7 Questions You Never Ask a Pregnant Woman

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to our story. It is my prayer that it encouraged you as well as entertained you. Our journey was far from smooth, but there is nothing about it I would change knowing the outcome it brought us. I also want you to know that I'll be blogging soon about some of the challenges we've faced along the way and still face when it comes to parenting kids who come from challenging situations. But, today, I wanted to share something a little different.

So, with tongue firmly in cheek, I present to you 7 Questions You Never Ask a Pregnant Woman (also known as 7 things people hear all too often when they announce they're adopting).



1) You're pregnant? Congratulations! But couldn't you adopt your own children?

This one tops the list for couples who don't have biological children. Frequently, yes, couples have struggles with infertility prior to making the decision to adopt. But that isn't always the case. Sometimes a couple has decided to adopt BEFORE attempting to have biological children. Or perhaps a couple has just seen the need for adoption. Regardless, and ESPECIALLY in the case of a couple struggling with infertility, they probably don't want to discuss it with you. If you are a close enough friend, you most likely already know their struggles. If not, then just remain curious (which is a nice way of saying, it's probably none of your business).

2) Aren't you afraid your biological baby will have problems?

This is one no one ever asks a pregnant woman, but adoptive families hear all the time. While it is true that children who are adopted often come with a unique set of challenges, it is no more guaranteed with an adopted child than it is with a biological child. As a matter of fact, for a couple who is adopting an older child (and not a newborn), frequently the child's needs are known before the child comes home. Biological kids sometimes don't come with the same information.

3) What if your biological kid doesn't look like you?

I have brown eyes. My mom has green eyes. While I have many of her mannerisms, I don't necessarily look like her even though we have the same skin tone. My children have brown eyes like I do. They just happen to have darker skin and hair. Regardless, it's just cosmetic. (And, yes, I realize this is oversimplifying trans-racial adoption. I'm just saying, for couples who are willing to adopt children of a different race, they've already thought about it.) Next question.

4) Why would you get pregnant when there are so many kids who need good homes in this country?

This is the one that people who have adopted internationally get a lot. It can also be phrased, "why would you go to Africa (or Haiti, or Russia, or....) when kids here need homes?" Simple answer, "because that's where my kid was." Everyone has their own reason why they adopt from where they adopt. Regardless of that reason, they are providing a loving home for a child who needs one and that is the most important thing.

5) Doesn't it cost a lot to have a bio kid?

Oh, yes, the money thing. Adoption can be expensive. Or it can be almost free (if you adopt through foster care). Giving birth can be expensive (especially if it involves infertility treatments), but it's rarely free. People usually find it off limits to ask about another family's finances. Unless an adoptive family willingly tells you how much it's going to cost and asks you to contribute, they would probably you rather not ask.

6) Are you sure you can love your bio kid like you do an adopted kid?

I have a friend who answered this one beautifully. She says, in some ways, she loves her adopted kids MORE than her bio kids. Because the bio kids just came to her, but she had to FIGHT for her adopted kids. And there's just something about fighting for something (whether it's fighting for their custody, their trust, or their attachment) that makes you cling to it even harder. Any parent with more than one child will tell you that their love for their children may be different at times, but it is no more or no less for any of them.

7) If you get pregnant, I'm sure you'll adopt right after that.  I hear that happens all the time.

This is my personal favorite. It usually goes like this, "my cousin's sister's friend adopted and RIGHT AFTER THAT found out she was pregnant. They just relaxed and quit worrying about it and then it happened." First off, see question number 1. If a couple has struggled with infertility, they have probably labored over the adoption decision for a long time. And, while there may still be hope of a biological child in years to come, that is not why they are adopting. They have made the decision to become parents now and this is not a "second best thing" to having a bio kid.

As I've said, if you are family or close friends with someone who is adopting, then you're probably in the circle of trust and can ask these questions. But unless you're sure you've earned that trust, the most appropriate response is just "Congratulations! I'm so excited for you!" And then mean it. Because that couple that just announced it is just as excited as that couple that just announced their pregnancy. And they are probably also more nervous. So hug them, cheer them, pat them on the back. Just don't immediately ask them things they may not want to tell you.

