Just wanted to share a little bit about what has been on my heart lately (Janine). It seems that every day I feel more and more confident about our decision to go with adoption. Even though it is a crazy rocky roller coaster ride, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the road we are supposed to be on. It feels like everything we both have gone through has been to prepare us for this. My faith has also been growing immensely! God is definitely working in our lives in so many ways. We have been getting more involved in our amazing church, and I have not been this in love with my church since I was in high school! Jeremy and I have also been inspired lately that when all this is over we want to start some sort of ministry or something in support of adoption. It seems that even with all the resources out there right now birthmoms and prospective adoptive parents are still given the run around and are still so confused as to where to turn and what to do. We are learning so much about this process and we want to help others who are going through it also. Please continue to pray for us, we are so grateful for all the amazing support we have been getting, even from complete strangers! People never cease to amaze me! We are both learning so much about each other, and ourselves through all of this. Even though we have had so much heartache, loss, financial stress, confusion, and anxiety, we have never been so sure that God has something amazing in store for us. We are ready to be His servants and go wherever we are led! Please continue to pray for our little miracles, wherever they are right now pray that they will feel safe and loved and that they will never give up! Thank you and God Bless!
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Over the past couple of weeks we had been told so many different things about adoption and what to expect next. There is so much that you just have to learn along the way it seems. If you are not paying an agency $30,000 then you have to figure it all out on your own! There is no handbook for this stuff! Well we found an awesome adoption attorney who gave us a free consultation and tons of great information for free. He is a Christian and about 15 minutes from our house! We right away felt at ease with him and definitely left with a sense of peace! We had been praying for clarity and peace and after leaving him that prayer was answered! We are facing some possibilities right now, but won't know anything for sure for another month so we do not want to share details yet. We are just continuing to trust in God and go where we feel we are being led. We have spoken to so many people and have attended info sessions about adoption and have done research online and read books, but finally we feel like we have a better grasp on what to expect. The road ahead will not be easy and will still be very expensive, but we know it is where we are meant to be. Somewhere out there are children who needs us, and we cannot wait to find them, and finally be a family! We would love an open adoption! Check out this video to see a trailer of a book written by an adoptive father about their true open adoption journey! Well we are about 3 months into our adoption journey and things are at a standstill, but we do have some hope! There are some possibilities for us out there right now. We are trying to not get our hopes up too high though. We know it is still very early in this whole process and it could be many months until we finally have our baby in our arms. God has opened our hearts to other possibilities that originally we did not think we would want. Originally we thought we only wanted a newborn baby, I think because I just really wanted to experience all the wonders that are a newborn baby. God may have other plans for us though, and after much thought and prayer He has opened our hearts to older children. We now know that whatever God has in store for us we know that it is the best thing. If there is a child out there that needs us, we are open and ready. We believe that everything happens for a reason, and the people that have come into our lives and the things we have been through has led us to this moment and hopefully will lead us to our children and to becoming the family that we are meant to be. We may not have all the money or the space, but we do have the hearts. We will trust in God to provide for us. No matter what happens we will continue to have patience and hope.
