Today we met with another couple that adopted domestically through HOPE. It was kind of funny because She is a CPA and He is a teacher, so naturally we hit it off with them! :) They were really nice, and they brought their 4 month old little boy... so adorable! They shared their journey with us, which included 3 (yes I said 3) attempts at adopting. The first time, they received a call two days after they were put "in the book." They were one of two couples, and the birth mother chose the other couple. The second time, they were chosen, and on the last possible day to terminate the parental rights, the birth father came forward and said he wanted to keep the child. Finally, they got a call saying a birth mother had just given birth, and chose them to give the baby to. They had less than a day, to prepare for the baby before they had to leave for the hospital.
She said that she wasn't really prepared for such an emotional roller coaster; she just assumed that the process would be quick and smooth. It really opened our eyes, because we were thinking the same thing! Unfortunately, this is something that we have to be prepared for.
Overall, it took them over a year to be matched with a birth family. We are hoping that it won't be quite so long for us, because they don't have as many families in their pool waiting to adopt domestically right now. Also, HOPE has been doing a lot more advertising at local hospitals and schools. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way of knowing how long it will take. It just depends on how many women are looking for adoptive families for their babies, and choose us.
Also today, although a little premature :), we bought a car seat! Thanks Mom and Dad! I wanted to buy it before I ended up spending the money on something else. But the couple did tell us today that they think it's a good idea to get the nursery ready and put a picture of it in our profile. It shows the prospective birth mothers that we are ready at any moment for a baby! It's hard though because I want to know if it's going to be a boy or a girl.... perhaps I need to let go of that and make it gender neutral???
Thanks again everyone for the amazing support! It really means a lot to us!
If you haven't done so already, please pass along the link to others that I did not have emails for. We don't mean to leave anyone out of "the loop" :)
Love,
Ryan and Christa
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
From the beginning........
Ryan and I have been trying to get pregnant for 4 1/2 years. We're tired of all the appointments, shots, side effects, money wasted, and mostly the emotional roller coaster. We are more than ready to become parents and are so excited to finally see a baby in our near future!
We started researching agencies about three months ago. We have decided to go with HOPE in Oak Park Heights. We have been very busy doing paperwork, and are relieved to have finished our autobiographies!! Such a huge weight lifted! We have had one meeting with our social worker, and will have 2 to 3 more. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 5th, to go over more paperwork and questions. We have also completed one training course on Multicultural parenting. We still have about 3 or 4 classes left to do.
They say the Home Study will take 3-4 months depending on how fast we can complete paperwork, schedule meetings, and attend classes. I think we're moving at a pretty good pace so far!
We are doing a Domestic infant adoption. Once we complete our Home Study, we will be put "in the book." Our profile will be given to birthmothers who come to HOPE looking for adoptive couples, lawyers working for a birthmother, or other agencies looking for adoptive parents. We are also relying on word of mouth. We are trying to just get our name out there to anyone and everyone who may know someone who is pregnant and deciding what to do.
Once a birth mother has chosen us, it could be months, weeks, or even days before the baby is born. They even told us at HOPE that mothers have called while in labor! So we are preparing for the possibility of a very short notice! How exciting!!
Want to know what you can do to help?? Well first and foremost, prayers are very much appreciated! They have gotten us this far in this journey, but we're not done yet! We truly believe that the baby that's meant for us, will be brought into our lives, and we can't wait!!
Secondly, please keep your eyes and ears open for anyone who could possibly be interested in adoption. We know this is probably a long shot, but just in case.
Lastly, we really want to say thank you to all of you for being there for us on this journey. We could not have made it this far without each and every one of you! Although it has been the hardest thing we have ever been through, we continue to see positives along the way. We truly believe that we are going through this for a reason and can't wait to meet that reason!
Love
Ryan and Christa
We started researching agencies about three months ago. We have decided to go with HOPE in Oak Park Heights. We have been very busy doing paperwork, and are relieved to have finished our autobiographies!! Such a huge weight lifted! We have had one meeting with our social worker, and will have 2 to 3 more. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 5th, to go over more paperwork and questions. We have also completed one training course on Multicultural parenting. We still have about 3 or 4 classes left to do.
They say the Home Study will take 3-4 months depending on how fast we can complete paperwork, schedule meetings, and attend classes. I think we're moving at a pretty good pace so far!
We are doing a Domestic infant adoption. Once we complete our Home Study, we will be put "in the book." Our profile will be given to birthmothers who come to HOPE looking for adoptive couples, lawyers working for a birthmother, or other agencies looking for adoptive parents. We are also relying on word of mouth. We are trying to just get our name out there to anyone and everyone who may know someone who is pregnant and deciding what to do.
Once a birth mother has chosen us, it could be months, weeks, or even days before the baby is born. They even told us at HOPE that mothers have called while in labor! So we are preparing for the possibility of a very short notice! How exciting!!
Want to know what you can do to help?? Well first and foremost, prayers are very much appreciated! They have gotten us this far in this journey, but we're not done yet! We truly believe that the baby that's meant for us, will be brought into our lives, and we can't wait!!
Secondly, please keep your eyes and ears open for anyone who could possibly be interested in adoption. We know this is probably a long shot, but just in case.
Lastly, we really want to say thank you to all of you for being there for us on this journey. We could not have made it this far without each and every one of you! Although it has been the hardest thing we have ever been through, we continue to see positives along the way. We truly believe that we are going through this for a reason and can't wait to meet that reason!
Love
Ryan and Christa
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