kindness matters.
I will forever be moved by the kindness we have been shown during this journey. I asked Yummy and Company (a wonderful local Baltimore artist) to make a number of her moon cups for us to take to Bulgaria as gifts. She worked so quickly to make sure we had them in time for our trip next week, and when we went to pick them up today she gifted me a tiny little cup for our tiny little girl. From being forgotten in an orphanage to being thought of by so many - you are so loved, Tippi Moon! ♡☾ 13 days till forever.
a new chapter is about to begin.
In two weeks this chapter of life will be over and we start to write another as a family of five. I cannot put into words how I’m feeling, because there are so many feelings and at the same time I’m still not quite not convinced this can be real life. As time starts to move faster towards our departure date, our to-do list seems to grow and it becomes apparent it is going to stay mostly unchecked. Although there were many other more practical things we should have been doing, I felt so so strongly that we couldn’t leave without building a swing arbor for all three of our babies. Luckily @tommyshef is in the business of making my wishes come true, so we whipped up this dreamy sight over the weekend. I have two Lady Banks roses planted which will quickly climb up and over, and eventually cover it in small buttery yellow roses. This was one of the things I was saddest to leave in our previous home, and just seeing this planted firmly in the ground makes our roots here feel deeper.
we have travel dates!!!
MASSIVELY BIG AMAZING INCREDIBLE NEWS!!!! Our beautiful darling Tippi ☾ will be in our arms on August 22nd! There is so much to share, including a beautiful nod from the universe regarding the date. We fly out the 17th (that is TWO weeks away) and, plot twist, we are now going to take Atlas and Pilot with us. There are still a lot of details to figure out, but right now nothing can snatch our joy from this moment. It’s been a bumpy painfully slow ride to get here, but forever is literally only a few weeks away. ♡☾ Thank you so much for loving and supporting us throughout the entire journey.
sweet little update.
A month ago Tippi was delivered the doll and family photo album we sent with another adoptive family who would be visiting her city to see their son. Our NGO sent pics* of her receiving it and we hoped she would be allowed to keep the items with her. Today we got an update from them via the orphanage saying: “She plays with the doll the family gave her through our attendant everyday and she even falls asleep with it every night. She loves it!” 💔 We fully understand that everything we are told about her current situation has to be taken with a grain of salt, but as we continue to wait for travel dates (and potentially face another 3-5 weeks before we can get her), the idea that we are physically with her even just a little bit means so much. We’re coming for you, Tippi Moon. Hold tight. ♡☾ Zoom in to see her holding tight to her dolly. Sweetheart.
almost there.
Money - bleh. Our least favorite thing to talk about. But the reality is that international adoption is very very expensive (~$40K) and for most, including us, it takes a village to make it a reality. Lucky for us, our village rallied hard and we are at a place with our fundraising where we have not had to panic, or scramble for grants (which as a secular family, can be very hard to find).
It’s been awhile since I mentioned our adoption marketplace, but as we near the end of this part of the journey I wanted to share it again. There are still items you can purchase that have been donated by many generous folks - including artwork, photography sessions, and other services. All money raised goes towards the last of our adoption expenses and as a stretch goal, to help pay for the immediate medical care and needs Tippi will have when she arrives home. If you’d like to take a peek, you can jump on over to our marketplace. As always thanks, love, and gratitude from all of us, including this sweet little face you’ve helped to bring home. ♡ ☾
a different kind of adoption update.
As we inch ever closer to Tippi coming home, our to-do list seems to grow and become more pressing. At the top of it though is time with our boys. We are all so excited for their little sister to be home, but we recognize there are so many unknowns and life is going to look very different. On top of her medical needs, the impact of trauma on Tippi will be profound. She is not with her biological mother. She has spent her entire life in a notoriously bad orphanage. To her we are strangers, taking her away from the only life she knows. We don’t speak her language. Every part of our life will be foreign to her. It’s easy to think she will be too young to remember any of this, but #thebodykeepsthescore and the impact of all of this will have changed her brain and have life long impacts. The fairytale adoption story is one of the lucky child being rescued by the savior family. But the reality is that there has been no luck in her short life, only loss, and it is us who are the lucky ones to have the huge privilege of being chosen to be her family. Children belong in families, and although we wish Tippi’s story had played out differently, we are forever grateful to be the ones who get to love and care for her, and to help her continue writing it. ♡ ☾
the long hard wait.
Some days just feel heavier than others. You can’t compare timelines, but it is hard to see people traveling for pics up many many weeks faster than we are. I am so desperate to go get our girl ASAP! While I sobbed and emailed our agency for any kind of update, sweet Pilot found this Tippi picture in his wallet and brought it to me so I could feel happy. 💔
*There are no updates/they said to expect 6-8 weeks post court until we travel. Cue many more tears.
introducing our daughter.
Approximately 440 days ago we saw her face. 395 days ago we found out Bulgaria chose us to be her parents. 7 days ago we passed court. And today we are so proud and excited to introduce you to our daughter, Tippi Moon Emilia Sheffer. We have watched her grow over the last 15 months via 22 photos, 10 videos, and four hours of saved video chat. By the end of next month, we will get to spend the rest of our lives watching her grow in person. Children belong in families, and we are so grateful to have the privilege of being chosen to be hers. ♡☾
we passed court!