Forever Day

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Snow.  That seems to be a recurring theme with our family when it comes to important events.  There was the May snow the day the boys moved in, and there was snow for a week prior to December 11, 2013.  If anything could make us second guess adopting, being snowed in for almost a week with two wild boys could certainly do it.

Somehow, we all survived that week and the 7 months that preceded it. And, so, 23 months after our adoption journey started with that first email, and approximately 810 days after our boys entered foster care, we headed for the Washington County Juvenile Center.

Our parents managed to make the trip from Northeast Arkansas despite the snow still on the ground.  I actually worked that morning because I had already missed so many days due to inclement weather. I'm not sure I actually performed any quality treatment that morning, but I was at least there in body, if not in spirit. The boys were still out of school so they stayed home with Rodney and didn't fully comprehend the significance of the day.

Finally, a little before 3 o'clock, we entered Judge Zimmerman's court room.  I'm not sure what I expected from that, but it was almost anti-climactic.  The boys had been given new teddy bears by our wonderful adoption specialist (she had even picked out one for Trae that reminded her of what he looked like with his hearing aid headband) and they were asked to name them.  After talking to the boys a little, Judge Z asked them what they were naming their bears and she officially signed bear adoption certificates.  Then she asked us about our intentions to adopt the boys, verified their new names, and then they were ours.  We posed for a few pictures with the judge and with our families, and it was all over.  The years of praying, wishing, and hoping, had come down to that moment. We were their forever parents.

We had joked before that day about possibly pulling over on the way home to provide some discipline that would not have been approved by DHS (yes, we said we might pull over and spank them....just because we could!), but that was completely unnecessary. As a matter of fact, both boys cuddled up with their new bears and fell asleep on the way home.

That evening we got to celebrate our full circle moment.  Surrounded by our families, the boys' foster family, our adoption specialist, and our friends, we celebrated our very first Forever Day.

One of the highlights of that day was finally "unveiling" the boys on social media. While they were officially wards of the state, we were prohibited from sharing their faces publicly. Which meant many of our friends who lived in Northeast Arkansas had never seen their faces without various digital stickers covering them.  I have to admit, I actually had a great time tempting people with various glimpses.  Sometimes we would cover them with stars or simple blue dots, but other times we used a funny nose and glasses or they wore actual masks. But that day we got to show off their beautiful faces and reveal their brand new names.

As I reflect back now on the journey to that day, I am overcome with how God perfectly ordered every step.  There were many surprises for us along the way, but He was never surprised by one of them. As a matter of fact, when you look at the timing of the boys coming into care, the date of their TPR (termination of parental rights), and the timing of us pursuing adoption and finally becoming an open home, the dates line up pretty perfectly. If things had proceeded at OUR pace, I don't believe they would have ever been OUR boys.

I won't go into all the reasons the boys ended up in foster care, but it is safe to say it happened because we live in a broken world where people don't always care for children in the way they should.  But, in His sovereignty, what was intended for evil, He used for good (Genesis 50:20). And that could pretty much sum up our entire journey to becoming parents. There were many times along the way when the enemy could have gained a foothold and destroyed us all. Thankfully, God wrote a different story. And, with every opportunity I have to tell that story, I will give Him all the glory.

Seven Months of Second Guessing

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Snow in Arkansas in May. Know what's more unusual than that?  Rodney and Kristi becoming parents.  And both those things happened on May 3, 2013.

Yes, we woke to snow that Friday morning in May.  And that afternoon we completed the boys' move into our house.  The previous evening we had actually moved most of their stuff in, but that afternoon we picked them up for the last time at their foster parents'.  You know those kids you hear about that are in foster care and come with nothing?  Yeah, those weren't our boys.  They may have come into care with very little, but they left with a TON of stuff, which was more evidence of exactly how well-loved they were while in the care of Nathan and Pam. 

At the time we were living in a 1300 square foot condo, and to say it was transformed overnight would be an understatement.  In addition to two very loud boys, we were suddenly overwhelmed with  Legos and action figures and costumes (oh my!). Our days of three loads of laundry a week were over. Our nights of dinner and a movie were no more.  And we couldn't have been happier about it.

