tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62440305230810678812024-03-05T00:39:51.802-06:00My {Grace Filled} MessMy beautiful and messy life as a wife, mama, and adoption consultant.Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.comBlogger599125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-77272808415479258862023-10-04T16:50:00.001-05:002023-10-04T16:50:21.076-05:00Adoption Story: Michael and Becca<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>One of my favorite things is asking families to tell their stories. This space is full of adoption stories and often, hopeful adoptive families will pore over each one, wondering how their own story will be written. Or looking for encouragement on their own journey which turned out longer than they anticipated. When I asked Becca to share the story of their son, she didn't hesitate. She knows good stories are meant to be shared...and celebrated.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk6pSbY-jeN1jt2cDdF1JnIumbjeVqWER8586hVgEZvGVkLwwF8PwWPP3PBaDKJOp5jdwffGLXtu9ehaErHQTGIlYRQbTMBJsH4Hh8m8K5lnjbtF1e4Kg0DLSJBGDlALWOg-zht9Mqg94JTJMQxTDmbjt_FVZ6x0UQ-4bsdelPL29DMFdUc4V1Vh9Ubs/s5184/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk6pSbY-jeN1jt2cDdF1JnIumbjeVqWER8586hVgEZvGVkLwwF8PwWPP3PBaDKJOp5jdwffGLXtu9ehaErHQTGIlYRQbTMBJsH4Hh8m8K5lnjbtF1e4Kg0DLSJBGDlALWOg-zht9Mqg94JTJMQxTDmbjt_FVZ6x0UQ-4bsdelPL29DMFdUc4V1Vh9Ubs/w426-h640/unnamed.jpg" width="426" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I am so excited to have a story to share on Susan’s adoption blog! I read her blog late at night when I found out we’d yet again not even been presented to a birth mother. I loved how every adoption story came together so differently. God is creative, unchanging, and reliable all at the same time. Adoption was laid on my heart in my early twenties as I attended a church with a huge heart for adoption. The youth pastor and his wife had adopted from foster care and advocated heavily for little ones in similar situations, working hard to educate people on ways to get involved. When our first pregnancy ended in miscarriage I brought up the topic to my husband and he was fully on board. We started adoption classes in 2015, but quickly learned our life was not at all at a place where we were proper adoptive candidates. Several years later, we were settled into a house and raising two little ones. My husband and I were pretty set on adoption through the foster care system but kept hitting walls, sort of like a "square peg, round hole" situation. I had a local family friend who adopted </span><span style="color: #222222;">domestically</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> with the help of <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> and over time we realized that’s the direction God was steering us toward. </span></div></span><p></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As 2022 began, we ramped up our efforts towards becoming home study ready and officially signed on with a handful of agencies. We chose three to four that we connected with on paper and felt peace about partnering with, but there was one agency that really stood out to me. We asked to be considered for probably twenty-plus situations before the agency we felt most drawn to called out of nowhere in October with a match! We happened to be on vacation and began driving to meet this sweet birth mama and baby. Things unexpectedly took a turn and twelve hours later, we heard she had decided to parent. Although I was genuinely happy for her and her baby, we were far from home and I felt so confused. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was then that Susan was able to provide some answers and address my doubts and concerns. The conversations we had in the next week kept me at peace with our hope to adopt and thankfully we stayed the course. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just twenty days after our rapid heartache, the same agency called again with a match: a little baby who had been chosen for our family. And just a few hours after that, we were boarding a plane to cross the country. I was more than a little anxious and prayed the entire flight. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We left the airport and got into our rental car to head to the town where this sweet baby was waiting. My whole family fell asleep in the car. It was a lovely ride with gorgeous scenery and lots of heaven-sent peace. I was still so nervous but the peace reigned. This is a drive I often look back on with such a happy heart. I didn’t know then what was ahead, but now I know it unfolded so beautifully.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We ran into some obstacles once we got to the hospital. Before we could meet the baby, official papers had to be signed and reviewed. It was three days before we met our son and I felt like I was about to bust the doors down - it couldn't come soon enough! We finally met him and settled into an Airbnb as a family of SIX! We loved where we were staying, appreciated every moment, and just hours later we received the call from ICPC we could travel home. We were shocked it was so quick! It was close to Thanksgiving and we were so grateful to be able to celebrate at home.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I look back on the days before we received "the" call, the hours of achingly waiting to see what would happen, and the early days of meeting our son with awe. Honestly, God blew us away. There were times during our journey, especially after we were foster licensed but felt zero peace, when I was so confused about this calling we felt. I was always on board to adopt but thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for it all. I am so, so grateful, for our journey, thankful we stayed the course. and absolutely adore the baby God brought into our family. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God was always there and always leading. </span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-35774894451140750522023-09-21T09:01:00.000-05:002023-09-21T09:01:43.880-05:00Adoption Story: Adam and Lindsay<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Adam and Lindsay's adoption story is one of patience, perseverance, and incredible faith. They walked through so much to ultimately bring their son home, at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected way. I love the way Lindsay describes adoption, as g<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">rief and joy intertwined. Read more of their story as Lindsay shares the grief of the long journey and the joy of a son growing their family.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HzJZztRuhvItXh1xQZxEQsX8uelcmvGci7jhjmqWGApqPXfmrcHgAXwGnn9uctKArqQKZ4gVYXxXzHlESa0STj6vXRQdMxICy8IM_yRHIYar3-OgcgP6DyP_d2x3733b3Hg_nZ37mvgiJ4_n-rCxtCBwJ5SKuEz7zsDmMIs99YVNQHvavFcGCbnJyX4/s2048/Schaal%20Family%20(3%20of%2073).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HzJZztRuhvItXh1xQZxEQsX8uelcmvGci7jhjmqWGApqPXfmrcHgAXwGnn9uctKArqQKZ4gVYXxXzHlESa0STj6vXRQdMxICy8IM_yRHIYar3-OgcgP6DyP_d2x3733b3Hg_nZ37mvgiJ4_n-rCxtCBwJ5SKuEz7zsDmMIs99YVNQHvavFcGCbnJyX4/w640-h426/Schaal%20Family%20(3%20of%2073).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had always talked about adoption and knew adoption would be part of our story, but we weren't sure when or how. After growing our family initially with two biological children (and a lot of trauma), we felt like adoption was the path that God was pointing us toward to complete our family. Lindsay's cousins had used <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> for their adoption a few years back and highly recommended them, so in November 2021 we had a call with Susan and decided to officially move forward.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The beginning was a flurry of activity - the home study, profile book, and loads of paperwork and applications. After that, we waited. We presented. And waited and presented some more. Finally, in May of 2023, we were matched with an expectant mom who was due to have a baby boy in just a few days! Ultimately, she decided to parent. While we were devastated, we also rejoiced that a family got to stay together (Isn't that adoption in a nutshell? Grief and joy intertwined). We continued to wait, and matched again in early July, this time with an already-born baby boy. Unfortunately, while we were at the airport, we got a call from the agency saying it was not going to happen. This was our lowest point - we weren't sure we could recover from a second failed match and questioned whether we misunderstood and if this was really the path for us.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We share this part of our story not to give other hopeful adoptive families doubts, but to give them hope. Because those challenges ultimately led us to our son! One week later, we got another call that we were chosen by a birth mom with a 7-month-old baby boy. We were guarding our hearts heavily, but made the journey to Utah to meet them. It was love at first sight and papers were signed the next day. It was such a whirlwind, but in the absolute best way.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GioRAiIxnF6hnQAjpTzb7LFENs2qsKdQr5A285Axb6_EOAKwf1G5lhdgGr8dhIikWdqUln7l9O0a_L7SD0Oaxl5oLl9uJjVm0CFRhSvrvQSO7hsAsf8ubmLYzMJsMbXAnqODtAvX0_Ru8nnOr5A7rLqXqp_4mcXBIT1LtsiXf4gP6IbJzqJaAwvVbJU/s2048/Family%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GioRAiIxnF6hnQAjpTzb7LFENs2qsKdQr5A285Axb6_EOAKwf1G5lhdgGr8dhIikWdqUln7l9O0a_L7SD0Oaxl5oLl9uJjVm0CFRhSvrvQSO7hsAsf8ubmLYzMJsMbXAnqODtAvX0_Ru8nnOr5A7rLqXqp_4mcXBIT1LtsiXf4gP6IbJzqJaAwvVbJU/w640-h426/Family%20photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our son is the sweetest, happiest, most snuggly (and chunky!) baby in the world. We have bonded with each other in such an amazing way and we love him fiercely. We also love his birth mother and are forever grateful to her. Everything we've been through in growing our family has 100% been worth it - we couldn't love him more.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we set out on this journey, we didn't picture a long wait; we didn't picture failed matches; and we didn't picture bringing home a baby who wasn't a newborn. But God had other plans, and we thank Him every day that he brought our son into our lives. We truly cannot imagine life without him - we were meant for each other.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNZd0x6sGD2gB42h686pmsW5kgq8so_pKJZ9Rr3WnWJXWipyo07fSKZ23zzctW_FwX_15Qf-y4gJ9GrXdAzW6Dd-sQMC4Mj5ulmgZN63kqH82Fmp7MYnPnCuV9A7D8W1Sb2QpioEVIXhzYYb-5y11y_2aw4_-CC_WYk1g27QpVxu5sTHf91gN8W_4oXA/s2048/Tristan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNZd0x6sGD2gB42h686pmsW5kgq8so_pKJZ9Rr3WnWJXWipyo07fSKZ23zzctW_FwX_15Qf-y4gJ9GrXdAzW6Dd-sQMC4Mj5ulmgZN63kqH82Fmp7MYnPnCuV9A7D8W1Sb2QpioEVIXhzYYb-5y11y_2aw4_-CC_WYk1g27QpVxu5sTHf91gN8W_4oXA/w426-h640/Tristan.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The guidance, resources, and prayers from Susan and the CAC team were invaluable during our adoption journey. I don't know how we would have done it without them. </span></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-79340203432140438202023-06-12T15:23:00.000-05:002023-06-12T15:23:01.258-05:00Adoption Story: Kyle and Jamie<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Beautiful stories aren't often beautiful in the midst of them. They can be messy and hard and long. I love Kyle and Jamie's adoption story. But the middle of their story was full of waiting, unknowns, and a lot of "not yets" from God. Today Jamie shares their wait, their son, and God's answered prayers.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQU6kSpaV4FyswOOdVEAVAGyOb5fQmNrMINmsV7Tnh7FeqgL4r2eSln3mMP1iFIa9nYzVhbcUCz06xfN2amq6M5zQywIC6S_URIK2FwgleF3iDaSXDSBrLd6D7p0dBruz4E98a-aChMg6bNQrrZtX1dDe8pHPp1Z4QrbQR0tRHbymzvUPFoWMQvBC/s1620/FB_IMG_1685301811946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQU6kSpaV4FyswOOdVEAVAGyOb5fQmNrMINmsV7Tnh7FeqgL4r2eSln3mMP1iFIa9nYzVhbcUCz06xfN2amq6M5zQywIC6S_URIK2FwgleF3iDaSXDSBrLd6D7p0dBruz4E98a-aChMg6bNQrrZtX1dDe8pHPp1Z4QrbQR0tRHbymzvUPFoWMQvBC/w426-h640/FB_IMG_1685301811946.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">We started the adoption process in September of 2021. We became active on the waitlists in January of 2022. While we had hoped to match within the year, God had other plans. We waited for what felt like forever. After a while, the initial excitement and buzz began to wear off and we started disliking when people would ask for updates because we just didn't have any. We came to the point where we weren't sure if it was really going to happen for us. Adoption seemed like a far-off, unattainable dream. </span></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the beginning of May 2023, I had just posted on Facebook that we had no updates and things were just moving slowly. The very next day, we got the situation about our son's birth mother. One week later, we matched with her and just six days after that, he was born. It was an insane whirlwind to end a very long, slow process. And looking back, a year and nine months isn't that long of a wait; it's just hard to remember that when you're in the middle of it and you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As we reflected on our adoption process and God's providence through it all, we discovered something interesting. We counted back to nine months before he was born, and that period in our lives was actually a very difficult one for us. But all the while, he was growing in his birth mother's belly. There are so many things that God orchestrated behind the scenes without our knowledge. When we thought things weren't moving along, our son was there, growing strong. When we thought all hope was lost, we got the call the next day. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It still hardly seems real, but what a testament of God's mighty hand working all things out even when we can't see it. </span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-32572681604624672462023-05-08T08:27:00.002-05:002023-05-08T08:38:06.003-05:00Adoption Story: Josh and Alexys<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Joshua and Alexys have an incredible story of God sovereignly putting their family together. After an unexpected cancer diagnosis to unforeseen barriers in starting their adoption journey, and then a long wait, they eventually found their son. Theirs is a story of waiting on God's perfect timing: which can sometimes feel unending and agonizing. But also a story of God's unwavering, steadfast faithfulness. </i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iKs9WYkZfVOaEQXssoCiVZiX7n6Xr8rn7smbGfxxsdApcBWe4x-n7oh4xKoNLkhHOdC5XBHNaa_h6lp7CACMmthEznALABPUBJWO6rFkeFs9VY3He1QyOGAqOLN5ifn3EmPSx5Kojq_08L7MU1VFtbY2iYb1awZXq4QC3hMwFpc9tRc3txEACwvi/s8192/February02,2023090.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8192" data-original-width="5464" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iKs9WYkZfVOaEQXssoCiVZiX7n6Xr8rn7smbGfxxsdApcBWe4x-n7oh4xKoNLkhHOdC5XBHNaa_h6lp7CACMmthEznALABPUBJWO6rFkeFs9VY3He1QyOGAqOLN5ifn3EmPSx5Kojq_08L7MU1VFtbY2iYb1awZXq4QC3hMwFpc9tRc3txEACwvi/w426-h640/February02,2023090.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It took me several days to try and think of what to include in telling our adoption story as I’m sure that if I included everything, I’d be writing a book. In light of trying to keep it shorter, I decided to tell of the major ways God moved for us and our son because, after all, all of the glory from our adoption story is His. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our adoption journey started out a little differently than most but in other ways the same as many stories we’ve heard. We knew we wanted a family someday and adoption had been part of that conversation ever since we were teenagers. Our original plan was to have a biological child or two and then adopt last because we knew how expensive it could be. We figured when we were ready for our last child, we’d be older and be more financially able to afford an adoption. My health took a very unexpected turn and I ended up having thyroid cancer. We were told to wait a year before trying for a family to make sure that every little ounce of radiation had left my body. We decided we’d wait the year and then talk about starting our family at that time if we were ready by then. Two months after my “all clear” scan, God met us in an unexpected place: as we were painting our kitchen and dining room. I had asked Josh if adoption had been on his heart and mind lately, and through that conversation we knew without a doubt that the Holy Spirit was prompting our souls, asking us to adopt first, not last, as we had intended. I remember ending that conversation with Josh by saying, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Are we, like, actually doing this? Like DOING, doing this?”</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> To which he replied, </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I think so?!” </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It felt like forever for us to get started and we had been turned down by the very first agency we applied to because they wanted me to wait to be three years cancer free. We knew God wanted us to do this immediately but we also know that His “start immediately” could’ve meant something different than our “start immediately.” We were VERY discouraged to hear “no” but we knew God wanted us to do this. We sought out other agencies in our local area and they all required us to be older which would have made us wait another 3-5 years to even begin. At this point, we were lost, frustrated, confused, and a little angry at God. Why did He prompt us so strongly, only then to not make a way for us to actually go through with it? We found out about <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> and were eventually connected to Susan! We felt such peace adopting with the help of CAC. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adopting locally just wasn’t going to be part of our story and the only reason we even began looking locally was because we knew it was cheaper and that we’d be able to go home and not have to wait for ICPC. What we thought was the smarter move was actually quite the opposite considering our son was born thousands of miles from our home! God knew what state we needed to adopt through and ours just wasn’t it. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We ended up signing on with several different agencies in several different states. We were ecstatic to receive our first case but quickly became numb to hearing all of the “no’s.” We presented to many different types of cases: boys, girls, twins, and even a 5-year-old boy and his 2-month-old sister. We were told “not yet” a total of 62 times. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We knew that every “not yet” got us one step closer to our “yes,” but that didn’t take the pain away from not having a child in our arms when we were so ready for one. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were open and ready for whatever child God would have for us, and finally, after 2 years and 5 months, our lives were forever changed. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were going about our normal Friday night and had begun heating up leftover tacos for a late dinner. I heard my phone start to ring and saw it was an unknown number from one of the states we were waiting in. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing when you see that sort of number on your caller ID, you just answer it! My belly felt full of butterflies and I started to shake with anticipation as the caller said the expectant mom we had presented to about a week ago had picked us. Time stood still, tears welled up in my eyes and I popped around the corner saying, <i>“Josh! We’ve been matched!”</i> to which he had about the same reaction as I did. We hadn’t felt immediately drawn to the case when we read it. We had asked if there were any red flags and after hearing “no,” we took that same leap of faith that we had taken 62 other times and said,<i> “God, if this is the baby meant to be in our family, then let it be so, and if it’s not, shut the door”</i>.... AND finally, the door remained WIDE open. We had three months until his due date and a lot of fundraising to finish doing to make this adoption happen. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Upon being matched, we needed an additional $16,000 in under 48 hours and God showed up in a miraculous way. He provided it through many generous givers and through one woman in particular who gave us a check for almost $12,000. She said she had always wanted to give extravagantly, she felt confirmation from God to give to us, and she loved supporting what we were trying to do. We had only spoken to this woman twice before; she hardly knew us! We continued to fundraise for the remaining amount but felt God telling us to stop. To us, doing nothing felt wrong and counterintuitive. We had another $17,000 that we’d owe in just two and a half short months so we thought, <i>“Why on Earth would we just sit still?!” </i>We remembered back to the very beginning of our journey and felt that the Holy Spirit was inviting us to trust Him. To trust Him when we wouldn’t end up adopting locally, to trust Him with every. single. “no,” and to trust Him with the timing and to trust Him with the finances. Affording an adoption was our biggest fear back when He called us to do this and He was asking us to trust. He came through and provided fully for the first portion so why would He not come through with the second portion? We fought off fear and lies from the Enemy every day and finally let go. We didn’t fundraise anymore and many people questioned our decision. Even we questioned it some days! It seemed silly but we had to not lean on our own understanding and let God do the work He set out to do. He asked us to adopt, but He didn’t ask us to figure everything else out on our own!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were out celebrating my birthday on a Sunday after church and we had about two weeks left until the little man's due date. I received a call from our case manager reporting he had been born the previous day, but because of a whirlwind of circumstances, she waited until then to let us know. We packed that night and flew out the next morning. We had shared our story on our social media pages prompting people to give if they felt led and that’s the extent of our “fundraising.” We got done signing and were finally led back to his bassinet. Time stood still and we were in awe as we studied every detail of his face, learned what his cry sounded like, did some skin-to-skin, and just stared at him for hours. I could write a whole other book about how beautiful he was, the joy of knowing that THIS was the face we had dreamed and prayed about, and the eventual relief we’d feel when his birth parents would sign their consents after waiting an extra day to sleep on their decision. I find myself wanting to go on and on about Asher, how perfect he was and still is, and his tremendous strength as he worked through what he needed to in the NICU to be discharged after 16 days instead of the months it normally takes other babies, but I want to make sure my words and your attention remain on the one who orchestrated this entire story: God, our Father. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUlbDUjxrIz0vHAtOIwKQU8O9Sctch8JqZgZen98iDjVzKNMcx_JbTH5tl0kSg_UJlpkOAld-EkJCI3zpVrAbrcxslsOsMfV8-zdJ8i_VtXshVZewszeaX0RzLDpWqkFLK7MEWXGDhJKC7Sxb0cuUjPYqes_bfhaiho7aFBTDLH0rMXCH1ej9oXoU/s3088/image_67219201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUlbDUjxrIz0vHAtOIwKQU8O9Sctch8JqZgZen98iDjVzKNMcx_JbTH5tl0kSg_UJlpkOAld-EkJCI3zpVrAbrcxslsOsMfV8-zdJ8i_VtXshVZewszeaX0RzLDpWqkFLK7MEWXGDhJKC7Sxb0cuUjPYqes_bfhaiho7aFBTDLH0rMXCH1ej9oXoU/w480-h640/image_67219201.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">God went on and provided every single cent we needed for the remaining payment of $17,000 while we snuggled our sweet baby in the hospital, in addition to the additional funds for a rental car and hotel stay for three weeks while we remained out there waiting for him to be discharged and for ICPC to clear, the last minute flights to and from, and attorney fees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the midst of waiting, we definitely wanted to be matched sooner, we wanted all of the money to be there so we didn’t need to stress, we wanted the pain to go away, and so many more things; but, my encouragement to you would be to stop, and trust. Let go and let God…</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIlwAhCa_n0pbZNBibw_ud2uvPRGalVSRwE-1PhMTqPUnup4MDWxrXHD9ZiEvscGUX38D3BB-iMBYWuX6mCv3VYASAlVBZv0jdlN358cEfoQ2MPbcqsgHm5_RZHeHJxQmsZpQ5GfiSUMk6s9EL3V6sXLAlj4p3tHfeoGMfi5JZd9yQllHp7Tje_4N/s4032/image_67229697.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIlwAhCa_n0pbZNBibw_ud2uvPRGalVSRwE-1PhMTqPUnup4MDWxrXHD9ZiEvscGUX38D3BB-iMBYWuX6mCv3VYASAlVBZv0jdlN358cEfoQ2MPbcqsgHm5_RZHeHJxQmsZpQ5GfiSUMk6s9EL3V6sXLAlj4p3tHfeoGMfi5JZd9yQllHp7Tje_4N/w480-h640/image_67229697.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we had adopted in our timing, we would’ve missed our son by years. If we had adopted locally, we would’ve missed our son by thousands of miles. If we had fundraised how we wanted to and the way friends did their adoption fundraisers, we wouldn’t have come anywhere close to raising enough money and would’ve had to take out a loan. God’s hand was in our story from start to finish, even during the waiting times when we didn’t think anything was going on. He had a plan, He had a story, and He had the perfect way to bring Asher into our family. His story is much greater than something we could’ve written and we can’t wait to tell Asher one day how much he is loved, valued, cared for, and fought for by not only us but by his Heavenly Father who led us straight to him. </span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-13989797460515864052023-03-21T10:12:00.002-05:002023-03-21T10:41:32.401-05:00CAC's New Embryo Adoption Program<p style="text-align: justify;">I'm thrilled to announce CAC is offering a brand new service. In addition to our <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/domestic-adoption/" target="_blank">Domestic Infant Adoption Program</a>, we are now walking with couples adopting embryos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikqNWr2d_HgGtUlwPKUC3Wt4m6_QSE407Ncrin67Nlr0iOmUM8IOUDx_Hhb5GA1sKMSQGIyHaG1g2Zo23d3IF7zXlQ_vnQbeOmp3TEfy6bsbggfoRc8pn5DRcpwMOiiosmtN9tE7NYASkKdTq0gOu0Qva2OQRLnyo45zwIAP0M7Um1H5KrGK3UkgJ/s3072/DSC_6817.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2044" data-original-width="3072" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikqNWr2d_HgGtUlwPKUC3Wt4m6_QSE407Ncrin67Nlr0iOmUM8IOUDx_Hhb5GA1sKMSQGIyHaG1g2Zo23d3IF7zXlQ_vnQbeOmp3TEfy6bsbggfoRc8pn5DRcpwMOiiosmtN9tE7NYASkKdTq0gOu0Qva2OQRLnyo45zwIAP0M7Um1H5KrGK3UkgJ/w640-h426/DSC_6817.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Did you know there are more than one million embryos currently in frozen storage </i><i>in the U.S. alone </i><i>? </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In response to these babies needing homes, <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> has launched an Embryo Adoption Program as a life-affirming solution.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What is Embryo Adoption?</i></b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: start;">Embryo adoption is the term most often used when describing the legal process of adopting donated embryos that have been frozen during in vitro fertilization (IVF). Embryo adoption allows the adoptive parents to carry their baby through pregnancy and give birth to their adopted child. (</span><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: left;">If you have embryos in storage and would like to know more, visit </span><a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/embryo-donation-program/" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;">CAC’s Embryo Donation Program</a><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: left;"> page.)</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Why are adoptive families needed?</i></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: start;">For over 50 years, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproduction technologies have helped build many families. However, the success of these programs has created a surplus of frozen embryos. W</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: start;">hen a couple goes through the IVF process, there are often remaining embryos. Those embryos are stored for future use, destroyed, donated to science, or can be donated to an adoptive family. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i>How can working with an Adoption Consultant help?</i></b></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; margin: 5px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Embryo Adoption Consulting Program offers all-inclusive consulting and adoption support services. Your personal CAC Adoption Consultant will advise you through your adoption journey from start to finish: including finding a reputable home study agency and prepping for the process, creating a unique and creative profile and donor letter, selecting an embryo adoption program and clinic, information to finance your adoption, and advising you through the donor match and openness agreements. We can </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.156px;">advise you through the process of adoption and serve as your “adoption coach,” saving you time and money.