Woman swaps two kids for cockatoo, $175
Police in the southern US state of Louisiana have arrested a woman who allegedly traded two young children for an exotic bird and a bit of cash. Donna Greenwell, a 51-year-old long distance trucker, has been charged with aggravated kidnapping and is being held in jail on a bond of $100,000 after she allegedly swapped a four- and five-year-old in her care for a cockatoo and $175. The story began several weeks ago when Greenwell pulled her cattle truck into a livestock dealer’s to make a delivery, Dupre said. A couple had put up a flier at the dealer’s, advertising a cockatoo they had for sale for $1,500. Ms Greenwell saw the picture of the cockatoo along with the phone number, and with her raising birds already, she called them up. The conversation started with buying the cockatoo but when Greenwell found out they were a childless couple, it led up to trading the bird for the kids. The deal was sealed, and Greenwell handed over a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl to the Romeros in exchange for the bird and $175. The children weren’t even Greenwell’s biological offspring. afp
It's been so long since I've last posted anything, but there is nothing to post.
This time last year we were getting really excited, knowing our time to travel was coming soon. Little did we know that in the next few months to come we would lose two children.
This past Christmas was really hard for us, we though that we'd have our little girl home from Kazakhstan and we would be celebrating our 1st Christmas together.
Dec. 16th is also when our other child would have been born, A Christmas baby. The birth mother was planning on trying to have the baby on Dec 6th
It's been almost a year since we recieved the bad news from CHI and nothing has changed. Sandy was talking with a doctor about Adopting (many pregnant single girls not knowing what to do could have been told about us looking to Adopt). After 3 canceled appointments we found out he left the practice.
We've also talked with an Agency about domestic adoption but the $11,000 they wanted up front put an end to that.
Right now we really don't know what we want to do. Today was the 1st time in a really long time that I went to CHI's website to read the blogs only to be disgusted.
So many families having dossiers returned and nothing but trouble with trying to Adopt from Kaz. WHY!!! So many families want to adopt and so many children in need of a good home what is the PROBLEM!!!!
I just wish people could understand how painful for us families. The end of last year was REALLY hard for us. It was just to hard to be around children without getting upset and people couldn't understand why and would even get mad at us. We were even told "I didn't attend any Funeral so I don't know why your so upset"
I guess people can't understand what it's like to try so hard for so long only to have all your hopes and dreams crushed.
We might not of had a funeral but every day I feel like a part of me has died. Every day I look at that big pile of paperwork, the little outfits our child would of worn , I can't even to walk into the bedroom that I worked so hard on last year.
Every single day when we go somewhere and we see a family with children it hurts so bad. I will always wonder what could have been, and wonder about the child we would have met in Kazakhstan. I think thats what makes it so much harder is that there is no fond memories that we can look back upon.
As for now I don't know what we will do, the SWAN program here in PA. is most likely our best option, but after talking to them last year we really don't know right now.
I did just recently run into a friend of mine who just adopted through the Swan program so We'll talk with him and maybe something will become of it.
People told us you need to get out there and let it be known we are looking to adopt
Maybe we could trade our birds. ;-)
There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.
Robert F. Kennedy
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
ON HOLD
Well once again our appointment was canceled :-( Still no word on when we might have a 3rd try I'll let everyone know.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
NEXT WEEK
Just a quick update:
We have an appointment next week, I really don't know where this will lead us, I guess we'll know more a week from now. We're starting all over again and hope something will become of this, if not I think we are done trying to adopt we are really out of options. I'll let everyone know how things go.
Brian
P.S. a few of you have Blogs that have gone private We'd love an invite, following along and seeing how others have overcome adversity inspires us.
Success is never wondering what if.
Karrie Huffman
We have an appointment next week, I really don't know where this will lead us, I guess we'll know more a week from now. We're starting all over again and hope something will become of this, if not I think we are done trying to adopt we are really out of options. I'll let everyone know how things go.
Brian
P.S. a few of you have Blogs that have gone private We'd love an invite, following along and seeing how others have overcome adversity inspires us.
Success is never wondering what if.
Karrie Huffman
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Just our luck!!
Well we did have an appointment next friday the 24th. We had 1/2 day vacation approved and have been waiting over a month only to get a phone call that our guy won't be in that day. Just our luck. We hope to set up another appointment soon, this is a long shot but we hope something will positive will come from this.
The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed.
Nelson Boswell
The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed.
Nelson Boswell
Thursday, September 25, 2008
?????????????
