WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS AGAIN!!

It has been quite the challenge to keep our second adoption a secret, and we have slipped to a few very close friends and family, but now that we are officially approved through our agency and on the waiting list yet once again, we can tell everyone our big news. We have started the adoption process again!!

In June of this year, Adeline’s adoption was finalized and we were completely finished with our adoption journey. It felt like I could fully breathe and relax. Honestly, we were so excited to be done and exhausted from the nearly 3 year process from when we first met with our incredible agency to when Adeline’s adoption was finalized. We all felt that we needed a break to rest, to not have extra home visits and education hours, and to be done with anxiously awaiting for court dates.

After about a month and a half of absolute bliss of getting to focus solely on my little family of three, four including Oliver, Jon once again brought up adoption. We were cooking dinner, by we I mean Jon, and I was helping by standing in the kitchen telling him all about my day. The onions and oil were sizzling in the pan as he was chopping the garlic and chicken to make my favorite pad thai when he asked, “Why not just start now?” I started laughing thinking he was joking. Umm maybe because we have a tiny not even two year old and we are still exhausted from her first year with us? But even though I tried my best, I honestly couldn’t think of a great answer as to not. We knew that we wanted to keep growing our family and that we don’t get to choose any kind of timing anyway, and that we trust God to provide financially for us through saving and the help of all of you. Even though I wanted to take things slow and be one hundred percent “ready” and sure that I can handle two very young kids, I knew that really that would never happen and that if I couldn’t think of a great reason as to why not, that we needed to jump in and start right away!

In early August, the day after we had that conversation of “why not now?,” I called our agency and slowly started the three month process of paperwork, doctor appointments, copies of documents, home visits all the while trying to take care of a super cute, busy toddler. During naptimes, after bedtime snuggles and books, and in between moments of picking up toys and cutting up food, we were filling out page after page and signing countless documents. I tried to take things slow, to do a few pages a day and to not get ahead of myself with worrying, but thoughts kept creeping in like “how we are going to do if we get a brand new baby right away?” or “how are we going to afford two adoptions in such a short amount of time?” Through these past three months, I have been continually reminded that this is not about me and what I think is best; that this is about our growing family and bringing a new baby with his or her own story and birth family  into our lives.

Now it’s November and after the past three months of spending all our free time on appointments, paperwork, getting family pictures taken for adoption announcements, making an adoption video, getting our house in order for our home study, trying to figure out how on earth we can pay for this, and getting ready to have a new baby at any time, we are officially on the waiting list and can be chosen at any time! We are so anxious, excited, full of joy and thrilled to be going on this journey once again with you and to become parents AGAIN.

Thank you for following along, for sharing our story, for your prayers, love and support. Truly we could not do this without you!

On Saturday, we found out that we an incredible opportunity with an organization called Fund the Nations. November is #nationaladoptionmonth, and to bring awareness to adoption and how God is working through adoption, Fund the Nations has created a shirt and the #bethevillage campaign. Every Be the Village shirt sold this month will help one adoptive couple to fund their adoption. The more shirts sold, the more money that can help one couple adopt. What an incredible thing this organization is doing!!!

We have even more exciting news! WE were chosen to be in the top 10! Because of that, WE NEED YOUR VOTES!!! Whichever couple receives the most votes by the end of November 21st will win and receive the funds raised from this awesome campaign! A few ways you can help:

1. Vote for us every day at http://www.fundthenations.com/adoption-videos.html
2. Post to all of your social media accounts with #adoptwithftn and let all your friends know that they can vote daily
3. Please keep us in your prayers!