After no word all day, I called my agency at 5pm because my brain had me convinced of disaster and it turns out the day got away from them and it had been official for awhile (sigh). In true motherhood style, I heard the good news from the men’s bathroom while Pilot took a mid-class potty break during ballet. It currently all feels very surreal and I’m quite sure when I’m not surrounded by strangers in a stuffy old high school hallway, the tears of absolute relief and joy will come. It still looks like we won’t be picking up for another six weeks (double sigh), but the weight feels a little less heavy knowing that she is officially now Tippi Moon Emilia Sheffer! ♡☾
one more sleep until court!
A fellow adoptive mama made and sent me this sweet little countdown calendar to mark the days until court and then pick up. I snapped a pic to send to her this morning, and a rainbow snuck in the shot too. The perfect light and the perfect sign for court TOMORROW!
commence nesting, american doll style.
Anyone else spent their long weekend by the water with friends and an American Girl doll, being taught how to French braid? I think I’ll be ready for you NEXT month, Tippi (…with a whole lot more practice)! :)
match match.
Am I that person that now buys matching ‘mummy + me"‘ / “Thomas + Tippi” outfits? Yes, yes I am. ツ
the best email to wake up to.
We received photos of Tippi being given the doll and photo album we sent over to her! My heart is so happy right now. ♡ ☾
buckle up!
It’s been a wild ride these last 36 hours. It’s a long worthwhile read. ♡☾
Thursday afternoon we got an email from our NGO telling our agency that there were no updates about court. I am crushed, cry a lot, and throw myself a massive pity party.
Thursday night our little old dog Indi started to cough - strange but he’s 14 and we figured allergies.
Friday I took the dogs in for their yearly physicals. They did an x-ray on Indi to check for pneumonia and discovered a massive tumor blocking his airways. The vet didn’t expect him to live through the weekend, maybe not even the day. They sedated him and got him on oxygen, while we waited for T and the boys to rush over to say goodbye.
While I’m sitting in the room waiting and crying, my agency calls to let me know WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!! So the sad crying turns into massive heaving sobs of relief. I briefly explain to my agency that I really am so happy, but I’m very sorry I can’t talk as I have to go euthanize my dog.
As we are sitting waiting for the euthanasia to be done (the kids didn’t want to be there, so we waited outside with Colonel Mustard and Thomas stayed with Indi) we are talking about death and Pilot says (before he found out we had passed court) "I think Indi's spirit guide message for us is that he will send us Tippi." More tears.
After we get home and bury Indi, I let everyone know that, surprise, we have a court date! More crying. Atlas says “I don’t understand why you’re not screaming and jumping up and down like you usually do with Tippi news.” 😞 Sooooooo not quite the sunshine and rainbows moment we had hoped for.
But…. WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!! July 5. No word on how long after court pick up will be. Our agency thinks 4 weeks. Our NGO had said 6 weeks during virtual trip one. But either way, we get our girl in AUGUST! #sheffersadopt
our family.
This is the cover picture for the little photo album we are making for Tippi. Another adoptive family will be taking it over with them in a couple of weeks and our rep will deliver to her orphanage. There is no guarantee she will be allowed to have it, but we absolutely had to try. Today marks one month since we heard any updates. Saturday will mark one year since we matched with her. We are desperately hoping we will have news to share about our court date soon. Thank you so much for sticking with us through it all - your love and support makes the wait that little bit more bearable. #sheffersadopt ♡ ☾
happy 3rd birthday, tippi ☾
Our beautiful Tippi ☾ turns 3 today. Every day waiting to bring her home has been hard, but today feels extra heavy. I had wished so much for her to be home by now, so we could be celebrating her, loving her, making up for the last three years we didn’t get to sing her happy birthday or make her feel special. Her big brothers are excited to bake her a cake today and we plan to have a tea party in her honor - our girl loves her ‘chaĭ’. We are on the home stretch of our adoption journey and it looks probable we will be picking her up sometime in August, so until then we are holding her in our hearts and hoping she can feel our love radiating across the world.
a gift for our girl.
We might have the opportunity to send Tippi a small care package via another adoptive family going to her city next month to meet their son.We still need approval from her orphanage (and there is a chance they will say no), but just in case we have a lovely soft album to fill with family photos. And a beautiful little doll that a friend is going to help me sew a voice recorder into so she can hear our voices.
virtual trip one: sweetest success!
Tippi is perfect. She is funny, cheeky, curious, imaginative, ‘emotional and radiant’. We have had Skype visits the last four days (from 3-4am our time, 10-11am Bulgaria time). Developmentally she completely blew us away. She interacted with us, waving and blowing kisses, and asking her caregivers who we are (her receptive language is amazing and her expressive language is starting to explode). She loved seeing our dogs “bow bows”, playing with dolls, and having tea parties (drinking “chai”). She moved around independently and is literally the most beautiful sweet tiny human you ever did see.
Saying goodbye was impossibly heart breaking. The next time we see her will almost certainly be when we pick her up. :( When will that be? Ooof, we still have no set timeline. Best case scenario would be July, worst case October. Right now I’m trying to tell myself that no matter the date, she is coming home THIS year!
I800 lockbox.
Today we received our USCIS lockbox notification, which means they have our forms and we now wait to be assigned an officer and hopefully approved in the next month (channeling that positive thinking power). Tomorrow morning we have a test Skype with our NGO in Bulgaria in prep for trip one next week. And just now this beautiful gift arrived in the mail (thank you, Jamie) - a reminder of our ‘emotional and radiant’ Tippi ☾ (our favorite line in her updated medical notes). It’s starting to feel very very real that she is going to come home.
pilot does quality control.
Pilot would like to reassure everyone he is taking his big brother role seriously. Quality control of Tippi’s room: 💯.