We were having more fun than we'd ever had, but to say it was a completely easy road would be a lie. We talk now about how blessed we were with a relatively smooth transition, but there were times that were just flat-out HARD.  We were rookies and we were dealing with professionals when it came to things like fit throwing or refusing to comply. We had a little experience with these things when we were in the transition process, but when they were ours 24/7 we had no choice but to figure out how to deal with those things in our own way.  On top of that, our hands were somewhat tied in the discipline area because the boys were still in the custody of the state until the adoption was final.  So we had more than our fair share of fits, tantrums, and tears (and the boys had a few, too). 

One of the hardest battles we fought at the time was one I now find the most humorous.  During that summer, both boys rode to work in Siloam Springs with me every day; Will was enrolled in the preschool where I worked and Trae was attending the Boys and Girls Club in Siloam. This seemed like a great idea logistically and, in my head, was also a great way for us to bond on the 45 minute drive every day.  What I underestimated, however, was the power of a shoe sailing past my head as I drove 70 mph down Hwy 412.  Not to mention the ability of a 30 pound 3 year old to get out of his 5- point harness EVERY DAY.  We tried not driving unless the seat belt was buckled (which made it more than a little difficult to actually GET to work).  We tried taking away privileges.  We even tried BUNGEE CORD to hold the harness shut (he was little--not dumb; he figured that out before we got out of Fayetteville).  These boys were smarter than we were and had much more experience than we did. But somehow all four of us survived that first summer.  

Despite our bumps in the road, we were actually faring pretty well.  The boys bonded to us fairly quickly and started calling us Mom and Dad just a few days after moving in, which was a major answer to prayers we started praying when we first decided to adopt.  We just forgot to pray for wisdom in how to get them to not throw shoes.  

I would love to say we quickly smoothed out those behaviors and now we have sweet angel children.  But I would also love to say I'm a millionaire.  Some things just take more time than others.  Parenting is tough. Period. And parenting kids who come from hard places and don't completely trust you is really hard. 

Our first seven months were the learning experience of our lives. I second-guessed just about every decision I made (Did I discipline wrong? Are they in the right schools? Should I have said that? Will they still love me if I make them keep their shoes on?).  What I never second-guessed, though, was whether or not we had made the right decision. At the end of every day, I went to bed exhausted.  And I thanked GOD that He was giving me the privilege to be their parent. Every tough moment and every tear was forgotten as soon as those brown eyes looked into mine and said, "I love you."

And, so, even with all the second-guessing, there was no hesitation on the day the adoption specialist came to our house and said, "We'd like to set the adoption date for December 11. Does that work for y'all?"

May 3, 2013 (thanks for the pic, Pam!)

To be continued....
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The Amazing "Coincidence"

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Coincidence--a remarkable occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. You might also call it serendipity.  Or favor.  In our case, we just call it a God-story.

Way back in 1997, I started physical therapy school at the University of Central Arkansas.  Newly married, I should have probably been spending any free time at home with my husband.  Instead, I reverted back to my college habits and immediately jumped into the world of intramurals.  Flag football, softball, even soccer, you name it, I was there. It was on the intramural field I got to know a fellow PT student named Nathan.  He was pretty newly married at the time too and his wife Pam often came around to cheer him on.  Over the next two years, we got to know them a little better as Nathan and I finished school.

After graduation, we all drifted our separate ways and I really had no idea where Nathan and Pam ended up.  So, imagine our surprise when, on our first day to visit our church, we immediately ran into Nathan.  We caught up a little about where we both were professionally, and then we again went our separate ways. On our way out of the parking lot, we happened to notice Nathan and Pam leaving with SIX boys in tow.  To our surprise, there were 4 blonde ones and two others who didn't quite look the same (one of these things is not like the other). "Hey, look!  It looks like Nathan and Pam have adopted a couple of kids.  How cool!"  And that was the end of it.  So we thought.

So, how in the world does this rabbit trail lead us back to our adoption story?  After that night at On the Border, we called DHS and told them we wanted to move forward and find out a little more about the boys in that email.  From there,  they set up a disclosure meeting.  We had no idea what we would be walking into, other than that we would receive more information about these boys. Armed with little more information than that, we walked into the Washington Co. DHS office on March 18, 2013. And the first people we saw were Pam and Nathan.  Those boys we had been praying for for so long (even before we received the first piece of information about them), had been living with those friends we had met almost 16 years before.  So, while we were praying they were safe and protected in a loving foster home, they were living with people we already knew and had no reason not to trust.  Later, we also discovered they were praying for us all along when they were praying the boys would find the perfect forever family.

