Our Decision to Adopt

Our decision has been made public, we have decided to adopt! Now the real work begins!!

As an adoptive parent there are many options, you can go through an adoption agency, the County/State, or you can adopt from another country. We personally know people who have done each of these, we love and respect them all and see each as an excellent option. Furthermore, unlike naturally conceiving a child, we have the option of age, gender, ethnicity and "problems." Someone please tell me how in the world we are supposed to make this decision!! At this point, we have at least decide on two things, we would like to adopt here in California, and we are not able to spend thousands on the adoption process. This narrows down our options to a low cost adoption agency or the County. We have decided to pursue both for the time being. For fostering to adopt through the County you are required to attend a half day orientation to receive the initial application. We attended the orientation last month and have been working on the application. The county requires a physical, TB test and CPR certification prior to submitting the application. Hopefully we will be able to complete all of these and submit the application by the end of the month!

We recently informed our families that our intent is to adopt (prior to posting it on the blog ;-). We were not ignorant to the possibility of this news being difficult for our families to receive. However, to their credit, they all received the information with not only grace and encouragement, but excitement! We are so blessed to be surrounded by such supportive friends and family. I can not tell you how much joy you bring us.

Emotionally, I have been all over the place. I must admit that each month I still struggle with the prospect of not being pregnant or nursing a child again. But, as our fertility doctor said, Landon may have just been our little miracle! And yet, adoption is a miracle in itself, it is a reflection of the love Christ demonstrated to us by adopting us into His household! My prayer for us is that we would value and trust in the Lord and that our actions, in obedience, would demonstrate our faith.

Fertility Journey Part 2

After the last few months of clomid, we have made the decision to stop fertility drugs. We made this decision for a couple reasons, primarily because of the way clomid made me feel. Here are the side effects of clomid: Stomach upset, bloating, abdominal/pelvic fullness, flushing ("hot flashes"), breast tenderness, headache, or dizziness. I have experienced all of these, with varying degrees of severity. Not to mention the emotional sensitivity... I'm done with it, plus, I am already ovulating without the drug, my eggs are just rotten ;-)

Due to the negative side effects of clomid, and the costs involved with more aggressive fertility treatments, we have decided to stop fertility treatment altogether. 

Although our chances of conceiving are dramatically low, I strongly believe nothing is beyond the power of God. We are putting our absolute trust and faith in His plan and His timing. 

Now for the big news, for the length of our marriage adoption has been a topic of discussion. We had talked of having two kids of our own and possibly adopting a third child. Over the course of the last year we have discussed adoption with more seriousness and more imminently. At the same time, people and events have been placed in our lives that have led us to believe adoption is the route God would have us pursue at this time. 

Yes, we have many concerns, yes, we are terrified, and yes, we realize how many hurdles we are going to have to jump. But when God says go, you go. Because if we truly believe God is sovereign and that He is good, then we submit to His will and plan for our lives. God has been stretching and growing our faith, I have learned to rely on Him more heavily and to trust my heart and emotions to an eternally good creator. Please join us in praying for the adoption process and, more specifically, for the child that is to become our adopted son or daughter.