We are ADOPTING!!

Wes and I are so excited to announce that we are starting the process of ADOPTION! We thought it was fitting to tell everyone today on Mother's Day, since I AM going to become a mother, we just don't have a due date yet. This decision has been on our hearts for a long time and we are filled with peace and joy knowing that this is the direction that God is leading us. We can't wait to see what's in store and to meet our child!

For those of you who don't know us or what has led us here I will fill you in a little. We have been trying to start our family for two years now and I was diagnosed with endometriosis last year. We hoped that with surgery and hormone treatments I would be able to conceive naturally but we still haven't been able to. This has been especially hard for me because I have dreamed of having a nice big family my whole life ever since I was a kid. It feels like those dreams are being ripped away from me, but yet they come so easily for everyone else around me. So once we started realizing that this wasn't going to happen for us like we planned, it was understandably really difficult.

We always wanted to adopt, we just assumed that once we had a few kids and I was a stay at home mom then it would be something we would do. We had no idea that God had other plans for us. It's been a long and bumpy road getting here, but we couldn't be happier and more excited to embark on this new journey of growing our family through adoption. My wounds are slowly going to heal and I know that once we hold our baby for the first time, everything will have been worth it. We already feel so much love for our future child.

So here are some answers to some questions I'm sure you are all wondering.

Where are we at in the process right now:
We are at the very beginning. We just submitted our application and signed our first check to start our home study last week. The home study is conducted by a social worker and takes about 3 months to complete. It includes things like background checks, drug tests, physicals, psych evaluations, an inspection of our home, references, etc. It's pretty rigorous. During the next 3 months we are going to be saving every extra penny we can so that we can sign up with an agency as soon as possible and officially become a waiting family. We are also hoping and praying that maybe there will be a chance for us to find our dear baby through connections of friends and family.

Where are we adopting from:
We are adopting domestically. We can adopt from anywhere in the United States. While we would love to adopt from another country, the waiting time is several years and it's a really complicated and overwhelming process, even more so than domestic, and with Wes being in medical school right now it just didn't feel like the right thing at this time. We both hope that we can add to our family later on by international adoption though.

How you can pray:
Please pray with us for our precious little baby, who is possibly being formed in his or her mother's womb already. Please pray that God's hand will be on our child throughout every stage of development in the womb. Please pray for the expectant mother of our baby, that she would care for her body and baby as best as she can. Please pray for her heart as she makes an adoption plan for her baby, that she would feel confident in her decision to give her child the best life possible. Please pray that our home study goes smoothly and quickly, and for everything on the agency/legal side of things.

How you can help:
Besides praying, please keep us in mind if you know of someone who is expecting and considering an adoption plan for their baby. Often times the best way to connect with an expectant mother is through networking and discovering that someone who knows someone who knows someone is wanting to find a home for their baby.

Thank you for following us and supporting us on our journey to find baby Sorrill!! and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!