Sorry no post for a long time, but its just hard to sit down and write. We still don't know where we go from here. We've called around and talked with different agencies, but it's the same problem over and over everyone wants $$$ up front with no promise of anything. After Kazakhstan leaving us almost $11,000 in the hole we are leary to spend more money (we don't have) with the possibility of losing everything again. We are still thinking about the Swan program but after talking with them in April we don't know if its what we really want to get into. We'll let everyone know if anything comes up.
Friday, August 22, 2008
We lose another
Sorry to keep everyone waiting but this is so hard for me to write. Everyone reading know what happened to us back in April when our Dossier was rejected by the head of the MOE in Kazakhstan. Well here's what has happened since then.
On the following Wendsday we met with a caseworker for the PA. State Adoption Swan program and although this program is great for the children Sandy and I knew it wasn't for us. We really didn't expect an infant but I really want a child that's small enough to believe in Santa and that still has that Christmas magic. We left with a large pile of paperwork that we had aready gone thru once before. Here 2 years after we started we were right back to were we started only now our money, time and hope were all but gone. On thursday May 1st we felt defeated, we didn't feel like we could go through this process all over again we were ready to give up.
Then everything changed, Sandy was in Bed I was dozing off in front of the TV when the phone rang at 9:33 PM I missed the call but it was our friend Joyce (she is a reference on our homestudy). She left a message for Sandy to call her back it was really important and wanted Sandy to call at 11:30PM when she got home from work.
I woke Sandy a little after 11 and must have repeated myself 5 times that she had to call Joyce, little did I know that when I went to bed just how BIG this Call was.
Joyce's daughter has a friend that is pregnant and she is looking for a family to Adopt her child. Sandy and Joyce talked until almost 2 in the morning, Joyce wasn't sure if should have called us now or wait but we told her to give her our phone number and well see how things go. Friday May 2nd I had just arrived home from work and Sandy and I were talking about Joyce's call when the phone rang it was the Mother of our future Son or Daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We talked and talked and talked we talked about all our hopes and fears and dreams and how much this means to her that her child will be in a good home that the child will be with someone who really REALLY WANT TO BE PARENTS.
We met on that Sunday Myself, Sandy and the Mother and Father of the child all finally met. We were all VERY nervous, how often do you meet the parents of a child that will become your Son or Daughter and how often do you get to meet the couple you'll be giving your child to. We talked for about two hours and She gave us the Sonogram pictures!! (I have them sitting here in front of me, all I can do know is sit here and wonder ) At the time all my dreams were coming true, I would get to go to her appointments , be there for Sonograms and do all of the things I thought I would NEVER get to do. And the due date was December 17th RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS All this time I kept telling people all I want is a little Christmas magic and here it is!!
Sandy and I met with a lawyer to get things moving, we updated our FBI and Child Abuse clearances, had our medicals updated and new fingerprints done. Things were going great, Sandy and I weren't sure if we should make the big announcement or just walk in Christmas morning and stun everyone. My family reunion Aug 9th was going to be the day we would tell everyone.
Things were going great until late June, we found out the Birth Mother had Placenta previa a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb (uterus) and covers all or part of the cervix.
The placenta is the organ that nourishes the developing fetus.
During pregnancy, your placenta repositions itself as your uterus stretches and grows. In early pregnancy, a low-lying placenta is very common. But as your pregnancy progresses, the enlarging uterus should "pull" the placenta toward the top of your uterus. By your third trimester, the placenta should be near the top of your uterus, leaving the opening of the cervix clear for the delivery.
Sometimes, though, the placenta remains in the lower portion of the uterus, partly or completely covering this opening. There are three types of placenta previa:
* Marginal: The placenta is located near the edge of the cervix but does not block it.
* Partial: The placenta covers part of the cervical opening.
* Complete: The placenta completely covers the cervical opening.
Placenta previa occurs in 1 out of 200 pregnancies.
She was to be on complete bed rest until the baby was born. When July came our phone calls weren't being returned, we couldn't understand she always called us RIGHT BACK what was going on?
We later found out her father had to take her to see a specialist in Pittsburgh, and just a few weeks ago we found out she lost the baby.
Our hearts go out to her we know how bad she wanted to make our Dreams come true.
So now here we are, we've now lost TWO Children within 4 months. I really don't know where we go from here. The SWAN program is really our only option, we've spent so much on paperwork Domestic is pretty much out of the question and international is no longer an option.
It hurts so bad right now to do so so much, so much time and money so many hopes and dreams and to be no closer now than we were 15 years ago. Not 1 day goes by that I don't think about what could be. At my reunion my cousin asked where our child was? I have people at work who ask when we'll be going to Kazakhstan. This should be a happy time, the time we would be introducing our child to everyone and sharing our Adoption story. Now I can only wonder why not us, and will I ever become a father? My wish for my 39th birthday was to become a father before my 40th. Now on my 40th my wish is to one day be a father.