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Why choose Christian Adoption Consultants?</i></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; margin: 5px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As one of the oldest, largest, and most experienced consulting teams, Christian Adoption Consultants can offer a lot of added benefits. We've helped with over 3,700 adoptions and have a support team of 20+ adoption professionals. We place a high value on all voices of the adoption constellation and our staff includes birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adoptees. CAC is founded on</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.156px;"> Christian principles and standards, and we believe in ethical adoption practices and the highest level of care for all parties in the adoption triad.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.156px; margin: 5px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Want to </b><b>learn</b><b style="font-family: inherit;"> more?</b></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would love to help! Feel free to email me at susan@christianadoptionconsultants.com and I'll get you more details to see if our Embryo Adoption Program is a good fit for you! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(And as always, if you're interested in how I can help with Domestic Infant Adoption, I'm happy to send you </span>information<span style="font-family: inherit;"> on that as well. Just let me know which program you're interested in learning more about!)</span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-25097180515765504412023-02-23T19:43:00.000-06:002023-02-23T19:43:09.272-06:00Adoption Story: Sam and Angela<p><i>The journey to parenthood is unique to every couple. For Sam and Angela, it was a seven year wait to becoming parents and a family of three. Today Angela shares the heartbreak and joys of finding their way to their son.</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 415px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="415" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0GuHr3YG3DIVCxh-oHxxqsvFmaook-9KWZ56oW4SynqaGNdUZcTZqyo-VVKY6ot4Jnd-7ytG74D5oM2oOOy7y3jBNTPc4mzLw_K4NQoplNEVqT0mQO8qR2sQEETk1KAdM4ia1Jsyn3kLVPJ0V8DBNV4" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.” </i>- 1 Thessalonians 5:24</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In March of 2021, we had already been trying for a family for five years. In our prayers and petition before the Lord, we were moved to explore adoption. Right when we started acknowledging adoption as an option, we started hearing from friends and family who were all tied to adoption! A friend of ours introduced us to <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> and spoke highly of the vetting process for the adoption agencies, the integrity of the organization, and the consultants’ advocacy for their clients. We reached out and connected with Susan. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soon after, I became pregnant for the first time, so pursuing adoption took a backseat. Fast forward to November: we went through a whirlwind of personal events–including two miscarriages. At the lowest point in our journey to growing our family, we were once again connected with Susan! This time around, we made the choice to move forward with a phone call with Susan. After our phone call, we were filled with a sense of life and peace. Sam and I looked at each other and knew we were being called to adopt. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We quickly got to work – filling out paperwork, working on our profile book, starting our home study process, and sharing the exciting news with our friends and family. By March of 2022, we were home study approved and active with multiple agencies. During that first month, we received so many cases. At that pace, we were sure we’d be matched in no time! However, as the months went on, the cases started coming in much more slowly. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After nine months of waiting, we expected a "not yet" every time we presented. We were questioning if there was something about us that the expecting moms didn’t like. Pregnancy announcements were becoming more difficult to receive. And our initial excitement was quickly dimming. We decided to pick ourselves out of the lull by planning a trip to visit my family overseas. We spent weeks looking online for the best flight deals and the best time to go. However, every time we found a good deal, something would hold us back from purchasing tickets. One night, I found myself asking God why it was so difficult to buy tickets? <i>What was holding us back? </i></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few days later, on December 8, 2022, we received an email about an expecting mom who was due in January. The expecting mom listed very specific criteria of what she was looking for in a family and we met every single one! We quickly decided to present, but ran into some technical difficulties with our background checks expiring soon. We shared with Susan that this case felt so different from all the other ones, and she reassured us she was advocating for us. A week later, we heard from the agency that the details had been worked out and the expecting mom wanted to have a phone call with us. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was a ball of nerves before the phone call. <i>What if she didn’t like the way we talked? What if she changes her mind at the last minute? </i>But the second we got on the phone with her, the nerves fell away. Our conversation with her flowed so easily. At the end of that conversation, she told us our favorite sentence of 2022, <i>“Would you guys like to become parents to this baby?” </i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I still remember the quiet moment of utter disbelief followed by the squeals of excitement and tears. This was it! We were finally becoming parents! We had two weeks to get everything ready. We packed our car with some baby essentials and headed down to Florida. Through a church friend, we were connected with a fellow believer who took us in and treated us like family. While we were down in Florida, she lodged us and fed us – no questions asked. We now lovingly call her “Granny Judy.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 468px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img height="480" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/V_xatzROcMFwQayuW3EVVYAsji_Sh_8WQNHPGUsA8vpNHJ2e9lYuNNgyylnU16OcNeVhzMgbYcWmKsx6jV15zv_nalbJCw2IxldSNu_X-rBIhZYjPV09Mw77MwbKemo-kw7KtWzKQwahKk1VnXpVgLI=w640-h480" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" title="(Baby’s first time at the beach with Granny Judy)" width="640" /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(Baby’s first time at the beach with Granny Judy)</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we arrived at the hospital, we met up with the expecting mom in person for the first time. It still felt so surreal at that point. The hospital staff moved quickly, and within two hours, I was in scrubs and inside with her. I had envisioned how the delivery would be, but I was not prepared for the flood of emotions. As we held him in those first few moments, everything felt so unbelievable. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 825px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img height="825" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/NylUXYNLxmcZ0mxxD10SM9UjEAdeRv7MwzIQ-r_rsdSoLSvxjbJr_ChqexB__RSuFw4FK-34x40AnqIP7bD9hwmrdNkMia2Z6W0NhcY1q0LezWoj46EVPivZab0PR9HvU1sMyoD2ogKQjFcT6BkPdFQ" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(Our first selfie!)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">However, we were still withholding our excitement, because we knew birth mom had 48 hours to change her mind. Those 48 hours were just as nerve wracking as the wait up until that point. But through all our education concerning adoption, we knew it was essential for mama to spend time with her baby. So as difficult as it was, we made sure to take him to his birth mom whenever she wanted to see him. Two days later, our attorney arrived and went to the birth mom’s room to sign the adoption paperwork. It felt like the longest wait. After a while, our attorney came into our room, smiled, and said she signed the papers. We were free to leave the hospital with our son! That was the first time we felt true relief in our entire adoption journey. Later on, his birth mom shared with us that she was grateful for those 48 hours with us. She felt like that time she had with him and us in the hospital helped her realize that she was making the right decision. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 624px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img height="624" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/AdT_R7PEOL1VQy-nxFar69VetCetFehlU9mj79cDEQCwdAN4l4Y6gBux0MEw8TCztBBsc5tzAT-v607kR2dCrpD7yFIS2CHSDxGr-WJthmchdMFyHu7As4p87QQFKnsNkOcS5NClkmV53czjpRIk6CY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After 7 years of waiting, struggling, doubting, praying, and petitioning, we were parents. In the beginning of our adoption journey, we thought becoming parents through adoption depended on how hard working we were. If we could apply to enough agencies, present the best profile, or write a good enough letter to the birth mom, we’d be parents in no time. However, through our 10 months of waiting to be matched, we realized that becoming parents through adoption requires our absolute dependence on God who is the Faithful One. If you are on this journey, know it's okay and normal to question and doubt, but also be reassured this is not where the Lord wants to leave you. Because He is the One who has called us to adoption, He is also the faithful One who will complete it. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 444px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img height="444" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/z91RGGtGqHXF0ARHbXtO5bgDpvTLu-sMqbj5-qFc0LPnC0LC-bAHnmmW5Nnz2a1jBHD2429K4_6Hf73jjVZtyeQoZGtO1b7e0D37QX9701_Gh2pXmtMBDB31CH1q13tdexoh3QBwlpaS1ANdoxYx4ic" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="624" /></span></span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(The glasses are not real–just cute!)</span></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-89673714287170819582023-02-13T12:51:00.001-06:002023-02-13T12:51:46.562-06:00Adoption Story: Kevin and Kaylee<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>So often in adoption, once the paperwork is complete, the home study done, and the applications turned in, it can feel like nothing is happening. Like the adoption journey has come to an abrupt halt as you wait to be chosen and matched with an expectant family. The silence can be deafening and the lack of movement paralyzing. But so often, God is working behind the scenes, maybe even across the country, preparing all of the details in His perfect timing. Kevin and Kaylee know about the agonizing wait. And they also know about God amazing faithfulness.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQ2dwucFcW-pltTpsN2ore6RL_GMfS5L-w0-v3sdhQLXs12TDutGn2GxJVkc2Xd2hPdmzJwgOFts1pkYZXRag5V1D11fbuATvkxaz1qoWnZSp-X7GuYmfuBmdmin5-sbZhlH978I99vt8QeApSN5LaE5isldi0c6llwGGx_a9XL4p4bzX_vo2yaffm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQ2dwucFcW-pltTpsN2ore6RL_GMfS5L-w0-v3sdhQLXs12TDutGn2GxJVkc2Xd2hPdmzJwgOFts1pkYZXRag5V1D11fbuATvkxaz1qoWnZSp-X7GuYmfuBmdmin5-sbZhlH978I99vt8QeApSN5LaE5isldi0c6llwGGx_a9XL4p4bzX_vo2yaffm=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope."</i> Psalm 130:5</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever since I was a little girl, I couldn’t wait to become a mom. Whenever asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer was always “a mommy!” And after marrying my college sweetheart, we were both so excited to start our family. Years of infertility and multiple miscarriages were definitely not an expected part of the plan. We felt an incredibly deep sadness, and were worried we would never become parents. Then a good friend told us about Susan at <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, and encouraged us to reach out. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We started our adoption journey in January of 2022. While adoption wasn’t part of our original plan, we felt like this was what God wanted us to do. We started the process full of hope and excitement. By May of 2022, paperwork was done and we were officially on waitlists. Checking our phones constantly, we waited with anticipation. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The excitement slowly started to drift as we heard nothing for months. <i>Why weren’t we hearing anything? Was something wrong? Were our names really on the waitlists? </i>Susan continued to encourage us to stay hopeful and trust God’s plan. Some days, it was easy to do. Others, we were full of doubt. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we finally started hearing from the agencies, it was an emotional rollercoaster. A moment of hope and excitement would quickly be diminished by another “no.” It’s so hard to be so vulnerable and put yourself out there only to be told “they picked someone else.” After a handful of “no’s” and our paperwork expiration dates creeping up, we truly felt like we might be at the end of our adoption road. We felt extremely defeated, frustrated, and hopeless. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then in January of 2023, almost exactly a year after we first talked to Susan, we got a phone call. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYZB2t1_BAOOZoF2K_JYUJp3ojSzRKtpjNT5zUOkFYpgJ_UmgGlVgE9lrE0GRzRytL8-k-K11u8merGyo-YzL2uxl7JpxMF1C_jtKHsHyo91TKuFxkfcqfaJ6onm-fmXOK-ZA4XUHrPwUUISWxyD1ycoLjCkIPYredzN_laX-0NKMPn9b6znnxBaOL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYZB2t1_BAOOZoF2K_JYUJp3ojSzRKtpjNT5zUOkFYpgJ_UmgGlVgE9lrE0GRzRytL8-k-K11u8merGyo-YzL2uxl7JpxMF1C_jtKHsHyo91TKuFxkfcqfaJ6onm-fmXOK-ZA4XUHrPwUUISWxyD1ycoLjCkIPYredzN_laX-0NKMPn9b6znnxBaOL=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were matched on a Monday night and our precious girl was born two days later. We truly felt like we were living in a dream. It was a whirlwind of emotions; joy, excitement, nervousness, fear of another possible “no.” But all fears washed away as we held her and started to bond with her incredible birth parents. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are in total awe of God’s faithfulness. He knew all along that this was our daughter. Through all of the “not yets,” the tears, the worries… our daughter was growing and preparing for her entrance into the world. The road to get here was HARD. But now holding this amazing gift in our arms, it was absolutely worth it. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6orOJyX3Q-W7ayLhHD26mBrZDwCwMr5q4wMmoT7_iQiLUKTog2jfTq9Yf7cjhXAAJAXtU-guXVYE6VlCki_9-uTm_yyckdUA2DcQhZUo75QhrcE1P34AcXP8hhtzqZIJXiwaH5l0niE8_dN6JhVTxCD08vXs7zO094CWEMRSM49S1pOZmmBqySACh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6orOJyX3Q-W7ayLhHD26mBrZDwCwMr5q4wMmoT7_iQiLUKTog2jfTq9Yf7cjhXAAJAXtU-guXVYE6VlCki_9-uTm_yyckdUA2DcQhZUo75QhrcE1P34AcXP8hhtzqZIJXiwaH5l0niE8_dN6JhVTxCD08vXs7zO094CWEMRSM49S1pOZmmBqySACh=w427-h640" width="427" /></a></div><br /></span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-75923385655617803342023-01-12T09:07:00.000-06:002023-01-12T09:07:23.132-06:00Adoption Story: Travis and Wendy<p><i>A ten year journey to parenthood. Reading and praying through dozens of situations. Until finally, they had their son in their arms. Read Travis and Wendy's story of their adoption journey, their faith, and their family...</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIR7_JEuQxDqmGofy5Rnb0F-SeM0HTvFb7EZd0m-OpqO5_2IyDEHHey3G3yAuj4nNrKkS5NPNFLH1CzqTFASWpnCUxrGPBi2_6rUJr7iR3seb6tk26bHePn9rxAkPfIF-FZcL5S3QP6Edu6aB_34Cq77TJ5K46-gci8GLYDjRmgNB6WIs28v2GPJ8/s2080/IMG_4455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="2080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIR7_JEuQxDqmGofy5Rnb0F-SeM0HTvFb7EZd0m-OpqO5_2IyDEHHey3G3yAuj4nNrKkS5NPNFLH1CzqTFASWpnCUxrGPBi2_6rUJr7iR3seb6tk26bHePn9rxAkPfIF-FZcL5S3QP6Edu6aB_34Cq77TJ5K46-gci8GLYDjRmgNB6WIs28v2GPJ8/w640-h426/IMG_4455.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;">Adoption has made us parents, FINALLY! After 10 years of trying multiple options, our journey turned towards adoption and led us to our beautiful baby boy. Adoption has always been in the plan after children of our own, but God had other plans.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We started our journey in January of 2020. We presented thirty times until we heard a "yes" and were matched in June of 2022 with a baby girl. After getting to know the expecting mom, getting our nursery finished, and bags packed, waiting for "the" call to travel, we saw pictures of who we thought was our baby girl on social media. The mom had cut ties with the agency and our adoption was considered</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> disrupted. While this mom had chosen to parent, it was heartbreaking news for us. We didn't know if we would be able to continue emotionally or financially.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVOwexOVjZ1SMVHiRyTVOA3s9EZ0V0jQDjlJywfxjU1gENjOFteN8GyEDPK4VBE3sgCUrhqRW349jLO-BLvBPreTY6l-vaXBZMDGzFxjaGHrC0LT-vlTTsy5OIvNcJDCBd-PdAIHF5WJ9XyMhLlZnE-SdHklW2SCrfiaIfrwoOuA7UZidt7ynxF9x/s4898/IMG_4206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4898" data-original-width="3265" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVOwexOVjZ1SMVHiRyTVOA3s9EZ0V0jQDjlJywfxjU1gENjOFteN8GyEDPK4VBE3sgCUrhqRW349jLO-BLvBPreTY6l-vaXBZMDGzFxjaGHrC0LT-vlTTsy5OIvNcJDCBd-PdAIHF5WJ9XyMhLlZnE-SdHklW2SCrfiaIfrwoOuA7UZidt7ynxF9x/w426-h640/IMG_4206.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After a bit of heavy grieving, praying, and discussing our next steps, we decided to go active and try again. We applied to grants and started fundraising again, not knowing how we would recover. We were very guarded of the chance of hearing another 'no' or experiencing more disappointment. We decided to put everything in God's hands, knowing it would happen when the time was right.</span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;">Fast forward to October 2022 when we got a call saying a baby boy was born and the agency wanted to know if we would like to present. We didn't know a whole lot, but the little bit we knew, we felt right about jumping in. The next day, the agency asked if we could have a conference call with the birth mom as she had some questions for us. We were nervous, but so excited. After 30 seconds on the call, the only question the birth mom had for us was if we wanted to go pick up our son in Florida. "YES!" was the only word we could get out. We were over the moon excited and so emotional. We packed our bags, booked our flights from Minnesota, and went to meet our son. We were finally parents and so grateful to the sweetest birth mom for her </span><span style="color: #212121;">courageous</span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;"> decision. We met and had lunch with her while discussing our goals for our open adoption and for our son. We have kept in contact with her and can't wait to continue getting to know her and visit in the future.</span></div><br style="color: #212121;" /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8WVPXNNivL0OAdCvdGWdJcd3EnGU6W9uRcx7zk5gd3EQAJ1cbYBYZVTY5Rd7zJBv2ysbfwcKps2LD8_6f9M89LOZWE4ryTXUe3kRBEC4gv7MlQU-OUz6oYTv36PbUwaltqOqUSuokvOvR5B-Rnsl-zOKtPsjL_XcfMW54L80gScmjGn1UcuCn__J/s2449/IMG_4656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2449" data-original-width="1633" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8WVPXNNivL0OAdCvdGWdJcd3EnGU6W9uRcx7zk5gd3EQAJ1cbYBYZVTY5Rd7zJBv2ysbfwcKps2LD8_6f9M89LOZWE4ryTXUe3kRBEC4gv7MlQU-OUz6oYTv36PbUwaltqOqUSuokvOvR5B-Rnsl-zOKtPsjL_XcfMW54L80gScmjGn1UcuCn__J/w426-h640/IMG_4656.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>With the help and guidance of Susan, and resources from <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, we felt more prepared for what to expect and answers to any questions we had. Susan helped us create a beautiful profile book that explains our story and who we are. We can't thank her and CAC enough for all their guidance! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212121;">We have learned through our experience adoption is tough, but SO worth it. Giving up wouldn't have gotten us our perfect son or the chance at being parents.</span><span style="color: #212121;"> </span></div><p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-1934679452577956692023-01-10T09:28:00.000-06:002023-01-10T09:28:29.883-06:00Adoption Story: Dan and Amanda<p style="text-align: justify;">What are the steps to adoption? How do we create our profile? How do we make decisions about openness? How long will the wait be? Will we go through an interrupted adoption? <i>There are dozens of good questions hopeful adoptive families have during the adoption process. But there's some questions that are often whispered in secret, in the midst of the long wait, when a couple will ask, </i>"Is this worth it? Are we on the right track? Did we get it wrong when we heard from God?" </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Today Dan and Amanda share their journey, along with their questions in the midst of the process. How they were unsure they should continue but are so thankful they did. Because their response to </i>was is worth it<i> turned out to be a resounding </i>YES<i> when they met their daughter.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dc8M3lgsFRPubNdSnmw4XtHAOLt01BHfSlSJTgh8W6mjjg8AS431zTCYN0fXxXf8tkgWDaZ39xI61jwgmq780u_3J93fPLteQ6RxnKexMw6nBkQW4JUVn26YaYH6s5UFB86nyIPHR8kuQMm_U0vlTCyQWoW8I8uacHXYzXsxBmxsymvm2lSORZ94/s4032/IMG_5163%203.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dc8M3lgsFRPubNdSnmw4XtHAOLt01BHfSlSJTgh8W6mjjg8AS431zTCYN0fXxXf8tkgWDaZ39xI61jwgmq780u_3J93fPLteQ6RxnKexMw6nBkQW4JUVn26YaYH6s5UFB86nyIPHR8kuQMm_U0vlTCyQWoW8I8uacHXYzXsxBmxsymvm2lSORZ94/w640-h480/IMG_5163%203.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We always hoped adoption would be a part of our story one day. Honestly, we didn’t think it would happen as early in our life, but boy are we tremendously grateful that it did. After having our son, we prayed God would bless us with another baby. After struggling with infertility, we weren’t sure what direction God was leading us. It was times like these where I was so thankful for prayer. So thankful we have a God who is there to listen to us and comfort us in times of uncertainty and heartache. Dan and I spent several weeks in prayer, and we felt Him leading us to adoption.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We started with </span><a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Christian Adoption Consultants</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in February 2022, began doing our home study, and preparing our home, as well as our hearts for whatever baby we would be bringing into our home. Being the planner that I am, the wait was hard. The not knowing who, when, or where was something I really had to work through. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">“Let go and let God”</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was a phrase I repeated constantly. Several cases went by, and we never got a "yes." Of course, when we were not prepared for a “yes” was exactly when we got one. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had arrived to visit Dan’s family for Thanksgiving. We had not been there for 24 hours before we got a call from an agency saying that a baby girl had been born. It was at that moment we needed to drop everything and go halfway across the country to get her. We were completely unprepared, but of course, we made it work! The next morning, we hopped on a plane, not ready for what was to come next. Another “not yet” happened again. This mama decided to parent her baby girl and we were told that we could head home. I felt broken. The thought that we were right there, in a hotel across the street from the hospital, bags full of baby items, only to go home with an empty car seat was </span>overwhelming<span style="font-family: inherit;">. Dan and I sat in silence for a while and I sat at dinner that night with tears hitting my plate. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But while we were hurting, God was at work. Our agency let us know there was another situation: a baby due in a few weeks. Not only was this baby due soon, but baby was also going to be born less than an hour from our home. We were so excited this could be the baby we could be hopeful for. To be honest, after our previous interrupted adoption, it was difficult for doubt to not enter in. <i>Do I let myself get excited? Do I have everything ready to go? What if things fall through again? </i>I told our consultant, Susan, we were trying to be cautiously optimistic and that this was another time where we could do nothing but lean on God, trust in Him, and leave it in His hands.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeUoeRGzIgoHCY97vgkAugAHJstx0no5IpDE8WiRXEZQR4svT3xp-WvxnQ9DIJ9YLNF-YRPzD-AYl2BVJWlkiS4ONjFJTaslvQYzyLWlzH7xg_aDQV_SeoFAx13n7TZ295YcjiNObwPOm1r8ROXvsIsrWavmi8jqYwmgucpWYn4NX2wvj5yZ80gBa/s320/Newborn_Portraits-18.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeUoeRGzIgoHCY97vgkAugAHJstx0no5IpDE8WiRXEZQR4svT3xp-WvxnQ9DIJ9YLNF-YRPzD-AYl2BVJWlkiS4ONjFJTaslvQYzyLWlzH7xg_aDQV_SeoFAx13n7TZ295YcjiNObwPOm1r8ROXvsIsrWavmi8jqYwmgucpWYn4NX2wvj5yZ80gBa/w640-h426/Newborn_Portraits-18.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Weeks went by and our agency reassured us the likelihood of this case falling through was slim. One night our dog was sick, I told Dan, “I should take him to the vet just in case this baby comes tomorrow”. I learned my lesson from being so unprepared when we were out of town. Sure enough, we got a call saying birth mom was in labor! We spent all night checking our phones, waiting, and waiting for an update. The next day, our baby girl was born. It took several hours for the hospital to add us to the visitor list so we could go meet her.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once we were there, meeting our sweet daughter face to face, we knew the wait had been so worth it. The months of waiting, the paperwork, the “no’s,” the tears shed; they were all worth it for this one moment. The moment where the nurses brought us to an area where we could sit and hold our daughter for the first time. I had thought of this moment so many times. She was perfect. God’s plan and timing was perfect.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bZgRI3FyCT1967v-n0WvWQek7-4WkGYXrT01Llto0DpJMlGbk7a6WpQNUndVo6jO_6M1IXpTL5We3VaaiYaGLuJ4Mj5Be5SUSzJnBrRW3RCw8o3KaEfv0v_LrzQTNHsA86o6Xm4WyJc_Pb1fZeACAYvvsjVto6_Jv2ydWr_gPdycDVDGWc15Gie_/s320/Newborn_Portraits-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bZgRI3FyCT1967v-n0WvWQek7-4WkGYXrT01Llto0DpJMlGbk7a6WpQNUndVo6jO_6M1IXpTL5We3VaaiYaGLuJ4Mj5Be5SUSzJnBrRW3RCw8o3KaEfv0v_LrzQTNHsA86o6Xm4WyJc_Pb1fZeACAYvvsjVto6_Jv2ydWr_gPdycDVDGWc15Gie_/w640-h426/Newborn_Portraits-2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have now been a family of four for a month. It has been the best month I could have imagined. It has been a joy to watch our son with his baby sister. When I am rocking her to sleep in the middle of the night, I just sit there and reflect on the last couple of years that led us to where we are now. Struggling through fertility treatments, to starting the adoption process, to hearing several no’s from other cases, led us here. God led us here. He knew EXACTLY where we were headed. He knew that our baby girl was always meant for us, and for that, we are eternally grateful.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-77308789931098941832022-12-06T10:47:00.001-06:002022-12-06T18:48:45.982-06:00Adoption Story: Mark and Jessica <p style="text-align: justify;"><i>It has been such an incredible joy walking with Jessica and Mark on their adoption journey. I have had front row seats as they prepared their hearts and home for adoption, faithfully loved expecting mamas, and waited expectantly for how God would grow their family. Today Jessica shares the details of how their story unfolded and sweet Isabella became their daughter...</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C4CzuzwHfFetANgrNWmETDRuJw9ST2Q9M1SYAfaXRKddXnZ3AkQSjKZSrtUBRpL8CiVAQSb0pBm8QGb-8p9z2IRY5QUYk0cpVDUeUBGMPuRjzCmzvQk5Dsf4F6aJYh7owiz_BfAo-hJy43rwFcwQctSfBFGefQFQ1N98_UcB9WlheN-OIgW_N3KC/s3360/IMG-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C4CzuzwHfFetANgrNWmETDRuJw9ST2Q9M1SYAfaXRKddXnZ3AkQSjKZSrtUBRpL8CiVAQSb0pBm8QGb-8p9z2IRY5QUYk0cpVDUeUBGMPuRjzCmzvQk5Dsf4F6aJYh7owiz_BfAo-hJy43rwFcwQctSfBFGefQFQ1N98_UcB9WlheN-OIgW_N3KC/w426-h640/IMG-02.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone says there will be a reason for all of the setbacks in the journey to a child. That God will give you the baby that is perfect for you, in His perfect timing. This was really hard to hear during the dark days of our journey, but we are so fortunate to experience firsthand how true it is.