Another exciting step has been completed and checked off our list!! And many who know me know I love my lists and checking things off!!
After we filled out our APQ online through the adoption agency, we began filling out our online adoption profile. What this mostly consists of is Bryan and I answering questions about ourselves. Whether it be questions regarding us together/individually, our families, our community, our childhoods, jobs, and so much more. They want to know as much about us as they can to portray what life would be like for a child coming into our home. This is the part I am continually working on and finding pictures that can be placed with certain questions they ask. In this section we have to write a letter to potential birth mothers, this is where I have been praying for the right words to say to someone that has such an amazing potential to be a big part of our lives. All this information will eventually be in a paper form of a way to "advertise" to potential birth mothers called an adoption portfolio.
Now I am finally getting to the part where we accomplished something ;) The beginning of September we set up to have the filming company that works for our adoption agency send us equipment before we left on our vacation to Oregon & MN so we could film our adoption video! On September 30th we received our equipment to record our adoption video. It came with easy to read instructions, a video camera, a small tripod, & a charger. It gave the adoptive parents (Bryan & I) questions to answer in front of the camera. Questions like, Why do you want to become parents? What qualities in your spouse would make them a good parent? What are some things you like to do separately & together? The couples interview was a lot harder for Bryan and I then we thought. Describing a dream of becoming parents into a camera was actually quite intimidating. Mostly because I was picturing us sharing our story with a birth mom who is considering adoption, and just thinking the emotions she must be feeling was overwhelming. I was feeling so much more then what I could say or describe. But that's what is nice about a video because potential birth mothers have that chance to get to know you with you speaking to them, seeing your mannerisms, seeing the love in your eyes, rather then just reading about you on paper.
We did a short video clip with us introducing Matti & Toby as they are also a part of our family! We were able to get segments of us just walking with the dogs on our normal evening walk path and even at one of our favorite beaches. The dogs did great, went in the water got all full of sand, showed their hawaiian true selves ;)
Then we were able to take the video camera back to MN with us and get some heart warming footage with friends & family. Something the video really wanted us to do was get footage of us interacting with children. So because we have some great little friends we were able to spend one afternoon flying kites, reading books outside on a blanket, playing on a playground, playing chalk, and just getting to enjoy our time with the kiddos and at the same time get footage of us doing what we love to do :) We were also able to have a couple friends and family members answer some questions on camera which was so sweet. We feel so blessed to have people in our lives that help us through everyday life and big life changing milestones like this one :) After we got all the footage we needed including all the interviews we sent the video camera back to the filming company! See, check!!
Now they have to do the hard part of putting together a 3 minute video with all that footage ;) Now we wait about a month and then the company sends us a draft and we can work with them to get things changed to how we would like! I'm so excited to see what they come up with! This video won't be played/shared with birth mothers until we are "active" with our profile. We don't know that timing just yet because of financing but we are hoping by this summer!
Progress of the HONU adoption puzzle coming soon :) So thankful for people continuing to sponsor puzzle pieces!! <3
Thanks for reading! Its been such amazing healing for me to be able to share our journey, so thank you! <3
Aloha & love from our family to yours!
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