We received our monthly "update" email from our social worker today. Looks like they are currently working with two moms due in December and one mom due in January that are all planning on making an adoption plan but have not looked at profile books yet since it's still so early in the pregnancy. I could handle a Christmas baby :) It gives us some hope that there is some more activity at the agency though.
Our agency also is doing a large marketing campaign this summer. They will be doing ads on KDWB, visiting high schools in the fall, and sending out marketing materials at the U of MN. This has been a big push for them to get their name out and available to parents looking to make an adoption plan. I'm excited to see the results they get from it!
That's really all the updates we have for now! Summer is sure keeping us busy so don't expect too many updates from me unless we have a profile showing or something drastic happens.
Happy Summer!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Not our time
We got a call Friday night from our social worker that our profile was shown,unfortunately a family was chosen and it wasn't us. We didn't receive any other feedback other than the birth mom felt she had a connection with the family they choose.
We are feeling a few different things right now. First, being the obvious feeling of rejection and sadness and second the feeling of happiness as prayers were answered for a family that night. I can only imagine the joy the family who was chosen feels right now. I am truly excited for them and wish them the best as they move forward in the adoption process.
We are at complete peace knowing it wasn't our time and when the time is right...it will be perfect!
We are feeling a few different things right now. First, being the obvious feeling of rejection and sadness and second the feeling of happiness as prayers were answered for a family that night. I can only imagine the joy the family who was chosen feels right now. I am truly excited for them and wish them the best as they move forward in the adoption process.
We are at complete peace knowing it wasn't our time and when the time is right...it will be perfect!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Profile Showing?
I title my post Profile Showing with a question mark because...well y'all know how previous profile showings have gone, right??
Well...we are "suppose" to have a profile showing tomorrow, Friday June 1st! I wasn't going to post it, as mentioned previously I feel like I am just jinxing everything but A.) I can't keep secrets. and B.) We, Birth Mom, and other families being shown need all the prayers we can get!
There are 24 families waiting at our agency and ALL of them will be shown to the birth mom tomorrow. Overwhelming, right?! So our chances of getting chosen are slim but also knowing that everything is meant to be and if this is the baby we are meant to have...it will all work out. And if not...we will keep waiting for the right one! Baby is due July 30th! Which freaks me out a tad knowing that is right around the corner!!!! I think they will be eliminating profile books as quickly as possible to get a final decision.
We should know more in a few days if our book was chosen to move on to the next "step" or not. I am not really sure what the next step would be but I'm assuming out of the 24 books, she will first try to limit to the top 5-8 and then either try limiting more from there or scheduling to meet each of them. Everyone is different and we are unsure of what the process will be with this birth mom.
I will update either way as soon as we know! Again, prayers are greatly appreciated for everyone involved. Specific prayer requests are as follows:
1. Prayers for the social workers and counselors involved that they may help lead this birth mom and birth dad to make the right decision for THEM and no one else.
2. Prayers for the birth mom and dad. May they have complete peace with their decision, whatever it may be. Pray they can feel God's hand in all of this.
3. Prayers for all the other 23 families that are waiting and will be shown tomorrow. A majority of them have been waiting longer than us and I know are just as eager to bring their baby home.
4. Prayers for Ross & I that if this is the baby God has chosen for us, we will be at peace with it and be ready to take this journey to the next level even with the shorter time span which freaks me out a bit!:) If this baby isn't for us, may we be at peace with that also and know our baby is still out there waiting for us.
5. And of course, prayers for the little baby that is expected to be making his/her appearance in 2 months! Pray the baby continues to grow and stay healthy and that whatever parent is picked for the baby, he/she will be loved unconditionally!
Thank you so much! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Well...we are "suppose" to have a profile showing tomorrow, Friday June 1st! I wasn't going to post it, as mentioned previously I feel like I am just jinxing everything but A.) I can't keep secrets. and B.) We, Birth Mom, and other families being shown need all the prayers we can get!
There are 24 families waiting at our agency and ALL of them will be shown to the birth mom tomorrow. Overwhelming, right?! So our chances of getting chosen are slim but also knowing that everything is meant to be and if this is the baby we are meant to have...it will all work out. And if not...we will keep waiting for the right one! Baby is due July 30th! Which freaks me out a tad knowing that is right around the corner!!!! I think they will be eliminating profile books as quickly as possible to get a final decision.
We should know more in a few days if our book was chosen to move on to the next "step" or not. I am not really sure what the next step would be but I'm assuming out of the 24 books, she will first try to limit to the top 5-8 and then either try limiting more from there or scheduling to meet each of them. Everyone is different and we are unsure of what the process will be with this birth mom.
