chatted about our lives, our future as a family, and our guy. We kept saying over and over again...we're really doing this! We cheers'd to our sweet boy and prayed for him in the middle of baja fresh for quite some time.




So In Love.

Adoption, trendy?

One of my favorite blog writers at, Rage Against the Mini Van, highlights some feedback on the topic of adoption, particular children of color, being trendy. I can see how the transracial family image is taking place on the US & PEOPLE's of the world. Additionally, it seems that more and more people are sending me other peoples' blogs on adoption. I ask myself, is transracial family building really 'taking off' or is it one of those since I-just-bought-a car-I-now-see-the-car-everywhere sort of situations.

Here's a video of her sweet family...


And, here's what she has to say...I love what she says, spot on. Enjoy!

In summary...my favorite point of her's is:

"I think there are such better questions to ask when it comes to transracial adoption and child welfare.  I would so much rather see people questioning why black children are overrepresented in foster care and adopting waiting lists, and how many are aging out without families, and what we as a nation can do for the thousands of waiting children who won’t be adopted by a couple dozen celebrities.  As for celebrities who’ve adopted children of color, I’m thrilled that these kids have found a family, famous or not."

Have a great day!!

Autos, Parenting, Style

If only it were that flashy! Right now, we're wishing we had new cars, were actually parenting mister Miles, and rockin' a sweet style to get us through summer.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut, nope. We are up to our ears in paperwork. Honestly, since we are now working on our dossier, which is the six month paper chase process, we feel suddenly overwhelmed with all the notary needs, signatures, essays, readings, home studies, documentations, and whatnot.

Yet we figure, what's the best way to eat an elephant? one bite at a time...right? Or something like that. So, we're starting small, and setting little milestones for ourselves, and taking peace in this process, knowing that each day is a day closer to our little man's arrival. Our first bite of this elephant? Our autobiographies.

We have been tasked to write autobiographies on ourselves individually (total of two essays). Now, the hardest part is we (non-parents) have to provide an outline of our parenting style. We're excited to dive into our family philosophies, discipline styles, and mission statement! But, I did find these parenting comics absolutely hilarious while researching...

 

And a great reminder... although, I really don't know how to use the word 'zany' in a sentence...

We'll keep you posted on the trends and parenting styles we're forecasting for our future!

Long Process Remedies

Drew and I talk about Miles daily...we wonder if he's born yet, if he's not, what his mom and dad are doing and going through, we wonder what he'll look like...and we wish, SO BADLY he was in our home already! In prepping for a very long journey (like, 2 years)...we try to remain focused in a few ways.

1. Prayer :) We pray for our little guy daily, million times a day-kinda-daily. Before we go to bed, before we eat, when we're driving, when we're thinking, etc. And, in turn, we've found it to be such a blessing to us to be praying for other adoptive families going on this journey with us, before us, and after us.

2. Reading! Reading books, blogs, magazines, articles, research etc. I'll have to post my favorite books and blogs so far {obviously pre-bringing Miles home, Lord knows I haven't put much to test so far}

3. Enjoy more date nights! We're trying to live up our current state of kidless-ness (totally not a word, but hey! you're picking up what we're putting down right?)

4. We look for inspirational stories, and videos!

Here's the backstory on our favorite family video!

Believe it or not, but these two kids (Hannah and Joseph) were incarcerated in Uganda for street begging, after being abandoned by their parents. They're home now :) And their mom says, "Hannah & Joseph have blessed our family IMMENSLEY and they’ve rescued us way more than we could have ever rescued them."
(Film by Michael Lines ; Photography by Griffin Gibson ; Music: All Things New by BrettYounker.com)



Right? Instant remedy, and tears...every.single.time.

Humbled.

We are so amazingly humbled. Since posting our blog link via Facebook just 12 hours ago, our sweet little blog has seen 1,100 computers. Thank you. Thank you for loving us enough to check out our blog, for your gifts [alreadyyyy], and for your encouragement. Seriously? God has blessed us with such a caring group of friends and family; and we couldn't be more honored.

Love you all, so much.

Keep praying!

Drew + Teagan

Hello! Or should I say, Selam!

Thank you SO much for stopping by! This is the blog that I'll be using to document our journey to bring our son home from Ethiopia. I'll be posting random things about the process, and how Drew and I are preparing as well as updating things on our Timeline & Puzzle Sponsor page! I hope you enjoy, and choose to stop by regularly :)

Happy day to y'all!