Cannot wait until this is me! She Who Is an Adoptive Mother By: Suzy Toronto A miracle occurred when the infant was first laid in her arms. She was transformed from a woman into a goddess known as “mother.” For so many years, she had stifled the pain of empty arms, Believing this moment would never come. So she focused elsewhere on making a difference in the world, Seeking fulfillment as best she could. But now a newborn baby lay in her arms. She thought she’d known the depths of love… She thought she’d seen the heights of success… She thought she’d experienced true joy… But nothing compared to this. All else faded when she gazed into the face of the miracle She thought could never be hers… A child to call her own. Babies need a lot of stuff! For such a little tiny thing, there is so much stuff for babies! There are also several different brands for everything! We decided to start accumulating a few things just in case we get a call about a baby ready be adopted right now, so everything has to be neutral colors. I was totally overwhelmed when I went into the baby aisle and there was so much stuff! So each time I go to Target or Walmart I figured I would get just a couple things, baby stuff is expensive too! Hopefully by getting just a few things here and there it will not be too bad. We also hope that when we do finally find our baby that our wonderful family and friends will help us out! In the mean time we will be acquiring things little by little and we are fine with second hand too! We got this pack n play before we started our home study to show the social worker we could fit a baby in our apartment, we got it on craigslist for less than half what they go for and it has hardly been used! Yes it is pink, so if we get a boy we will get some boy stuff for it and hopefully it wont be too bad (= We are excited buying baby stuff and overwhelmed. We will have to start reading the baby books and see what is best for baby! We are still patiently awaiting and trusting in God to lead us to the right baby. Not much is going on with our agency and that is frustrating sometimes. We gave them a lot of $$ and it is difficult to just wait and not really hear anything for a while. In the mean time we are trying to network on our own as much as possible. I have us on every free adoption website I can find and I will sometimes spend hours on the computer just trying to network and get the word out there. We feel that right now facebook is one of the best ways to find a birthmom since we have the potential to reach thousands of people. It is sometimes like pulling teeth to get people to like our page and also to share it, but we are getting there and some of our friends have been surprisingly very helpful. We are truly blessed with amazing, supportive family and friends! Thank you so much for following along and being a part of our journey! I love this song by Steven Curtis Chapman who has adopted children and is a huge supporter of adoption. Well our homestudy is complete! We heard that it could take several months to get it done and we finished it about 1 month! We are both very ambitious and when we have something in our heads we go go go until it is done. We have tried to spread the word about our adoption through every avenue and social media website we can think of. We just want people to know our story and to keep us in mind if they ever come across someone pregnant and thinking about giving up the baby for adoption. We know now we just have to wait, and it is very difficult. Everything is up to God and we know it will happen in His own time. This is still very surreal for us and sometimes still difficult to believe that this has happened to us. We just want a family and we know we are meant to be parents to more than just our kitties (= Our story and journey is still happening and God is still preparing all of us. We do not know what He has in store for us, but we are excited to find out! Last week we attended an orientation for Orange County adoption. There is quite a bit involved going that route and it seems to take a very long time. We at least have a better understanding of how it all works, and we have decided that when our contract is up with our agency if we have not found a baby then we will go through the county to find our miracles. It will happen for us, we are still walking by faith and trusting in God. Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support. Please share your own experiences about adoption with us on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JeremyJ9Adoption?ref=hl The Legacy of a Child in an Open Adoption
By Brenda Romanchick Once there were two expectant mothers. One carried and cared for you beneath her beating heart She became your Birthmother. The other carried the hope of you within her. She became your Mom. As the days passed, and you grew bigger and stronger, Your Birthmother knew that she could not give you all you needed after your birth. Meanwhile, your Mom was ready and waiting for you. One day your Birthmom and your Mom found each other. They looked into each other’s eyes and saw a friend. Your Birthmom saw the life your Mom could give you. Your Mom saw how much your Birthmom loved and cared for you. They decided that what you needed was both kinds of love in your life. So now you have two families, One by birth, the other by adoption. And you have a home where you can get: your questions answered, your boo boos bandaged, your heartaches soothed, And much needed hugs. And a place where you can find: answers to your questions, your image in the mirror, a part of yourself, And much needed hugs. Two different kinds of families Two different kinds of love Both a part of you. Two Women by Lori Coleman, adoptive mother written for and in honor of her children's birthmothers Two women cry into the night, their eyes are filled with tears. Oh God why is this happening? I need to feel you near. One woman sits alone in the darkness, Decisions she must make. She wants to do what's best for the child, It's life she cannot take. The other woman clings to her mate And she doesn't understand why they can't have a child of their own as so many others can. These women come from different worlds. Their lives are miles apart. But God would deliver the pain they felt and heal their broken hearts. And then one precious morning their lives became intertwined. Both women's prayers were answered as they felt God's plan unwind. One woman touched her newborn's cheek and whispered to the babe, "Because I love you little one, sacrifices I've made." With the strength she felt from heaven, to the other woman she gave the miracle of a baby for her to love and raise. The other woman looked down at her precious baby's eyes and thanked God for the woman who had helped fulfill her life. Two women pray into the night and thank the Lord above for the opportunity he's given them both to feel a Mother's love. |
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We are Janine and Jeremy and we want to adopt a baby! This blog is for documenting some of our thoughts and experiences along the way! Archives
March 2015
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