Here is a beautiful adoption story, told in this beautiful Momma's own words.
Our story began with infertility, due to Travis going through cancer treatments at age 13. Going into marriage, we knew that having biological kids was not likely based on what the doctors had told us.
We knew that adoption was the route we wanted to take, but didn't really know when or how.
The helpless feeling of not knowing where to start was definitely there through the first few years of our marriage! With that said, we really didn't have to wait that long before God just opened the door and pushed us through in a hurry!
October 10th, 2013. I came home from work to a message on our answering machine from my aunt from the states. I called her back, and she told me about a lady who had been working for them who was 7 months pregnant and didn't feel like she could keep her baby due to difficult circumstances. After considering abortion, she came to my aunt with nowhere else to turn. That's when she thought of us, and gave us a call to see if we would be interested! Of course we were!
We were so excited, yet scared and a little overwhelmed with how and where to start! We only had 2 months until the baby was due!
First thing the next morning I called a private adoption practitioner (who was also a family friend), and asked her where we needed to start. She gave us all the contacts we needed in Ontario, and we were able to locate an agency in the area of Birth-Mom. We dove right in! The next 8 weeks were a blur. Home study interviews, police checks, paperwork, medicals, PRIDE training, lots of phone calls, trips to Kitchener and Toronto, emails...but for the grace of God, we got thru it! There were so many times when God came thru with perfect timing! Down to the point of letting Birth-Mom go overdue by a week, we were waiting on a paper in the mail that we needed in order to finish up an application and it came on December 19th.
I went to the post office and the letter was there, I did a happy dance and ran home, where I found out that labor was starting!
Got that last application mailed out and we booked flights that afternoon for the next morning. She was born Dec. 20th at 11:30 am. We made it to the hospital by 6pm, she was 6 hours old. It was amazing to meet her for the first time! The following day, we received approval from the ministry of Ontario, which meant we could sign custody papers the day after she was born! Amazing. The approval came at least 3 weeks ahead of schedule, which meant that she didn't need to go into foster care at all, she could stay with us!
When we travelled to the birth state, we had been told we would be there 3-4 weeks before we could bring her home to Ontario. It turned into 16 weeks. Travis had to come home and work, so we were apart for most of those 16 weeks. It was hard, and often lonely, but God was always there with us! We were so glad that I could be with her thru this time.
April 4th, we had TPR hearing and were allowed to go home. After waiting in Detroit for a few days on one last document from Ontario, we were finally able to bring her home on April 9th.
The adoption wasn't finalized until the following year.
Adoption was in some ways harder, and some ways easier than we imagined.
It was easy for us in the way that God clearly opened all the doors for us so there was never a question of whether we were doing the right thing, but it was hard in the sense that it was such a whirlwind, due to the short period of time we had to get our home study done!
To anyone who might be considering adoption, GO FOR IT!! it is such a rewarding experience, and the whole idea of it is just miraculous! You will find a love in your heart for your child that can only be from God!
