Adoption Story: Jared and Jeanna

When we had our photographer take pictures we knew that we wanted one of Elaina on a suitcase to represent the journey we have taken to bring her into our family.  It is actually Jared's suitcase from when he was little, which makes it even more special (his name is on it if you look closely by the handle).  

Jared and Jeanna started with Christian Adoption Consultants last March. They were home study ready in June and within just a few weeks were presented to an expectant mom. That's where their story took a bit of a unique turn. She decided on another adoptive family, but her friend, also considering adoption, thought Jared and Jeanna were exactly the kind of parents she was looking for to raise her daughter. As the story unfolded, it turns out God knew all along how this little girl would come to be theirs. 

Jared and I both feel that God truly played out our adoption from how unique our match situation was to guiding us through the process.  Just when we would start to fear something could go wrong or even when we got the news that there was a medical condition with Elaina's heart and they wouldn't know specifics until she was born, God would show us that he was in control.  We would simply say, "Let it go and let God." 

From the beginning Jared and I felt blessed as we didn't have the typical wait like a lot of couples do. We presented to one expectant mom and it turns out...she didn't choose us but her friend "A", who was considering adopting did! We will never forget the phone call in June from Susan saying she had a unique situation for us. We were excited but at the same time fearful that it would be a situation we couldn't handle. We always said we did not want a long match but this little girl would not be born until November. There was a reason for that long match as we got to visit with the birth mom weekly and built a beautiful relationship with her that we now cherish. Thanksgiving was a true blessing this year as we held our daughter in our hands and thanked God for the beautiful journey he took us on to put her there.  As it turns out from the month we signed with Christian Adoption Consultants and Susan to when Elaina was born it was 9 months, exactly.