I will update either way as soon as we know! Again, prayers are greatly appreciated for everyone involved. Specific prayer requests are as follows:
1. Prayers for the social workers and counselors involved that they may help lead this birth mom and birth dad to make the right decision for THEM and no one else.
2. Prayers for the birth mom and dad. May they have complete peace with their decision, whatever it may be. Pray they can feel God's hand in all of this.
3. Prayers for all the other 23 families that are waiting and will be shown tomorrow. A majority of them have been waiting longer than us and I know are just as eager to bring their baby home.
4. Prayers for Ross & I that if this is the baby God has chosen for us, we will be at peace with it and be ready to take this journey to the next level even with the shorter time span which freaks me out a bit!:) If this baby isn't for us, may we be at peace with that also and know our baby is still out there waiting for us.
5. And of course, prayers for the little baby that is expected to be making his/her appearance in 2 months! Pray the baby continues to grow and stay healthy and that whatever parent is picked for the baby, he/she will be loved unconditionally!
Thank you so much! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Dreams
Last weekend I had the most wonderful dreams! I dreamed every night of our baby. What heart break to wake up and realize they weren't true though! I haven't dreamed this much about our baby before and wonder if this is a sign that we are getting closer? I can only hope it's a sign! I've been praying for patience lately and a lot of it. The hardest things for adoptive parents has got to be the waiting part. Forget about the paperwork, fees, personal questions, and doctor visits. Looking back that was definitely the "easy" part of this process.
One of the adoption books I read during our application process talked a lot about the waiting process. The book is called "Successful Adoption, a guide for christian families." It's written by Natalie Gillespie. She talks about how the waiting process is extremely tough, but God has a plan in all of it. He uses this time to make your faith grow, stretch you beyond your comfort zone, and into a new level of trusting and believing in him. I have to agree, the book was right on with this. After all, it is pretty rare for God to work right away. He usually makes us wait. The book tells us to not waste our wait time complaining about what we do not yet have (our child) but instead make it our goal to ask God what he wants us to do during this wait time to draw us closer to him, our families, etc. Starting today, I want to stop wasting our wait time and start truly searching to God for how he wants us to spend our time.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8
One of the adoption books I read during our application process talked a lot about the waiting process. The book is called "Successful Adoption, a guide for christian families." It's written by Natalie Gillespie. She talks about how the waiting process is extremely tough, but God has a plan in all of it. He uses this time to make your faith grow, stretch you beyond your comfort zone, and into a new level of trusting and believing in him. I have to agree, the book was right on with this. After all, it is pretty rare for God to work right away. He usually makes us wait. The book tells us to not waste our wait time complaining about what we do not yet have (our child) but instead make it our goal to ask God what he wants us to do during this wait time to draw us closer to him, our families, etc. Starting today, I want to stop wasting our wait time and start truly searching to God for how he wants us to spend our time.
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. -Deuteronomy 31:8
Monday, April 30, 2012
Pregnant....without a due date.
The title of my post comes from one of the adoption books we were required to read to become approved into the program called, "The Adoption Decision" by Laura Christianson. The book discussed the "15 things you want to know before adopting."
My favorite part of the book is when the author describes how adoptive parents experience a "subdued pregnancy." Most people don't even realize we are expecting because we don't show the physical signs of pregnancy. I'm not nauseous, gaining weight around the stomach area, or crabby. (well maybe a little of the last one.... :)) Adoption parents labor pains are psychological, rather than physical. We have stretch marks on our hearts instead of our stomachs. And as hard as it is to admit...I am pregnant without a due date. And having experienced pregnancy first hand, pregnant without a due date sure sucks.
The weight seems long. I feel like we have been waiting forever and even though September is still 4 months away that month scares me because in September we will have been waiting a year already. A lot can happen in 4 months, I keep telling myself that, but also the reality of not having our profile book shown even once yet in the 8 months we have been waiting is real and stares me in the face daily.
We're praying extra hard that our "due date" approaches sooner than later.
My favorite part of the book is when the author describes how adoptive parents experience a "subdued pregnancy." Most people don't even realize we are expecting because we don't show the physical signs of pregnancy. I'm not nauseous, gaining weight around the stomach area, or crabby. (well maybe a little of the last one.... :)) Adoption parents labor pains are psychological, rather than physical. We have stretch marks on our hearts instead of our stomachs. And as hard as it is to admit...I am pregnant without a due date. And having experienced pregnancy first hand, pregnant without a due date sure sucks.
