Decision made!

We met with the directors/owners of Little Angel Adoptions this morning , and the same good vibe we felt on the phone a few days ago was felt again. We had a great talk with Deb- she & her husband Jim started Little Angel Adoptions years ago and they have an obvious heart for birth mother's and the ministry of adoption. She confirmed all the things we'd been told by Kim (the adoptive parent coordinator) and she set us completely at ease. She shared lots of stories with us- all God-ordained meetings between adoptive parents & birth mothers. We realized very quickly that nothing we do can force the process to go faster or smoother but every step is an act of faith. We found this to be a big relief! We don't need to obsess over making the perfect profile book or call for updates every few days... we can relax and trust that God has the perfect child picked out for us.

So after some extensive debriefing with one another over lunch, we've decided to move forward with Little Angel Adoptions! :-) We've already completed the application & been accepted, so the next step is to read & sign the contract and pay the fee (a very little word for a very big number!). After that we'll be officially "pregnant on paper" as they say.

Next we'll write a letter to the potential birth mother & submit a picture to be posted on Little Angel's website. We'll also need to begin collecting reference letters from friends & family, create a profile book to be sent to potential birth mothers, and get a home study done. Lots lots lots to do!

We could be chosen by a birth mom in as little as a few weeks, or up to about 1 year. It's up to God! (Sometimes birth mothers call when they are in labor or have JUST delivered a child, and they want to place their baby with a family immediately! But in most cases a birth mother calls when she is a few months into her pregnancy, so we'll most likely have plenty of notice.)

Please let us know if you have any questions for us about our decision or Little Angel Adoptions!

Here's a little more info about Little Angel Adoptions for those who are interested:

-They do only domestic adoptions within the U.S. They have birth mothers from all around the country, so it's very likely we will need to travel to pick up our child!
-Only 30-35 adoptive families are kept on file. This gives each family the one-on-one attention they need during this emotional process!
-The birth mother will be given only 10-15 profile books to look through, all families who fit what she's looking for & vice versa.
-It is VERY rare for a birth mother to change her mind about relinquishing her child for adoption once she's been matched with a family. (Once the child has been b0rn & discharged from the hospital, the adoption will be finalized & the birth parents rights will be terminated.)
-The majority of birth mother's request a semi-open or closed adoption. (Zach & I are comfortable with both options.)
-A casual relationship between the birth mother & adoptive parents is encouraged before the child is born, but only 5% of families actually meet the birth mother before she delivers.
-We will be given access to the birth mother's medical records from her pre-natal care visits, the baby's medical records, as well as any family medical history that is known.

Gettin' a Good Vibe

So after a very emotional few days of processing what we learned from Lilliput, we called up Little Angels Adoptions. I (Anne) spoke with the Adoptive Parent Coordinator for half an hour & got many of my questions answered. She was so easy to talk to and set me completely at ease. She adopted her son through Little Angels and then took a job with them shortly after. She was very honest about her experience and really encouraged me. All the information we've gained so far are things we both feel very comfortable with. Just after that first call we got a very good vibe, as opposed to the heart sinking feeling we felt with Lilliput. So we've set up a meeting with Little Angels for this Friday morning. Please pray for discernment & that God would give us peace about the course we should take.

Last night we also had the pleasure of having dinner with the Marshi family. Holly & Bassel Marshi attend our church and they recently adopted 7 yr. old Bailey through Lilliput. We had a wonderful time getting to know their family & hearing their story. It was so refreshing to meet another family who can give us support & enouragement through this process. (Thank you Holly & Bassel!!!)

A Bit Overwhelmed...

Thank you to those of you who prayed for us during our orientation meeting with Lilliput! We were given A LOT of information last night and we're still processing it all. We talked some things out with Zach's parents who attended the meeting with us and we took a detour on our way home to Big Spoon Yogurt. We felt a little dessert would make the decision making process a bit easier. :-)
The "reality checks" we heard at the event last weekend were confirmed at the Lilliput meeting. The entire process from start to finish could take up to 2 years. We were made very aware of the risks we would take in adopting a 0-12month old. There is a good chance the child's birth parent(s) will fight for reunification and they will have 6-12 months to do so, even after the child has been placed in our home. The thought of bonding with a sweet baby only to have them taken away from us is almost too much to handle. It is also mandated by the state that we arrange regular visits between the child & their birth parent(s) during the fostering period... we're not entirely comfortable with that. We also learned that when adopting an infant there is a VERY good chance they have been exposed to prenatal drug or alcohol abuse which results in health problems.
These are all things we will be willing & able to take on if the Lord leads us to, however we feel it's best to see what our other options are before committing to such a difficult journey. We were referred to an independent adoption agency called "Little Angel Adoptions" here in Sacramento. They set up adoption with pregnant mothers who are relinquishing their baby-to-be. The chance of having an unhealthy child is greatly reduced, and the adoption is finalized the moment the child is placed with us- so no temporary foster care. The big risk, of course, is that the birth mom could change her mind at any point during her pregnancy. This would be difficult, but at least we won't have bonded with the child yet, so the burden would be lessened. We'll set up a meeting with Little Angel Adoptions and make our decision after that.
We're a little disheartened as we were hoping to have a clearly known path after last night's meeting. We feel it's important to take our time in making sure we're choosing the best fit though, and God will get us through it!

