ADOPTION PROCESS UPDATE

STAYING HOPEFUL:
Hello Everyone!! So we have had some plans change in our adoption plan. As of December 31st, 2014 our agency is no longer facilitating adoptions. They are still providing some services but not all. Our profile is still LIVE on their web page HERE , but we aren't sure for how much longer. Sooooo.... we have had to come up with a new plan. We are looking into ALL of our options and hoping somewhere along the way a door will open for us. 

So our homestudy was completed on November 4th, 2014 and it will expire in exactly 1 year on November 4th, 2015. 

We have found an adoption attorney that is helping us along the way as well. In the state of New York we have to "register" as foster parents since legally we will be fostering a baby the first 6 months of his/her life until a placement can be finalized. That wasn't something that was required of us in Texas. This will expire in exactly one year as well. 

Our hope is that we will find our next baby/Birth Family and be able to do a private adoption. Basically that means that we will forgo an agency and use attorneys to do everything. We would pay for her attorney and any Birth Mother expenses as well, including any counseling she would like before and after placement. Agency adoptions are SOOO brutally costly these days. We would much rather that money go into an account for our kids college or pay for Birth Family visits than to give it to an agency. 

We have been saving money for this next adoption but if we happen to have to use an agency we may not be financially prepared right now. We got so lucky with the agency we used with Sawyer and Jamison because it was Non-Profit and very affordable. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

It's weird when you adopt because you have to fill out lots of questionnaires to help you find the perfect match for your family. They ask you gender preference, race preference, willingness to accept twins, special needs, type of relationship after placement, etc. 

I blogged a few days ago about what gender of baby we would like. You can see that HERE! We aren't picky. We just want the RIGHT baby and Birth Family to blend with our Family. 

We are very hopeful for an OPEN adoption. We have open adoptions with our Boys and want the same for our next child. We understand though that some Expectant Mothers may not know the type of adoption they want right away and we are ok with that. We just want them to know that our door is always open.

We are pretty much leaving our doors of possibility open so the options are limitless. We don't want to limit miracles based off our own knowledge so we are trusting God's limitless possibilities. 

HER:

Who is "her"? 

We don't know who she is or where she is at, but we already love her immensely. Our next little miracles First Mother has been on our minds for a long time. I think about her every time I see a pregnant person. I wonder if she could be as pregnant as they are. I think about how her thoughts of her pregnancy are probably far different than the person who I am looking at. I think about her every time I go to the park for some reason. I wonder what her story is and am so looking forward to the day when our roads cross. I hope she can feel all of our love and prayers from afar. I know it sounds crazy but I really do feel like when I meet her I will just KNOW it's her. 

THIS TIME AROUND:

There is a good chance this will probably be our last adoption. The last time I will ever be this close to "pregnancy" with a child of our own. One thing I am really hoping for is an opportunity to go to a sonogram. I have never been to one. I hope she is kind enough to allow me to come along. With Sawyer and Jamison, their Birth Mother's didn't have any more sonograms after we met so I never went. If she's not comfortable with that I totally understand too. 

SPREADING THE WORD: 
In the adoption world, word of mouth is a very powerful tool in trying to find your adoption match. We are encouraging everyone we know to pass along our blog, our adoption profile, and share our story if they come across anyone who may be looking for a family to join. We are in the process of making some pass along cards for our friends with all of our info on them just to keep on hand if they ever come across someone. Please continue to think of us if you hear of any possibilities and please add us to your prayers. YOU could be the link between US and HER. 

TRUST: 
Adoption has taught us trust more than anything. To trust in God's timing, to trust your inner voice, and to trust that God is in the details. He REALLY is! When you are trying to adopt, you subject yourself to vulnerability and are at the mercy of someone else. If something feels off... it probably is. Recently we had to walk away from a situation that just felt "off". That was so hard but we know we made the right choice. A miracle did come from it all though.... I'll just save that post for another day. We know that all the delays in starting our process were necessary. We don't know exactly why but I think the clarity of it all will come later on. Many times we have looked back and seen how all those little things that were once so hard and painful were guiding and stretching us from where we were to where we needed to be. It wasn't all in vain. It was refining us. So we will be patient, TRUST that he is in the details, and be ok with what ever comes. 

Thank you all again for joining us on this fantastic journey!!
Lots of Love, 
Brett, Candace, Sawyer, & Jamison