OUR ADOPTION TIMELINE

2013

January

*  We had known for a long time we wanted to adopt but we began praying about actually moving forward with the adoption process.

February

*  Josh got a new job at Target (which provides adoption assistance to employees). We took this as an answer to our prayers and began researching agencies and countries.
*  By the end of the month we felt led to pursue a little girl from Asia.

March

*  We found out that our neighborhood was having a community yard sale in April so we began planning for our first fundraiser.
*  We signed up for an account with Rainbow Kids to receive information about agencies, countries, and children with special needs.
*  We researched special needs that children could have and made decisions about which ones we would be capable of caring for and which ones we felt we would not be able to physically or financially be able to care for.

April

*  1st-  We sent in our initial application (including the gender and special needs preferences) to Rainbow Kids to request information from agencies working with Thailand, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong.
*  3rd- We sent out an invitation to friends asking for help with our first fundraiser (the Adoption Yard Sale)
*  5th- We started receiving yard sale donations.
*  6th- We had dinner with our pastor and his family (who have adopted from China) to seek advice and wisdom about adopting.  This was incredibly insightful and encouraging!
*  13th- I went to a nearby neighborhood who was having a community yard sale.  I approached over 50 families and asked for them to donate what they did not sell to us so we could sell those items in our upcoming yard sale.  Nine families took me up on this offer and I spent most of the day transporting stuff back to our house.
*  15th- I hosted a ladies clothing swap and any clothes that were not taken I added to our yard sale items.
*  Between the 10th-27th I spent over 125 hours sorting and pricing yard sale items.  We had collected over 10,000 items!  I was thankful for a few faithful friends who spent hours helping me sort and price items.
*  27th- With the help of several friends, we hosted our FIRST FUNDRAISER (YARD SALE) from 5:30am- 9:00pm and raised $1,740!

May

*  1st- I set up our adoption savings account and deposited cash from the yard sale.
*  We continued researching agencies and countries.  
*  We began brainstorming other fundraisers and blog ideas.
*  6th- Made the first of several trips to try and sell books at a used book store.
*  8th- Josh and I set aside time and had some excellent conversation about goals and a timeline for some crucial decisions.
*  11th- We made the decision to pursue adoption in CHINA!
*  27th - Launch From Orphan To Heir Blog!  We were excited that we had over 800 hits the 1st day!  In addition we had our first online donation from a sweet family who has a huge heart for adoption!

June

* 1st- We made the decision to go with CCAI as our adoption agency and began filling out the application!  

* 2nd- Pancake Picnic Fundraiser.

* 5th- Created our prayer cards.

* 8th- Mailed off pledge letters to 10 family and friends requesting help fundraising.

* 11th- Began sorting children's clothes to try and sell through consignment shops (made 5 trips over the course of June).

* 24th- Mailed off first fundraising packet.

* 25th- Decided to complete our Home study through Christian Adoption Services.

July

* 3rd- Mailed out first round of prayer cards.

* At the beginning of the month I pulled out all the left over kids items from our yard sale and I sorted through everything in our attic to find any infant, baby, or children's items I could sell at the local kids consignment store or at The Raleigh Kids Exchange.  It took me hours upon hours of sorting, hanging, and pricing.

* 18th- Met with our Pediatrician to discuss special needs medical conditions.

* 22nd- Met with a mother of two adopted Chinese girls to talk through her journey.

August

* I began working on creating a website for our Online Silent Auction we were planning for November.  In addition, I created a list of people we are close with who I thought might be willing to donate items or services to our auction.

* I was able to serve several of the small groups in our church by watching the kids during their meeting time.  This was another great way to earn a few dollars for the adoption.

* I discovered the Buy, Sell, Trade groups on Facebook and began selling all sorts of random items as I could.

*28th- Mailed off our official first set of papers to CCAI!  Click here for the full story.

September

* I began watching a newborn baby 32+ hours a week to raise additional money.

* And, so that I could still be mobile, we decided to move forward with purchasing a larger vehicle (one that would hold 3 carseats). We knew we were going to need one once we brought home our little girl, but it made sense to go ahead and sell our vehicle and buy another one now that I was going to have a 3rd kiddo for most of the week.

* I started using all of my free time making items and pursuing donations for the silent auction.  I worked countless hours on the website and creating online bidding forms for items I had already secured.

October

*  18th-19th- We held a second yard sale and raised $800!

* I'm sure at this point I had become annoying to those around me because I was constantly talking about the silent auction.  I spent all month working on it non-stop.

November

* 11th-17th- ONLINE SILENT AUCTION!