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After our son was born in 2018, we knew we immediately wanted to continue growing our family. After a few years of failed IVF and multiple miscarriages, we started considering adoption. Jessica had a friend from high school use Susan at <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, and reached out to her friend to learn more. We then jumped on a call with Susan to meet her, understand the process, and ultimately decided to move forward with her as our consultant. After a few months, we were home study ready, our profile book was created, and we started applying to the recommended agencies from Susan. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsRcPZnqwQKodJIpDIFLvtm0dJKd2hhjemKdpXHk83r34RndJkIhlD2cOW7tqQsIkFrlv78tRTtUPpq5J7xxzcDmyjDeBV3FLCI1Lvu7BGI77d8YoUJ_HbAsfrUwDC-CieHW26GDfPTq7Gl7GLrvZHsBiunVQE6vrVMrdCdP2Mau3INiiHWWdmya4/s3360/IMG-37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsRcPZnqwQKodJIpDIFLvtm0dJKd2hhjemKdpXHk83r34RndJkIhlD2cOW7tqQsIkFrlv78tRTtUPpq5J7xxzcDmyjDeBV3FLCI1Lvu7BGI77d8YoUJ_HbAsfrUwDC-CieHW26GDfPTq7Gl7GLrvZHsBiunVQE6vrVMrdCdP2Mau3INiiHWWdmya4/w426-h640/IMG-37.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had a new found hope for our family. We took our son out to dinner to celebrate the start of this journey and started the hardest part of the process: waiting. Waiting for our baby, waiting to be chosen by a birth mom, waiting for God to put everything in place at the exact right time. We continued to live our lives, go to work, take family vacations, and have a great time together, all the while presenting to expecting moms who did not choose us. We were shocked when, five months, later an agency reached out to us that a mom had been looking at our profile and asked if we would be interested in matching with her. We of course said yes, this was it! We matched very early, so we knew it was a long road. We visited her and her children, sent them gifts, texted with her, and prayed for her and this baby. Unfortunately, one day we found out the adoption was falling through. We were heartbroken and distraught. We leaned on Susan a lot during this time. She provided us the perspective we so needed, the emotional support to hear our fears, and the encouragement to continue. As the what would have been due date approached, we closed the nursery door and grieved. We questioned if this would work, and, more specifically, when. We often thought about giving up. Susan was there with us the entire time.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One day, almost a year from when we were first home study ready, we got THE call. A baby girl would be born within a few weeks, in a state nearby, and the expecting mom wanted to name her Isabella Marie. Marie was Jessica's, her mother's, and her grandmother's middle name. It would have been the middle name for a girl if we had been able to choose. Jessica immediately got chills and said we would absolutely present. About two hours later, the agency called us and said that we were the family chosen! The three of us were on the phone emotional about the exciting news. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three weeks later we found out our baby girl was born a few weeks early! We dropped everything and raced to the hospital, Jessica flying in from an out of town work trip and Mark driving over with all of the baby items and our bags! We made it to the hospital just before visiting hours were over. We were in such "go mode" the few weeks leading up to this that we hadn't had a chance to really let everything sink in. As we are led to the room with Isabella's birth mom ("Z"), the nurse told us how amazing the baby and birth mom were. We were so nervous. What do you say to the woman giving you the greatest gift, her greatest sacrifice? We hugged her, held the baby, and started talking. There were some silences, but comfortable, and nobody kicked us out when visiting hours were over. Z actually said, "If you would like to stay here with the baby, the hospital has a room and you can keep Isabella with you." We jumped at the chance to spend as much time as possible with Isabella and Z. The next day, we went and spent time with Z getting to know her. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvRbr2w7D9_B1uIrdz72KyZxad6qugdPnwfphxAhKfPQ0iIBmQD6cw0DjzzV1OJYF7y93JIYxCWyQUuDtQbE8KoefwZQYsnPpkiGYHJJc_7KtbBx4XQo9Hi0XH7sIuvUJbJhhkj4Y2Fcj1wdgdibFjq7OYfk2EV5klJ9uVYt8x9QmWSAzATlz8sdd/s3360/IMG-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="3360" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvRbr2w7D9_B1uIrdz72KyZxad6qugdPnwfphxAhKfPQ0iIBmQD6cw0DjzzV1OJYF7y93JIYxCWyQUuDtQbE8KoefwZQYsnPpkiGYHJJc_7KtbBx4XQo9Hi0XH7sIuvUJbJhhkj4Y2Fcj1wdgdibFjq7OYfk2EV5klJ9uVYt8x9QmWSAzATlz8sdd/w640-h426/IMG-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That evening, as we were going to bed, a nurse came into our room and said Z would like to see us and the baby. We immediately paused. We walk down the hall, bring the baby and sit with her. We had an emotional few hours not knowing if Z was changing her mind. She was holding Isabella and crying. After what felt like eternity she handed us the baby and said, "She's yours now." What we experienced that night was nothing short of a miracle. Three parents all loving this little girl so much. We held Isabella, we held each other. It was a moment that we will never forget, and to be honest, a moment we don't think we would have had with the last situation. We are so fortunate to have met Z and that she is the birth mom of sweet Isabella. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following day when we were discharged, we each received a text from Z, "I love y'all. Please let Isabella know that I love her. You are the best woman and mother I know (man and father for Mark's text), and I wish you all happiness. I love Isabella with my life, and I know I made the best decision."</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCPmkDkbOiu0W1gqmZWUd0C3nTWwA5UXzZ0Gxln-hSUKonV87IVycE-PuDLqTXjUAfhStYqFGAP830-5T4lI_aSoQkrXp6_zQGqaePZYU7F0NbbyT0oY2bCEUzD5mGWxZUVyb464RU-RAl1JdouNxBOdbpeV1hGY9sYqo2pKXA01DsALMxkSOlr3Y/s3360/IMG-44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCPmkDkbOiu0W1gqmZWUd0C3nTWwA5UXzZ0Gxln-hSUKonV87IVycE-PuDLqTXjUAfhStYqFGAP830-5T4lI_aSoQkrXp6_zQGqaePZYU7F0NbbyT0oY2bCEUzD5mGWxZUVyb464RU-RAl1JdouNxBOdbpeV1hGY9sYqo2pKXA01DsALMxkSOlr3Y/w426-h640/IMG-44.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the infertility, the interrupted adoption, the waiting, the "not yets," we questioned God often. <i>Why us? When will it be our turn? Why do we continue to go through the heartache? Should we just stop trying? </i>While we could not see it at the time, we are so grateful that God was working behind the scenes to orchestrate a plan greater than one we could have ever imagined.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are so fortunate to bring home our perfect baby, in God's perfect timing. We are blessed beyond measure for the guidance and support from Susan during the process. Now we are home with our 4-year who only wants to love on and hug his sister all day every day. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlKPAD6lKtBuHQkrUhkm00ckF2a0Zfn32xPKivJTO3HWQs7g1tYAnTPPNd2Jv0ggMaXCgm_pcqp0DABtKeqbKYCmC22s_YkpmBclHmgOwAhwOOXhve7ID8nPFNy_PM9RKR3snVLWhrhD8k7riqmxj4Q-NT4W5Qa-IlGoue0VGA1Uz71e82UCk7JdF/s3360/IMG-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3360" data-original-width="2240" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlKPAD6lKtBuHQkrUhkm00ckF2a0Zfn32xPKivJTO3HWQs7g1tYAnTPPNd2Jv0ggMaXCgm_pcqp0DABtKeqbKYCmC22s_YkpmBclHmgOwAhwOOXhve7ID8nPFNy_PM9RKR3snVLWhrhD8k7riqmxj4Q-NT4W5Qa-IlGoue0VGA1Uz71e82UCk7JdF/w426-h640/IMG-46.jpg" width="426" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We will forever be grateful for everyone who supported our journey, family, friends, Susan, our adoption agency, and of course, always grateful for Z. </span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-65887692325057110062022-11-09T16:34:00.002-06:002022-11-09T16:37:13.235-06:00Adoption Story: Tad and Kristen<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>When Kristin and Tad first started their adoption journey with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> early this year, it would have been hard to anticipate all God was up to, even in those very moments they decided to take a step of faith. As Kristin and Tad were saying "yes" to adoption, there was a mama states away whose life was about to change. And months later, a chance meeting at a restaurant would lead to their paths to eventually (and miraculously) cross. </i><i>Kristin first shared their story on their blog, <a href="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/" target="_blank">Road to Adoption</a> and is graciously sharing in this space today. You don't want to miss this story full of unexpected encounters and double blessings.</i></div><div><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></div><div><span style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized" style="clear: both; display: table; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px auto;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-363" data-attachment-id="363" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6301-1" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg" data-orig-size="2016,1512" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_6301-1/" height="480" loading="lazy" scale="2" src-orig="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg?w=1024" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg?w=533" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6301-1.jpg?w=533&zoom=2 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="640" /></figure><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized" style="clear: both; display: table; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px auto;"><br /></figure><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">“Sounds like you’re having a bad day.” Gayle Brady commented to the waitress, “Julie,” who served her and her husband dinner at a diner in Michigan (<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">some names have been changed for privacy)</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">. Knowing Jim and Gayle is to know that they are very kind and loving people. So, it was not unusual for them to ask how this waitress was doing or notice that she was under immense stress. I (Kristen) had gotten to know Jim and Gayle quite well when they would come to North Carolina for the winters, and I was nannying their grandchildren. So, they had already been following our adoption journey and knew we weren’t having much luck.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">“Sounds like you’re having a bad day.” Gayle Brady commented to the waitress, “Julie,” who served her and her husband dinner at a diner in Michigan. Knowing Jim and Gayle is to know that they are very kind and loving people. So, it was not unusual for them to ask how this waitress was doing or notice that she was under immense stress. I (Kristen) had gotten to know Jim and Gayle quite well when they would come to North Carolina for the winters, and I was nannying their grandchildren. So, they had already been following our adoption journey and knew we weren’t having much luck.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Julie went on to share with Gayle that she had a lot going on in her life lately; she was concerned because she recently found out her 21-year-old daughter was pregnant with twins who were due in November, and her plan was to safe-surrender the babies at the hospital after the birth. She feared the babies would end up in foster care or be split up and also shared that her daughter already had a 2-year-old she was working hard to support. Gayle mentioned that she had friends in North Carolina (us) hoping to adopt and asked Julie if her daughter had ever considered adoption. Julie was unsure if her daughter had thought of that but became very hopeful about the possibility. So, Gayle and Julie exchanged numbers.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The next day, Jim and Gayle shared this information with their son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Terri Brady, our close friends, and asked if they should share it with us. They both answered with a resounding YES. Later that night, Terri reached out to me about the possibility but encouraged me to be cautiously optimistic as there was so little information and details known at this point.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">I was SO excited; however, we had already been so discouraged by the adoption process up to that point that I was afraid to get my hopes up. I reached out to Gayle the next day and asked for Julie’s phone number to contact her. When we reached out, Gayle shared a similar message of being cautious because this seemed to be a long shot and may not go anywhere. However, after much thought and discussion, she decided to step out on faith and pass along her phone number. She went on to share that she knew nothing about Julie except what she had shared at the restaurant that day but that she really liked her and felt for her and her situation.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The next day Tad and I called Julie to see if we could connect with her. She didn’t answer, so we left a message but never received a response. I then texted her the following day to see if that would generate a response. Nothing. Tad called another time that same week, but it went straight to voicemail. A couple of days passed, and we were beginning to think it wasn’t meant to be. Then, on Sunday, August 28th, we were leaving church and ran into Chris while walking out. He had asked if we had connected with Julie yet, and we told him that we couldn’t get ahold of her but would try one last time that day, and if she didn’t answer, we were going to “close the door.” As we were leaving the church parking lot on our way to the pharmacy, Tad tried calling for the last time, and SHE ANSWERED! We were both in shock and so nervous, but the conversation seemed to flow so naturally.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">We talked to Julie for around 30 minutes, and she told us all about her daughter, “Kayla,” and we also shared about ourselves and our adoption journey. It was a great conversation, and we felt like we had really connected with her. We then texted her some pictures of ourselves so that she could share them with her daughter.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Side note: After later meeting Julie, Kayla, and Kayla’s dad, “Mark,” in Michigan, we learned that Julie doesn’t answer her phone for people she doesn’t know, which is why she never responded to our calls. However, that Sunday, Mark happened to be at Julie’s house and told her to pick up the phone! Had Mark not been there at that moment, she would not have answered… It’s just another part of the story that we find so amazing, and God aligned all of it.</em></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Julie said she wasn’t sure if her daughter would go for it, but she would talk to her on Monday, show her our pictures, let her read our messages, and let us know what she says.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">On Monday night, we received a message from Julie that she had let Kayla read our text messages and convinced Kayla that this would be a wonderful opportunity for us and the babies, and she felt good knowing the babies would be going to a good home. She wanted Julie to attend her ultrasound the next morning with her so she could talk to the nurses about how adoption worked.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">We had already made calls to two attorneys in Michigan (one for us and one for Kayla) just to be sure we had accurate information for Julie and to be ready with the next steps if Kayla was on board– since it was private and not through an agency. We confirmed that there wouldn’t be a lot involved for Kayla, which was important to her.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">On Tuesday morning, August 30th Julie sent a text: “So I must say congratulations to the new parents of twin babies! Any names picked out?”</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">To say that was an emotional moment would be an understatement! It was almost like a dream! Tad had been traveling for work that week, so we were trying to navigate all of this from different states. We immediately hired an attorney for Kayla, and within two days, she met with the attorney and created an adoption plan. The birth father also showed up to that appointment and signed his consent for the adoption. We couldn’t believe how quickly and smoothly things seemed to be falling into place. </span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">One of the most beautiful parts of this story is the connection we’ve developed with the birth mother and her family. Initially, Kayla wanted no contact with us, but it wasn’t long after she had created the adoption plan that we had been communicating regularly. Because this was a high-risk pregnancy (being twins and Emma had a 2-vessel umbilical cord), Kayla was going for ultrasounds twice a week and being monitored very closely. I remember the first time she sent me pictures of the ultrasound. It was such a surreal moment. It’s rare in any adoption to have contact with the birth mother before the babies are born, especially if you didn’t know her prior. So, it was extra special to be able to bond in this way. Kayla then started inviting us to join the ultrasounds via FaceTime. It didn’t always work out depending on the nurse that was working since they have strict rules about video and pictures. But her willingness to involve us for each appointment and continually provide updates was so amazing and brought us so much peace! When we met her in Michigan for her last ultrasound on Monday before the birth, she let me join her in person, saved all the printed ultrasound pictures from the time she found out, and gave them to me. </span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Kayla and I had been in close communication for most of September and into early October, texting almost daily. She would send me pictures of her belly and videos of the babies moving around. She made me feel so involved in the pregnancy, which helped Tad and I bond with her and the babies so much! Outside of the adoption itself, it was one of the most special and selfless things anyone could do for another person.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The more Kayla and I continued to connect, the more comfortable she was with me. At one point, she told me she wanted me to be in the delivery room and cut the umbilical cords! </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">We later found out that wouldn’t happen because she would be delivering in an operating room where she could only have one support person (her mom), but even the thought of her offering meant so much to me.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Kayla was having some difficulty around 31 weeks (September 25th) and had ended up in the hospital on three occasions and being admitted for a couple of days. At that point, every day seemed like a possible delivery day. That’s when I sta</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">rted packing my bags so we would be ready at a moment’s notice. As the weeks began to wind down and the ultrasounds showed that the babies were not growing much, the doctor decided that he would induce her around 34 </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">weeks.</span></p><div style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized" style="clear: both; color: #373737; display: table; margin: 0px auto;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-321" data-attachment-id="321" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1665667418","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.00048402710551791","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_7888-1" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg?w=286" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg" data-orig-size="2886,3024" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_7888-1/" height="640" loading="lazy" scale="2" src-orig="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg?w=977" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg?w=276" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_7888-1.jpg?w=276&zoom=2 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="612" /></figure><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Tad had been traveling a lot in October, so as soon as the doctor said he would induce within the next week, we decided to drive up to Michigan. He had taken a father-daughter trip to Florida with his 13-year-old daughter, Alexandria, and on the day of his return (Wednesday, October 12th), we set out on our journey to Michigan. We arrived on Thursday, October 13th, and just happened to be driving by the hospital where Kayla would deliver at the exact time she was at her ultrasound appointment. We had hoped to attend with her, but it just didn’t work out. She let us speak with the doctor, and it was on that day that they had scheduled her induction for Tuesday, October 18th, at 7:30 pm.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">We were hoping to connect with Kayla before meeting with her for the first time on delivery day, but we didn’t want to put any additional pressure on her or overwhelm her, so we let it be. However, she reached out later that evening and asked us if we would like to meet for lunch. We were very excited but also nervous! She wanted to meet us at the same restaurant that her mom worked at – the one where Jim and Gayle had first made the connection. A little later in the evening, she shared with us that her dad would also come. Of course, we let her know that we were also looking forward to meeting him!</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Saturday morning came, and we prepared to head to the restaurant. As we walked in, an older gentleman saw Tad’s Buffalo Bills license plate and started a conversation about the upcoming game. Little did we know, we were talking to Kayla’s grandfather (Julie’s father), who also worked at the restaurant. As soon as we walked in, we met Julie (who was working); moments later, Kayla and her dad walked in. We were meeting most of her immediate family, haha… no pressure!</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">After exchanging hugs and handshakes, we all sat down. We made small talk and got to know each other for a little bit. When the food came, Tad asked if he could pray for our meal, which he did. Kristen asked Mark if he had any questions for us. He wondered what kind of church we attended, and we shared a bit more about our church. Mark shared that before COVID, he had been going to church but hadn’t been back since. When talking with Kayla, she said she always believed in God, but after everything that happened with the adoption, she believes in God much more and wants to start going back to church! Tad and I left lunch feeling excited and hopeful. It went very well, and we had even more peace about everything progressing. We were so grateful that all of Kayla’s family were very supportive of the adoption plan and even grateful that it was happening! While I can’t imagine how hard it is for them, we know that having a supportive family is paramount in adoption. We planned for another dinner on Monday night; Kayla’s “last meal” before the big day, which Julie, her mom, could attend. That also went great and helped our families connect and get to know each other better.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><img class="wp-image-311" data-attachment-id="311" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1666119915","copyright":"","focal_length":"2.71","iso":"320","shutter_speed":"0.025","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6090" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg?w=250" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg" data-orig-size="2525,3024" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_6090/" height="640" loading="lazy" scale="2" src-orig="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg?w=855" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg?w=325" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6090.jpeg?w=325&zoom=2 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="Arriving at the hospital on induction day!" width="535" /></span></div><div style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Arriving at the hospital on induction day!</span></i></span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kayla was scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, October 18th, at 7:30 pm, which felt like the longest day ever. When we arrived at the hospital, Julie, Kayla, and her best friend “Shannon” greeted us at the main entrance. Julie was kind enough to bring us a gift basket full of baby items. We all made our way to the room where Kayla would be and began to set up “camp.” Kayla was comfortable having Tad and me in the room with her for most of the night until things started to progress, which is when Tad stepped out into the waiting room. We would spend the next 22 hours in Room 2 of the Labor and Delivery wing. It was probably one of the coolest and most unique moments of any adoption story!</span></span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">October 19th, 2022, was the day our lives changed forever. While it was a long night that extended into the following day, we knew things had to be getting closer. By 3pm on Wednesday, October 19th, contractions started to become stronger and closer together, but dilation was slow, so we anticipated being in for another long night. At about 4 pm, Julie and Shannon had stepped outside, and Kayla and I were in the room together. I loved that she wanted me to be there and didn’t want to be alone. Thank God I was! Just minutes later, Kayla was in distress and felt like she had to push. I immediately called Julie and Shannon to get back to the room and tried to support Kayla the best that I could by encouraging her not to push, holding her hand, and rubbing her head. What an emotional and special moment that was for me. I knew it was time! We went from 22 hours of almost nothing happening to “these babies are coming…NOW!” Once Julie and Shannon arrived back to the room, we all searched for a nurse and a doctor, and there was no one to be found. It became apparent that Shannon, Julie, and I may have to deliver these babies! What a crazy moment that was for all of us. Eventually, the nurse showed up, and she and Julie wheeled Kayla down to the OR. (The plan was a natural birth, but delivery in the OR was scheduled just in case they needed to do an emergency C-section.)</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">As they wheeled Kayla to the OR, I ran into the waiting room hysterically to let Tad know what was happening. He said I was more upset than he’s ever seen me. The unknown was so terrifying, and I also knew I was about to meet the babies I had been dreaming and praying about, so I completely lost it. We waited for what seemed like forever, but it was only a matter of minutes. Then, my phone pinged, and it was a text from Julie with a picture of Emma followed by a message that she was doing great and a video of the birth! We both sat sobbing in the waiting room while we watched. Then, 5 minutes later, my phone pinged again with a picture of Jaxson and a video of his birth! It was so amazing that Julie would think to do that for us while supporting her daughter during such a difficult time. It was so special; we hope she knows just how much that meant to us. The time from 4:45 pm – 5:45 pm seems like such a blur, but it was the moment our lives changed forever.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">Emma Grace was born at 5:30 pm on October 19th, 2022, weighing 3 lbs 11 oz and 17″ long, and Jaxson Taylor was born at 5:35 pm on October 19th, 2022, weighing 4 lbs 5 oz and 17.5 inches long.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-315" data-attachment-id="315" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"kristenseidl","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg" data-orig-size="3464,3464" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3/" height="640" loading="lazy" scale="2" src-orig="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg?w=1024" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg?w=291" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/18b7eca8-41b0-4b48-93ec-81748eb1d4d3.jpeg?w=291&zoom=2 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="640" /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Emma left, Jaxson right</span></i></span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">30 minutes after the babies were born, we visited Kayla before going to the NICU to hug her and thank her for what she did for us. She was beaming! You would have never known she had just given birth to twins. We captured a special picture of the 5 of us, which will forever be a beautiful reminder of this amazing story!</span></span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">30 minutes after the babies were born, we visited Kayla before going to the NICU to hug her and thank her for what she did for us. She was beaming! You would have never known she had just given birth to twins. We captured a special picture of the 5 of us, which will forever be a beautiful reminder of this amazing story!