We have some BIG NEWS to share...
I will treasure this feeling forever. This knowing. This joy. This excitement. This LOVE inside of me! We know who our baby is AND Y’ALL—we are SO in love! We can't stop rejoicing and celebrating!! 🎉
We got the phone call on Tuesday, January 8th that we had finally received CARA Approval! 15 weeks of waiting, and oh what a relief and joy that news was for us! Well, what we didn’t expect was to get a phone call the very next morning about a possible match.
Our case worker shared the gender, age, and special needs over the phone with me that morning, and it was a good thing that I was sitting down, because I suddenly felt paralyzed. I felt all kinds of things. I was overwhelmed mostly. I was at the warehouse that morning working on orders for Well-Watered Women, and the phone call had left me in a bit of a stupor. I couldn’t think or speak or process. My mind was just racing with all kinds of fear of the unknown- mixed with complete and total excitement to even be in this stage of the process!!! ONE DAY LATER? Things felt like they were suddenly moving fast.
I called Steven immediately to share the news with him! We were in a similar state of shock, it was all too surreal! And the weight of this decision suddenly fell like a ton of bricks on me. I didn’t expect this feeling- stress. I felt stressed out by the medical unknowns. I didn’t know how we were going to get the advice and feedback we needed for the medical issues at hand, but I was excited to learn more about this child and give them a fair and fighting chance. We agreed to let our case worker reserve the file for us and to send us the case report and medical files. We requested NOT to see any photos or videos of the child until we felt any kind of leaning towards a positive direction. A friend of mine in this process had given me this advice. She told me that the first child’s file that her family had received included the photo, and their family ultimately decided that it wasn’t the best fit for them and she told me that she still thinks of that little face- and it’s hard. I knew when she told me that, I would need to guard my heart and be certain before looking at any photos or videos. So we abstained. And for 3 weeks and 2 days I wondered and wondered and was dying to see this little one!
We looked over the file that Wednesday night, and it was hard. We read about the circumstances of the birth mother and how the baby had come into care. The circumstances were sad and hard and overwhelming to take in. We read over everything in the file that night and just prayed together and cried and felt so, so heavy. We went to bed with a strange disappointment in our hearts. This was just not going how I had imagined. Well, the next morning our case worker called with excitement in her voice. She told us that the child’s orphanage had sent over all kinds of medical reports and some photos and a very telling video. So we talked about what she had seen, and she carefully told us that the video showed this little one looking way better than the medical charts indicated. She said that there was a free resource called Connecting Kids with Care that allows you to upload a prospective adoptive child’s files and to get a doctor’s feedback within a week! We were so relieved and had a major change of heart that morning. It was just what we needed to give us the hope to move forward. We decided to give this little one a chance and to utilize the resources available to us to help make a fully educated decision. And that free resource was a game changer for us!
So we sent all the files in that afternoon, and we waited for the doctor’s input the following week. We got a little bit of direction from the doctor’s report, but not enough to make any further decisions. We did find out what kind of follow-up information we should ask for from the child’s orphanage to help the doctors here give more informed advice to us. So we spent three weeks going back and forth on medical acquisitions and getting (what felt like) nowhere with our decision.
Then on the weekend of January 25-26 we had the privilege of going to Rooted in Love, a conference put on by our amazing agency, Lifeline Children's Services. We spent the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, got to meet other adoptive families also in the India program, got to meet our case worker face to face! And we learned ALL kinds of helpful gospel-centered training for when the time comes to bring our child home. We came away from the weekend feeling encouraged, having learned a lot, and we got some sweet time together in a really cool city that I will always treasure.
We came back into town on Sunday night the 27th, and we woke up the next morning to some very positive updates from our case worker. We had received new medical reports that we had been waiting around for. All of the back & forth and waiting around for all the medical stuff had now eaten up 3 weeks of our 30 day timeframe to make a decision! We couldn’t believe how quickly time was passing and how little time we had left to make a decision. So on Monday the 28th, by God's grace we had everything in hand that we had prayed for! And we were ready to make a decision about getting a medical consultation with the International Adoption Clinic. That afternoon, I reached out to ask them about their fees and the turnaround times for a consultation. And to be honest, we were overwhelmed by the costs involved in taking this possible step.
Well, that night I went to a women's event called FORME where Annie F. Downs was the speaker. Her message was such an encouragement to my heart and was pivotal in leading me to pray some BIG things with BIG faith that night. And lo and behold, that night when I got home we randomly got a HUGE donation for our adoption from two people that we don’t even know!! God was showing us that He was thinking about us— and just like that- our Fundraiser goal had NOW been 100% met!
The Lord has provided a TOTAL of $31,000 for our adoption!!!!
Tuesday morning I woke up and talked with Steven about us moving forward with the medical consultation with the International Adoption Clinic. We both felt the peace and confidence we needed to move forward with that big investment in our journey. We both agreed that this was our next step! So there I sat on that sunny, snowless snow day on Tuesday afternoon and sent off every last items I owned in this world of my potential child off to the IAC in Birmingham, with hopes that a call in the next 72 hours would bring the confirmation, peace of mind, and direction we so desperately longed for. And so we prayed, and we asked for prayers, and we prayed some more, and we waited.