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Mother Teresa
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
On the following Wendsday we met with a caseworker for the PA. State Adoption Swan program and although this program is great for the children Sandy and I knew it wasn't for us. We really didn't expect an infant but I really want a child that's small enough to believe in Santa and that still has that Christmas magic. We left with a large pile of paperwork that we had aready gone thru once before. Here 2 years after we started we were right back to were we started only now our money, time and hope were all but gone. On thursday May 1st we felt defeated, we didn't feel like we could go through this process all over again we were ready to give up.
Then everything changed, Sandy was in Bed I was dozing off in front of the TV when the phone rang at 9:33 PM I missed the call but it was our friend Joyce (she is a reference on our homestudy). She left a message for Sandy to call her back it was really important and wanted Sandy to call at 11:30PM when she got home from work.
I woke Sandy a little after 11 and must have repeated myself 5 times that she had to call Joyce, little did I know that when I went to bed just how BIG this Call was.
Joyce's daughter has a friend that is pregnant and she is looking for a family to Adopt her child. Sandy and Joyce talked until almost 2 in the morning, Joyce wasn't sure if should have called us now or wait but we told her to give her our phone number and well see how things go. Friday May 2nd I had just arrived home from work and Sandy and I were talking about Joyce's call when the phone rang it was the Mother of our future Son or Daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We talked and talked and talked we talked about all our hopes and fears and dreams and how much this means to her that her child will be in a good home that the child will be with someone who really REALLY WANT TO BE PARENTS.
We met on that Sunday Myself, Sandy and the Mother and Father of the child all finally met. We were all VERY nervous, how often do you meet the parents of a child that will become your Son or Daughter and how often do you get to meet the couple you'll be giving your child to. We talked for about two hours and She gave us the Sonogram pictures!! (I have them sitting here in front of me, all I can do know is sit here and wonder ) At the time all my dreams were coming true, I would get to go to her appointments , be there for Sonograms and do all of the things I thought I would NEVER get to do. And the due date was December 17th RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS All this time I kept telling people all I want is a little Christmas magic and here it is!!
Sandy and I met with a lawyer to get things moving, we updated our FBI and Child Abuse clearances, had our medicals updated and new fingerprints done. Things were going great, Sandy and I weren't sure if we should make the big announcement or just walk in Christmas morning and stun everyone. My family reunion Aug 9th was going to be the day we would tell everyone.
Things were going great until late June, we found out the Birth Mother had Placenta previa a complication of pregnancy in which the placenta grows in the lowest part of the womb (uterus) and covers all or part of the cervix.
The placenta is the organ that nourishes the developing fetus.
During pregnancy, your placenta repositions itself as your uterus stretches and grows. In early pregnancy, a low-lying placenta is very common. But as your pregnancy progresses, the enlarging uterus should "pull" the placenta toward the top of your uterus. By your third trimester, the placenta should be near the top of your uterus, leaving the opening of the cervix clear for the delivery.
Sometimes, though, the placenta remains in the lower portion of the uterus, partly or completely covering this opening. There are three types of placenta previa:
* Marginal: The placenta is located near the edge of the cervix but does not block it.
* Partial: The placenta covers part of the cervical opening.
* Complete: The placenta completely covers the cervical opening.
Placenta previa occurs in 1 out of 200 pregnancies.
She was to be on complete bed rest until the baby was born. When July came our phone calls weren't being returned, we couldn't understand she always called us RIGHT BACK what was going on?
We later found out her father had to take her to see a specialist in Pittsburgh, and just a few weeks ago we found out she lost the baby.
Our hearts go out to her we know how bad she wanted to make our Dreams come true.
So now here we are, we've now lost TWO Children within 4 months. I really don't know where we go from here. The SWAN program is really our only option, we've spent so much on paperwork Domestic is pretty much out of the question and international is no longer an option.
It hurts so bad right now to do so so much, so much time and money so many hopes and dreams and to be no closer now than we were 15 years ago. Not 1 day goes by that I don't think about what could be. At my reunion my cousin asked where our child was? I have people at work who ask when we'll be going to Kazakhstan. This should be a happy time, the time we would be introducing our child to everyone and sharing our Adoption story. Now I can only wonder why not us, and will I ever become a father? My wish for my 39th birthday was to become a father before my 40th. Now on my 40th my wish is to one day be a father.
I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Mother Teresa
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
Dale Carnegie
Monday, August 18, 2008
I Promise
I know I know everyone has been waiting. I promise to let everyone know what's going on this week. We've just been very very busy and it will take some time to explain everything. Today is my 40th BIRTHDAY so it won't be tonite. Thanks to everyone who has left us comments, I'll write soon I Promise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
