IEP's and New Schools

Today took a turn for the worse and for the better... Yesterday morning I received a phone call from the local school district. C would no longer be attending her initial school and would now be attending a more local school. She will be integrated in the school system and will now be mainstreemed...YIKES. This is something I totally did NOT want for C! She has a limited start in her language skills and she deserves to have peers who will be able to interact with her. Oh My Gosh was I mad. Especially when I was told they would have Oral Communication... NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! That, in my opinion, is a horrendous way to teach a deaf child (not that I think it is wrong for a parent to do that with their own child, it is just not right for my child and I refuse to allow that to happen to my daughter)... Anyway, off my soap box...

I went to the school this morning and we took care of the situation: C is going to the new program in our own schools and will be mainstreemed. I lost, but I won... They will not do Oral communication but will enhance lessons with oral communication while signing. They will use ASL for everyday "Let's go do..." things and SEE for specific lessons. This will be a total communication program that my child will be pioneering. But, next year she will be going back to her original school and be in a self-contained deaf class.

A few special key points about attending this new school: She and M will be in the same kindergarten class, M will have further exposure to sign language, C will learn how to use an interpreter (which is a vital asset for her later in life) and transportation will be door to door drop off and pick up for both kids! In addition, it has been proven that kids who are mainstreamed tend to have a higher education than those who are in a self-contained classroom. So, this might be a good thing... I'm keeping an open mind!

Ethiopian Connections

Monday was an extremely busy day for my gang. First, we had to drop Matt off at work so that the kids and I would have the van. We followed this little jaunt with a trip to M's doctor. We completed the morning and early afternoon with a drive to Seattle to visit C's Dr.

Dr. K, M's physician, is a very nice lady. She's tiny in weight and height with about the same stature as our 6 year old son, making M feel far more comfortable than another more robust Dr might do. The appointment seemed to go well, though she adamantly requested we see her again as a couple (without M) next week. Talk about nerve-wracking... She wants to evaluate some documents we completed. Ugh!

C's appointment with her Dr. is always and hour and a half long. M did well keeping quiet and maintaining good behavior, but C didn't want to cooperate for her testing. Since these regular screenings are for mapping (adjusting her Cochlear Implant through computer technologies to give C more listening abilities) it is imperative that she cooperates. Meg had to up the interior volume whereas last visit the volume was lowered. I think this was, in part, due to us not making her wear the device for several weeks. But, she's getting back into her routine of wearing it, so maybe it will make a difference for the next visit (in 3 months).

Now to the point of this story: While we were initially waiting to check in at the Children's Hospital there was an Arab/African family (mother and daughter) sitting in the waiting area. A somewhat older gentleman (about the age of my parents... Not that your age is astronomical, Ma) who walked up and stood in front of the mother and child. They were sitting right next to M, C and I, so I stood up to offer the gentleman my seat. He politely refused, but I explained that I had just driven and hour and a half and so would be more than happy to stand. At this point I turned to C and M and really didn't give him an opportunity to reply. This was not done to be rude, by any means, but rather the kids needed my attention.

Shortly after my second offer the family was called back for their appointment. Before leaving the gentleman came up to me and politely explained his reason for not taking a seat. It surprised me and was such a wonderful occurance. He gave me his card before leaving and included an offer to help.

What was his reason? In his country it is illegal for a man to take a seat while a woman is standing. What country is he from? Ethiopia! That's right, Ethiopia... Where we hope our next child is waiting. Tears immediately began to pour down my cheeks and I blubbered our intent to adopt a beautiful baby from his amazing country. It was a swift but rewarding conversation, for which I feel extremely lucky!!!

The Children Of Huang Shi

The movie entitled "The Children Of Huang Shi" seemed extremely intriguing to me, most likely due to the fact that it took place in China. Because my daughter is Chinese, I tend to gravitate towards most things Chinese, just as I tend to gravitate towards most things Japanese and Korean in honor of my son. Well, this movie has since become even more interesting after I found this article posted to a blog for the film in a post dated March 13, 2008. It indicates that the actual events took place in Shaanxi Province, which is the province from which C was adopted, rather than Hubei Province as the film indicate! How interesting is that?!? Obviously, the feeling of the movie won't change, but it's neat to know this information for when I actually am able to watch the movie.

