Hey friends!  The last post I wrote was about how we were trying so diligently to push through all of the hours of paperwork, interviews, doctor appointments, etc. to get to the point of finalizing all that WE could do for our adoption.  We are now TWO WEEKS away from being officially approved.  Everything that is without our power for this entire adoption process is now complete.  So many of you ask us daily what is happening with our adoption and what all of this means.  We thought it would be helpful for us to break down where we are and what happens from here with some frequently asked questions...

• What do you have to do now? - The finalized copy of our home study should be complete by around April 1st.  At this point, all we do is wait for either 1) a birth mom to choose our family 2) the agency to select us for the birth parents 3) an at-risk placement where the baby has been born and cannot be with parents for physical or emotional safety reasons.
  

• When will you get the baby? - We could have a baby as soon as the first week of April or it could be as long as 1-2 years from now.  We are so prayerful that this long process will end with a placement very soon.
  

• Do you know what baby you will get or where he will be from? - We are open to a male child 0-3 months of age of any ethnicity or combination of ethnicities.  We are also open to twins (which I would absolutely LOVE!) or a sibling group if there is an infant born with older sibling removed from home.  We feel that the vision that the Lord gave us for our family MANY years ago was an African-American male baby.  However, we are not going to try to pretend that we know what God wants better than He does, so we will wait with hands open for who He intends for us.  When we get a call that there is a baby who needs placement and/or the birth mother has chosen us, we will make a prayerful decision.  The baby will be born from somewhere in North Carolina because we felt called to a local, domestic adoption.  We are not certain whether we will get to know the birth mom because it is all based on the situation.  We would desire an open adoption, but only if it would be emotionally healthy for the child based on birth mom and dad's life and choices.
  

• Are you ready? - Well, we have told several people that this point requires more faith than we have ever had to have.  When you are pregnant, you have a general idea of when your family will be expanding so you know how to prep.  We have no clue if we are close to being a family of 6, so we will wait with patience and just continue to get excited.  It will be much harder if we get approved and then have to wait for a long time.  We are starting to collect some random baby items that we no longer had or were too worn from the girls, so our house is starting to look like a newborn could be hanging here soon!  We are continuing our fundraising too.  That is a lesson in pride for both of us, but we are blown away at how people want to participate in the story of this little boy's life and help with bringing him home.  Also, if anyone has creative fundraising ideas, please pass along!

 

• Anything that we can do for you? - Ummmm, yup!  PRAY.  Seriously, our lives have required a great deal of faith but nothing like these days.  I have told several people that adopting and being at this point is similar to walking toward the edge of the cliff and knowing that you are about to jump but having absolutely NO clue what is down below.  We ask ourselves questions like, "Will we get to know the mom?", "What will he be like?", "How will the girls feel?", "Will we get to see him be born?".  So much of a journey ahead, so much faith required.  Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is being SURE of what you hope for and CERTAIN of what you do not see.

• What are you learning during this time? - This is the biggest one.  If you know me well, you have heard me say that God is ALWAYS doing something.  He is definitely doing a big work in our family as we prepare.  It is the wildest feeling to love someone already and you have no idea who he is.  I really cannot explain that one.  I have said often over the last couple of months that I am pregnant in my heart.  We are also learning love by sacrifice and dedication. In order to have a biological child, you don't have to go through such a struggle to even reach the point where you can be considered.  Frankly, you just get together - man and woman - and prepare your home and heart and then head to the hospital and bring that little one home.  Adoption is MUCH more complex.  We could get to the point of being selected and then the birth mom change her mind.  We could get to the point where we have brought a baby home and then parents change their mind.  We may not even get selected.  God is in control.  We look forward to displaying His glory with the completion of our family through adoption.  Right now, however, we are learning to keep our hands, hearts, and minds open.  His story, not ours.

Thank you.  Thank you a thousand times over for loving us through this wild ride.  Thank you for praying with us and being excited for us.  We love you.