Since announcing our adoption plans, we've received many questions from friends and family! I've posted the questions and answers below for anyone that is curious or has been afraid to ask.
1. Are you asking for a girl?
I guess most people assume that because we already have a boy, we will be asking for a little girl. Not true! We are open to either gender and honestly, we have no preference. I know people say that all the time, but we just feel so blessed to even be on this journey to grow our family that gender doesn't matter.
2. Will you get to pick the baby?
No and sort of. We are creating an adoption profile with our preferences. Those preferences can include things like gender, race, and health backgrounds from the birth parents. Birth parents that meet our specified criteria will be presented with our information and they will have the option to choose us.
That being said, we have left our preferences very open with only a few things that we have closed the door on. We know that the more specific we get, the longer we will wait. We also know that God has chosen the child for our family and He will bring us all together.
3. Where will your baby come from?
We are on the path to a domestic infant adoption. Most likely the child will come from our state, but we do have the option to open our profile up to birth parents anywhere in the US.
4. How old will the baby be?
Our child will be an infant, from birth. In the state of North Carolina, the birth parents have 7 days to change their mind after signing their rights away after birth. In most circumstances, the baby will join our family at that 7 day mark, but it is possible that the baby could come home with us straight from the hospital.
5. How do you get chosen?
We have created a profile book that is full of pictures of our family, friends and details about our life. This book will be presented to birth parents all over the state. If they like our family, they have the option to choose us!
6. How long is the wait? When will you be getting your baby?
We don't know. Our adoption agency is very vague about this and they have all the reason to be. This is what we know...
Currently, we are in the home study process. This part of the process includes two interviews with our adoption coordinator, an interview with our pastor, and a home visit. The two interviews are complete and the rest should be finished up this month. Then we become a "waiting family".
Once we are a waiting family, our profile book will be presented to birth parents. If and when we are chosen by a family, we will wait for the baby to be born. Most birth parents choose their adoptive families during the third trimester. We could be waiting anywhere from a few weeks to a few years.
7. Why is it so expensive?
Private adoption can be so expensive. As detailed in our last blog post, we are looking at around $25,000 and there could be even more expenses bringing that number somewhere between $30-$35,000. Those funds cover legal fees, our agency fees, and medical care for the birth mother and delivery of the baby. Our agency is a Christian agency that is operating at a loss on each finalized adoption. They supplement those funds with donations from the community.
8. There are so many children in foster care. Why don't you go through the foster system which is free?
When God called us to adoption, we let Him take the lead. He even pointed us directly to the adoption agency we are working with. Domestic adoption, international adoption, and foster care through the state are all ways to help children in need. There are children that need families no matter which path you choose. We are simply following the path that God has for our family.
9. How can I help?
Pray! We welcome your prayers for our family as we prepare to bring another child into our home. Specifically, please pray for:
Noah, as we prepare him to become a big brother.
The birth parents, that God would give them peace as they choose adoption for their child.
The health of the birth mother and the baby.
The finances to fund this adoption.
Buy a t-shirt! This morning we launched a 10 day t-shirt drive through Chrome Buffalo! Every t-shirt sold will provide $11 towards our adoption! There are lots of t-shirt designs available on the site in various sizes.
If t-shirts aren't your thing and you'd rather donate directly, we do have a fund set up in Paypal.
Don't forget as you're shopping to use my affiliate links. By simply shopping through my affiliate links, you are helping our family! This is at no cost to you above what you were already planning to purchase. Please bookmark these sites and use them each time you shop!
Amazon ---> http://amzn.to/1L2AE9b
Kelly's Closet ---> http://www.kellyscloset.com/?AffId=630
Thank you to everyone that prayed for us and for your donations so far! We can't wait to grow our family and to continue to share our journey with you!
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