"Home For Good" Event re-cap

We're on information overload after today's adoption event! From 9am to 1pm we heard anything & everything about adoption, including testimonies (which were VERY emotional), introductional workshops, etc. We met up with several friends of ours from church who were either interested in adoption like us, or were simply supporting the cause. It was reassuring to see familiar faces on such a big day for us!

The workshop was very informative and gave us a very big reality check as far as what we're getting ourselves into! We knew of course this process would not be easy, but we certainly feel we've had our eyes completely opened to the obstacles that may lay ahead. We're still confident the Lord is leading us to adopt, but how clear the path will be to get there is no longer certain. We need our faith to kick in... big time. :-)

We were able to meet a representative from Lilliput & hear a lot more about their company, all good things (yay!). We were also introduced to Sierra Forever Families, an adoption agency very similar to Lilliput as far as their focus, values & procedures. We may attend an orientation meeting with them as well, just to compare & contrast so as to make an informed decision.

We have a lot to think & pray about as we prepare for our orientation with Lilliput this coming Thursday. Thank you to those of you who are continually praying for us as we start this journey! We appreciate your support SO very much!

Baby Crib Bedding: Baby Crib Polka Dot Skip Hop Bedding

Baby Crib Bedding: Baby Crib Polka Dot Skip Hop Bedding

After A LOT of deliberating we finally chose a "gender neutral" crib bedding. I had no idea how hard it was find something that doesn't lean too far to the feminine or masculine side! If I (Anne) had my way of course I would do brown b/c it goes both ways, but I've decorated every other room in our house with brown & Zach doesn't think brown is a "baby color" so... I didn't win that one. :-) Zach insisted on bright, primary colors so that helped narrow it down a lot. Here's what we're goin' with... (see above link)

Oh the possibility

Last night we made a trip to Ikea to check out a set of nursery furniture we liked online. We loved it! We decided going with something like Ikea rather than Pottery Barn made the most sense in the long run. Children put their bedroom furniture through so much wear & tear. It would break our hearts to see them dent or color on a dresser that cost us thousands of dollars. But if it's Ikea... eh. The set we picked out is still very sturdy and will no doubt stand up through the test of children's toys, makers, and teeth. :-)

The nursery will be what's currently known as Zach's "sports room." I painted & decorated it for him as a gift for his 28th birthday. All of his autographed sports stuff, baseballs, old Wheaties boxes, etc. is displayed in there. Yesterday I began clearing it all out. Today I'll prime over the "blazer blue" to prepare for a color that's more neutral. (Although Zach insists we'll have a boy so the blue should stay!) Not sure what that will be yet.

Last night Zach pulled me out of bed and took me down the hall to what we'll now call the "baby room." We sat in the middle of the floor and looked around, imagining. We talked about where the furniture will go and about all the nights we'll spend in there singing & rocking our baby to sleep.... it doesn't seem real!

Our First Post!

This is our first official post! We are so excited to begin this journey!

Right now we are most looking forward to the adoption event sponsored by Home for Good Ministries coming up next weekend. We heard about Home for Good through a friend of ours, Pam. She and her husband are legal guardians for their granddaughter Madi, who is active in Zach's jr. high ministry. They also recently adopted their younger granddaughter. Pam joined a group of others who were passionate about fostering and adoption, and they joined forces to form a local advocacy group. We attended a committee meeting for Home for Good Ministries in March, and it was there we learned about their bi-annual informational event for prospective parents just like us! Our church is also starting a new ministry for foster & adoptive parents which we are very excited to be a part of.

As of right now we believe we'll be working with Lilliput Children's Services to proceed with our adoption. We have an orientation meeting scheduled for May 20th. (www.lilliput.org) If all goes well we will begin the application and home study process which can take 3-6 months. After that we'll be available to have a child placed with us! We can't wait!!!

We have decided to adopt a child 12 months or younger. We do not have a preference as to boy or girl, or to racial ethnicity. Can you believe we won't have a PLAN?!?! :-)