On Christmas Day (while on family vacation in Orlando with
the Silas side), Kevin and I publically announced that we have begun the
adoption process. While the announcement may have been a surprise to some, it
has been discussed and prayed about for a long time now.
I (Carly) have wanted to adopt long before adoption was a
norm within my family. I remember God laying it on my heart as a young
teenager. Since that desire was laid on my heart, my immediate family has grown
by two through adoption. Our niece, Kate, was adopted in 2011 and my brother,
Brandon, was adopted in 2013. So, to say that we love adoption would be an
understatement.
Kevin and I have had discussions about adoption since early
on in our relationship. But well over the past 6 months or so the discussions
became more serious as we talked and prayed about starting the adoption process
and the logistics of it all. The researching of adoption agencies and
consultants as well as brainstorming housing options then began.
Due to Kevin’s job, we have lived on a college campus our
whole married life. We originally had planned on buying a house before starting
the process, but the Lord closed (really slammed..ha!) that door, which has
turned out to be a blessing. At the beginning of Christmas Break, we “upgraded”
our housing from a two-bedroom teeny tiny apartment to a three-bedroom, much
more spacious apartment/dorm room. It really is spacious and we have it looking
rather “homie.” While Kevin was negotiating our housing (first to move off
campus and then to move another apartment on campus) we knew we were trying to
secure more space for a baby, yet our families had no clue (or so we thought)
that is why we were trying to move. We also began contacting adoption agencies
and consultants around November to start applications and gather information… I
really struggled with keeping it all a secret.
Originally we had planned on going through the same agency
that my niece was adopted through. However, they have not seemed to have many
placements lately. Over Thanksgiving break, I was mentioning the agency and
getting more information from my sister. She confirmed what I had already heard
and mentioned a consultancy group that she had heard about, Faithful Adoption
Consultants. They are known for placing babies pretty fast. They in and of themselves
are not an agency, but network with over 60 agencies across the country. Kevin
and I immediately began researching them and set up an initial phone
conference. We talked with a lady on the phone who answered a lot of our
questions and immediately felt at peace with going through FAC. They are a
faith-based group with a heart for the gospel and showcasing the gospel through
adoption.
On December 17th, we announced that we are
adopting to our families. I made super cute onesies for both sets of parents.
My Mom later added it to her mantle…she is only slightly excited. Ha! They also
begged to tell their friends, but we were mean and made them wait until
Christmas Day when we announced it publically. But now, the cat is out of the
bag for all to know. J
So, you may be wondering where we are in the process….
FAC has already recommended somebody to do our Home Study. We
have been in contact with our assigned case worker and have begun the seemingly
overwhelming process of completing our Home Study. We hope to have our portion
of the Home Study completed in January and have it finalized sometime in
February. Once our Home Study is completed, we will make a profile book and FAC
will start distributing it to expectant Mamas. Once Home Studies are completed,
FAC has an average wait time of 4.5 months, but sometimes it is faster. Eeek!
I am going to do my best to update the blog as the process
continues. (I promise it won’t always be nearly this long!) But in the
meantime, we ask that you cover us, our baby, and the brave expectant Mama and
her family in your prayers. There is a very real possibility that our sweet
baby is already growing and developing in her womb.
No comments:
Post a Comment