Follow this link to read the full text:

THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - Chow Yun-Fat - Radha Mitchell - Michelle Yeoh

Change # 8,993,576

So, after the disasterous results of our latest attempt to bring home a child, Matt and I began researching other options. Our hearts weren't into this adoption as it had been with Chynna's and Matthew's adoptions. Oh, we desperately wanted to bring our 4-year-old little man home, but even before that we were bouncing back and forth between agencies and special need/non-special need programs. Just ask my parents: By now they're dizzy with the tornado of changes we've continuously placed upon them during the past year and a half. So, here's what we've decided to do for our family:

WE'RE ADOPTING FROM ETHIOPIA (God willing)

Ethiopia is an ancient civilization with the Queen of Sheba being a huge part of their history. Famine, war and sickness has left families in dire need of care for their beautiful children. From the beginning of this adoption journey, nearly a year and a half ago, I had hoped to adopt from Ethiopia, but Matt just wasn't open to the idea. With all the trials that have been thrown our way, combined with our own lack of enthusiasm, Matt has slowly come to love the idea of making the journey to adopt one of these precious children. After researching the health, age and needs of the children we are hoping to bring home, we have decided to apply for a healthy infant. The children being referred are as young as 4, 5 or 6 months and as old as 3 years. The Ethiopian government prefers the youngest parent (that would be Matt) to be no more than 40 years older than the adopted child, so we definitely qualify for a much younger child.

Below is our expected timeline. As with any other adoption this is only a guestimate and nothing is guaranteed. We could be denied for any number of reasons or our finances simply don't work out (this is a shorter program which means we'll have to figure out how to earn the money swiftly. Mom has been working on a hand-made lace table cloth which we will auction on Ebay and I will make more jelly this fall, both of which we hope will sell well). The program is gaining lots of interest, with more families traveling down this path. This means that the wait could lengthen considerably, so please take the following with a grain of salt!

Homestudy: 1 month (our SW is nearly done so it could be less)
Review Homestudy: 1 month (looking for accuracy before going to USCIS)
USCIS: 2-4 months (Washington is a lengthy process)
Dossier To Ethiopia: 1 month (for translation/verification of packet)
Wait to referral: 4-10 months (for non-special needs infant)
Wait to travel: 2-4 months (for a scheduled court date)
Length of stay in Ethiopia: 5-7 days
Total: 11 months 5 days- 21 months 7 days

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Sad News

Most people were not aware of the fact that we had found a handsome 4 year old deaf boy waiting in China whom we wanted to adopt. We applied to the CCAA almost 2 weeks ago and were beginning to prepare our home for this special addition.

We arrived home from vacation late yesterday afternoon, around 7:00pm, to a few messages. The most important one was from WACAP (the agency that is helping us to adopt our next child). Our case worker left a message requesting we call her back ASAP. So, this morning I made the call, fully expecting to receive news that we received PA (Pre-Approval) already. We were not so fortunate: "Our Son" was recently adopted by a Chinese family meaning he was lost to us. Though we are crushed at the thought of loosing the child whom we were beginning to think of as our own, Matt and I are thrilled that he is now living with a family who will love and cherish him as much as we would have. He will be given an intimate knowledge of his heritage and will be educated fully in sign language and will become a very successful member of Chinese society.

To be honest, I don't truly know what will happen to him, but I like the life I have described and will continue to think of him living in this manner.

Now that my tears have dried we will begin to move forward (again) with our next adoption. It may take anywhere from 1 to 5 years depending on whether or not we find another special needs child who will fit within our family.

Sending you all our love,
Manette & the gang

"Our house is a very, very, very fine house...."

I just had to share some photos of our house... We wish we could just pick it up and move it to wherever we decide to retire. Enjoy!