You can imagine how we felt God confirming our "yes" when we walked in and saw them.  And that gave us a confidence we needed when we started staring at the mounds of paperwork the DHS workers set in front of us. Not to mention the sheer number of people in the room.  There was a case worker, an adoption specialist, a mental health professional, a CASA worker (with purple hair!), the foster parents, and probably others that I can't even remember.  We can look back on the experience and laugh now, but to say it was overwhelming would be an understatement.  I am not exaggerating when I say that each boy's file was 3-4 inches thick. And we had approximately 3 minutes to look at these files before all the talking began.  Everyone in the room spoke about the boys and what type of home they needed.  They talked about the challenges each boy came with and the ways they hoped the boys could flourish in a stable environment.  We learned they had already made great progress in the home of their fantastic foster parents, but that there was still a lot of work to do.  And then, without even another minute to look through those stacks of paper, they asked us if we wanted to move forward.

Looking back now, I can't even remember what we said.  I think it was sort of a mumbled, "uh, okay" (because that's what you say when you think God is saying "GO" but all you really wanna respond with is "SLOW DOWN!").  We quickly exchanged email addresses with Pam and agreed we would work directly with them to come up with a time to meet the boys for the first time, and we walked out of the office with promises to call the adoption specialist in a few days and let her know our thoughts about moving toward adopting.

In retrospect, I imagine we felt similar feelings to what parents feel when they find out they're pregnant.  There was some shock, some fear, and some unexplainable excitement about what these children would look like and act like when we finally met them face-to-face. We talked more, prayed more, glanced through the overwhelming paperwork (which included everything from medical records to therapy notes), and we quickly agreed that nothing was there that could scare us off yet. Just like parents-to-be sometimes do, we even stopped on the way home to look at what kind of furniture we might put in a boys' room one day. In pregnancy, however, you have 9 months to prepare.  In our case, we had 24 hours.

To be continued...
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Forward

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In January, 2012 I began a tradition of setting a word for the year.  Instead of a New Year's Resolution, I decided to focus on a word that I wanted to define my year.  If 2010-2011 had been my years of refining, I wanted 2012 to be the year of "forward." 

In early January of that year, I sent our first initial email to DHS letting them know we wanted to begin the process of becoming an adopt-only family.  It was a radical shift for us because no longer did we feel compelled to "have a baby" but instead, we felt God leading us to "parent a child."  We knew that adopting through foster care meant we would most likely not be receiving an infant and that we would be entering a new, unknown world, but we were confident enough to keep marching forward until God either closed a door or led us down a different path.  

Logistically, our decision to adopt also meant another big move.  By this time, Rodney had moved to Fayetteville to pursue his Ph.D. We were making it work by seeing each other every other weekend, but clearly that wasn't the ideal situation for becoming parents.  So I made the decision to leave my business, and my comfortable hometown, and to move to Fayetteville.  God helped make it clear that we were making the right decision by almost immediately providing me with a new job with Friendship Community Care, the same company that gave me my start as a PT. 

I started my new job in May and in July we started the 30 hours of training required to become adoptive parents through the foster care system.  We did our training through an organization known as the CALL (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime).  While the training was the same training required by the state for all potential foster and adopt families, it was done from a Christian perspective.  The mission of the CALL is to "educate, encourage, and equip the Christian community to provide a future and a hope for children in foster care in Arkansas."  Out of that training came a wonderful support system for us as we journeyed (and continue to journey) through the world of foster care and adoption.

In August of that year we completed our home study and a month later our file was in the hands of a state adoption specialist. Knowing all the children in Arkansas who needed loving homes, we assumed "the call" would come quickly. Little did we know, God had other plans. And so we waited, we made phone calls inquiring about available kids, we used our contacts (remember that state senator I helped get elected?), and we prayed. Finally, in Februrary, 2013 we received a call and then an email. Containing a picture of two boys who, despite not looking much like us, we couldn't get out of our minds. 