</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-313" data-attachment-id="313" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1666203788","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.025","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6095" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg" data-orig-size="3202,2253" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_6095/" height="449" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 437px) 100vw, 437px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=1024" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=437 437w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=874 874w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=300 300w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6095.jpeg?w=768 768w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="640" /></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Picture shared with permission </span></i></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">ince the babies were born, we’ve continued to stay in touch with Kayla and support her in whatever ways she needs. We even attended church together a few days after the babies were born. We care about her so much and are incredibly grateful for her brave and selfless decision to choose life and adoption for her precious babies. We will forever be connected because of them, and she will forever be such a special part of our lives.</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">Currently, Emma and Jaxson are in the NICU and doing well. They are still tiny, but they are learning and growing daily! We are so in love with them and eagerly await the day we can bring them home!</span></div><div style="border: 0px; color: #373737; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: left;">We don’t believe there are any coincidences in life. God knew that Kayla would be carrying twins conceived the very time we began our adoption journey. He knew that we would struggle with infertility and pursue adoption. He knew that the timing of her pregnancy and our adoption journey would align perfectly. He knew that Jim and Gayle would celebrate their anniversary at that restaurant on the night that Julie would be working. He knew that Julie was going to have a hard night and need a friendly face to share her struggles with. He knew that Kayla wanted what was best for her babies and would ultimately choose adoption for them and us to be Emma and Jaxson’s parents. Nothing is a surprise to God. He wrote this story before the beginning of time, and we give all the glory to Him!</span></div></span></span></div></span></div><div><div id="main" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #373737; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 1.625em 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div id="primary" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 690px;"><div id="content" role="main" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 52.4375px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto;"><article class="post-286 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-adoption tag-adoption tag-birth-mothers tag-god-story tag-pro-life tag-twins" id="post-286" style="border-bottom: none; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; padding: 4.875em 0px 0px; position: relative;"><div class="entry-content" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px auto; outline: 0px; padding: 1.625em 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 585.125px;"><figure class="is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-1 wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped" data-carousel-extra="{"blog_id":202279694,"permalink":"https:\/\/road-to-adoption.com\/2022\/11\/04\/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write\/"}" style="--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); align-items: normal; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-size: 15px; gap: var( --wp--style--gallery-gap-default, var( --gallery-block--gutter-size, var( --wp--style--block-gap, 0.5em ) ) ); margin: 0px 0px 1.625em;"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-336" data-attachment-id="336" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="336" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=239" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg" data-orig-size="1500,1885" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e/" sizes="(max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=815" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=815 815w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=119 119w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=239 239w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/a6121bb2-d27c-4510-87ed-03fc32322f9e.jpg 1500w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-338" data-attachment-id="338" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="338" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"kristenseidl","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1666621137","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"400","shutter_speed":"0.023809523809524","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=269" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg" data-orig-size="1512,1684" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c/" sizes="(max-width: 919px) 100vw, 919px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=919" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=919 919w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=135 135w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=269 269w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/cc52216b-1c41-4438-93ea-c9f26fa7fb1c.jpeg 1512w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-328" data-attachment-id="328" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="328" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1666355976","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"500","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6251" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=224" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg" data-orig-size="1504,2016" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_6251/" sizes="(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=764" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=764 764w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=112 112w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=224 224w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6251.jpeg 1504w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-332" data-attachment-id="332" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="332" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6530" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=224" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg" data-orig-size="1504,2016" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_6530/" sizes="(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=764" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=764 764w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=112 112w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=224 224w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_6530.jpg 1504w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); 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box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-354" data-attachment-id="354" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="354" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_8579" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=224" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg" data-orig-size="1504,2016" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_8579/" sizes="(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=764" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=764 764w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=112 112w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=224 224w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8579.jpg 1504w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); 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box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-350" data-attachment-id="350" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="350" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_8575" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=224" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg" data-orig-size="1504,2016" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_8575/" sizes="(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=764" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=764 764w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=112 112w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=224 224w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8575.jpg 1504w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="align-self: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: calc(33.33% - var(--wp--style--unstable-gallery-gap,16px)*0.66667);"><img alt="" class="wp-image-349" data-attachment-id="349" data-comments-opened="1" data-id="349" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_8671" data-large-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=584" data-medium-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=283" data-orig-file="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg" data-orig-size="1500,1590" data-permalink="https://road-to-adoption.com/2022/11/04/she-said-twins-we-said-yes-a-story-only-god-could-write/img_8671/" sizes="(max-width: 966px) 100vw, 966px" src="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=966" srcset="https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=966 966w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=142 142w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=283 283w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg?w=768 768w, https://roadtoadoptioncom.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/img_8671.jpg 1500w" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex: 1 0 0%; height: 249.961px; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; padding: 6px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 190.039px;" /></figure><div><br /></div></figure></div></article></div></div></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-3643382625796311892022-08-18T10:11:00.000-05:002022-08-18T10:11:50.372-05:00Adoption Story: Derek and Madi<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>You know that feeling you get right before God is going to do something amazing? You can't pinpoint it, but there's an anticipation, knowing something is coming. The first time I talked to Derek and Madi, I felt a little like holding my breath, expecting God to show up in their story in big ways. None of us knew exactly how, or when, or how big. But it turns out God exceeded everyone's expectations. Today Madi graciously shares the story of how God miraculously grew their family grew from four to five.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdutEuW__TWf4ZH6QVHbMqkZAtiLH7vPyOF0WUgpShNLEXJEQwq_5XxumRhQhVTWOIQ74V-jmP1JaMucxP6qgWZQ2Og4FwXuljE0jKmS6wn2r8EPU535nI4rX-d-pjK4x3stpTxPsl109G7Cy3TSELuzD5VXlqwo_fjj0rw_zP4FHrSv03cJEszkDy/s5284/IMG_1551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3516" data-original-width="5284" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdutEuW__TWf4ZH6QVHbMqkZAtiLH7vPyOF0WUgpShNLEXJEQwq_5XxumRhQhVTWOIQ74V-jmP1JaMucxP6qgWZQ2Og4FwXuljE0jKmS6wn2r8EPU535nI4rX-d-pjK4x3stpTxPsl109G7Cy3TSELuzD5VXlqwo_fjj0rw_zP4FHrSv03cJEszkDy/w640-h426/IMG_1551.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A wise, dear friend consistently counseled Madi through the nine months of our adoption journey by reminding her, "God is writing a better story than you can write yourself." While we believed her (or at least wanted to believe her), we can't believe how true that adage turned out to be. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adoption was always part of our family plan, but after having two precious biological children in less than two years, we put our plans on hold. However, on our daughter's third birthday, we felt the Lord call us back to what He had laid on our heart years prior, and we immediately began to pursue growing our family through adoption. After being home study approved, we signed with a lovely agency we found through a close friend. Before we knew it, months ticked by without feeling any closer to bring our child home. We had a restless feeling that we should cast a larger net, and after some prayerful consideration, we took to Google to research our options. We found <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, and scheduled a call with Susan. We immediately found everything we were looking for with her. She not only fast-tracked us on our goal of becoming active at more agencies, but provided invaluable counsel and friendship through the entire process. She was always only a phone call away, and we always felt the gift of being able to be completely vulnerable and honest with her. In the couple months that followed, we had many twists and turns, disappointing "almosts" and "not yets" that were all met by prayer and encouragement from Susan. Looking back, we can see so clearly that God was using every difficult "no" for our good because He loves us. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two months later, one summer afternoon as we were packing the car for our annual family vacation to the beach in another state, we got an unexpected phone call that we had been chosen as the forever family for a darling baby girl that had been born hours prior. We live on the east coast and up until this point, every case we had gotten from this particular agency had been on the west coast, so we cheerfully asked where we were going. When the case worker responded that this child had been born in the state where we were already packing the car to travel to the beach, we were floored. But God wasn't done. Shortly thereafter we found out our baby was born not only in the state we were already traveling to (and had rented a house and were meeting family and friends, which meant a plan already in place for our other children, a gift all in itself), but in the city in that state where we used to live and where our first child was born. So despite living eight hours away now, our beautiful baby girl was born on the SAME FLOOR of the SAME HOSPITAL as our oldest son. We prayed for so long that when a situation was right, we would have clarity, and we'll never get over the way God showed up in that big way and continued to show up throughout the process. He was in every single detail, and despite this big, obvious miracle, there were so many other God-winks in our journey. From bringing her home weeks early unexpectedly from the NICU on our wedding anniversary to the gift we didn't know we needed of friends and familiarity despite being in a different state since we had lived in that city prior, to the uncanny way she even closely resembles our biological children, it was clear our daughter was hand-picked from the Lord for our family. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQl5NIi6J_dTCvP9Bg67MH0TMDZkGS2duJS_2Wl3If_rohfQtjUC8DURKHIh9b7hoNLX_EEYIKQNiuAzf1G3j8AvPLMFweV114OmrYLWgk4l2tyalWopcPdWC6OxgOaXZqvvj1AXvmLsZKr4XOPOluKWFpo1AFC5zhH_3F6RuAZHLcCfaULbVySnD/s4032/D76811B0-0E22-4B41-8831-1D4D6BCA4723-8051667F-74FA-453B-B73E-83013CAE380D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQl5NIi6J_dTCvP9Bg67MH0TMDZkGS2duJS_2Wl3If_rohfQtjUC8DURKHIh9b7hoNLX_EEYIKQNiuAzf1G3j8AvPLMFweV114OmrYLWgk4l2tyalWopcPdWC6OxgOaXZqvvj1AXvmLsZKr4XOPOluKWFpo1AFC5zhH_3F6RuAZHLcCfaULbVySnD/w300-h400/D76811B0-0E22-4B41-8831-1D4D6BCA4723-8051667F-74FA-453B-B73E-83013CAE380D.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yEwrdEszt21lf6DyJeyBiNyAvbQ7LeStALFF8NurneNjLG9Yo1OJtIGesoMdFIod-YMI9JNgufEwjTQI1k92eLxMUBn31kussoDjPgXyQIUyBHm1CricH4EiGt-B0-odSGr8CgP0oHgZF7lQvB2UOWhFLMtY-P47H6bUFBYkWv6wPpivwrAR6t3G/s4032/8F3F07E1-E78B-4F5F-A041-31CAF1467B6C-A902C320-ECF7-4A2D-AD04-07F37642D45B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yEwrdEszt21lf6DyJeyBiNyAvbQ7LeStALFF8NurneNjLG9Yo1OJtIGesoMdFIod-YMI9JNgufEwjTQI1k92eLxMUBn31kussoDjPgXyQIUyBHm1CricH4EiGt-B0-odSGr8CgP0oHgZF7lQvB2UOWhFLMtY-P47H6bUFBYkWv6wPpivwrAR6t3G/w300-h400/8F3F07E1-E78B-4F5F-A041-31CAF1467B6C-A902C320-ECF7-4A2D-AD04-07F37642D45B.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are now home with our precious girl, and feel deeply grateful for all the ways God showed up through our adoption journey. We have seen time and time again how God uses adoption to point us to Him as His own adopted sons and daughters. We learned to lean on Him in complete trust and reliance in ways we have never otherwise experienced. We learned how to jump into situations we may otherwise fear because we have no reason to fear; not because it isn't scary, but because He truly does go before us. We saw His mighty hand in every single detail. Most of all, we saw that God is still in the business of actual miracles, and we'll never get over how obvious of a miracle our daughter and our family story is; pointing us straight to goodness, mercy, and grace that comes only from above. We will never stop singing His praises for all he has done, and the faithful people, like Susan, he used in the process. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6xXbFcIpZ9sDnhwDh-0StOMlZClvsyTCD3pX1EQ-QrwHDKmJOPOEuhvZuiaJsz8UPp-0_luOfwwWenhOTsmd5LxaESQuy1GuXebpQxHlAB1bStG6qIlKIjt_6oKMKBGudioXrYywgYibUmqeCGM-P6MGts9BAaUECv6xlqgNwv81tF3Ao6j99OUO/s4139/IMG_1565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4139" data-original-width="2754" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6xXbFcIpZ9sDnhwDh-0StOMlZClvsyTCD3pX1EQ-QrwHDKmJOPOEuhvZuiaJsz8UPp-0_luOfwwWenhOTsmd5LxaESQuy1GuXebpQxHlAB1bStG6qIlKIjt_6oKMKBGudioXrYywgYibUmqeCGM-P6MGts9BAaUECv6xlqgNwv81tF3Ao6j99OUO/w426-h640/IMG_1565.JPG" width="426" /></a></div></span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-69671810962446671962022-04-26T09:29:00.002-05:002022-04-26T09:31:18.197-05:00Adoption Story: Alex and Emily<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Alex and Emily began their adoption journey the winter of 2020. While it was easy to assume their adoption process would be smooth, little did they know a global pandemic was about to rock the world. In the last two years, Alex and Emily learned new ways to embrace patience and trust God's timing for their family. Today Emily shares the story of how they welcomed their son into their family!</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih68XSGsltpqIpi3NOtlaV1IxKqVSb3K4u3N1f0fpkUtSfXyjnVOkADSPMweDXrOt--_2SlpyJ2Kx6pHr-qpq3860LZjNv63IYCjxC5GMqPwOEat90g1tJ_rbZe24IYhYXIz8jBuN6kuhB9hpFPRM6Ahlz6d_Co1T0d3dYv9-DfpakByNYMohzWgjF/s5472/584A4141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih68XSGsltpqIpi3NOtlaV1IxKqVSb3K4u3N1f0fpkUtSfXyjnVOkADSPMweDXrOt--_2SlpyJ2Kx6pHr-qpq3860LZjNv63IYCjxC5GMqPwOEat90g1tJ_rbZe24IYhYXIz8jBuN6kuhB9hpFPRM6Ahlz6d_Co1T0d3dYv9-DfpakByNYMohzWgjF/w426-h640/584A4141.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our journey to adopting our sweet little guy is nothing short of a miracle and leaning into God's timing (which is never our own!). We began the adoption process in the Winter of 2020 and went active with an agency March 2, 2020. Yep. You read that right...just 11 days shy of the world turning upside down! Even in the midst of uncertainty, we held onto hope that the Lord would sustain us through this process. We were shocked to match just a few short weeks later, but were heartbroken when the due date approached a few months later and it turned out to be a scam. After almost another year of waiting we matched again with a young couple and walked through the pregnancy with them offering encouragement, support, and prayers along the way. Ultimately, right before the baby was born they decided to parent and while we were heartbroken, we continued to pray for the Lord to strengthen their little family throughout the baby's life. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We began to feel like adoption would maybe never happen for us, but clung onto our family's verse</span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">; <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeremiah 29:11-13: <i>“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” </i> We strive to remember the Lord’s promises for our family and to seek Him throughout every rise and fall of the adoption process.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">At this point in our adoption journey, just shy of two years in with two failed matches, we decided to try an alternate route and looked into an adoption consultant. We interviewed a few agencies and were thrilled to meet Susan with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>. She answered every question we had, listened to our fears and hopes from our previous experience, and explained all the ways a consultant can help to "cast our net wider." She also helped us create the most perfect adoption profile book that truly captured who our family is, and that ultimately aided in connecting us with our son's birth mom!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In December of 2021, in a local foster/adoptive mom Facebook group, a fellow adoptive mom posted about how her daughter's birth mom was pregnant again and looking for an adoptive family. Following a nudge from the Lord, we reached out and eventually connected with our son's birth mom. We emailed and texted for two months getting to know each other and before any lawyers or adoption anything began to shape up, we were surprised to get a call that the baby was born in an emergency situation seven weeks early! We dropped everything and headed down to Tennessee to be with her and our little guy. He was born at just 2 pounds 2 ounces and stayed in the NICU for a month growing stronger. After a whirlwind of a month away from home and our older son driving down with our parents to visit, it was the best feeling in the world to drive the ten hours back to Virginia with both boys in the car!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZocH9VOS6Z1ks1TlWCJ0GjVG4posxpeqnxpkhf7_dIdhK3Uoac9xHv1ehGfeM4IwYUITk3H6N6Hy_rMzB0juTjBnskHQWLsFWxHaGbv9rvqdFAAJMJBFye6gs6Ow8OSiJ93iCMUebfX7IHto2qs0bxLBjoPdZKVevj9K40z1iyfcMlpuY1bi6en2/s5472/584A4528.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZocH9VOS6Z1ks1TlWCJ0GjVG4posxpeqnxpkhf7_dIdhK3Uoac9xHv1ehGfeM4IwYUITk3H6N6Hy_rMzB0juTjBnskHQWLsFWxHaGbv9rvqdFAAJMJBFye6gs6Ow8OSiJ93iCMUebfX7IHto2qs0bxLBjoPdZKVevj9K40z1iyfcMlpuY1bi6en2/w640-h426/584A4528.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When we began the adoption process we naively thought we would be the story of the family who matched quickly and brought a baby home within a few short months! But what it didn't leave room for in that "picture perfect plan" was all the ways the Lord was going to continue to push us out of our comfort zone, leading us to become a foster family, grow in compassion for others, serve our community, and wrestle with patience when there seemed to be a lack of forward motion. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our son's adoption paperwork was filed on March 2, 2022, exactly two years after we began our adoption journey. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had we given up, we never would have brought our beautiful son home. We look forward to raising our son to know the Lord, be an important member of our family and his biological siblings and family, and to serve all in love. He will do mighty things this side of eternity - we just know it!</span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-77592912517145820112022-04-14T09:47:00.002-05:002023-08-10T09:44:32.727-05:00Adoption Story: Jared and Abbie {Part 2}<p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Earlier this week, Jarred and Abbie, began to share the story of welcoming their son into their family (as Abbie blogged over at </i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6244030523081067881/7759291251714582011#"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;"><i>Naturalee Homestead</i></span></a><i> throughout the process). Check out </i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6244030523081067881/7759291251714582011#"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;"><i>Part One here</i></span></a><i>. Today Abbie is sharing excepts from the second half of their adoption journey with </i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6244030523081067881/7759291251714582011#"><span class="s1" style="color: #dca10d;"><i>Christian Adoption Consultants</i></span></a><i>. I especially love how honestly she shares the emotional roller coaster the hospital experience can bring, the bittersweetness of adoption, and the incredible love they have for their son's birth mother.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">March 25, 2022, Archer's Birth Story<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday morning, March 12th, Jarred and I got in the car and started our ten and a half hour drive to Utah. I was so excited and yet had the pit in my stomach of “what if.” <i>What if we get there and the agency calls and says she changes her mind. What if we meet her at dinner and she doesn’t like us? What if we meet the baby and she changes her mind at the last minute. How would I handle it?</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole drive there we just kept talking about how excited we were and nervous. We talked about his name and that we were pretty sure that was the right one. We talked about logistics, sang a lot of 90s country songs, and were over joyed when we realized speed limits through Idaho were 80 mph!</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EIn2YLMdqDGnDgDM85bE1-wkLae3sZs7X92h_TVPJ1FkWGr9ofrACW9I2W_wGAi-6lkVeqFSd8omKh2oS7DDJKsjNWofAgDW9fpOuXahl57w4d4GqU7_1ZCWsS3ohjm-AsyfwKF_vEo3yU7hkvOfPGbXbxotJWSs9UaCr95fSiILQHwa6Gys_Q41" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2EIn2YLMdqDGnDgDM85bE1-wkLae3sZs7X92h_TVPJ1FkWGr9ofrACW9I2W_wGAi-6lkVeqFSd8omKh2oS7DDJKsjNWofAgDW9fpOuXahl57w4d4GqU7_1ZCWsS3ohjm-AsyfwKF_vEo3yU7hkvOfPGbXbxotJWSs9UaCr95fSiILQHwa6Gys_Q41=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>Headed to Utah!</i></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We got to our hotel around 8:30pm and were checked in by the kindest woman. Sunday we slept in and decided to have a slow morning. We made coffee and breakfast and talked excitedly about dinner scheduled for that night, where we would be meeting Archers birth mom, Mama J for the first time. We were excited and nervous. Wanting her to like us, and hoping that we would just click.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The fifteen minute car ride to dinner I kept telling Jarred, I feel like I’m going to puke, I was so nervous! Mama J walked through the door of the restaurant and I asked her if I could give her a hug and she said yes. It was so nice to finally meet the woman who we had been praying for, and who had chosen us to be the parents of her child.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were able to connect and multiple times she said how sure she was of choosing us, and that she was so thankful for us. We discussed her wishes for openness moving forward and our wishes for her to be a part of his life. We left feeling so at peace, so thankful and also so heartbroken for her. Adoption is such a roller coaster of a ride. Highest of highs and lowest of lows.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning, March 14th, Mama J went in to be induced. Around 1:00pm we got a text that she was 4cm dilated. We were headed to grab lunch at about 2:00 when we got a text she was fully dilated and doctor was on his way! We were so excited and ran back to our hotel to eat. About 2:45pm we got a call that he was born at 2:29pm, 6lbs 13oz and 19 inches long! We quickly got a text with a couple pictures and he was absolutely perfect! She said they would let us know when Mama J was ready for us to come.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5onWBp7Ozfvp85099YWEjVHEAb1Ux-MtS5VwyfKvfZ5-voRJgqRBDrgixC00OWEdo2qFEVJDQZM5qhU1Oi-6MxnV04WQ45-qrHfzDXPwzutnaUIN1ahQSwXEIDkdrL6zxCCIQ0ece8nSFscO4Lyf8GdrDXKJmiogcIOBzf5TeUZsNqj4Hqato86KV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5onWBp7Ozfvp85099YWEjVHEAb1Ux-MtS5VwyfKvfZ5-voRJgqRBDrgixC00OWEdo2qFEVJDQZM5qhU1Oi-6MxnV04WQ45-qrHfzDXPwzutnaUIN1ahQSwXEIDkdrL6zxCCIQ0ece8nSFscO4Lyf8GdrDXKJmiogcIOBzf5TeUZsNqj4Hqato86KV=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The first picture we saw of our sweet boy.</span></i></span></div></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We sat at the hotel giddy with anticipation! We packed and repacked bags hoping the hospital would allow us to spend the first night with him there. At about 3:30pm, we got a text that Mama J had decided she would like to spend the day and night with him and for us to come the next day instead. Our hearts shattered when we read those words. I burst into tears that this baby was so close and yet untouchable.