The weight seems long. I feel like we have been waiting forever and even though September is still 4 months away that month scares me because in September we will have been waiting a year already. A lot can happen in 4 months, I keep telling myself that, but also the reality of not having our profile book shown even once yet in the 8 months we have been waiting is real and stares me in the face daily.
We're praying extra hard that our "due date" approaches sooner than later.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Prayers for "Baby E"
Asking for prayers for a special baby that we have never met but needs a good home. We were asked yesterday if we wanted to show our profile book to a birth family in California. They have an almost 5 month old baby girl up for adoption. She was born with severe Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH). Patients with this disorder can have an endocrine abnormality and midline brain defects. She is also blind, which is a symptom of this disorder. There is no real definitive test that can assess for the severity of the midline brain defects and a true prognosis can only be made at around ages two or three. She was placed with a family for adoption when she was born and now that family is no longer able to complete the adoption process.
My heart breaks for this little girl and I feel horrible to not have our book shown. Who are we to turn this child down and be so picky? One of our children could have easily have been born with a disability and we would not have the choice to say "no." However, I have to remain faithful that this isn't our time and that there is a wonderful family out there waiting for this baby to join their family.
Please pray that Baby "E" finds a wonderful family soon and that family is able to successfully complete all her needs.
My heart breaks for this little girl and I feel horrible to not have our book shown. Who are we to turn this child down and be so picky? One of our children could have easily have been born with a disability and we would not have the choice to say "no." However, I have to remain faithful that this isn't our time and that there is a wonderful family out there waiting for this baby to join their family.
Please pray that Baby "E" finds a wonderful family soon and that family is able to successfully complete all her needs.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
March updates
We're back! Our family trip to California has came to a close. It was wonderful and we can't wait to go back! I was hoping to come back to some adoption news but everything is still pretty quiet around here. We did get an update from our social worker highlighting what happened with the agency in March:
EXPECTANT PARENT COUNSELING PROGRAM:
They worked with a total of 4 expectant parents this month, of those:
*1 Expectant parent that is making an adoption. They have been counseling this birthmother for the past two months and she is matched with a BCS family that she knew personally. Due early May 2012*1 expectant parent that is still trying to decide if she wants to parent or make an adoption plan. She is due May 2012. She has been counseled through BCS for the past two months. *2 Expectant parents that are moving towards parenting. One counseled since January 2012 and the other began counseling this month
Births/Placement's this Month:*1 Birthmother decided to parent at the birth of the child*2 babies placed with BCS families (currently in legal risk placement) in the Month of March.
1-BCS-Plymouth family based on a profile book showing in January.
1-BCS-Plymouth family based on a profile book showing in February in South
Dakota.
Profile Showings:
*2 in Naples, Florida.
-Expectant family requested a family that had personal experience with trans racial adoption, specifically African American.
-Expectant parents were of African American and African Caribbean descent. BCS-Plymouth family was matched with the expectant parents.
So as you can see....stuff is happening....just not a lot!
There are now 26 families waiting at our agency in MN. Of those, 4 of them are pending placements. I was overjoyed to see one of the families pending placement was a family that was in one of our classes! It warms my heart to see people you have met and talked to get placed. Prayers for these families are they enter the final adoption proceedings. And as always, prayers for our family as we wait patiently to complete ours.
EXPECTANT PARENT COUNSELING PROGRAM:
They worked with a total of 4 expectant parents this month, of those:
*1 Expectant parent that is making an adoption. They have been counseling this birthmother for the past two months and she is matched with a BCS family that she knew personally. Due early May 2012*1 expectant parent that is still trying to decide if she wants to parent or make an adoption plan. She is due May 2012. She has been counseled through BCS for the past two months. *2 Expectant parents that are moving towards parenting. One counseled since January 2012 and the other began counseling this month
Births/Placement's this Month:*1 Birthmother decided to parent at the birth of the child*2 babies placed with BCS families (currently in legal risk placement) in the Month of March.
1-BCS-Plymouth family based on a profile book showing in January.
1-BCS-Plymouth family based on a profile book showing in February in South
Dakota.
Profile Showings:
*2 in Naples, Florida.
-Expectant family requested a family that had personal experience with trans racial adoption, specifically African American.
-Expectant parents were of African American and African Caribbean descent. BCS-Plymouth family was matched with the expectant parents.
So as you can see....stuff is happening....just not a lot!
There are now 26 families waiting at our agency in MN. Of those, 4 of them are pending placements. I was overjoyed to see one of the families pending placement was a family that was in one of our classes! It warms my heart to see people you have met and talked to get placed. Prayers for these families are they enter the final adoption proceedings. And as always, prayers for our family as we wait patiently to complete ours.
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