I think Adoption is an AMAZING thing! I know that many of you have amazing adoption stories and many of you are thinking about or praying about adopting. I hope and pray that many of you will share your stories here by linking up your blogs. IF you don't have a blog - please leave a brief story in the comments for others to read!
I asked my friend Catherine to share her story here. She doesn't have a blog and she is one of the sweetest, most Godly women I know and her story has given me so much hope and encouragement! I pray it will do the same for you!
"But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge. I will tell of all your deeds." Ps. 73: 28
My adoption story is so precious that I am not sure I can possibly convey the wonder since I feel I must limit the length in this format. It means so much to able to share the story that I will try, here on Kelly's blog, to tell you of how we have been blessed. Thank you, Kelly, for inviting me to tell our story. Our adoption journey began with infertility. For 2 years, my husband Jeremy and I waited, prayed, and puzzled over our failure to conceive. At last, I became pregnant and with great joy announced the news to our family and friends. Just days later, we lost the baby and experienced the deepest pain and heartache. After 2 more years of trying and consulting with a fertility specialist, we became pregnant again and again we lost our baby.
Infertility is the most painful experience of my life and no real reason for it had ever been discovered. My faith was challenged in a way I had never thought possible. After more trying without success, we began to consider adoption. We approached this cautiously, not knowing if we could afford the expense of adoption; but wondering if this was the way that God had intended to grow our family. Had He closed my womb so that we would be obedient to His plan of adoption for us? Initially we researched on line and received advice from family and friends. My husband's aunt, an RN, learned of a birth mom who was considering placing her unborn child for adoption. We met with this birth mom, formed a special bond, prayed with her and agreed to an adoption plan. She stayed firm in her resolve and when her baby boy was born, we were able to select his name to be placed on the birth certificate. Our attorney had advised us to be cautious about taking immediate custody because there had been some doubt about the birthfather's consent all along. We were excited but nervous and after a few tense days; the birth father appeared with an attorney and asserted his parental right. Our dream of adopting this precious boy was crushed.
In the next year, we learned of other babies potentially available for adoption, but one by one, birth parents changed their minds or birth grandparents stepped in to raise the child. We were even contacted by a lady who fraudulently misrepresented herself as being pregnant and ready to place her baby for adoption. Thankfully, we had a very savvy lawyer who got involved and put a stop to the situation. We learned that she was using this same deception on other couples as well. It seemed that we would never become parents. We were battered and bruised and I was almost unwilling to pursue another adoption. We had paid an expensive fee to an adoption facilitator in CA, but no one had expressed an interest in our on line profile. Many people from all across the country were praying for us. A lady from my parent's church sent me a prayer line and referred us to her friend, an adoption attorney. I was skeptical and inclined to just ignore this referral and wait for our facilitator, but my parents encouraged us to pursue this lead. It was a small law practice in a small town and we live in a large metropolitan area. I couldn't imagine what could come of that lead. We had a teleconferenced interview with the attorney and did not come away from it with any real hope. Months later, we were surprised that a birthmother had chosen our profile through that law office and wanted to meet us. We were as usual, hesitant, but decided to travel out of state to meet her. She was very firm in her resolve to place the baby for adoption, stating she had considered abortion, but had chosen adoption since it was an available option. The father also signed his consent. We liked them both. The birth mom had a very funny and outgoing personality. We began to attend Dr. appointments with her and were thrilled to see a precious baby girl on her ultrasounds.
About 6 weeks into our adoption plan, I learned that I was pregnant again! We were shocked, almost numb and as much as we wanted the baby I was carrying; we also wanted the baby girl we hoped to adopt. Our Dr. was cautious about my ability to even carry the pregnancy but discovered that I had a blood clotting disorder and began to treat it. We knew we had to be honest with the birthmother, but we feared she would change her mind and choose another couple to adopt her baby. Many people joined us in prayer as we met with her to tell her our news. She was actually excited about my pregnancy and said it was the perfect sequel to our story since she had not wanted her baby to be an only child.
Three months later, it was time for our baby girl to be born. The birthmother wanted us in the delivery room, which was our great privilege. We prayed with her and loved on her and rejoiced in the easy and quick delivery of a healthy baby girl. I cut the cord and, at the birthmother's request; our precious daughter was placed in my arms. It was unspeakable joy, a moment of pure awe and praise to God. Our hearts were so full, it is still indescribable. She was and is the most beautiful and precious baby girl we have ever seen. Our Anna Elizabeth makes us laugh every day and brings such joy. We will always remember her birth family with love and we pray for them often.
Four and a half months later, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Could there be any more joy for us? Not that we could imagine. Our sweet baby David was equally precious and our family seemed perfect. For the next two years, we experienced every joyful aspect of parenting - birthday parties, Christmas and Easter, zoos and playgrounds to name a few. Our hearts were filled with gratitude to the Lord. We will never stop praising Him and giving Him the glory for the great things He has done.
Just before David's 2nd birthday, I was surprised to become pregnant again. Our California adoption facilitator had recently contacted us to see if we were still interested in adoption through them since our fee had already been paid and was not refundable. When we learned I was pregnant, we put any thought of another adoption on hold, but just a few weeks into my pregnancy, we had another miscarriage. Seeing the sweet faces of my toddlers helped the pain to be more bearable but we still grieved our loss. The same day we found out about the miscarriage, the adoption facilitator contacted us again and said a young woman had seen our on line profile and was considering us along with several other couples to parent her unborn baby boy. We half-heartedly answered questions she submitted, thinking that she would never choose us considering we had 2 very young children already. We were shocked and thrilled when we got a call. She had selected us, and wanted to proceed with an adoption plan. Her baby was due in 3 more months and would be born in CA. She and the birthfather were both quite young and agreed that they were not ready to parent and adoption was their choice. We enjoyed forming a phone friendship with this young woman and made plans to attend her baby's birth expected to be around Christmas time.
Early in November we had a phone call - she had gone into labor probably 6-8 weeks early and the baby was about to be delivered. We got our prayer warriors on board and I scrambled to fly to CA leaving Jeremy with our toddlers until grandparents could arrive. Our baby Daniel was born weighing 4#,6 oz. He was beautiful, another incredible blessing. Jeremy and I stayed with him in the NICU at every possible opportunity and after 2 ½ weeks, on Thanksgiving Day; we boarded a plane with our tiny gift from God and came home. Our two year olds and our parents waited to meet him and again we rejoiced at the goodness of God and His absolutely perfect plan. Jeremy and I have never had more fun than we do with these 3 adorable children. They are simply the smartest and most beautiful children on the planet. :-) And the grandparents? Oh my - off the charts is all I will say!!!! We are amazed at God's goodness and His provision for our every need. We are not wealthy - my husband is a minister and I have been a stay at home Mom since the children arrived, but the Lord has richly provided our needs, sometimes in miraculous ways.
For us, adoption is God's answer to the heartache of infertility and for many, also to the heartache of abortion. If you are considering adoption, prayerfully seek God's guidance, be open to the pain of possible disappointment, but hopeful for the joy of that moment when a precious baby is placed in your arms, entrusted to you for a lifetime of blessings. Don’t let finances stand in your way, God will provide a way for you if you are open to His plan. God bless you as you seek Him in this journey. It would be my privilege to pray for you if you would desire it, so I will have Kelly share my email with you if you choose to contact me with questions or prayer requests. jerandcat@gmail.com