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We cried together, not only because we couldn’t see him, <i>but what does this mean? </i>We knew it was good for her to spend time with him before she says goodbye. And yet the idea that she might change her mind and we may never get to meet him was looming over us. We turned on worship music and spent the next two hours crying and praying. I kept telling myself that she gets 24 hours, and we would get the rest of his life, and she deserves to spend the time she wants with him. After we sat with the news we sent a text to Mama J, telling her that we were happy she was getting time with him and that we couldn’t wait to meet him tomorrow. We went to bed early feeling helpless, emotional, and hoping that tomorrow would be better news.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After the worst night of sleep ever, waking every couple hours and just praying for what was to come, we woke up and got a text that we were to be at the hospital at 11am! At 10:40am we got in the car and made our way to the postpartum unit. We were buzzed in and asked to wait in a room labeled bonding. After a couple minutes Mama J’s caseworker came in and said Mama J had decided not to be there when we met the baby and for us to go in together. Right then Mama J came in and said hi to us. We gave her the biggest hug and told her how beautiful he was and how thankful we are for her. We gave her some flowers and hugged her again. As she went back to her room she said to us “You have a cute boy in there!” and we were walked to the nursery to meet our son for the first time!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday, March 15th at 11am, almost 24 hours after Archer had been born, we walked into the nursery to meet our son. We were greeted by the sweetest nurse, Jocelyn, who gave us a hug and said how excited she was for us! I immediately began to cry overcome with emotion. So much back and forth, so much heartache and longing, it was finally here. The day I had quite literally been waiting my entire life for. To meet our son!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were taken into a small room and after a couple minutes they wheeled in the tiniest, sweetest boy. I picked him up from his bed and instantly knew this was the baby God had chosen for us. The most perfect, beautiful baby. This baby was the reason for all those negative pregnancy tests, for all the “not yets” from expectant moms. It was all because this was the boy, hand picked out for us.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4nOiX-974qgxFMpeKvQJTP1wV_PJY9HfOgjhOZhlFlBRGdsy21TrlqxpCG6yMkpaSMH0u6D6tJDZXo1Gp9QuCj2rma8lUE7Jb1IMm3p9AW7PJ9OyRiMkO6V_AyZ0Bp_rd6POh9s643HftZ8CQcs3y5o4cUuZfnv1iBEr8r5z1NtYlrIz5sDXHXGTl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4nOiX-974qgxFMpeKvQJTP1wV_PJY9HfOgjhOZhlFlBRGdsy21TrlqxpCG6yMkpaSMH0u6D6tJDZXo1Gp9QuCj2rma8lUE7Jb1IMm3p9AW7PJ9OyRiMkO6V_AyZ0Bp_rd6POh9s643HftZ8CQcs3y5o4cUuZfnv1iBEr8r5z1NtYlrIz5sDXHXGTl=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our first family picture.</span></i></div></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We cried as we held and looked at our sweet baby. I felt the most peace I had felt since we left for Utah. Which can only be explained by God’s grace and perfect peace. We still had 3 and a half hours until mama J would sign papers, officially relinquishing her legal parental rights. The earliest she could sign documents is 24 hours after birth per Utah state law. Once she signed, it would be permanent and irrevocable.</span></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When I thought of what this time in waiting would be like, I imagined I would be filled with fear and doubt. But I sat and held this perfect baby in total peace. We spent the next few hours with him until it was time for consents to be signed. My heart broke for Mama J. Knowing what she was about to do, and what she was about to give up— raising this precious boy.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We prayed for Mama J to have strength and feel peace in her decision. After about 30 minutes the consents were signed and she was quite upset. I got up and gave her a hug. I told her that I promised we would take the best care of him and that we already loved him so much! That we were so proud of her and promised we would send photos and updates. We told her she was amazing, and that we would make sure he knew how incredible she was. Jarred and I had talked about it, and felt that it was important she know her son’s full name, including his last name. Most agencies keep last names from both the adoptive and birth family. We told her that we wanted her to know our last name and that we truly hope she is a big part of our lives. She thanked us over and over for telling her, and said how thankful she was for us and that she went with her gut when she chose us.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We walked her out to the car and gave her another hug goodbye promising to keep her updated. We went back up to be with our son and all day (all week really) had tears in our eyes for his birth mama, who was grieving her baby while we sat holding him, finally having everything we ever wanted. That bittersweet feeling is something I will never forget.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Archer is doing amazing! We spend our days snuggled up bonding skin to skin. He had a special visitor on his one week birthday, his birth mom! She came and snuggled him and got to see his beautiful face in person after seeing the many pictures I sent. She told me again how much it meant to her for us to allow her to come visit and to have shared our last name. She said while it’s been hard she is doing well and is so thankful she chose us and that he has us. She said she knows she did the right thing for him.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We love Mama J, we love open adoption, and we hope that our relationship with her will only grow stronger. We are so in awe of how perfectly this entire journey was orchestrated by God. From the beginning we had been praying for a birth mama who was kind, strong, loving and someone we could really bond with, trust and love. And boy did God deliver! We are so thankful, so in love, and so ready to get home and introduce him to family and friends!</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We are the luckiest parents and we think it’s pretty cool that Archer has us and his birth mom loving him fiercely.</span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-3877122026923318652022-04-11T15:50:00.005-05:002022-04-14T09:57:01.964-05:00Adoption Story: Jared and Abbie {Part 1}<p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jarred and Abbie have an amazing story of welcoming their son into their family with the help of <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants.</a> And Abbie chronicled it over on her blog, </i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6244030523081067881/387712202692331865#"><span class="s1" style="color: #0000e9;"><i>Naturalee Homestead</i></span></a><i> throughout the process. Today Abbie is graciously sharing excerpts here to share the story of their son and God's faithfulness as they grew their family through adoption. Today you'll get the first half of their adoption journey!</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrYZ99yEYRPOhMfCCDusPwFxzz9bJgcOhoXXCP4iWGteKAQ4Ii49f0DLXBo2Pv5M_Y5wYbqfkXJQ9qREyXImS_1kPpQO9ms1ovb7YYjcJjQXNJCBfyxAy9At_D0A4DREr5ha8EjFgipiU3CvPdqwUYz0iiGqDh8Gp99QGaTDijTtx3tHB9lGoG1Chm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrYZ99yEYRPOhMfCCDusPwFxzz9bJgcOhoXXCP4iWGteKAQ4Ii49f0DLXBo2Pv5M_Y5wYbqfkXJQ9qREyXImS_1kPpQO9ms1ovb7YYjcJjQXNJCBfyxAy9At_D0A4DREr5ha8EjFgipiU3CvPdqwUYz0iiGqDh8Gp99QGaTDijTtx3tHB9lGoG1Chm=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></i></span></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">May 28, 2021, We Are Adopting!</span></i></b></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have been waiting in anticipation to grow our family and it has been more challenging than we expected. After several doctor visits, rounds of lab work, second opinions and lots of prayer, we were told naturally conceiving could continue to be difficult for us. </span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instead we will be pursuing domestic infant adoption! Meaning our baby could be born anywhere in the US, most likely not from Washington. Currently, we are in the home study process and creating our profile book. The home study, and the profile book are some of the most important pieces. The home study gives us the OK to go “active” and present to expecting families. The book is how expectant moms will get an idea of who we are.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adoption is exciting, scary, hard and beautiful. It is a journey that comes from brokenness and we are prepared for a lot of ups and downs. We know that God has led us on this path. Already, He has shown us that he has been intentionally placing people in our lives to prepare us for this journey. We are confident he already knows our baby, and when that baby will be in our arms. Through this whole process the song “Promise Keeper” by Hope Darst has been a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness.</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are the promise keeper, your word will never fail. My heart can trust you Jesus. I wont be overwhelmed. My eyes are going to see, miracles and victories. You are a promise keeper, your word will never fail.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I see your goodness in the land of the living, I see your goodness right here right now. ‘Cause you know the ending before the beginning, I know that you have worked all things out.</span></i></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Promise Keeper, By Hope Darst</span></i></p></blockquote><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are so excited to share our journey. We know that it very well could be a long road. But we trust that there is something for us in each step, in each high and low, and that it will all lead to our precious baby!</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With much gratitude,</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jarred and Abbie</span></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">July 20, 2021, Adoption Update</span></i></b></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been just shy of two months since we announced that we were adopting! And a whirlwind at that! It has been full of paperwork, phone calls, lots of prayer, fundraising and overall excitement! We are so thankful for everyone that has shared their excitement with us, and for those that have generously donated already! We wanted to provide an update of what we have been doing since we announced.</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Home Study:</b> As of today we are officially Home Study Ready! This means we are legally ready to adopt when the situation arises! We had a fabulous social worker who was so quick and helpful in this process. We had to gather tons of documents, have a 90 minute interview, home visit, and complete a 15 page document all about us and our past. We got two separate sets of fingerprinting done, one locally and the other in the Seattle area. We are now the proud owners of a 15 page written report about us with the seal of approval!</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Profile Book:</b> The talented and lovely Meaghan Bickel, of Joy Photography Ellensburg heard our story and offered to take our photos for our profile book as a donation to us. We are so incredibly thankful for her generous gift of her time and talent. We got our photos back last week and they turned out beautifully!! They truly capture us, our life and personalities. We submitted them to our profile designer and should have our profile book completed soon! Once that is complete we will order copies to be printed. Once we have those printed we will submit the applications to the agencies we have chosen to work with and we will then be an active family waiting for a match!</span></p><p class="p1" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fundraising: </b>We have been overwhelmed and humbled with so many people coming together and donating to us to help with our adoption expenses! We have received so many generous direct donations of funds that have been added to our adoption account. We also had so many items donated to us for our fundraising yard sale. The two day yard sale alone brought in over $2,600!! Far exceeding our expectations! We are so excited to announce that we are halfway to our fundraising goal! We still have a long way to go, but being halfway there only two months into our journey is AMAZING!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxLLXk0HuWPTrFQi3y5CrhDHEkOgJkSSpusDU3STOjjFhhRoUv4T-AfyW9p7WcOd4zC5V7HTFxw-24bYafKeRc2IvDY_IdzDNtQuhz-naFEf5vLhugjAQSOxBComaGnC7j70BaK3o2Rly8bY8Gyci_T1y5PcYe1YCrfJZiBw6OgGFSeYiXn_JqUIPh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxLLXk0HuWPTrFQi3y5CrhDHEkOgJkSSpusDU3STOjjFhhRoUv4T-AfyW9p7WcOd4zC5V7HTFxw-24bYafKeRc2IvDY_IdzDNtQuhz-naFEf5vLhugjAQSOxBComaGnC7j70BaK3o2Rly8bY8Gyci_T1y5PcYe1YCrfJZiBw6OgGFSeYiXn_JqUIPh=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">These sweet cousins hustled at our yard sale to raise funds to bring home their new cousin!</span></i></p><p class="p4" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Next Steps:</b> Next step is applying to agencies. We are waiting for our profile book to be completed and then we will mail the application packages. Once received by the agencies they will go through all of our documents and then we will become an active family! When we are active, we will wait to hear from the agencies about “situations.” Situations are when an expectant mother or family has contacted the agency and has decided to move forward with making an adoption plan. When a situation comes up they will present it to us and we get to decide after reading the information if we would like our profile presented. If we choose to present, they will include our profile book with the other families who have said yes to presenting and the expectant mother/family will choose from there. This is where the waiting game truly starts.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prayer Requests:</span></p><ul class="ul1"><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please pray that we will continue to have peace in our hearts and minds as we wait to be selected and matched.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That we can raise the remaining funds needed for adoption expenses.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We ask that you pray for the expectant mother and family who we will match with. That she will be surrounded by supportive people, feel confident and peace in her decision to make an adoption plan. And that she will just “know” we are the family for her child when she sees our profile book.</span></li></ul><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">August 6, 2021, We Are Active, Waiting to Match!</span></i></b></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are so excited to announce that we are an active, waiting family! Our home study is done, our profile book has been printed (it turned out beautifully!) and we are officially in the portion of waiting. We are prepared for this part to take some time (but hope that it won’t). Along with everything else, Covid has impacted the number of US adoptions. So it's likely our wait time will be a bit longer.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a bit of a weird shift. For over two months we have been busy with research, paperwork and decisions. Now our only job is to wait, present to situations, and continue to pray for the expectant mama we will eventually match with, and wait some more. We have already started to see situations and got our first “Not yet” as the adoption world likes to call it, even though it feels like a big NO. While we knew the likely hood of being chosen on our first presentation was slim to none, we couldn’t help but think “What if” and look at flights and airbnb’s in the area of the expectant mama. Even though we are disappointed, we are at peace with knowing this isn’t the baby God has planned for us.</span></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Luckily we have many things to keep our hands busy as we wait. Nursery preparations have begun! While many people choose not to start the nursery until they have been matched, its a fun project for me that feels intentional. It's also a place that I can spend time praying for our expectant mama and baby. We have no idea when we will match and in the event it is quick, we want to minimize stress by having things ready. We have the carseat, crib and a few items washed in the event we get a call that baby has already been born and we need to get on a plane. While that is an unlikely scenario, it's nice to know we are prepared. I spent this past weekend organizing clothes by gender and size. We have been blessed with enough hand-me-downs from cousins to clothe boy girl twins up until 2 years old!</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout this whole process Jarred and I keep looking at each other and saying “Wow, we have the best community of people!” We are overwhelmed each day by the generosity of so many. Multiple times we have been in tears of gratitude when we think of all the people supporting us. We truly are so thankful for each prayer, congratulations message, interest in the process and donation to help with the significant costs associated with adoption. We truly have the best family and friends!!</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prayer Requests</span></p><ul class="ul1"><ul class="ul1" style="list-style-type: disc;"><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Continued prayers for the expectant mama we will be matched with. That she feels supported, peace in her decision and that she just “knows” we are meant to be her baby’s parents.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For peace and patience in our hearts. That we can push all anxiety and fear away, and go forward in peace knowing our family will come together in His perfect timing.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That we will feel a strong connection to the right situations to present to. That He will protect us from situations that are not meant to be and guide us on when to and when not to present.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That He will keep our baby protected from any potential harms.</span></li><li class="li5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That the funds needed will be available as we need them to bring this sweet babe home!</span></li></ul></ul><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you, thank you, thank you! From the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our tribe and cheering us on. We truly couldn’t do this without you all.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With love and gratitude,</span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Abbie and Jarred</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">December 25, 2021, We Are Matched!</span></i></b></p><p class="p3" style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjleYIl6Lm6Tg9yhyfUZJwvA5pjumhs9DavU2_ZkXct_39z9HSieybOO53_veEgHoa9sMP1UJPFSjdiIgwkuV918Eqnjwkh70_ouEt277P72b9McLx4_emoTwdj25QO_aRXUF1sJ1Zgpf4xqrl9CbgaMISfUUkG4ejIGYr8g8mRGfRLQKG7rmdqALrd" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjleYIl6Lm6Tg9yhyfUZJwvA5pjumhs9DavU2_ZkXct_39z9HSieybOO53_veEgHoa9sMP1UJPFSjdiIgwkuV918Eqnjwkh70_ouEt277P72b9McLx4_emoTwdj25QO_aRXUF1sJ1Zgpf4xqrl9CbgaMISfUUkG4ejIGYr8g8mRGfRLQKG7rmdqALrd=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had the most special Christmas this year! Christmas Eve was spent with family going to Christmas service at church, appetizer party at our house after, where the kids made gingerbread houses and opened gifts from Jarred and I. And then we spent the evening playing games and spending time together.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After everyone went home and we were finished cleaning up I checked my phone and saw I had a missed call from our adoption agency along with a voicemail! We had presented to a situation about 3 weeks prior and had assumed we wouldn’t hear back until after Christmas as it had already been a longer wait time than the others we had presented to. My heart began to beat quickly as we had always received an email with an update that we had not been chosen prior… never a phone call!</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I listened to the voicemail from our case worker saying “Hi Abbie I am calling on Christmas Eve, and just give me a call back as soon as you can!” I grabbed Jarred and we called her back together. She quickly answered and shared the news that an incredibly brave and selfless woman had chosen us to parent her child! She wanted to make sure that we found out on Christmas Eve or Christmas so that we would get the best present this year! We immediately began to cry out of so much excitement and thankfulness! She went on to say that we had been the first book she looked at out of the stack of books she had received and was drawn to us immediately. But she wanted to give everyone a chance. Which is why her decision took longer. This was such an answer to our prayers! Each situation we have presented to, our prayer was that the expectant mom would feel immediately drawn to the right family and she would feel at peace, even if we weren’t that family.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are so excited to share and announce that we are officially matched! Baby boy is due March 2022! We can not wait to meet him and his incredible mother who chose us! We already feel so connected to her and love her and that sweet baby boy so much!</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for all of your prayers so far! We have made it through the first step of waiting, and now onto the second wait time until baby is born. We would ask for continued prayer for a healthy mom and baby. That the time between now and birth our relationship with the expectant mama will grow and we can have a good foundation to begin what we hope to be a life long relationship! And lastly please pray that any anxieties in this wait will be pushed aside. While she has chosen us and we have committed to one another, she can change her mind at any time until she signs documents 24 hours after birth making it final.</span></p><p class="p6" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for all of your support! We can’t wait to keep you updated and share news of our sons' arrival in just a couple short months!</span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p5" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Stay tuned for part two of Jared and Abbie's story in the coming days! (You can find it <a href="https://gracefilledmess.blogspot.com/2022/04/adoption-story-jared-and-abbie-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>!)</i></span></p><div id="atatags-26942-624b521e7fdfb" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font-family: "Fira Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: calc(750px); orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div id="atatags-370373-624b521e7fd80" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font-family: "Fira Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: calc(750px); orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; font-family: "Fira Sans"; font-size: 17px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 32px auto; max-width: calc(750px); orphans: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-15581231926051437992022-03-07T09:43:00.001-06:002022-03-07T09:43:23.279-06:00Adoption Story: Tim and Andrea (again!)<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>When Tim and Andrea decided to grow their family for adoption a second time, it would have been easy to assume it would be a similar process with the help of <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>. But an unexpected global pandemic and job change quickly changed all of it. You can find the story of their first son <a href="https://gracefilledmess.blogspot.com/2018/09/adoption-story-tim-and-andrea.html " target="_blank">here</a>, and today, Andrea shares the story of how their second son was an unexpected, long-awaited, and beautiful surprise.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1G-OOkTDvGz23zN9dNrIJ2Hdl6sJNJsbcx2R19QNwNdJc1qtBFUTtTNtcB87YpeAVbB1He96W7hhG8QcU5G_02iDj-rpRVcHSKnVxGbqOGWzlJZT-A03sHqQJANoNb0_xvLcqNqTNcMsLTzqK_L6cznc3BJZmxNwTlNIRviwFtinW--FtcTB6-AWh=s3600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1G-OOkTDvGz23zN9dNrIJ2Hdl6sJNJsbcx2R19QNwNdJc1qtBFUTtTNtcB87YpeAVbB1He96W7hhG8QcU5G_02iDj-rpRVcHSKnVxGbqOGWzlJZT-A03sHqQJANoNb0_xvLcqNqTNcMsLTzqK_L6cznc3BJZmxNwTlNIRviwFtinW--FtcTB6-AWh=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Back in January 2020, we completed and submitted their paperwork for our second adoption and were eagerly anticipating being matched with a birth mom within a short amount of time. Our first son's adoption happened quickly and we only had to wait a mere five months for his arrival after being matched with his birth mom just three weeks after our paperwork was completed. But God had different plans for our family the second time around. The first change to our plans </span><span style="color: #222222;">occurred</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> when the COVID pandemic arrived in the United States, just eight weeks after we were fully active. The pandemic stalled and shifted a lot of things worldwide and slowed down adoption placements in the US. With the pandemic, we knew our time would be further extended. In the middle of the pandemic, I accepted an offer for a new job. It was a nerve-wrecking step to take because in a new role, FMLA was not going to be possible until a year after employment which meant that if we matched with birth mom and baby, Tim would have to take FMLA during the adoption transition time. Yet, through both the pandemic and a new job for me, we trusted God was in control and had the best plan for our family. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward a whole year later to the spring of 2021, and I began to feel an impression on my heart that said "profile book." Not knowing what it meant, I dealt with it all summer long, often asking Tim if he thought we should update our profile book. When we first created our book, our first son was only 18 months old and by this time he was nearly three years old and we were wondering if we should update it.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An evening in October, Tim finally agreed we should get new family pictures and update our profile book. The next morning I emailed Susan, our CAC adoption consultant, to tell her we would like her to start a profile book update. A mere three hours after I sent the email, I received a phone call from a Florida adoption agency during my lunch break at work. The social worker on the line greeted me with a pleasant comment, but the one that forever stands out in my mind was "There is a baby that has been born and is waiting for his forever family. Would you like to become a family of four?" Elated, I 3-way called Tim and together we worked out the plans with the social worker to meet the little guy the following day down in Florida. Amidst all of the discussion and doubt surrounding our profile book, surprisingly it was the one thing that was never even used in our son's adoption since the adoption agency selected us instead of the birth family in our unique situation.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKNua1kpe9qzcPeTXhPIBdce2pIbAVTx8L6lHfZmhu1jyjqwADTMgmWmOF3HswKh_AGw7uJ1O0K4ruTXVo4MJZdetJoiP0RYtGl_hPVy8uxAIrZutZcC4yjLhqVSJ4oPuwZn2In0zkUXiyes6IaF8sT3zxV2GYM36SaRl1Ko1THG2LVJRsEwiymowx=s3600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2805" data-original-width="3600" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKNua1kpe9qzcPeTXhPIBdce2pIbAVTx8L6lHfZmhu1jyjqwADTMgmWmOF3HswKh_AGw7uJ1O0K4ruTXVo4MJZdetJoiP0RYtGl_hPVy8uxAIrZutZcC4yjLhqVSJ4oPuwZn2In0zkUXiyes6IaF8sT3zxV2GYM36SaRl1Ko1THG2LVJRsEwiymowx=w640-h498" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite having to wait 22 months and view over 105 expectant mom profiles, we see God's handiwork throughout the entire time. First, we didn't have to do any traveling during the start of the pandemic when travel was uncertain. Second, we were matched with our son just two months after I became eligible to have FMLA through work. Third, God provided many provisions from gift cards from family and friends, to grandparents to watch our first son, a donation of housing to avoid having to rent, and so much more while we awaited clearance from ICPC in Florida. And through it all God definitely challenged us with a lesson in patience for His perfect timing. Now home with our two sons, we are overjoyed to be a family of four. </span></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-87726497270643915802022-03-01T10:02:00.001-06:002022-03-01T10:04:02.833-06:00Adoption Story: Matt and Hillary<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Matt and Hillary have a unique adoption story. When they started in 2019, they had one daughter, Ada. By the time they walked through adoption in 2021, they added another daughter, Corrie Grace, and their son through adoption, Shepherd! Hillary shares today how their family and hearts grew in the last few years.