- Who: A baby less than 3 months old, boy or girl, any race. Very likely will be a newborn from the hospital.
- What: Adoption, duh!
- Where: We're using a private agency, Adoption Associates, headquartered in Jenison, MI. They have four offices in Michigan. For that reason, chances are the baby will be from Michigan, but it could technically be anywhere in the U.S.
- When: We are finishing up our home study (where they talk to you for a million hours to make sure you're not crazy and you show them where all of your money is and how dirty your house is) now. Then we will begin creating our profile (where we show you how awesome we are!), and will be finished with that around Christmas 2014. After that we will officially be "waiting!" That means that we will wait until a birth mother chooses Travis and I, as who she would like to raise her child. They indicate the average wait time is 12-18 months, but you never know since it's all based on someone selecting you.
- Once a birth mother chooses you, you are considered "matched," and waiting for the child to be born (birth mothers typically come into the agency around 6-7 months pregnant, but it could be any time in their pregnancy or they could be selecting a family after giving birth).
- Typically, adoptive families are at the birth of the child at the hospital, but that really depends on the wishes of the birth mother.
- Typically, adoptive families will be able to take their child home from the hospital after 3 days. However, that depends on the stability of the birth mother's decision of adoption.
- Why: Truth be told, this is how we feel we were made to become parents. We feel blessed that we will be the parents of this little child and hopefully part of the birth mother's life too. We are excited to be able to foster a healthy view of adoption, adoptive families, and birth families and parents. We will be honored to be parents to our sweet little gem (whoever they will be!).
And so, yes! We're expecting a baby! Yay! Exciting! Thanks for what I know will be tons of support and congratulations! :)
