When a young couple talks about the idea of adoption while they're still dating, they don't know yet how God will use those stirrings to someday add a little one to their family. Today Chris shares from a father's heart the story of the adoption of their son.
Abigail and I have always had a heart for adoption. I vividly remember having conversations about our desire to adopt when we first started dating. We knew that these conversations would eventually become a reality, we just weren’t sure when. We were blessed with the birth of our first child, Emma Kate, in 2017, but then started experiencing infertility issues as we attempted to continue growing our family. Even though this time was challenging, and often marked by pain and disappointment, it ultimately allowed us to clearly see God opening the door to adopt.
In August of 2019, we decided to trust God’s guidance and started the adoption process with the help of Christian Adoption Consultants. God continued to grant us peace that adoption was His plan for our family as we navigated the home study process, designed our profile book, and started having intentional conversations with our family and friends. Susan, along with our case workers from other partnered organizations, were absolutely invaluable as we prepared our heads, and more importantly our hearts, to go through the various steps of adoption.
In early March we were matched with an amazing expectant mother in Arizona. Over the next five months we engaged in weekly video calls with her. Words cannot express how thankful we were for this sweet time. These calls allowed us to establish a strong relationship grounded in trust and love, and share our hopes for our son’s life and how we wanted her to be involved.
In the beginning of July we received a call that our birth mother might be heading into early labor and the doctors were anticipating her to deliver within 48 hours. We quickly changed our travel itinerary, threw some clothing in bags, and jetted off to Arizona. It turned out to be a false alarm but allowed our family to spend two weeks praying, remaining hopeful, and resting in God’s sovereignty. An induction was scheduled a few weeks later and Abigail got to spend quality time with the birth mother through the labor process and the days that followed, strengthening their bond and learning more about her story.
Bailey (chosen by his strong birth mother) Law (a family name on both extended family sides) was born on July 28, 2020. An unexpected two week stay in the NICU for Bailey forced us to rely on God and cling to Him for strength, discernment, and peace. We were so thankful for the guidance that CAC and our agency provided to us during that difficult time. We feel honored to be chosen by God and Bailey’s birth mother to be his parents and welcome him to our family. We continue to have a close relationship with his birth mother and can’t wait to see how it will grow throughout the years.
Our hope for Bailey’s life is found in Proverbs 3:3-4 which says “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.”
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