So on Friday night, February 1st we anxiously waited by the phone for this MAJOR phone call. With 5 days left to make a decision about this child, I knew that this discussion would be worth every penny. And I am so thankful for the peace and confidence that God gave us through the donation of two people we didn’t even know to be able to move forward at just the right time with just the right pieces in place. It was a culmination of all the steps coming together in God’s orchestrated perfect timing.
We got off the phone with her, sitting there recalling all the positive things that she had said! And I knew, I just knew that we were going to be moving forward with this child. I felt so positive and relieved. Over-joyed! And ready to see this little one. To meet the child we knew so much about on paper. We knew a file, a diagnosis, a gender and a name. A birthdate and a location. But when we opened up the file with all of the photos and videos… my whole world flipped upside down.
Our child was smiling back at me and cooing and playing and trying to crawl and sitting contently in the lap of a sweet caregiver. This child was the center of attention and the pride and joy of all watching, eyes shining brightly with a depth and happiness to them.
I truly believe that God’s hand has been on this child since the day we started praying for them. He has watched over and loved on them. He has given to our child the love and attention and care we have prayed for. And to top it all off— God gave our baby the cutest little face and personality, and I absolutely fell in love with every inch of this little tiny human.
My heart was stolen more and more with each passing photo and video that Steven and I watched and looked at! We just sat there together and soaked in every single second, tears streaming down our faces. We didn’t want the scroll of images and videos to end, and we went back through every single one once more to enjoy a second time around.
I will treasure this feeling forever. This knowing. This joy. This excitement. This LOVE inside of me! We know who our baby is AND Y’ALL—we are SO in love! We can't stop rejoicing and celebrating!! 🎉
We got the phone call on Tuesday, January 8th that we had finally received CARA Approval! 15 weeks of waiting, and oh what a relief and joy that news was for us! Well, what we didn’t expect was to get a phone call the very next morning about a possible match.
Our case worker shared the gender, age, and special needs over the phone with me that morning, and it was a good thing that I was sitting down, because I suddenly felt paralyzed. I felt all kinds of things. I was overwhelmed mostly. I was at the warehouse that morning working on orders for Well-Watered Women, and the phone call had left me in a bit of a stupor. I couldn’t think or speak or process. My mind was just racing with all kinds of fear of the unknown- mixed with complete and total excitement to even be in this stage of the process!!! ONE DAY LATER? Things felt like they were suddenly moving fast.
I called Steven immediately to share the news with him! We were in a similar state of shock, it was all too surreal! And the weight of this decision suddenly fell like a ton of bricks on me. I didn’t expect this feeling- stress. I felt stressed out by the medical unknowns. I didn’t know how we were going to get the advice and feedback we needed for the medical issues at hand, but I was excited to learn more about this child and give them a fair and fighting chance. We agreed to let our case worker reserve the file for us and to send us the case report and medical files. We requested NOT to see any photos or videos of the child until we felt any kind of leaning towards a positive direction. A friend of mine in this process had given me this advice. She told me that the first child’s file that her family had received included the photo, and their family ultimately decided that it wasn’t the best fit for them and she told me that she still thinks of that little face- and it’s hard. I knew when she told me that, I would need to guard my heart and be certain before looking at any photos or videos. So we abstained. And for 3 weeks and 2 days I wondered and wondered and was dying to see this little one!
We looked over the file that Wednesday night, and it was hard. We read about the circumstances of the birth mother and how the baby had come into care. The circumstances were sad and hard and overwhelming to take in. We read over everything in the file that night and just prayed together and cried and felt so, so heavy. We went to bed with a strange disappointment in our hearts. This was just not going how I had imagined. Well, the next morning our case worker called with excitement in her voice. She told us that the child’s orphanage had sent over all kinds of medical reports and some photos and a very telling video. So we talked about what she had seen, and she carefully told us that the video showed this little one looking way better than the medical charts indicated. She said that there was a free resource called Connecting Kids with Care that allows you to upload a prospective adoptive child’s files and to get a doctor’s feedback within a week! We were so relieved and had a major change of heart that morning. It was just what we needed to give us the hope to move forward. We decided to give this little one a chance and to utilize the resources available to us to help make a fully educated decision. And that free resource was a game changer for us!
So we sent all the files in that afternoon, and we waited for the doctor’s input the following week. We got a little bit of direction from the doctor’s report, but not enough to make any further decisions. We did find out what kind of follow-up information we should ask for from the child’s orphanage to help the doctors here give more informed advice to us. So we spent three weeks going back and forth on medical acquisitions and getting (what felt like) nowhere with our decision.
Then on the weekend of January 25-26 we had the privilege of going to Rooted in Love, a conference put on by our amazing agency, Lifeline Children's Services. We spent the weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, got to meet other adoptive families also in the India program, got to meet our case worker face to face! And we learned ALL kinds of helpful gospel-centered training for when the time comes to bring our child home. We came away from the weekend feeling encouraged, having learned a lot, and we got some sweet time together in a really cool city that I will always treasure.
