Homestudy officially in process!

Our agency emailed today confirming they received all the necessary paperwork and are beginning to process our homestudy information! The agency's social worker emailed me and will be coming to visit the last week in July. It is starting to become real and sink in that this is actually going to happen for us.

 The great thing is that throughout everything, God has continued to humble me and show me how much better it is to walk with Him instead of on my own. I used to get sad and feel sorry for myself when I found out someone was expecting, but now I am just excited for them and can share in their joy! I know that someday, maybe soon, maybe we will have to wait awhile, God has a little one for us. We just have to wait on His time and not our own!

I remember when my parents sat my sister Emily and I down and told us they were adopting. I thought they were completely crazy. Now, over a decade later I cannot begin to imagine Chessie and Carmen not being my brother and sister. God always knows better then we do, He just waits for us to figure it out. He definitely has a sense of humor!

For those of you that dont know my adopted siblings, I'm attaching pictures because I cant help but share them with the world!

Crossing the Ts

So this is the adoption process so far:

Step 1. Choose an agency, then send in an application to the agency and wait for acceptance letter. Step accomplished!

Step 2. Before we can being the adoption, we have to have an approved home study. For those of you who are new to the adoption process, a home study is basically an "investigation" in a non-threatening sense of course, to ensure that you will be good adoptive parents. Any type of adoption, whether international or domestic, requires a home study. There is mainly a lot of paperwork and visits from a social worker to see that we will provide a safe and healthy environment for a child. It's kind of ironic really, when I encounter people on a daily basic who probably should go through screening before getting pregnant (I'm a labor and delivery nurse) But life is full of irony isn't it! we know God has a special purpose for our family and it will be so worth it!

I spent the last two days filling out paperwork and getting it all ready to send in. Dan and I both had to get health physicals yesterday to make sure we are healthy enough to be parents! Luckily Dan and I really don't have any health issues so it was seamless. (note, health issues don't necessarily prevent you from adopting!) We then went to the bank and had child abuse registry forms notarized. (hope we pass! Just kidding). I went to the vet today and got a copy of our pets vaccinations. Whew! The forms a filled out were incredibly detailed, from our eye color to what kind of activities we did in high school! we also had to have three couples send in reference letters for us. (thank you guys!)

Today, I am happy to say I have all the home study paperwork in the mail and on the way to the agency! What a weight off of my chest! Being a nurse definitely has it's advantages, I'm awesome at paperwork! Once they receive the paperwork, the home study process will take 4-6 weeks according to our agency, so hopefully by the end of summer!

What comes next? While we are in the home study process, we will begin to put together a portfolio. This is basically a scrapbook containing a snapshot of our lives. I'm actually excited to do this! Once the home study is accepted by the state of SC, the agency will start showing our portfolio to birthmothers. The birthmother may choose us, and if they do the agency will contact us. Wow, I can't wait till the day we get that phone call! I'm already getting excited!


This is going to be a crazy summer! I keep picturing myself as a clown, juggling the different areas of my life and trying to put good effort into each one! I recently started teaching zumba 4 times a week, and it's alot of work learning new routines and keep the classes fresh and exciting. I have to say, we are so blessed, even without children, with such a full life. We have so many amazing friends, activities, great jobs and a great church, and we couldn't live in a more beautiful area.

Thanks for journeying with us!!

How our adoption journey began

I am new to blogging so this blog will be pretty simple at first. Dan and I decided to start to have children August of 2009. A year went by and nothing happened.We weren't too concerned.  After a year and a half, we decided to go to my doctor to see if there was a reason we weren't conceiving. She ran a few tests, then I got a devestating phone call. My tests results came back that my fsh (follicle stimulating hormone) was really high, which meant I had decreased ovarian reserve. My world came crashing down. I think everyone worries they won't be able to have children but no one actually thinks it will happen to them. My doctor referred me to the fertility specialists who were more positive and felt we would have a good chance with IVF. This idea was a little scary to us, so we decided to try IUI first, a less invasive method. When that failed, I felt paralyzed with what to do next. We had just one shot if we wanted to try IVF (in vitro fertilization). Dan didnt really like the idea of IVF, and I just couldnt go through the emotional toll it would take. I really didnt know what to do.

I started reading "Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope," by Mary Beth Chapman. (This is an amazing book, very heart-wrenching but an incredible story and testament.) At a certain point in the book, she describes the adoption process and what it felt like for her first adopted daughter from China to be placed in her arms. She said from that moment she knew that was HER daughter. At this point in the book I was overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and started sobbing. I will always remember that moment as the time God told me to wake up!; He had something so beautiful in store for us through adoption! I quickly callled Dan over to the couch and asked him to sit down. Through tears, I explained how God had spoken to me and wanted us to adopt, rather then go through IVF. He responded with, "Well, I have been waiting to hear you say that!" Even more confirmation that this was Gods plan. Dan had been praying about it as well and it had been confirmed in his heart; he was just waiting for God to do a work in me.

Our adoption journey began. I went a little crazy researching adoption, different countries, where we could adopt from, agencies...You name it, I researched it. I discovered that alot of countries had very strict requirements on adoption (Age, length of marriage, etc) I had always wanted to adopt an Asian child (my sister is Chinese) and found that we fit all the qualifications of South Korea! I was overjoyed! Everything was lining up perfectly!! Then I got another blow. One of the agencies we applied with called and said that because I had taken medication for depression, South Korea would not acccept us. I couldnt believe it and yes, cried again. I started looking into Ethiopia and found that we fit all of their qualifications, so it must be a match. After doing more research, I discovered that their government had shut down adoptions by 90%!  So of course, I was doing this all on my own, my way, not Gods way.

I had always said I would never do domestic adoption. Just wasn't for me! The main reason is because I had always heard horror stories about people giving the babies back after the birthmother changed her mind down the road. I couldnt imagine going through that! Well as "educated" as I was, I was very incorrect on the laws of South Carolina. A friend, Christi Ferguson, who has also adopted domestically, told me that once the papers are signed (which is before the baby leaves the hospital) there is no going back. So Dan and I met with an adoption lawyer to get more facts. He confirmed what Christi had told me. Of course, when the baby is born, the birth mother can decide to keep it, and we are ok with that. I just couldnt imagine spending 30 days bonding with an infant, then having to give it back. Wow, this was all shocking and eye-opening to me! Of course, my easy-going husband was pretty much ok with whatever I was ok with.  I began to see that God had a completely different plan for us!

" For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways,' declaires the Lord" Isaiah 55:8

Thats for sure! So our journey begins! We are officially accepted by an adoption agency in South Carolina! We are open to any race, any gender. We both know that God already knows what precious child will come into our lives, we just need to wait on Him. I will be updating this blog as we go along in this process, so stay tuned!! Please keep us in your prayers as there are many ups and downs and hoops to jump through =)