OH MY GOSH you guys. There is so much happening that my ears feel like they are ringing and my heart might explode. Are you ready for an update? Because you need to be ready and I mean it, there is so many adult things happening around these parts and I simply cannot hold it in anymore.
Also, this is about where I'm at:
My sister delivered 4 puppies in her apartment and I was just over here cleaning houses watching it unfold as she sent me videos of dogs being born (your welcome for loving birth)..I began sobbing when I realized that my sister was selling them. Not because she was getting rid of them, but because other people were going to adopt these little babies and Daisy was going to have to say goodbye to these precious little babes that grew inside of her. Oh my word, you guys, I was a mess, crying about the entire ordeal. Until my sister told me that Daisy would be find, lick her wounds, and move on.
So we are being presented to a potential birth mom.
Yep. Our Family Profile (which was put together during the hours of 9 pm and 2 am) will be in a pile of 3-4 profiles for a courageous momma to look through, sift through, and think about placing her child with. My heart has fallen in love with the momma already, no matter if we ever get to meet her or not. She is courageous, bold, loving, sacrificial. To not only carry this child full term but then choose to place him into another family's hands to raise? What courage, what beauty, what selflessness.
The wait of the last two weeks and the next one has been painfully stretching and so full of palms up, hearts surrendered.
We need you to join us in prayer over this situation. We need big bold prayers, ending in "thy will be done." If you are interested in more details, feel free to email me and I would be happy to share what we are legally able to.
If she chooses us to parent her child, our puzzle pieces will need to be sponsored and purchased sooner than expected! But we are believing that finances are the easiest part for God.
The Process
We are so close to being done with our home study paperwork. The amount of paperwork is in the pounds. Loren has not seen a doctor since moving to this lovely town of Corvallis; one of the requirements is to have your physician fill out a medical report after you get a physical. So we adulted and Loren now has a doctor in Corvallis! Both of us had our physicals this week, so that was touchy.
Our 10 hours of education has been purchased and we are GETTING ON IT. They're classes about potential identity and attachment issues, how-to's on African hair (seriously what). We have our fingerprinting appointment next week. Our background checks are sent. Our Oregon attorney is lined up and ready for action. This is happening. We will soon be scheduling our interviews and actual in-home study. I even began planting shrubs in the front entry way of our apartment complex because what says motherly and nurturing more than plants?
We have been working so hard!
We are partnering with a few people to clean and sell everything inside of a closed down greasy diner. Oh my gosh, it's been an adventure. Loren has been full time Pastor Man plus helping me so many hours during the week. It's been a time.
I have been booking photoshoots left and right. Thumbs up, kids.
People send in checks with the best memos that make me cry every time:
Call me crazy. If it was a thing, I would make adopting babies my full time gig. It is now, but I mean for the next 5 years.
THE PUZZLE
Our puzzle is coming together so beautifully, it is painful. And by painful, I mean that my eyes have strained for hours and I am beginning to think that I need a new prescription for my eyesight. But, Baby Brenner, boy will you be worth it. You will be worth me straining my eyes and frying my brain over a puzzle. You will be so, so worth it. One of our friends was over for a meeting, (our meetings are now held at home so we can meet and work on the fifty-shades-of-blue puzzle) and he exclaimed, "THATS $25? That little piece? That little thing? I can pay $25 for my name squeezed onto THAT?" Get with the program, dude, its more than a square piece of cardboard..okay, its for a child. You better believe we were laughing extremely hard.
I was unable to flip over the entire puzzle without having it fall apart, but something you should know is: OUR ENTIRE BORDER PIECES ARE PURCHASED! And two corners completely full and over flowing with YOUR names. This is beautiful. Thank you, lovely human beings, for helping us grow our small family unit.
We still have 508 pieces left! AKA: will you please pray or think about purchasing a piece? We will write your name on it and you will forever be etched into our story. I know, so cool. I am going into Michaels early next week to see about the double sided frame! Then it will be a lot easier to reveal all of the names being written on the back.
We need you! We need everyone who is able to purchase a puzzle piece.
How it works:
1) Decide how many puzzle pieces you want to purchase to financially support our adoption fund.
1 puzzle piece = $25
2) Click on the donate button below to give securely through PayPal
-OR-
Donate via check. Email us at nataliekbrenner@gmail.com and we will send your our address to mail in a check.
3) Watch the adoption puzzle come together on our blog and see your name be recognized. We will build the puzzle as you donate the pieces.
GARAGE SALE FUNDRAISER Nothing like kicking off the weekend with a multiple-family garage sale with huge and amazing donations! We have a boat (which I want to keep as my own), a fire place, tables, kitchen things, clothes, so much stuff! Its epic. We are so grateful for the community we have surrounding us. This baby has no idea what's coming.
Cheers!