To say it was love at first sight would be a vast oversimplification. Yes, they were cute and their stories were compelling, but to say it was an easy choice would be a lie. We had reservations about a lot of areas. Yes, race was an issue. We "thought" we were ready to become a multi-racial family, but with that decision comes a lot of social and relational ramifications that we didn't know if we were ready for. And every child in foster care comes with a past. Were we willing to accept these children along with every possible scar they would bring with them? And so, we prayed. A lot. And we listened, to each other and to God. And then we sat down one night (over chips and salsa at On the Border), and we said a tentative yes. And the story God had in store for us from that night on was greater than anything we could imagine.

To be continued...
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Our first picture, February, 2013

Just Keep Moving

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Just Keep Moving.  It's the phrase that became my running mantra and, in some ways, my life's mantra for a time.  Despite my busyness, I had been living a stagnant life.  I was moving, but not moving forward.  I did all the right things (Bible studies, regular church attendance, membership in service organizations, you name it), and I even "prayed" about my future a lot. But, in retrospect, what I was actually doing was just complaining to God about things.  I wasn't actually listening to Him and DOING anything about it.

In my case, it started with taking control of my health.  1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 says:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.  They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I am a physical therapist, and since I preached to people every day about taking control of their own health, I had to start with myself.  And so I did.  I committed to nothing more than logging everything I ate and making time for some sort of exercise for 20 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week.  That was the plan.  Nothing ground breaking or earth shattering.  Just eat less, move more. And gradually the pounds starting dropping off.

Why was this different than all the times I had tried to lose weight before?  The only difference I can point to is that when I committed, I didn't tell a soul.  No one.  Not even my husband.  It really became something just between me and God.  Unlike all the times before, I wasn't looking for anyone's approval but His.  If He told me to be self-controlled and to practice what I preached, then I was going to do my best.  If others noticed, then so be it.  But it wasn't for them.  It was just between me and Him and all I had to do was follow His direction.

And you know what?  That one difference, just a small change of mind, made ALL the difference.  "Working the plan" (another phrase I often used) became something I could do in other areas of my life.  Just one small step after another.  I didn't have to make grand plans and set lofty goals in order to be successful.  I just had to take the next step God put in front of me.  It was really quite simple.

On the health front, I started walking 20 minutes at a time.  And then I started running, not long and not fast, but just a little.  And then a little more.  And then, out of nowhere, I found myself registered for a half-marathon.  And God again just showed me all I had to do was follow a plan, take one step at a time, and "just keep moving."

Professionally, I also took the next step in front of me.  I started teaching at a local community college.

Socially, I stepped out even further.  In June of 2010 I met a woman about my age who was running for state senate.  By late August of that year, I was managing her campaign and traveling with her every week to various campaign events.

Again, I had no end goal in mind.  I was just following.  One step, leading to the next step, and then the next.  Before I even understood where He was taking me, I began to realize that God was developing gifts and talents in me that I wasn't even sure existed.  I was getting more confident speaking in front of people.  I was using my spiritual gift of encouragement in real and practical ways.  I was relying on Him every step of the way because I didn't have my own agenda to pursue.

In his book, On the Anvil, Max Lucado talks about three types of tools.  One type is rusted, worn out, and in the scrap pile.  Another type is on the anvil, being heated up in the refiner's fire and shaped into a more worthy implement.  The third type has been through the fire, and emerged sharper and more fit for use.  By the end of 2010, I felt myself emerging from the fire.  Refined, reshaped (literally and figuratively), and ready to pursue whatever next step was in front of me.  

As it became increasingly clear that bio kids weren't going to happen, we decided that perhaps the next step was adoption.  Initially, we looked into domestic infant adoption, but quickly learned the logistics of that were just not right for us. We have close friends who have gone through that process and have beautiful, wonderful families as a result.  It just wasn't for us.

And so I became okay with not having kids.  I say that now and think I must have been delusional, but honestly, God had worked so much in my life that I was okay with or without kids.  If He led me to them, I would go.  But if not, I was trusting He had my best interest at heart.  

