Adoption 101

I get the same questions about adoption from soooo many folks, so I figured I would just write down my answers once and then I can send the link, LOL!  My Daddy always said "Work smarter, not harder!" :)  So, this is my attempt to do just that!

There are two typical avenues to adoption: Private or State Adoption.  We are pursuing both State AND Private Adoption at the same time. How that happened is a long story, but that's where we are for now.  You may already know the differences, but here they are just in case you don't.

PRIVATE Adoption is *usually* done through an agency (ours is Bethany Christian Services, which is a nation-wide agency) and pregnant women who know they want to place their baby for adoption contact the agency, which then serves as a matchmaking service of sorts, by screening adoptive families and letting the birthmom CHOOSE which family she'd like the baby to be placed with. Bethany also offers lifetime counseling services to the birthmom, before and after placement of the child, which is part of why we LOVE them and their mission to serve THE WHOLE TRIAD (baby, birthmom, and adoptive parents!) through the gift of adoption!!!

We started our adoption journey with Bethany over two years ago, on February 14, 2013 (BEST Valentine's date EVER!!!).  At the time, Kevin was only working 20 hours per week (while attending college classes FULL-time!) and Bethany expressed concern about how we would pay the 5-digit $21,550 total for services rendered, lawyers, training courses, etc.  They told us to pursue state adoption.

STATE adoption is free for adoptive families, and usually involves:
--older children,
--young children with varying degrees of special needs (mental, physical, and/or developmental disabilities), and/or
--sibling groups (because most folks only want to adopt one child at a time, these groups are MUCH harder to place in adoptive families).

We would like to pursue BOTH of these types of adoption, primarily because we want more than one more child (in addition to our current daughter who will be 8 this month--WOW!) and just cannot imagine trying to raise $21,550 for ANOTHER private adoption in the future.  So, now, we are simply waiting to see which avenue of adoption matches us first with a child/children!

Stay tuned for my next post on where we are on the journey down BOTH these adoption avenues and to learn about the amazing things God is doing to encourage us in this pursuit!

Lots of love and big hugs,
Amy :)

Swannanoa shindig, puppy

Throwback to late June/early July of 2010 to THE cutest 3 year old letting a puppy lick her ice cream bowl clean at the Swannanoa Shindig, a local NC neighborhood party we would walk to from our home in Upper Beacon Village!  Such a quaint little summer tradition! :)

Adoption Picnic

Please pray for our family today!!!  We are going to an Adoption Picnic, where adoptive families like us and children available and waiting to be adopted get to meet and mingle.  In short, I have no idea what to expect and it is sure to be somewhat of a surreal experience, as the rest of this journey has been so far!!!  I mean, who goes to a picnic to scout kids?!? Really???  That just feels WEIRD.  Meanwhile, we are STILL waiting on the Fab Five, so our hearts are torn as to whether even to look to make any connections tomorrow....such a roller coaster of confusing emotions.  My Gran calls this the In-Betweens, when one feels stuck between two lives, so to speak.  As I was texting a sweet friend this week, all of life these days seems like a state of the In-Betweens.  So, I am focusing on living as much as possible in the present, where I can squish and tickle and smooch on my girl, while Hubbs and I pray for the present circumstances of any children that may come to us...that they are well-loved, well-protected, and well-cared for, even if not by us.....yet.  Join us in that prayer, wont you?