Puzzle Piece Fundraiser

Thank you to everyone who is following our blog and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. It feels so good to be loved and supported by friends, family, and even people we've never met. I've been selling mother's necklaces for about a year raising money for fertility treatments, and there have been so many people that we know and don't know who have ordered from us. For that, I am humbled and grateful. I wish I could thank everyone personally for caring and supporting us in our journey.

Since we have shifted gears now to adoption, I wanted to give an overview of what the process will look like for us.

The first 4 months of our adoption journey is just completing paper work, references, home studies, fingerprints, background checks, etc. At first, I thought 'how could paperwork take 4 months?' But you have to order copies for birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of insurance, financials, and all that good stuff. Then there's the home-study and interviews, and physicals. Then you have to wait for approval from Gladney. This portion of the process costs around $9450.

Once you've been approved through Gladney, you have to go through Dossiers, which is the international part of the paperwork. There's immigaration approval and more fingerprints, authentication of all documents, passports, and travel visa, and another $1940 for all of this.

Then you have about a 6-10 month wait for a referrel which is when you find out the name and get pictures of the child you will be adopting. We have requested an infant girl, which is any girl under 1 year old.

Once we have accepted the referrel, it takes about 3 months to finish paperwork through Ethiopia, including foreign service fees, child identification expenses, embassy insurance fees, medical and translation expenses, childcare and supplies, which totals another estimated $7600.

Finally, we travel to Ethiopia to bring home our baby! These expenses are estimated at $9540.

The total cost is between $25,000-30,000, a bit overwhelming, but a small price to pay when you know your life will be changed forever.

"Our children are not ours because they share our genes,

they are ours because we have the audacity to envision them.

That at the end of the day . . . or long sleepless night,

is how love really works."

-Unknown

To help raise funds for our adoption, we purchased a 500 piece puzzle and are inviting people to sponsor a piece. Interestingly, the puzzle is titled, "Hattie's Delight", which is a name I've always wanted to name our first daughter. It's also rich in colors that suit our nursery and features a little girl trying on elaborate hats one would wear for a tea party. I've always said I wanted girls so I could take them to Myrtle's Tea House and take them to the ballet. This puzzle captures that beautifully.

We are asking for sponsors to make donations of any amount, and we will write the sponsor's name on the back of a puzzle piece. Once all pieces are sponsored, we will put the puzzle together, glue and frame it, and hang it in our baby's room. When she grows up, she will treasure this keepsake and reflect on how loved she was before she was even ours. We are forever grateful for your love and generosity.

To make a donation, click on "Donate" on home page and follow directions. If you do not have a paypal account, look to the lower left hand corner after clicking "Donate" and click where it says, "I do not have a paypal account." Or you can send a check made payable to Heather Curry to PO Box 871448 Vancouver, WA 98687.

Thank you so much.

-Heather