Adoption

Where to start?


Let's start with Khloe:

Josh and I decided we had entered a time in our lives that we were open to having children. Not to get too personal...we weren't trying to conceive yet...but we weren't trying to prevent it either. One month after removing any birth control methods, I found myself pregnant. Wow! We were thrilled, shocked, and excited. We assumed I was "Fertile Myrtle" and never thought twice about how quick we conceived. After a miserable pregnancy, horrible labor/delivery, and a S.E.R.I.O.U.S. case of post partum depression (paired with some FABULOUS anti-depressants) we finally decided we were ready to add to our family and try for baby #2.

Up next- baby #2...or a darn good attempt:

We attempted to time this "pregnancy" the same as my previous pregnancy so the baby would be due in the spring and I could enjoy the "extra maternity leave" known as summer in the teaching world! Well, month after month came another negative pregnancy test. With that brought some rough emotions and questions. After attempting to conceive for 15 long months, we finally consulted a fertility specialist where it was confirmed that I had "Premature Ovarian Failure" meaning that my ovaries were producing cruddy eggs. Not only were my eggs crap, but my ovaries would continue to produce more crap and inevitably produce nothing. Swell..."Fertile Myrtle" turned into "Old Ovaries" as my husband affectionately calls me. I would not be having another baby, or experiencing another pregnancy, or being a mama again, or snuggling a newborn baby. I was crushed. When I think back, I wish I would have known sooner because I would have attempted to enjoy my pregnancy with Khloe a little more, and savored those newborn moments that I'll never get to experience again.

Next came decision time:

Josh and I came to terms with the fact that Khloe would be our only child. (Side Note:The doctors were not sure if Khloe was our "One in a Million" or if my ovaries had failed sometime between her being conceived and our 2nd attempt at pregnancy.) We already knew Khloe was "One in a Million" regardless of what the doctors said, and this just reaffirmed that our family of 3 would remain a family of 3. As the months went on we slowly began to change our minds. We would talk about how fun it would be for Khloe to have a sibling. We remembered how much we've always wanted more than 1 child, and how important we both felt about having a sibling for Khloe as she gets older. Adoption it was. After endless HOURS of research we made some decisions. We also realized just how difficult and expensive international adoption was. Josh and I have decided that we don't necessarily desire an infant when adopting. Because older children often sit in orphanages without anyone to call their family, our hearts were drawn to the "waiting children".

What's next- Time for Action:

So, that leaves us with the determination that we ARE going to adopt. When and how are all up in the air still. We would like to adopt internationally and right now, we are really leaning towards a few different countries in Africa. After talking to numerous adoption agencies, we've come to one conclusion: we need some serious money! In order to get the ball rolling we need between $11,000-$12,000 and then roughly another $15,000 to finish out the process. There are so many factors that go into international adopting that are very time consuming, so the sooner we can pay our agency fees the sooner we can bring our new little one home!

Lastly- HELP!

I am not good at asking for help. Unless it's from my parents...then I'm okay with begging (thanks mom & dad)! But to be perfectly honest, we need help. We have had 2 garage sales so far, and am planning on doing another this spring. We have several other fundraisers in the works which I'll keep everyone posted as they come closer. If you have the ability to help financially, we would be more than grateful. If you're interested in making a donation, please click on the that long "PayPal" link on the top right side of the page. You can make donations through PayPal or a credit/debit card if you don't have a PayPal account. If you are not in the place to financially contribute, please stay tuned for our upcoming fundraisers. And lastly, and most importantly, if you can do nothing else we would like to ask for PRAYERS. Prayers that God will point us in the right direction through this whole process...that we will be financially supported and able to make this adoption happen...that our child, where ever he or she may be, is safe, being well cared for, and know that they are loved and wanted...we're coming little one, hang on!