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMeDXa9nb3CCySRPSgJM5IveT---YtrI-vVmfU-qR2QcE9ZgngxEBz8KrOIGNdE-9-oYZkc6MF5RJIXjY4D6FmHWVXyg1Pbc0sl1U8NXRy9UR_M9e8S5yQXSWoyhBmYTUt1v1ykb0b4uVoGfT07GWWDFipcw3z9gNemu2jg_5I2qs-FoL1pHoxNXlY=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMeDXa9nb3CCySRPSgJM5IveT---YtrI-vVmfU-qR2QcE9ZgngxEBz8KrOIGNdE-9-oYZkc6MF5RJIXjY4D6FmHWVXyg1Pbc0sl1U8NXRy9UR_M9e8S5yQXSWoyhBmYTUt1v1ykb0b4uVoGfT07GWWDFipcw3z9gNemu2jg_5I2qs-FoL1pHoxNXlY=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After adopting our oldest daughter Ada in 2018, Matt and I knew that we wanted to adopt again. She is such a little miracle and we love being her parents. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our friends had adopted their twins through <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> (CAC) and recommended Susan to us. It was really important to us that the adoption agencies we worked with were vetted to be ethical by CAC. It can be hard to know how to choose agencies and move forward in private domestic infant adoption. Susan walked us through the whole process and gave us all the information and resources we needed to be successful. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had previously pursued fertility treatments but they did not result in a pregnancy at that time. We started the process in 2019 with CAC, but found out that we were pregnant naturally a few months into the process. We chose to put our adoption journey on hold for 18 months to enjoy our daughter, Corrie Grace and adjust to having two little ones. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In March of 2021, we dove into the adoption process again with Susan. It took a few months to get to the presenting phase as we updated our home study, updated our profile, and became active again with agencies. We presented to our first situation in June of 2021. We spent that summer praying and presenting. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">The wait can be brutal. Matt and I tried to remember that each “No” we received was someone else’s “Yes.” We wanted to rejoice with the family that had gotten their miracle today while we prayed that someday it would be our turn. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">September 2021 was our "Yes!" Our son’s birth mom, "K," chose us two weeks after we presented our book to her. She wanted to be sure about her decision! That two weeks of waiting was emotionally difficult for us as we felt so out of control. A dear friend sent me the song Just as Good by Chris Renzema and we listened to it on repeat those two weeks!</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I work as an RN in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I got the call that K had chosen us while I was at work! I went into an extra room and just sobbed with joy as I called Matt to tell him the news. I came out to the nurses’ station and all my co-workers celebrated with me; it was a really special day. In fact, all the important phone calls in our adoption journey happened while I was in the NICU! I spoke with K for the first time over the phone at work. We found out that she was expecting a boy in October, while I was at work, of course! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next few months were all about preparing, hoping, and praying. I wrote a note to K every week that we were matched which I found to be a really important part of our process. She is such an amazing person and getting to grow our relationship over that time was a true gift. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSGRX-s5fbSVJVBa50nQ7uEov4stHuQ2Vdn4DCuxjA-BEt0RJlK8bw_UtvQiUe82kr47Zdh-GAttIBV8gzcLWMvgnymeomwFflxYfoP3izBjWj-GunatooRO_BEKAQa6hRvSHhf7HZ3RGsX7d8MEKURxXXQQ_h468z95HKBo7Cg8-4JQeNE_Jkl3rs=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSGRX-s5fbSVJVBa50nQ7uEov4stHuQ2Vdn4DCuxjA-BEt0RJlK8bw_UtvQiUe82kr47Zdh-GAttIBV8gzcLWMvgnymeomwFflxYfoP3izBjWj-GunatooRO_BEKAQa6hRvSHhf7HZ3RGsX7d8MEKURxXXQQ_h468z95HKBo7Cg8-4JQeNE_Jkl3rs=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In January while working a night shift, I got the call that he had been born, 3 weeks early! K called me from the Labor and Delivery department and I heard him crying over the phone! I raced home at 1:00 in the morning and we booked plane tickets for the next day. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next two weeks we spent in Arizona, bonding with our son and with his birth mother. They were intensely emotional but also really full of gratitude for him, our newest miracle.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyasA7N_VmMXLIrJGVp-rsEBVc_fyXRc21MgZxqDr8CX4RMNBxbMq7YQdeXLQmaybpfE55W6DriuJ4o5w8VpmnchA0Rd7yqbCpBnEB3oeYW1-5etPRZBHgw4in7YrF4LjctamxUiGBBCtStRyJ6vAeRAHPANiC0D5qbVPJxIC8g-UttR2k0CjWD3Dl=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyasA7N_VmMXLIrJGVp-rsEBVc_fyXRc21MgZxqDr8CX4RMNBxbMq7YQdeXLQmaybpfE55W6DriuJ4o5w8VpmnchA0Rd7yqbCpBnEB3oeYW1-5etPRZBHgw4in7YrF4LjctamxUiGBBCtStRyJ6vAeRAHPANiC0D5qbVPJxIC8g-UttR2k0CjWD3Dl=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the adoption process, it is really easy to forget that all this hard work- the paperwork, the heartache, the questions - can end with an amazing child in your arms. Shepherd was worth it all! We are so grateful that God placed him in our family! </span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-60525030548397063162022-02-10T09:48:00.002-06:002022-02-10T09:48:33.089-06:00Adoption Story: Adam and Amye<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>It was a joy walking with Adam and Amy on their journey to their son. When they started with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, they didn't know what was in store. After the struggles, the waiting, the praying, today Amye shares what it's like to look back on their journey.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div><img class="CToWUd a6T" data-image-whitelisted="" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=704b074170&attid=0.3&permmsgid=msg-f:1724323654141819182&th=17ee073a42ed392e&view=fimg&fur=ip&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ-02iMkTsHS12wYOzZvWvkZL-ApbaNsC6WGOAI01duOjIP6XM76OFtWmDMEXbtmghp2AcxWntCwOIa5QThJpjsV65-WTwOUYidEP3c1oXgcvQUC-wnkN68JlhA&disp=emb&realattid=17ee07326daf3e50241" style="cursor: pointer; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" /></div><p></p><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>“The pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy that is coming.” </i>Romans 8:18 </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From our first failed round of IVF to our first “not yet,” those were the words I turned to over and over again. While true, those words brought much needed comfort on the most difficult of days, I’d be lying if I said I never struggled with believing them.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTTEGjGzE03IMrlXTQ_a-LpSR6xJpJc_SuXYy5t_MA5q3fhqHTnxRSW2vlsSewq8nR48r0TY65wykQZAviNvwUbNnP-uXBTmkNXFFEfelOt7VnU37XBtug1hbA7wtC_bUYWhE4uVGJkH5OjQov7nEeoXmobFb9QGAdiA5GGz4aIz2MixyMCyCFBaRi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="5784" data-original-width="3856" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTTEGjGzE03IMrlXTQ_a-LpSR6xJpJc_SuXYy5t_MA5q3fhqHTnxRSW2vlsSewq8nR48r0TY65wykQZAviNvwUbNnP-uXBTmkNXFFEfelOt7VnU37XBtug1hbA7wtC_bUYWhE4uVGJkH5OjQov7nEeoXmobFb9QGAdiA5GGz4aIz2MixyMCyCFBaRi=w427-h640" width="427" /></a></div></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After nearly two years of infertility struggles, we had a new found hope in adoption, and were so very excited at the thought of growing our family in this most special of ways. As we approached a year of being “in the wait” and countless “not yets;” however, I began to feel that hope and excitement fade. But, as He always does, in His perfect time, almost nine months exactly (my mom pointed out) from our first time presenting, we got our YES!</span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can’t tell you how many times we read in others testimonials or were told to <i>“trust the process”</i> and that <i>“it will all be worth it.” </i> Well, as cliche as it sounds, we can attest that there is nothing more true! </span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I had the absolute honor to speak with our sons birth mom, she told me <i>“I am so glad the others didn’t choose you, because I know you were meant for me.” </i>And you know what? I am so glad too, because while I didn’t think the day would ever come, I can without a doubt, 100 percent, tell you that we would not change a single thing that led us to this child we are blessed to call our own.</span><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div><img class="CToWUd a6T" data-image-whitelisted="" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=704b074170&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-f:1724323654141819182&th=17ee073a42ed392e&view=fimg&fur=ip&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ8_7l919C25NB_xESg4tScI9uqUW0J55TfpkEIfOP7OwKpbf1YuMfNQLTRnJpB4QLDx3IYp7TX6XOlWEni-hc06ebAH4E1kyAjEddKlBvBvezyFt6qLCCnkdLQ&disp=emb&realattid=17ee07332f6c5751e2e2" style="cursor: pointer; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px;" tabindex="0" /></div><div><br /></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-41637013110115774962022-02-03T13:57:00.003-06:002022-02-03T13:57:37.931-06:00Adoption Story: Kevin and Hailey (again!)<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>I had the joy of walking with Kevin and Hailey on their second adoption journey (you can read about <a href="https://gracefilledmess.blogspot.com/2015/02/adoption-story-kevin-and-hailey.html" target="_blank">their first adoption here</a>). This time they walked through adoption at the height of the pandemic, in the midst of a lockdown. But just like when they adopted their son, when they received "the call," all of the waiting and praying and hoping came together. And this time, not for one baby, but two...</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSn_tIPprX9c3MRlkYuBgVNe-hEvxsk9H1Js0jk5cNZIZcD49_nB0UVe-_0tx0jSv3LqPhHvg8GdKVtVfK_cA66JjeFFg1tSKhhrZSkiM1yDzU5sRi6LfXqDhPtK5LPiZn_yhIv0PYY7SJQ6S0jJecqTMk6fV7oR3KJnOfBAq3uXwBnVfCjoiA8svU=s1800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSn_tIPprX9c3MRlkYuBgVNe-hEvxsk9H1Js0jk5cNZIZcD49_nB0UVe-_0tx0jSv3LqPhHvg8GdKVtVfK_cA66JjeFFg1tSKhhrZSkiM1yDzU5sRi6LfXqDhPtK5LPiZn_yhIv0PYY7SJQ6S0jJecqTMk6fV7oR3KJnOfBAq3uXwBnVfCjoiA8svU=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We want to share our adoption story of how the Lord brought the sweetest blessing of twins to our family. They bring so much joy that we call them our double rainbow in the storm of Covid. We hope this adoption story brings encouragement to those interested in learning more about adoption and our desire is to give all the glory to our Heavenly Father who loves and cares for each one of us in the adoption triad. I want to be sensitive to the feelings of the birth family because adoption is bittersweet and born out of loss. No one prepares you for the pain and joy that bonds adoptive and birth families together.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibZq5e5lYO5eKvJFk5rmS370JZ1BmfIltVGIbK1rvJ2SZeTTHjrqn7X3AfugzVYU8lx-5-AK5LhDj36tDcpZinNhVmYPgCXPr9UmVimp3dfLb43Zw3lddO95WN-mcf5UMGHnWhm2k1uV3lyuPyIl3EdwnfS-Ig7trsopWl5soCyKD-or_nxNjOVkSL=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibZq5e5lYO5eKvJFk5rmS370JZ1BmfIltVGIbK1rvJ2SZeTTHjrqn7X3AfugzVYU8lx-5-AK5LhDj36tDcpZinNhVmYPgCXPr9UmVimp3dfLb43Zw3lddO95WN-mcf5UMGHnWhm2k1uV3lyuPyIl3EdwnfS-Ig7trsopWl5soCyKD-or_nxNjOVkSL=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adoption is a picture of God’s love for his children. We are chosen by him and wanted and given an inheritance. The adoption process is filled with so many emotions for hopeful adoptive parents…the waiting, hoping, and then finding out that “not yet” answer. We waited almost two years and went through one “failed match” to a little girl we had named “May.” The beauty of this is that we were able to pray for almost fifty expectant moms. Wow! <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/portfolio/portfolio-3/" target="_blank">Susan</a>, with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>, was such a help and encouragement every step of the way. It was overwhelming, and completely out of our control, which is a good place to be, where the only place to go is to God in prayer. As we continued to wait, Kevin and I decided to try foster care. I knew in my heart that we should wait and not try to control the situation and run ahead of God but I plowed ahead anyway. There were children in foster care that needed homes and I thought that would be a faster route. But I knew God was telling us to wait. After two foster care classes, God made it clear that we needed to stop. I gave up on adoption also and basically stopped the process and began to seek feeling content with where God had us and to focus on raising our five year old son and loving the family right in front of me.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I love this verse from Psalm 27:14 <i>“Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”</i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enter COVID-19 and the 14 day shutdown… As everyone was experiencing a new unknown, Kevin, began working from home and the best place to set up his office was in the former nursery. He had a great view out of the window as all the neighbors began walking around the block since you couldn’t go anywhere, and he had a great view of the crib. He began praying that God would answer our desire to adopt. The next day we had an email from our agency looking for a family to adopt a four week old baby girl and Kevin thought we should find out more. The world seemed to be shutting down and maybe we would be that family for this baby girl. But no, they had already found the perfect family for her, but they were trying to find a family for twins due sometime in April. They weren’t exactly sure of many details but I told the social worker that I thought we would be interested. The next day, I was letting my son ride his bike in the parking lot with his cousins (because we were all social distancing and if they were on bikes the kids couldn’t get too close), when my phone rang and it was the social worker calling to let me know that they would love to “match” us with the twins if we wanted to move forward. The babies were due in five days!!! Jaw drop! And the shocker! In New Orleans! WHAT?! You want us to go into the hotspot of Coronavirus? We hadn’t even let our son go play at his grandparents house yet, but that was all about to change. God gave strength and courage I did not have on my own. That night, at a Wednesday evening prayer service on zoom, we asked our church to pray for us as we began to prepare for a quick adoption, not knowing if the birth family might change their minds at the last minute. God was giving peace to our hearts and leading us to take steps forward in this adoption situation.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next four days flew by as we were doing additional paperwork, finding car seats, cribs, basinets, rock and plays, girl clothes, and diapers. Friends, and even strangers, were dropping off girl clothes, sheets, blankets, and baby basinets at our front door. Boy, the Lord provided every detail, and fast!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Every time the agency would call, I automatically thought the expectant mom had changed her mind, but they would reassure me that everything was good and we should be ready to come and meet the expectant family on Sunday for lunch. Since this is the beginning of COVID-19, there were no restaurants open and parks had been closed. We met in the parking lot of a movie theater and in that huge concrete lot was a perfect shade tree for us to set five lawn chairs out for our first visit to meet the expectant family. What a sweet provision from the Lord.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFFYr5l53giQpXqcxwTMa4f1s6w1mmDxSXEmqhqoqhSbs9AssbC_B-BEWpg7VPfzoN4ZeMwxlb4JDr2PiKvvocpoJeP1Qumkv1vCQ5l3sVOUFGE4tmYWfRWXZ1Uqtp5ZDQLb-q9TbME9EcEoyj7p6spJ8LCRpy_GrnVzAD9ko1B2hMRvB1bDnH-Hsg=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFFYr5l53giQpXqcxwTMa4f1s6w1mmDxSXEmqhqoqhSbs9AssbC_B-BEWpg7VPfzoN4ZeMwxlb4JDr2PiKvvocpoJeP1Qumkv1vCQ5l3sVOUFGE4tmYWfRWXZ1Uqtp5ZDQLb-q9TbME9EcEoyj7p6spJ8LCRpy_GrnVzAD9ko1B2hMRvB1bDnH-Hsg=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Lord blessed the birth mom with a healthy delivery and recovery. Our time together in the hospital with the birth family was sweet and emotional. The baby nursery was closed due to COVID and the twins were brought to my room for me to care for them on my own. I felt on my own I wasn’t able to handle feeding, swaddling, diaper changing, and loving on two newborn babies but the Lord gives strength and answered the prayer that my husband, Kevin, could be in the hospital with me. We were discharged after 48 hours and said our emotional goodbyes to the birth family. God provided opportunity to share the gospel and to love on them through handwritten letters, texts, small gifts, and meals delivered to their room. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Papers were signed and we were so thankful to make it home safely and healthy. Our extended family came and waved through the window to meet the twins for the first time. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQgSuRlIWjYbSLlEav-jiOtkMfapTIcmHMn5f2dKK97qGhNvFSI8Pna5CgIS2iuX2N7c1Keog451fq30b5mtdWfliCI1OYUMeVUA4ysdVCfhb4GosBu1sPVRGmxqEBYrPGaI3rS6PaE2sKzfGW7VHBkeWhTmde3b731twRTa20xpvH3aG-d8NFIPP8=s2016" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQgSuRlIWjYbSLlEav-jiOtkMfapTIcmHMn5f2dKK97qGhNvFSI8Pna5CgIS2iuX2N7c1Keog451fq30b5mtdWfliCI1OYUMeVUA4ysdVCfhb4GosBu1sPVRGmxqEBYrPGaI3rS6PaE2sKzfGW7VHBkeWhTmde3b731twRTa20xpvH3aG-d8NFIPP8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We finalized their adoption on November 30, 2020 with a limited amount of family due to COVID restrictions, but so thankful they could be with us to witness the testimony of the love we have for the twins and their birth family. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We celebrated the twins first birthday at our home filled with family! We invited their birth great grandmother who we adore and have remained in communication with. It was a joy to watch her enjoy the babies and hear more stories of their family traditions. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqmHQwJajzOYdkD8WMwK_nKG9Pztk9tQtU5-4sHDFYhzWhZnUAD7HxSiKBTzpqJEGAtDX17SfqOL0TTstT02gyZVFTaqP_lMmQMRul6EGogRDtcW47yiHJLNvA3pEdd9bygXwiV9h027RiGd8NdwVe3dW3hU_TOpd46ETZjjkBECRVPLP4D8leKu3M=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqmHQwJajzOYdkD8WMwK_nKG9Pztk9tQtU5-4sHDFYhzWhZnUAD7HxSiKBTzpqJEGAtDX17SfqOL0TTstT02gyZVFTaqP_lMmQMRul6EGogRDtcW47yiHJLNvA3pEdd9bygXwiV9h027RiGd8NdwVe3dW3hU_TOpd46ETZjjkBECRVPLP4D8leKu3M=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the moment they were placed in our arms we have loved them with all our hearts.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">God has been faithful to us through the wait, hard times, emotional journey, and navigating relationships and we praise His name for the blessing of all three of our sweet children brought to us through the gift of adoption.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-75807380545179285142022-01-07T09:05:00.001-06:002022-01-07T09:05:24.490-06:00Adoption Story: Andrew and Helen<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Andrew and Helen have a truly inspiring adoption story. But it's not because it happened quickly. Or easily. Or exactly as planned. </i><i>It actually unfolded completely differently than they anticipated. And they wouldn't change anything about how God miraculously brought their son into their lives...</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijZI7n-mq1kbUU8zvMEK5VuGYEll9qoHPl-EEy7VpTv4VmqzmPL8Aogj2YNuyju_G2bI2Wc8JhesD-BrC4YOnMvUknUdhrmkCQgqQv2e__4vPe41jocxDUDV8qR4LDROmmXH4b3uDvtSQ6BRgm7LhMrX1AxgiO3I0xHFbxIXMQ8rXguJT8WynTi8yj=s3264" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijZI7n-mq1kbUU8zvMEK5VuGYEll9qoHPl-EEy7VpTv4VmqzmPL8Aogj2YNuyju_G2bI2Wc8JhesD-BrC4YOnMvUknUdhrmkCQgqQv2e__4vPe41jocxDUDV8qR4LDROmmXH4b3uDvtSQ6BRgm7LhMrX1AxgiO3I0xHFbxIXMQ8rXguJT8WynTi8yj=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></i></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The waiting. The nos. The not yets. Watching family, friends, and co-workers grow their families as you sometimes patiently, sometimes </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">not</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> so patiently, wait to grow yours. It’s hard, it’s </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">really </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">hard. We heard “all in God’s timing” I don’t know how many times, and while we know that to be true, sometimes it just wasn’t helpful. Sometimes all you want is for someone to sit under the dark cloud that is over you and just give you a shoulder to cry on or to say a prayer over you. You’re not asking for someone to fix your sadness, just for someone to understand. We’re just finishing the holiday season and I know how hard this time can be. Andrew and I used to say, “this could be our last (insert holiday) without kiddos!”.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As the years dragged on, we stopped saying that and started to believe that the day would never come. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While the holidays can bring great joy and hope, there are plenty of opportunities for grief, as well. You may find yourself on the other side of 20-questions. Curious family/friends/co-workers, who may not know the extent of your struggles, relentlessly asking pointed questions “aren’t you worried that their </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">real </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">parents would come and take your child away?... I heard about someone that happened to in the news.” Or perhaps alongside the adoption journey, you also experienced infertility, like we did. That brings about a whole slew of stories of how they knew so-and-so who adopted, and they got pregnant immediately afterwards. Or the advice to “just relax, it will happen” when you’re in arguably one of the most stressful seasons of your life. Or perhaps you’re gathered around the table and another member of your family is pregnant, and you listen as people talk about their labor experiences.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">All the while you sit there wishing you had your own story to tell and must excuse yourself to take a breather/cry session in the bathroom.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sisters and brothers in Christ, Andrew and I see you. We encourage you, as difficult as it is, try to shift your focus from anger/resentment to one of education. Use appropriate adoption language. Prepare them for your child to come and set boundaries of what is acceptable to ask about and what is not. Susan really helped us with this piece when we called her frustrated with some of the comments we had received. Utilize your consultant as a guide through this difficult time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adoption is the most bittersweet thing that has ever happened to us. Truthfully, I don’t think we’ve had a more difficult period in our marriage than trying to grow our family biologically or through adoption. We wish we could take the pain away, but only Jesus can do that. Take your burdens to the cross and leave them there. Find ways to enjoy life in the wait (I know, a tall order) and try to find pieces of who you used to be before this chapter of your life seemingly took over every ounce of your beings. That is what Andrew and I had just started doing when God finally answered our prayers and brought our son, Robbie, into our lives. Our biggest hope is that our story resonates with you and provides you so much needed hope in this very difficult journey. A more beautiful story than you can imagine is being written. Here’s ours:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Before we were even married we both discussed how we’d like to adopt one day. Both of our families had adoptees including his sister and my two paternal aunts. Little did we know the seeds were being planted by God, way back then, for our future marriage and life together.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Andrew and I started dating and on August 16, 2014 we were married (note this month/date for later).</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first step after college was to move to a place we had never heard of… Muscatine, Iowa.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had absolutely no desire to move there at the time but ended up finding the best church community and friends; friends who would eventually lead us to <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward five years and, after being frustrated of a year of no pregnancies, I felt God pushing me to reach out to an acquaintance from church who I knew was an adoptive mama. I briefly told Erika (who later went on to work for CAC!) that Andrew and I had always had adoption on our hearts, and we were considering starting our family that way.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">She went on to tell me she used Christian Adoption Consultants, specifically Susan VanSyckle, and she would highly recommend her. I saved the conversation for future use and adoption went on the backburner. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another year and a half went by and now it’s July of 2020.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Andrew and I had just finished several rounds of infertility treatments IUIs/IVF where we were told we would likely never have biological children. We were devastated, but looking back, God was preparing us to say “yes” to adoption sooner than we ourselves, would have planned.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We pulled back up that conversation from Erika and reached out to CAC and Susan took us on as clients in August of 2020.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We finally felt like we were following God’s plan for us. We became fully home study approved by the end of September. Things were looking up, going smoothly (for once!).</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Little did we know, but we’d have a long way to go because we ended up moving to a new state and had to restart the home study process over again. So start from scratch we did. We contacted Susan who helped us find a new social worker and from there came all new background checks, reference letters, fire inspections etc. While we were able to get caught up on the paperwork and background checks pretty quickly, our home study agency all contracted covid (some requiring hospitalizations) after we had our home study inspection in December. This led to a two month wait until we received full home study approval in February of 2021. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We felt like we had wasted six months of our lives just getting to the start line. Our contract with Susan was half over and we had nothing to show for it. It was such a relief when we started to receive cases.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We poured our hearts into every letter to the birth parent(s) but no after no came our way.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think we got up to 18 “not yets.” Sometimes the agency didn’t choose us to present when we really wanted to present; those were the worst! We came close to matching once, but in the end the birth mother chose another family. We were frustrated, devastated, and ticked off at God, to be completely honest. Questions like “God, I thought this is what you wanted for us? Why are you making this journey so difficult?”</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In June of 2021 we got word that my older sister was pregnant with her first and she was due in December. When we got the call, we held it together and gave our excited congratulations, but we immediately bawled afterwards. I would be lying to you if I didn’t say bitterness swelled in our hearts during that time. We entered maybe the darkest period of this journey. We were stressed and arguing over what to write in every letter. We just weren’t our normal selves. We decided to finally do what I recommended earlier in this story, to find joy in what we could. We started traveling again, going to baseball games, finding a new restaurant to try. Heck, I’m not going to lie, we even talked about ending this adoption journey once our paperwork expired and just taking a break from trying to grow our family. Find who we were 3.5 years ago before infertility and adoption. I prayed and prayed that God would match us before my sister was due because I knew our hearts just couldn’t take the wait any longer.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In July, we decided our fun thing to do would be to take a trip out to Oregon to see Andrew’s extended family. In addition to seeing them, we wanted to see the final resting place for his late grandfather we lost to cancer in December of 2020.