I was also learning to trust my husband more.  Despite being separated by miles, our marriage was growing closer.  Not being in the same physical location forced us to communicate in ways we never had before.  When a phone call is all you have, you have to learn to listen.  And when you only see each other on weekends, you don't take those visits for granted.  We were each becoming more confident in ourselves as individuals, and we were also deepening our relationship in a way we should have done years before.  So, when Rodney said, "I think we should look more into adoption" I trusted him enough to say, "okay."  And, with that, we started down the road that would stretch us, try us, and, ultimately, shape us, into the family we are now.

To be continued...

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                                               St. Jude Half-Marathon, December, 2010

Foster Care Friday

Note: Wow. You've blown me away with your encouraging comments. I wrote most of these blogs before I ever hit publish on the last one, but your encouragement makes me think perhaps I should cut to the chase a little quicker. However, more than just telling my story, I want this blog to encourage and inform about the worlds of foster care and adoption.  So, today begins what I'm hoping will be a series of interviews with fabulous foster and adoptive parents.

As I continue telling my story, one of the central characters you will soon meet is my friend Pam Jowers.  Pam and I first met many years ago, but have become very close in the last 2 1/2 years.  She is an accountant and lives in Northwest Arkansas with her husband Nathan and their four sons.  Their first placements were two brothers that I now proudly call my sons.  With that, I proudly introduce you to Pam.

How long did you foster and how many children did you foster during that time?

We fostered for 3 years and had a total of 6 foster children during that time.  Our longest placement was almost 2 years, and our shortest was just a few weeks.  We also provided respite care on a couple of occasions. 

(Note: Respite care is usually a very short-term placement where the child returns to another foster placement once they leave your home.  For example, if a child's foster family needs to go out of state for a period of time and can't take the child with them, then a respite family can care for the child until the other family returns. Or, a family just needs a short-term break from a difficult placement.  There is always a need for these short-term families.)

Why did you make the decision to open your home to foster care?

Mostly the huge need for foster parents.  We have been blessed with so much that we wanted to be able to help others and provide children with a loving family, even if it was temporary.

What was the greatest challenge to you as a foster parent?

Learning to navigate the system.  It's such a broken system and sometimes things happen that just don't make sense.

What has been the biggest blessing to come out of your experience?

We have been blessed to see all 4 of the kids that we had for long term placement flourish.  Two of them were adopted into a very loving home.  We have a great relationship with them and their parents and get to see them on a weekly basis.  Two of the others went back home with their biological families and are doing very well.  We have also been able to keep in touch with them.

Can you share any humorous anecdotes from your foster care experience?

Although it wasn't really humorous at the time, the biological mom of our first 2 boys loved to bring them lots of sugar, chocolate, tea, and Mountain Dew to her evening visits with her 2, already wild, boys.  She even brought Reese's Pieces to one of them who was allergic to peanut butter.  Talk about getting the caseworkers fired up!

What effect did foster care have on the children already in your home?

Foster care was a great experience for our children.  They took on the responsibilities of having extra kids in the house and they were very compassionate for their situations.  A lot of times, they were much more patient with the struggles that we had at times than we were. 

How did your extended family respond to your desire to foster?

Our family has been very supportive of our decision to foster.  I'm sure they think we are crazy, but they mostly kept those thoughts to themselves and always treated our foster children like their own!

How do you respond to people who say, "I could never foster because I would get too attached"?

We have always had the mindset from the beginning that we are only a temporary placement for these children.  Did we love them?  Of course. We still do!  We fought hard for the best interests of the kids in our care.  But we also know that we were not the "best fit" long term for any of the kids in our care.  That made "letting them go" a much easier process than most would think.

What advice would you have for someone considering becoming a foster parent?

Have a good support system.  Have patience with the foster care system.  Try to always remember the situations your foster kids come from...it helps when it comes to having patience with their less than desirable behaviors.  Added from Nathan:  Remember the big picture...kids that start out as little hellions can turn into sweet little guys! (I think I may know to whom he's referring)

As you might imagine, I owe Pam a great deal.  She and her family taught my boys what a loving, stable family looked like and for that we are eternally grateful. I know it wasn't always easy for her (I've seen the videos of my little "angels" that prove otherwise!), but we couldn't have asked for a better "middle mother" for our boys.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.  Please feel free to share it with others who might be considering foster care or adoption.  And if you have any questions, please email me at rodandkris97@gmail.com

The Jowers family (including a couple of extras). December, 2012