We came back into town on Sunday night the 27th, and we woke up the next morning to some very positive updates from our case worker. We had received new medical reports that we had been waiting around for. All of the back & forth and waiting around for all the medical stuff had now eaten up 3 weeks of our 30 day timeframe to make a decision! We couldn’t believe how quickly time was passing and how little time we had left to make a decision. So on Monday the 28th, by God's grace we had everything in hand that we had prayed for! And we were ready to make a decision about getting a medical consultation with the International Adoption Clinic. That afternoon, I reached out to ask them about their fees and the turnaround times for a consultation. And to be honest, we were overwhelmed by the costs involved in taking this possible step.
Well, that night I went to a women's event called FORME where Annie F. Downs was the speaker. Her message was such an encouragement to my heart and was pivotal in leading me to pray some BIG things with BIG faith that night. And lo and behold, that night when I got home we randomly got a HUGE donation for our adoption from two people that we don’t even know!! God was showing us that He was thinking about us— and just like that- our Fundraiser goal had NOW been 100% met!
The Lord has provided a TOTAL of $31,000 for our adoption!!!!
And we are overwhelmed with gratitude!
Tuesday morning I woke up and talked with Steven about us moving forward with the medical consultation with the International Adoption Clinic. We both felt the peace and confidence we needed to move forward with that big investment in our journey. We both agreed that this was our next step! So there I sat on that sunny, snowless snow day on Tuesday afternoon and sent off every last items I owned in this world of my potential child off to the IAC in Birmingham, with hopes that a call in the next 72 hours would bring the confirmation, peace of mind, and direction we so desperately longed for. And so we prayed, and we asked for prayers, and we prayed some more, and we waited.
So on Friday night, February 1st we anxiously waited by the phone for this MAJOR phone call. With 5 days left to make a decision about this child, I knew that this discussion would be worth every penny. And I am so thankful for the peace and confidence that God gave us through the donation of two people we didn’t even know to be able to move forward at just the right time with just the right pieces in place. It was a culmination of all the steps coming together in God’s orchestrated perfect timing.
We were poised and ready to go, phone charged up and my stomach in tangled knots. (I had to pee every 5 seconds out of nerves, but didn’t want to miss that split second that she called!) She finally called, and as soon as we began talking to her, all of my anxiety melted away. This was real and happening. I breathed it all in. We had her full attention and she had ours. She began to share all the positives right off! She started by sharing in a summarized fashion the main big issues that were at hand. We talked for the next hour and a half, and there was one point in the middle of the conversation that Steven and I both looked at each other with tears in our eyes with a very special knowing in both of our hearts. She continued to share all about the child, and her observations and advice and we were completely overwhelmed with joy. God used her to give us all the confidence and peace we needed to know that this was our child. We were filled with such relief, excitement, and pure joy.
We got off the phone with her, sitting there recalling all the positive things that she had said! And I knew, I just knew that we were going to be moving forward with this child. I felt so positive and relieved. Over-joyed! And ready to see this little one. To meet the child we knew so much about on paper. We knew a file, a diagnosis, a gender and a name. A birthdate and a location. But when we opened up the file with all of the photos and videos… my whole world flipped upside down.
I KNEW I was looking at my baby.
I truly believe that God’s hand has been on this child since the day we started praying for them. He has watched over and loved on them. He has given to our child the love and attention and care we have prayed for. And to top it all off— God gave our baby the cutest little face and personality, and I absolutely fell in love with every inch of this little tiny human.
My heart was stolen more and more with each passing photo and video that Steven and I watched and looked at! We just sat there together and soaked in every single second, tears streaming down our faces. We didn’t want the scroll of images and videos to end, and we went back through every single one once more to enjoy a second time around.
I knew that we had just met our child that night.
Our Baby Link. This was the one. And it was the most satisfying feeling. The best feeling in the world. I couldn’t sleep, but knew that when I did finally fall asleep that I would sleep like a baby. One last sneak peek at the photos before I clicked my phone off and laid my head down. That little face remained in my mind’s eye and I slept so deeply. For the first night since our CARA approval, I slept soundly and with so much peace.
So, we made things official this week! 🎉
We signed paperwork on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 indicating our desire to make this child OURS!!!
So, folks. There it is. We are PARENTS. And we are SO EXCITED! It is truly the best feeling ever! We have CHOSEN a child to adopt and love and become our own.
➻ ➻ ➻ ➻
So, you may have noticed an intentional lack of pronouns in our announcement! 😉
Tune in on Monday night, February 11th at 7pm EST for a GENDER REVEAL that Steven and I will host on Facebook Live! We are SO excited to share the gender of our baby and more details about him or her! We will also share more information about the timeline ahead! We do have several more months to go before bringing baby Link home! Your prayers for us and all involved in our journey are greatly appreciated!
Yay! Congratulations! I have been following your story and hoping that you would be approved and matched soon. As of last week, my husband and I are waiting for CARA approval. Our agency said it could take 12-16 weeks for approval. Your 15 weeks must have been so hard, but getting matched the very next day is incredible (and encouraging for us)! I pray that God continues to bless and guide your family!
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