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">While standing next to his late grandfather’s grave, Andrew said aloud that if we had a son, we would name him Robert, after him. It is a name we had discussed and agreed upon, but there was something cathartic and hopeful about proclaiming that. As we drove away Andrew told me that he felt we were right on the cusp of something big in the adoption process. There was some “Grandpa Bob mojo in the air.”</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I agreed, but in the back of my head just couldn’t see how this story was going to unfold.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">August rolled around and we decided we wanted and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">needed</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to go off the grid and just be at peace as a gift to ourselves for our 7</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> wedding anniversary (August 16</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">).</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our contract with Susan and CAC was going to expire August 31</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>st</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and we still hadn’t decided whether we were going to renew. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Did we have the strength to go on? </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We pushed off making a decision and booked a treehouse in a remote area with no cell service, and we planned to just get back to basics for a couple days. Play games, read books, talk, pray, etc. Invest some time into our marriage. Little did we know, but God had a big surprise up his sleeve right in the nick of time.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The week our son was born was one for the books. He was born August 10</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, 2021.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">On August 11</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> I received a text on the plane after landing from a work trip from Andrew that read “</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Check our Email. Potential doorstep case in Indiana (30-day revocation period, btw)…needs to know by 5PM our time.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was 3:45pm.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I franticly opened the Email and the subject line read “</span><b style="font-family: inherit;">URGENT! Newborn baby boy born YESTERDAY in Indiana. Do you want to present?”</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> My heart was pounding as I read what was there, which wasn’t much. It was the least amount of information we’ve ever had on a case.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">No medical or social information, bloodwork, pictures, etc. Our son’s birth mother was on her way to the hospital and made an adoption plan while she was in labor. We leaned on what Susan had coached us through time and time again… to put our “yes” on the table and let God work out the rest. After deplaning, I called Andrew. We talked through whether her last-minute call to the agency was a red flag.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What about the 30-day revocation period in Indiana – could that be an issue? What about exposures? A little after 4PM, we decided to send in our yes.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For some reason I left the airport smiling. For some reason I just felt like this baby boy was our son. We had been down this presenting route before. While we were more excited than other cases, we had tempered expectations. The following day we went about our business as we would have any other day.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were both working when at lunch time on the 12</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, our lives were about to change forever. We got a call from the agency and hearts pounding, we answered the phone.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were told we were selected and that we needed to drive over to Indianapolis ASAP. We both ran around and grabbed everything we could. Literally we had just done laundry and we threw in the whole laundry basket into the car. I even took a quick 5-minute shower worried about meeting his birth mother looking at hot mess. While we were driving the two hours to Indianapolis (also a blessing to be driving distance!) we had calls and texts going from the agency and with an adoption lawyer.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was the craziest drive calling family and telling them the news while also fielding calls from the hospital, agency, and lawyer on next steps. They walked us through the process seamlessly. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were told by the agency that they hadn’t heard about when he would be released, but we needed to come prepared with a car seat. His birth mom had already signed her consent to the adoption before we arrived. Due to our long wait to have a child, we told ourselves we weren’t buying anything until we matched. It was just too hard to have around. Well, sure enough, we found ourselves at a Buy Buy Baby with two staff members as they helped us with carts to grab the essentials. We met Robbie that evening in the NICU. We wound our way to the NICU and there he was: the most precious baby boy lying in bed #3. It was the most wonderful reveal not having any clue what our son would look like. I stand by the fact that he was the most beautiful baby in the NICU with the best head of hair. He was tiny being born about a month early he was 5lbs 9oz and 18 inches long. I think we ended up staying until close to midnight that first night just holding him and loving on him. It was love at first site. </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While we were in the NICU, Robbie’s birth mother came for a visit to meet us. I just want to pause here and say wow…what a gift our social worker has. She has an infectious bold love for birth mothers that I will never ever forget.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had the best conversation with Robbie’s birth mother. She stayed for several hours and we bonded over all our similarities. She was hilarious and we totally clicked! She brought him a blanket, clothes, and shampoo and we gave her flowers and his ink footprints and newborn pictures from the hospital. She told us how our profile stood out to her and she didn’t want to look at anyone else’s. What a reassuring thing to hear after all the doubts and second-guessing we had along the way… “our pictures aren’t good/fancy enough”, “we’re writing too much”, “she’s going to choose the other family” etc.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Susan told us time and time again to be authentic to who we are, and the right birth mother would find us.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have to say, once again, she was right. Remember that anniversary trip we had planned to the treehouse?</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well God had other plans for our anniversary this year. Instead of a treehouse, we spent the day snuggling our son and we received a really kind text message from Robbie’s birth mother.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The icing on the cake was obtaining our adoption decree granting us custody of Robbie. Signed and dated August 16</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th, 2021</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. You can’t make up how beautiful that story is; what a wonderful forever anniversary gift. While we felt encouraged some days, we knew we had a long way to go before our revocation period was up. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I will not lie that the 30-day wait was excruciating. We wanted to shout Robbie’s presence to the world and celebrate him but we just couldn’t. We had been hurt so many times it was hard to lower our walls and dream of our future together when our future was hanging in the balance.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Besides close friends and family members, we didn’t tell anyone else. We decided to shift our daydreaming from a lifetime with him, to getting through the next month.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whatever our role was in his life, we were going to do the best we could for him.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">During that time, we had an army of people praying for us, and eventually we made it through those treacherous 30 days. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OLDXcdnF5jiMsQeqB4b-H-XSR3jutrkaBFcXlDo-j0Ash-Lt4vCS47VPYLnB1VTSi1DOp8qWUsfZO5Ng6Aa5bEVN9ngDmeKzCaUwJzguuemNQAp5ppSWWIEM4VoXoPRA-QuCnuMLLpc2pzjkOQIDS6ODME0saVtNBmsW1VnEATabDQdItG5IxKsF=s2438" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1374" data-original-width="2438" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5OLDXcdnF5jiMsQeqB4b-H-XSR3jutrkaBFcXlDo-j0Ash-Lt4vCS47VPYLnB1VTSi1DOp8qWUsfZO5Ng6Aa5bEVN9ngDmeKzCaUwJzguuemNQAp5ppSWWIEM4VoXoPRA-QuCnuMLLpc2pzjkOQIDS6ODME0saVtNBmsW1VnEATabDQdItG5IxKsF=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After we made it through that gauntlet, we were in the final stretch. Praise God! We never thought we’d get here. Post-placement home studies and finalization, here we come!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After 3 post-placement visits, we were able to finalize our adoption. On November 15</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, 2021 just shy of 4 years of trying to start a family, we finally became a family of three. Our hearing was over Zoom so most of our extended family was able to get on. Andrew and I both cried tears of joy and relief that this little boy was in our lives forever. Over Thanksgiving my aunt threw a beautiful baby shower for Robbie and we finally got to let the world know he was here to stay forever. What a joyous day. And remember when I told you my sister was pregnant? She gave birth to a baby girl on December 2</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><sup>nd</sup></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. God once again answered our prayers and we were able to truly enjoy the miracle that is my niece’s life, without bitterness in our hearts.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we started this journey, we did not understand the grief, loss, joy, hope, paperwork, compromises, ups and downs that went with adoption. In the midst of the wait, you will likely wonder if you have the strength to go on. As you hear most adoptive families say, it was worth it in the end. Andrew and I will never ever be the same. Our naivety is gone, but our hope in God’s plan for our lives is renewed. I hope our story of ups and downs encourages those that are still in the wait, to keep persevering.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you Susan and Danielle for helping us get to this point in our journey. We our forever grateful for your prayers, wisdom, guidance, and education throughout this process.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWnu50J_2WradaWnjZBPcXyrgLqImaIaQSSp9c8PKtics62eRUuwA2iOSH0lTazx_IeI70g9rbNyaw9Dj4vuU8zwTWKMrtTajufhWlQL28sPm6omEhje72rttxlCQmK8QNFpgSvSlg2sF44UTz07zuTDq5UKoutwEJjsM2DYMGsOLkU2ZFCYA9t3A3=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWnu50J_2WradaWnjZBPcXyrgLqImaIaQSSp9c8PKtics62eRUuwA2iOSH0lTazx_IeI70g9rbNyaw9Dj4vuU8zwTWKMrtTajufhWlQL28sPm6omEhje72rttxlCQmK8QNFpgSvSlg2sF44UTz07zuTDq5UKoutwEJjsM2DYMGsOLkU2ZFCYA9t3A3=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-91562457539477621792021-09-07T10:39:00.000-05:002021-09-07T10:39:52.952-05:00Adoption Story: Marty and Blair<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>God can do a lot in ten months. When Marty and Blair started with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> last Fall, their plans had already been rerouted from the impact of the pandemic. Add to that concerns about what openness could hold and the fear of not being chosen, and it was hard to know what the future held.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Today Blair shares how they started their adoption process, worked through their fears, and how God worked through the adoption of their daughter.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pOuxmA33nurfqZo_ocPJWAnYjU1Hq_XQQ9WreYUPaP88b9v0a5Ymtw7IgMTm1FkGd4A19qjXfYNjjPr14YXSE4e9St6CAUiX5w-gHB1r9XKXb9SeQDXQoGNQY6tz3WF23Fs2AuJJZVU/s4032/IMG_8592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pOuxmA33nurfqZo_ocPJWAnYjU1Hq_XQQ9WreYUPaP88b9v0a5Ymtw7IgMTm1FkGd4A19qjXfYNjjPr14YXSE4e9St6CAUiX5w-gHB1r9XKXb9SeQDXQoGNQY6tz3WF23Fs2AuJJZVU/w480-h640/IMG_8592.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our adoption journey has taken many twists and turns, but we are so thankful to God for where He led us and for bringing our precious daughter into our lives. We started our journey in Fall 2019 and initially pursued international adoption. However, as COVID-19 hit, borders closed, and all international adoptions to China were halted, we were at a standstill and seeking God for how to proceed. It was around this time that the Lord began softening our hearts toward domestic adoption. In all honesty, we had been concerned about open adoptions, how a relationship with a birth mother would work, and the process of being "picked." A wonderful couple from our church had just adopted a baby boy from Florida, and had worked with Susan and <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">CAC</a>. We respected this couple tremendously and knew that if they trusted Susan with their adoption journey that we could, too. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">In Fall 2020, we made the decision to change our path toward domestic adoption, and began working with Susan and the fabulous CAC team. Susan was/is a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, kindness, empathy, and encouragement. We trusted her at every turn and appreciated her presence every step of the way. As we applied to every agency that was recommended to us, and began receiving much education about domestic adoption, the Lord began to put His heart for these precious birth mothers in our hearts, and we were both filled with a passion for these women. Rather than being nervous and hesitant about an open adoption and a relationship with a birth mother, we found ourselves eager and excited to foster a relationship with a birth mother, invest in her, and welcome her into our lives. We knew this transformation in our hearts could only come from the Holy Spirit, and we even found ourselves excited to share and educate our family and friends about the importance of open adoption! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">We started receiving cases/situations beginning January 2021. After several "not yets," we received a call June 2021 from an agency in Florida that an expectant mother had chosen us! We immediately wept, as there is simply no greater honor than to be selected to parent someone's child. After matching, and trying desperately to remain cautiously hopeful, we prepared our hearts and home to welcome our baby girl. Her birth mother met us on a Skype call, and gave me (Blair) the greatest gift of inviting me to join her in the delivery room so that I can one day be able to tell our daughter I was there. I was blown away at her courage, generosity, and selflessness throughout this process! So, I was able to be present for the birth of our daughter, and even cut her umbilical cord and feed her her first bottle! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6GA5V3z3EE_EJGHxmdFgBlr_aLCryXyHvWlKnMql3UAQ06tnpCN0tW3zdYe3Dwba-dU-U2TENApH7I3icoJfXC7hIfLXqTTZsP-JUhZpxm0wfJncqKIfsOayJWXzFTrzuI0qXakkHp4/s4032/IMG_8601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6GA5V3z3EE_EJGHxmdFgBlr_aLCryXyHvWlKnMql3UAQ06tnpCN0tW3zdYe3Dwba-dU-U2TENApH7I3icoJfXC7hIfLXqTTZsP-JUhZpxm0wfJncqKIfsOayJWXzFTrzuI0qXakkHp4/w480-h640/IMG_8601.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God has exceeded our expectations at every turn, and we are so grateful for His kindness and favor! Our daughter's birth mother has thankfully chosen an open adoption, and we are thrilled and grateful for this choice. We know this will be a win-win-win for all of us, and we are so eager for her to be in our daughter's life forever. There are simply no words to express how grateful we are for where God led us on our journey, how He transformed our hearts, and how our path took an unexpected turn, but gave us the gift of our precious daughter, our "immeasurably more!"</span></div></span><p></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-36991817133588576232021-08-26T08:51:00.001-05:002021-08-26T08:51:59.140-05:00Adoption Story: Scott and Jess<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scott and Jess started working with </span><a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/">Christian</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/"> Adoption Consultants</a> last year. Unknown to them, at almost the exact time their home study and profile was ready and when they began their official wait, a baby was conceived across the country. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">So while they were hearing multiple "not yets," God was knitting a baby perfectly in a mother's womb that would someday be their son. Seven months later, coming earlier than anticipated to everyone, this little boy joined the world. Today I'm honored to have Scott share their story of how they welcomed their son into their family through adoption.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFkE2TkhDT5b6A_-WqY0O3JELi3xjNsD8EWwU9O7itzO52kW0j2dPDhuduEBcLNtstjROkJPmvyTCNQT8PSo83x5kchSMu8Zy2aBxQIw4s78Z-7BBXYY0bAHf6ss6qpdYGhDE7I6NgDE/s2048/IMG_1619.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHFkE2TkhDT5b6A_-WqY0O3JELi3xjNsD8EWwU9O7itzO52kW0j2dPDhuduEBcLNtstjROkJPmvyTCNQT8PSo83x5kchSMu8Zy2aBxQIw4s78Z-7BBXYY0bAHf6ss6qpdYGhDE7I6NgDE/w640-h480/IMG_1619.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jessica and I were married in 2014. One of the things we did early on in our marriage was dream about our family, even down to the names of the twins we dreamed of having. Part of our dream was growing our family through adoption. We had talked about this while we were dating and knew it would always be part of our lives. We started trying to conceive, and after 4 years of trying, we received the diagnosis that so many others are given - "Unexplained Infertility." We had always discussed if we should adopt or try to have kids first, but the diagnosis seemed to answer this question for us. As we began talking with Susan in June of 2020, she was able to answer our questions and helped us begin moving forward with the adoption process.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fast forward to August, we were completely ready and received our first situation. She was a beautiful little girl that was already born and just needed parents to care for her. We saw her and thought we knew she was ours, so we presented to the birth family for the first time. The period of waiting after you present always seems like time moves drastically slower. The days seem like weeks, and the weeks seem like years. Until you finally get your answer on if you were matched. For us, this little girl was a no. We were devastated.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Susan always told us that if you present to an expectant family, you have to be all in, but you also have to protect your heart. You have to be willing to take that baby in at a moment’s notice - to love the child as your own. To advocate for them, protect them, and ensure that they have everything that they need. But for us, we seemed to miss the part about protecting your heart. The no received from this little girl seemed to hurt so much more than we anticipated. Our community mourned with us, and encouraged us to continue forward. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our community was our saving grace time and time again throughout the adoption process. While we did not share everything with them about the birth family and adoptive child, they never stopped praying for the families that we were presenting to, and neither did we. Jessica and I started a list of all of the birth mom’s names and prayed for them, their babies, and whoever the adoptive family would be, regardless if that was us or someone else. We prayed for their safety, their health, and that they would be surrounded with people who are loving and supportive and can speak truth to them in a time of so many unknowns.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As our journey continued, it seemed we were presenting to a new family every two to three weeks. We received no after no. The "not yets" never seem to get easier, but we knew our child was out there, and we would be matched with the perfect child for us. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In April of 2021, we received an email from an agency letting us know there was a child they would like us to consider adopting, and if we said yes, then we would be matched. It almost seemed too good to be true. But it was, in-fact, very true. We were notified that the mother was being induced 24-hours after we were matched. Essentially, our case worker just told us to get there, so we drove 15 hours and over 1,000 miles. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Jessica and I were dreaming of the twins back in 2014, one of the names we selected would be given to our son--Malachi, meaning “messenger of God.” We shared the name with our case worker, and offered to let her share it with the mom if it was appropriate. Shortly after, as we were walking through a store gathering items that we forgot to pack in our last minute scramble across the country, we learned that the expectant mother’s oldest son was also named Malachi. I immediately started bawling in the middle of the store, and I’m sure that everyone around me thought I was a crazy person as I walked around the store with tears rolling down my face. My son - Malachi. He was being knit together so much earlier than either Jessica or I could have ever realized until that moment. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Malachi was born the next morning at 2lbs 8oz, five days after we were matched. He was intubated and immediately taken into the NICU. We received periodic updates from our case worker, but we were not allowed to meet him until his birth mother was discharged from the hospital. It was three days, but it was the longest three days of our lives, waiting to be able to hold this tiny child - our child- in our arms for the first time. And when we did, it was magical. No words could describe how it felt to hold my son for the very first time; all two-and-a-half pounds of him with more tubes and wires on him than I thought were possible.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">We spent the next two months living over one-thousand miles away from home. We saw Malachi every day and held him, sang to him, and read him books. Anything we could to help him know that we were there, he is loved, and he belongs. The medical team that supported Malachi was nothing but miraculous. He is now four months old, almost 11 pounds, and seems to have opinions about everything. He’s a fighter and he lets everyone around him know that’s who he is. He was discharged from the NICU just before his gestational birthdate healthy, happy, and so ready to go meet all of the people who loved him before they knew him, and who never stopped praying for him.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkedUtwdPSA-DCP65lhCvKeYClC712AUreYVL0LP8NJ8ZTkRYK-BOoMtB7HsrVGF0Nf9IPP9HhGMm_IqzCic4jmv9WdSb1u2LdGNgWJGpBd9WvjFXeACRYdmFKYPXD5-6jVBwWWfqfLM/s2048/IMG_1871.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgkedUtwdPSA-DCP65lhCvKeYClC712AUreYVL0LP8NJ8ZTkRYK-BOoMtB7HsrVGF0Nf9IPP9HhGMm_IqzCic4jmv9WdSb1u2LdGNgWJGpBd9WvjFXeACRYdmFKYPXD5-6jVBwWWfqfLM/w480-h640/IMG_1871.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">I won’t pretend to be anything sort of an adoption expert (that’s what CAC is here for), but if there is one piece of advice that I can offer you, regardless of where you are in your adoption process, is to never stop praying. Prayer changes things. I watched Malachi grow day after day and experienced tiny miracles and large unexplained miracles right before my eyes. Lean in and pray for the birth family. Pray for the child. Pray for the medical team and social workers who will help you in the hospital. Pray for your spouse. Things can be stressful and hard, but prayer keeps you connected to God.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">May you find grace and peace on the journey to adoption and know that God is always for you.</span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-45850981058389023382021-08-19T09:17:00.000-05:002021-08-20T14:23:41.278-05:00Adoption Story: John and Kim<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>One day, when their son is old enough to hear the whole story about how he became a part of his family, John and Kim have an incredible one to tell him. It's a story that actually begins long before his parents met him, and took some wild and unexpected twists and turns. But looking back, John and Kim can see God'</i>s<i> hand in all of it.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Today Kim is graciously sharing parts of their story here in an effort to encourage other families experiencing unexpected detours on their adoption journey.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0Q8dflA2HvQAn3yo0pmlvRChb3ienhFQVG_Eq678ED5RfDjez_lUdp9ebNuS0ijHr-r2PxQhZmSSoL7YY90R60f7qFx8yjLnrSymlcwVEKcz4wChyIkbIKuPaW2HF5CgFeTKZCxh1_8/s2016/image0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0Q8dflA2HvQAn3yo0pmlvRChb3ienhFQVG_Eq678ED5RfDjez_lUdp9ebNuS0ijHr-r2PxQhZmSSoL7YY90R60f7qFx8yjLnrSymlcwVEKcz4wChyIkbIKuPaW2HF5CgFeTKZCxh1_8/w480-h640/image0.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It took us almost two and a half years to adopt. Some of that time came from the fact that we are a military family and had to move a couple times before we could even start or to resume the process. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">To everyone reading our story, we hope this brings you a little hope to your journey. To say this journey felt more like a roller coaster is the understatement of the year. With ups and downs, broken hearts several times, living off nothing but faith, feeling like giving up, questioning if we heard God right, every emotion came up. As we looked for others to relate to with us on this journey, it felt like no one faced as many hiccups as we did, but that’s not true. Many of us just don’t talk about what it can really be like. </span>Out of respect for our son's story and the amazing families we walked with along the way, we won’t get into too many details, but we will try to give you hope if you're also facing a hard time.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can’t thank Susan enough from <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> for all that she has done for us. She became our shining light to guide our path along the way. We didn’t know where to begin, what to do, or who to talk to; everything was just so confusing from start to finish. She gave us invaluable information on the adoption process as a whole that we will never forget if God calls us again to adopt. </span>She became an amazing friend who never gave up on our dreams and gave us wisdom and encouragement when we struggled with hope and faith. </p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we started applying to situations, we were really very open. When we kept reading articles about things going quicker when you’re very open, we wondered why it wasn’t for us. We got stuck in this thought process that we weren’t being chosen because we were a family of five and often times thought no one would pick us because our family is considered “large” to a lot of people. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn't long before a mother reached out to us once we were finally ready. We were so excited! We talked with her a lot, she showed us pictures of herself, her ultrasound, everything seemed perfect. After a brief season we discovered the woman was being dishonest and wasn't looking to make an adoption plan. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After some time to reflect, feeling so betrayed and heartbroken, we wanted to jump on board again. We showed our profiles so many times we lost track and prayed our hearts out. We wanted God to take the lead on our adoption and the only way to do that was to be as open as possible to people and their situations and pray that God would only let us be chosen by the family we were meant to be chosen by. So a few months went by and we were chosen again! Again, we were overjoyed. </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were convinced that this was the child God had meant for us, everything felt right, we felt this had to be it. We matched, continued to build our relationship, and ten weeks later got the call that it was time for us to come. Unfortunately, once we got there a few days later everything started to unravel. Question after question engulfed us: <i>Where was God? Why didn’t he protect us? Why would he call us to do this and then allow for this to happen? Do we even have the right to feel this pain, considering the amount of pain the birth parents must be in making these decisions? </i>Some of those answers we may never know but we’ve made peace with it now. God doesn’t make mistakes. There was a purpose for our family and the mother to go through that. Maybe it was meant to build our faith or other people’s. All we knew is we were heartbroken and everything we saved for was gone. <i>How were we going to rebuild and move forward? </i>In time, we found this child wasn’t what God intended for us and it was time to go home.