The McDade Family

My photo
Hi! Our names are Shannon, Mark and Summer McDade. We are a family of three wanting to expand our family through adoption. We were planning to adopt from Taiwan, but the wait has helped us change countries to Ethiopia. God has a purpose foreverything and we are going to stay faithful and follow Him.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Girl or Boy!!

Mark and I have decided to not purse the little boy that is three years old and has mild developmental delays. My social worker can not tell me for sure when we can get him or how long it would take. He is going to be behind and we just are not sure about it. We have decided that we would take a boy or a girl. Whichever comes to us. We really wanted a girl until this happened. Maybe we will get a referral sooner now. Who knows. We just want a child soon.

" Let your unfailing Love surround us, O Lord, for our hope is in you alone." -Psalm 33:22

This is what keeps me going. Knowing that God is Love. His love never leaves us. He is ALL we need!!! Going through this adoption without God would be unbearable. I couldn't imagine not talking to Him about everything that is going on in my life and getting peace through prayer. It is hard adopting, when you are a control freak. I am getting better and God is helping me with this. He is showing me to not worry about when we will get Mia or Connor. It will happen at the right time.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

What a Week!!!!

Mark and I found out earlier this week from our agency that if we want a healthy child it could take up to three years. What?! Why does it have to take so long? That means Summer will be almost 8 or 9 years old. I never wanted them to be this far apart in age. I want them kinda close so they can play with each other. It doesn't make sense to have to wait that long for a child to become part of your family.

My social worker contacted me to see if we would like to get a little boy on the waiting list. Which means we could get him soon. I asked to see him and his medical history. He is three years old and so cute. He was born prematurely and does have some mild development delays and language delays. I talked with Mark and he was kinda interested in him. Mark said from the very beginning that he only wanted a girl not a boy. I guess he has changed his mind when he saw his picture. Who knows what is going to happen.

Yesterday my social worker called me to tell me that two other families were interested in this little boy. Should have known we weren't the only ones. She wants us to get the medical records and take them to an international adoption pediatrician to see how healthy he truly is. We need to let her know soon so we can put our name out there for the birth parents to pick out of us three. Great!!! Now we have the birth parents picking for their child that they gave up when he was a baby fighting for his life. Come to find out the birth mom drank and smoked during her pregnancy with him. I am not mad at them; I just don't think they should have a say in this. Well, I guess I am kinda mad!!!!

So today I went to the pediatrician and dropped off the medical records. Hope to hear something first thing in the morning. I guess we will see what happens if we put our name out there for the picking.

I never planned on trying for a boy. We thought we would get a girl and call her Mia. And we might still be getting Mia. This might just be something else to slow us down and try to get us frustrated. Going through an adoption is very frustrating, because you have no control in what and went things happen. This is very hard for me. I like for everything to be in order and in some type of control. Not with this!!! We have the bedroom done for Summer and Mia to sleep in. Very fairy like. We will just have to change some things around if we are chosen for this little boy. Mark and I have always liked the name Connor and will call him that. All we can do is move forward and if it doesn't happen then Mia is still out there somewhere waiting.

All I can do is pray that we are doing what God wants us to do. if He wants us to get Connor then we will. if He wants us to get Mia then we will. It is hard with the timeline of when things happen. I need to let that go and let Him take control of it.I am trying everyday to let go little by little.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend was really crazy at the McDade House...
On Saturday morning around 4:00 am our two year old dog named Sassi started going into seizures and couldn't stop. Summer came running into our bedroom to tell us that Sassi was having a bad dream. I wish she was. Nope not this time. Mark and I didn't really know what to do except try to give her all her pain medicine so she would just go to sleep. No didn't happen. However, the seizures did stop by she was still dying. I went into Summer' s room where Sassi was and held her for while. I kissed her, told her I love her and stroked her head. I was so upset that there was nothing that we can do for her. I knew this day was going to come, but not the day before Easter. We were trying to keep Sassi around as long as we could especailly until Easter was over with. I realized while I was holding her that we could not make that happen. It was her time to go and for us to let her go. Mark called the vet which told us we only had two more weeks with her and she was totally right. Exactly two weeks to the day!!!! Mark and I put Sassi in the car and that is where I said my good-byes to her. I told her she was a great dog and that we are going to miss her very much. I think she heard me and started to wag her tail to me. I kissed her for the last time on her soft head and played with her soft ears too. Mark drove her to the vet. I couldn't bring myself to go. I regret it now though. Sassi will be missed by all of us.

Last Saturday we got Lilly; a 5 month old lab and a week later we are putting Sassi to sleep. God knew that Sassi wouldn't be with us much longer so he prepared us in getting another dog. Not to take the place of Sassi, but to help with our loss. Our daughter Summer depended on Sassi to be with her wherever she went. So this would have been really hard if we didn't have Lilly. It has helped me also. I was really attached to Sassi and she went with me places too. I know God knew this about us and He helped us get the right dog into our family.

Just like God is going to do with a little girl from Taiwan at the right time. Mia is going to fit perfectly into our family. I can't wait until she comes. Mark and I have picked out Mia's middle name it is going to be Hope. Mia Hope McDade. We might still us part of her Taiwanese name as part of her middle name, but not sure yet. Hope is so fitting for her middle name because it stands for so many different things. It stands that we should all have hope in our lives and that Jesus Christ is that hope. Also it can stand for us wanting to purse adoption from our church, Hope Church through a sermon that Craig speaked on. That really started it all for me. I am so happy we chose adoption to expand our family.






We all went to an Easter egg hunt at Hope on Saturday. We all had fun. Summer got to do an Easter egg hunt, get a balloon shaped as a dog, and tons of food. She played games and ran around all over the place. We had a fun day even tough we just put Sassi to sleep. It is a day I will never forget!!!!



Easter morning was great!!!! The church service was great and very inspiring. I am so glad that we have found a Church that we can call home. I want to do whatever God wants me to do with my life. I feel strongly about helping orphans and adoptions. I would love to start something at Hope Church for familys that might need help with some of their expenses. We will have to wait and see on that. Summer had a great time at church also. All of her friends were there.