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We got home and continued to show our profile again asking for God to only choose the family that was meant for us and for all of us to be protected, especially because our kids were going through this with us. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We asked for God to direct our paths, for his will to be done, and to please protect us again because emotionally and financially, we didn’t know how we could continue towards God’s will for our lives if we faced another disruption. <i>Also, how would our kids handle this again? How do we navigate getting our children’s hearts ready for adoption and keep them from having their hearts broken too? </i>We tried our best but could only do so much.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After continuing down the path of adoption and praying our hearts out for God’s will to be done (even if that meant we were never really meant to adopt all along), we were chosen again! We were matched for a little over half of her pregnancy; it was another baby girl! This has to be it, God knows we can’t go through another disruption and we already have everything ready for her. We continued to pray over this mom and her baby. Everything was going really well...until it didn't. We prayed hard again and wondered how we could ever do what we think God was calling us to, even though we felt so strongly that this was God’s will for our lives. Not knowing how we’d pay for everything, we felt God calling us to just keep the faith and that God would provide.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">At one critical point during our adoption journey, a Bible verse popped up on our phone and it read, <i>“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”</i> (John 20:21). For whatever reason, we kept meditating on that verse. Every time we wanted to doubt if we heard God right, we remembered that this is God’s path, not ours. We continued to pray for strength and for him to answer us. We prayed for him to move in BIG ways, to do a miracle, to make it clear to us what we are supposed to do. We felt so lost and even people around us started to doubt our </span></span><span style="font-size: 17px;">commitment</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"> to adopt. Honestly, it was hard not to get discouraged, but God had made it VERY clear to us that adoption was what we were made to do. We also knew that these families were going through really tough times and were truly and genuinely struggling with their decisions. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Then we received an email from one of our agencies: “We know you just went through another disruption but one of the babies born that we had told you about still is looking for the right family and to please read over it in case we still wanted to present to them.” So much stirred in our heads and hearts. <i>Should we even apply? Is it right to apply when we literally came out here to adopt one child and it disrupted and then so quickly to try again? Was this God’s plan for us all along? Did he know that this was really the child we were meant to have and everything else happened for reasons we didn’t understand? </i>As we were praying God immediately reminded us of that Bible verse, <i>“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”</i> We felt like we at least had to try. </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So we prayed again for God to protect us, the birth family, our finances, and all of the other families and children we met along the way. </span>We went from being so heartbroken, lost, wanting to give it all up, to having hope once more. We prayed our hearts out like crazy. <span style="font-family: inherit;">We asked the agency to show our profile and we were chosen! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Within hours we had borrowed a car and drove all night to get to this precious baby boy and to meet his amazing family. We finally understood why God allowed all of these hiccups along our route. THIS was the child God meant for us. THIS family was the one that was meant to be a part of our family. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KFiDg4bbaelZcZhfxE5fVxU9uSVoaDfzaw_Uv-2WnumCRHZ6JXuhTo2v1V76q-5m2HNeRqy-qycLSJpI8SlchKlWZoSuYtFoqcWwR6gfGI-DgWHENUF_Ne4qeOa45XhJi9cHy0RTbbU/s2016/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KFiDg4bbaelZcZhfxE5fVxU9uSVoaDfzaw_Uv-2WnumCRHZ6JXuhTo2v1V76q-5m2HNeRqy-qycLSJpI8SlchKlWZoSuYtFoqcWwR6gfGI-DgWHENUF_Ne4qeOa45XhJi9cHy0RTbbU/w480-h640/image1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When we met our precious son, we had immense love for him immediately. And the miracles didn't stop coming. We watched our very sick son be healed in the NICU and God provided financially over and over and over. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything all just came together and we still have no understanding how. It was all God; he's the only explanation. All of our family, friends, and other people that know our story are just blown away. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was clear to us that God put us on our journey to do a lot more than just bless us and stretch our faith. He used us to strengthen other people’s faith and so that others could see Christ show up.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If there is something that God reminded us on our adoption journey, it’s that God doesn’t send out his light to the lit places. He sends us out often times to some very dark places so we can shine our lights brightly. Also when it’s God’s time for you to adopt, it will happen and there is nothing you can do to speed that up or slow it down. None of it is according to our plan or timeline. All you can do is hold on tight and ride the wave until the end. Some days you just have to wake up and ask God for strength to see another day because the enemy will say anything and everything to deceive you and make you feel like it will never happen. Some days you’ll feel like you heard God wrong, like you’re being punished for something, you start to believe the lies that you’ve heard from people trying to talk you out of adoption. We’re here to tell you one thing: stay faithful.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let us encourage you: your story may go smoothly, your story may be up and down, your story may be heart-wrenching and filled with heartbreak. But don’t lose hope. For whatever reason, God called you to do this and whatever journey you have ahead of you, don’t give up. God can and will do more than you ever imagined!</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-23234715181615865462021-03-12T09:18:00.001-06:002021-03-12T09:18:31.412-06:00Adoption Story: Stacey and Jené<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>One of my favorite parts of family's adoption journeys is the chance to look back at all of the ways God was working behind the scenes when we couldn't see it in the midst of the wait. </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>When Stacey and Jené were home study approved, they had no idea that just days later their son would be born. They didn't learn of him for several weeks, but God did a lot of work in their hearts while they waited for this little guy who would soon be their son. </i></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today </span>Jené shares the details of their adoption and the ways they were challenged to rest and trust in God's perfect timing.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ1OY51ljcQx71p5nPjR6HMqC_wOE9n-MNMXNf31J0VqImgWTezxvTpgDxM31-D_E3iayWtSrafSsYGzCNxg9mMvN0o7Sa8hLcDo9zGSk0Vf0fifzYc_1IRLbFt3FAtoRomYqj5ASOrU/s6016/Family+3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6016" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ1OY51ljcQx71p5nPjR6HMqC_wOE9n-MNMXNf31J0VqImgWTezxvTpgDxM31-D_E3iayWtSrafSsYGzCNxg9mMvN0o7Sa8hLcDo9zGSk0Vf0fifzYc_1IRLbFt3FAtoRomYqj5ASOrU/w640-h426/Family+3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="adm" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><div class="ajR h4" id="q_15564" style="background-color: #e8eaed; border-radius: 5.5px; border: none; clear: both; color: #500050; cursor: pointer; line-height: 6px; outline: none; position: relative; width: 24px;"></div></div></div><p></p><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've had a hard time knowing what to say about our adoption journey and have also felt a little guilty because our journey was quicker and smoother than many and was just about as ideal a situation as we could get. We started the process knowing and believing God already knew what our adoption journey would be, the expecting family with whom we would be matched, and the baby that would be our son or daughter. God has shown us many times that His timing is perfect, and we knew that was true for adoption too. My brother passed away from cancer in 2014; he never asked God "Why?" but would tell our family "God's got a plan." This is something that continues to speak to us. We kept our hearts open and trusted that God had a plan, and He would match us with the family and baby meant to be and in His timing. Our faith gave us comfort and peace but was also tested, especially during those times when doubt and questioning started to creep. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once we became active with agencies, there would be weeks we would get several situations. Then, we would go weeks without any. We prayerfully considered each situation and listened to our hearts and gut. When we presented to an expecting family, that was our "yes" and full commitment to that family and that baby. Not something we took lightly. I would question if we were finding reasons to not present to expecting families or being too "picky." Then, we would go weeks without getting a situation, and we started to question and get nervous about when we would get the opportunity to present to a family. God's timing is perfect, and He has a plan. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We received our son's situation when we had two dear friends over for dinner; one of those friends is an adoptee who has been open and supportive from the first time we talked about our desire to adopt. From this moment, we felt God working. Our son was three weeks old and in cradle care (15 minutes from where we live) when we received the situation. We didn't have a lot of information, but we knew he was a healthy baby boy. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We presented to his birth mother, and a few days later, Stacey woke me up at 12:30 AM and said, "I guess I can start calling you 'Mom.'" We got an email at midnight to let us know our son's birth mom chose us. Neither of us slept the rest of the night. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following four weeks felt like four months! This was probably the most challenging time with the widest range of emotions! Meetings with our son's birth mom were canceled and rescheduled three times and finally happened via Zoom. The appointment for our son's birth mom to sign papers was canceled and rescheduled four times (which would have been five times if not for her lawyer going above and beyond). Each time, our anticipation would grow as it got closer to the time she was going to sign, and then, we would get a text to let us know the appointment was canceled but our son's birth mom still wanted to continue with the adoption plan and with us. Although, we should have continued to feel hopeful when we were told she wanted to continue with the plan, we would feel discouraged, angry, fearful, which also only grew after each cancelation. Honestly, almost each time, I said "I just want to cuss and cry." Our son was well loved and cared for in cradle care, but I also didn't think it was fair for this baby to be waiting for his family, whether that was us, his birth mom, or another family. We had to refocus our thoughts and hearts, pray, and remember what was true. We would refocus our thoughts and prayers on our son's birth mom, which wasn't always easy, either. But we know what she was doing and going through was way harder than we can ever imagine and way more than what we were feeling. Stacey didn't waver in his belief that this baby would be our son. I thought he would be our son too, but I was guarded and didn't want to get our hopes up. It was an internal struggle to know the truths of our faith but to also feel like I needed to guard my heart and be prepared if this was a failed match. Within three days of our son's birth mom signing papers, he was placed with us. All of the frustration, doubt, fear we felt melted away when we got to hold our son. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our son's birth mom wanted an open adoption, which is what we want too. We email monthly updates and pictures. We've only heard from her one time since placement in June. We hope and pray for healing, peace, and comfort for her and that some day, we can have the open adoption we all spoke about when we met virtually. Until then, we talk to our son about his birth mom, our admiration and appreciation for her, and what she shared she wants for him. We pray for her. We talk to him about all the people who love him and have loved him from the very beginning. We pray over him that he always knows how loved he is and that he knows he was created for a plan and a purpose. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were blessed with our beautiful red-headed, blue-eyed boy and with a situation that was ideal for us. It wasn't without it's frustrations and tears. We were also blessed with two people who walked beside us through this journey who supported, encouraged, validated our feelings, brought us back to reality, were patient, and always available to listen and to share their wisdom and all with no judgement, Susan with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a> and our friend, Becca, who connected us to CAC and Susan in the beginning. Susan, Becca, along with the adoption agency will always have a special place in our hearts as God used each one in growing our family and bringing our son home. </span></div></div>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244030523081067881.post-69282056614956163542021-03-04T11:39:00.000-06:002021-03-04T11:39:12.518-06:00Adoption Story: Brad and Corinne (again!)<p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Last week I shared the beginning of Brad and Corinne's story of their second adoption with <a href="https://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com/" target="_blank">Christian Adoption Consultants</a>. If you missed her account of how God miraculously led them on a journey to parenthood for the second time, make sure to read part one here: </i><i><a href="https://gracefilledmess.blogspot.com/2021/02/in-their-own-words-adoptive-mama-shares.html" target="_blank">In Their Own Words: An Adoptive Mama Shares her Journey to Motherhood</a>.</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Today I'm honored to share the second half of the story of sweet Naomi Rae...</i></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIKvoKtb7qEazpzuq1AkFt0Ys7N9Uqxl373ckPKxVVp9OTo4PJv-FQGg57P00T5_r65nHAiAPJSbM99rplXL_AUtwgntEBExDGN5uzYqI3yGviWQzBxH3tep5ar2Dt0mYe2HYlu9WWEM/s2048/20210221-RAZ_4322.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIKvoKtb7qEazpzuq1AkFt0Ys7N9Uqxl373ckPKxVVp9OTo4PJv-FQGg57P00T5_r65nHAiAPJSbM99rplXL_AUtwgntEBExDGN5uzYqI3yGviWQzBxH3tep5ar2Dt0mYe2HYlu9WWEM/w640-h426/20210221-RAZ_4322.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos by <a href="https://www.sohalephotography.com " target="_blank">Sohale Photography</a></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As Brad and I took steps towards a second adoption, we had the joy of working again with our beloved social worker, Clair, and adoption consultant, Susan, who both had helped us bring Floyd home. People in this field of work are nothing short of saints, and we honestly have been blessed with the best in the biz. Paperwork for adoption is like an endless goose chase. Time and again, you'll think you finally have everything needed, only to find out you don't. But, by the end of August 2020, we were home study ready, and we were able to see possible expectant mama scenarios as September began. <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Monday, September 14<sup>th</sup>, we read through the second scenario we'd been sent. It looked terrific, but the scenario did not say whether the baby was a girl or a boy, and we would not know before being officially matched. I have wanted a daughter for a long time and honestly just had a little girl in my heart. Of course, had I been able to get pregnant, I would not have been able to choose whether I was having a boy or girl. But one of the weird parts of adoption is having a choice in some of this stuff. While Brad was excited about this second expectant mama scenario and open to either a boy or a girl, I started feeling confused: <i>Am I just running with this idea of a girl because it's what I want? Is Jesus asking us to veer in a different direction? What does He actually want us to do?</i> I called on a few close friends to pray for peace and wisdom for us in this. There didn’t seem to be any urgency in the original scenario that required us to submit our profile in to present ASAP, so we decided to sleep on it and wait. <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That Wednesday, I received a text from our trusted consultant, Susan, saying, <i>"Have you all decided if you will be presenting to Mariah? Her caseworker just reached out to me and said they were hoping to present Mariah with a family who was already raising a black child."</i> We had thought we had several more days to make a decision. I remember telling Brad that I felt unsure of what to do. So we prayed, <i>"Lord, we want to do what you want us to do. Would you give us some confirmation, a word, or something from someone we trust as to what we are to do?"</i> <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">While we were praying, the mauve chair I had ordered for the nursery (mauve obviously a perfect color for the girl-themed </span><span style="color: #222222;">nursery</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> I had envisioned) arrived at our front door by delivery. When I sent a quick text to my Bible study group and family to pray for us, I saw I had a voice text waiting for me from one of my dearest friends, Leah. Her message said, </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">"Hey love, I was hesitant to share this with you because I am human and could totally be wrong, but since you asked me to pray Monday for you about the scenario with Mariah, the phrase, "This is Naomi, This is Naomi" keeps playing in my mind. Last night, during Bible study, I heard the phrase again, and my heart started racing. This morning I felt like it would be wrong for me to not share it with you."<u></u><u></u></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i> </i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I played the text for Brad, we stared at each other, completely shocked. Brad said<i>, "Well, if that wasn't the most direct answer to prayer of all time!"</i> I called my Mom to tell her what had happened. Naturally, she's super protective of me and knows how deeply I desired to have a girl. She said, <i>"Corinne, this is just another opportunity to trust the Lord. He is the one putting your family together. He knows what is in your heart."</i> So with tears running down my face, I looked at Brad and told him that we should present. <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhRITkz9c0ESXJ1_LBh9RzHX4mfKLUBWJAVYHQprHjwSN5PN_EvPrwDQ5J7EjC3aV0N4VQ1N2jFIKTkXUktNBEbspHfM-5Yz69c_xNz3peuxqC2j1U62hQIAy2TC8tuqxouN0OfX1GB8/s2048/20210221-RAZ_4128.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhRITkz9c0ESXJ1_LBh9RzHX4mfKLUBWJAVYHQprHjwSN5PN_EvPrwDQ5J7EjC3aV0N4VQ1N2jFIKTkXUktNBEbspHfM-5Yz69c_xNz3peuxqC2j1U62hQIAy2TC8tuqxouN0OfX1GB8/w640-h426/20210221-RAZ_4128.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brad and I talked about how there was no worst-case scenario: if this expectant mama were to choose us, it would result in a baby, a sibling for Floyd! At that moment, I realized that, more than specifically wanting a girl, I wanted what Jesus had for our family, which also made me realize how much Jesus had been healing my heart. Looking back, I see that the things He had for me all along. While they may have looked different than what I pictured, all have turned out to be far more abundant than I ever could have dreamed for myself. With fresh hope and gratitude, we sent in our profile and waited. </span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A week later, we received an email from Mariah's caseworker, saying she really liked our family but would like to have a phone call with us that coming Sunday before deciding. The caseworker told us to come prepared with questions to help the conversation along since Mariah was soft-spoken. Given that Floyd’s birth mama was also very soft-spoken, we thought we knew what to expect. When I called Mariah that Sunday, she didn't pick up initially, rather, calling us back a couple of hours later. I picked up the phone as she said, <i>"WHAT'S UP, YOU GUYS! I am SO excited to be talking with you! I don't even know what to ask you because I am just so excited about all of this!"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brad and I looked at each other and were like, "Is this the right number?!" Conversation with her was so easy! She said things like, <i>"I've always loved adoption. My mom adopted me when I was little, and I always had everything I needed because she was in my life. I know this is going to be a wonderful experience. I can't wait for you guys to come down – that's when our real relationship can begin!" </i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuy_cjn1d0NZJskYC7hdbCHulZQq_E5mFsfRBR-rgnLXqyr7bi-3HxMDxo2NpLcAV1PmFWApGyvxqObyCG-zZxbkZb1tl1y56SSQ5G-GpF7Tb-DLvIlUD8daQCrFQe8I-bSP5z1AXKMM/s2048/Waiting+for+You%2521.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKuy_cjn1d0NZJskYC7hdbCHulZQq_E5mFsfRBR-rgnLXqyr7bi-3HxMDxo2NpLcAV1PmFWApGyvxqObyCG-zZxbkZb1tl1y56SSQ5G-GpF7Tb-DLvIlUD8daQCrFQe8I-bSP5z1AXKMM/w640-h427/Waiting+for+You%2521.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Photo by </span><a href="https://www.meganschmitzphoto.com/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Megan Schmitz Photography</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Part of the adoption process included us making a profile book for expectant moms to look through that introduces our family (kind of like a little magazine about our family and our hopes, dreams, etc.). One of our book's photos was a shot of our feet, all of us wearing Jordans, with a pair of matching baby Jordans next to mine. Mariah said<i>, "Those baby shoes in your book are girls' shoes, aren't they? Are you guys hoping to have a girl? Because I am having a girl!"</i> <i><u></u><u></u></i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brad had to pick my jaw off the floor! We got off the phone, completely shocked! We had gone into that call hoping to put our best foot forward and ease any uncertainly Mariah might have IF she chose us. Instead, Mariah practically told us she'd already chosen us for her baby and that she was having a girl! A few days later, on September 30<sup>th</sup>, we received official confirmation from the agency that we were legally and officially matched with Mariah! I was reminded of the word Beth shared with me a few years earlier, <i>"End of September, you will be pregnant with a baby girl."</i> If this wasn't pregnant with a baby girl for an infertile woman like myself, I'm not sure what was. <u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm well acquainted with disappointment, and thus have a natural propensity to be wary of God really seeing me or honestly caring about the things in my heart. It turns out –Jesus not only see’s it all, but deeply cares. My desire to have a daughter was placed in my heart by Jesus Himself to lead us to Naomi. He has been working through every single detail. Ecclesiastes 3:11 keeps coming to mind, <i>"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc4Nyv0vWCHfl2uBjRriiEPsEXFoIrv3AOHaz7EnsfDtXAInid9kemmP_fOZ-ci_HN8RhsdZVN8q7k_4ahlBvad8gPNpDjHeEKSsnkxjlqaST0aKE3uRtyxd6dj_ztaaUf2uELfKoSw0/s2048/20210221-RAZ_4284-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc4Nyv0vWCHfl2uBjRriiEPsEXFoIrv3AOHaz7EnsfDtXAInid9kemmP_fOZ-ci_HN8RhsdZVN8q7k_4ahlBvad8gPNpDjHeEKSsnkxjlqaST0aKE3uRtyxd6dj_ztaaUf2uELfKoSw0/w640-h426/20210221-RAZ_4284-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the way, we are in our 8<sup>th</sup> year of trying to have a baby. Did you know that the number eight in Scripture signifies new beginnings? A new beginning for our family, indeed! A few weeks ago, I told the ladies at my beautiful baby shower that the places in my life that had felt dead and hopeless seem to be blooming with life. It isn't because I have brought life to them; it is because Jesus has breathed on places full of familiar despair and brought His hope and resurrecting life as only He can.<u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All along, God wasn't leading me through painful places to disappoint or hurt me. He was after deeper healing, one I've desperately needed and would never have fathomed possible. As much as Naomi Rae, our Beautiful Understanding, brings healing just by her arrival, she brings with her a beautiful understanding to her Mama of Jesus' unending and abiding love for her (me). God IS a good Father who IS trustworthy and kind. Naomi has given me a broader and clearer lens of who Jesus truly is. Her story has shattered the distorted lenses I've used for years to look at God. <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few weeks ago, Brad and I were talking, and Brad shared that in his quiet time that morning, he heard God speak something specific to him. He has been praying over some specific situations that we knew only God could heal. And yet to our human understanding, some of these circumstances seemed beyond reach; we had been praying over them for years, but they still seemed so broken. In his prayer time, as Brad was praying over these situations, he heard God say, “I am good; I bring beauty from ashes.” As Brad felt the Lord say this, God also brought to mind Floyd’s adoption. Brad shared that he felt God showing him that there are few things that demonstrate his ability to bring beauty from ashes than adoption. The circumstances that a birth mom faces that lead her to place her baby for adoption are often incredibly difficult and many times even impacted by systemic issues well beyond her control. For us as adoptive parents, part of the reason we pursue adoption is because of incredible brokenness and disappointment in our own lives. And yet, the Lord uses all of this brokenness to create such a beautiful story of redemption. Personally, there is nothing we’ve ever done which has brought us greater joy than adopting Floyd. And to think that we get to walk this path again with Naomi is so incredible. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyJ6Qzywg0oTuQscEKJEIPRsQQK1tTrw6tcHLLqdcJQLZSo7a7feBxZV5i8XydHQkmGgZa2C3D2Wh6zwx6vg-isvcXATQo3A_QZamLQCum3B3LI27ptM7Tx02r68oC6Wy1qZymmrd1Xs/s2048/20210221-RAZ_4589-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1363" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyJ6Qzywg0oTuQscEKJEIPRsQQK1tTrw6tcHLLqdcJQLZSo7a7feBxZV5i8XydHQkmGgZa2C3D2Wh6zwx6vg-isvcXATQo3A_QZamLQCum3B3LI27ptM7Tx02r68oC6Wy1qZymmrd1Xs/w426-h640/20210221-RAZ_4589-2.jpg" width="426" /></a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friends, Jesus is actually for you! He is Faithful. He never abandons. He brings beauty from ashes. He has actually given me more, just like He said. <u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>"Because of the LORD's great love, we are not consumed,<u></u><u></u></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>for His compassions never fail.<u></u><u></u></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>They are new every morning;<u></u><u></u></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>Great is Your faithfulness.<u></u><u></u></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>I said to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.<u></u><u></u></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>The Lord is good to those who hope is in Him."</i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lamentations 3:22-23<i><u></u><u></u></i></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> “Those who sow in tears will reap shouts of joy.”</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Psalm 126:5</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With all our love,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Corinne, Brad, Floyd, & Naomi</span></p>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08005474840445296361noreply@blogger.com0