Six weeks ago we brought Alex home. About six weeks before that we found out about him.
We have been hoping to adopt for along time. (as you already know) We did do lots of things to get our names out there.
We have been hoping to adopt for along time. (as you already know) We did do lots of things to get our names out there.
We made up pass along
cards and gave them to my parents, Mrs. R (of the R House), and anyone else who would pass some along. I left them
on tables in restaurants, in public bathrooms (yes, I really did, don't know if it helped but I thought it was worth a try), at rest stops, on bulletin boards, in hotel rooms and
anywhere else I could think of.
We had two profiles- on
with LDS Family Services and also with Par.ent Pro.files. (If you want more details about Par.ent Pro.files please email me. I am happy to share our experiences.)
I sent out email blasts
(it went to everyone we know). I updated them on our experiences, told about our first
profile, new profile and our blog (each in separate email blasts- so they heard from us about every 6 months). I let them know how they could help (pray
and tell anyone they know about our hope to adopt).
I gave a talk in church
and let everyone know we were hoping to adopt (as I was introducing myself-it
was my first talk in that ward).
I let two groups
of ladies know at work. I let anyone else know as it came up or felt appropriate.
I told them to feel free to share our information with anyone they know.
The response we got to all these things was positive.
We had lots of
situations that almost worked out. There were a few attempted scams (no one got any money, luckily).
On May 29 (which is my Grandmother's birthday), I got a call
from a colleague. We chatted for a moment and I thought she was
calling about a job opening I knew about.
When she asked if we were still hoping to adopt, I was shocked. She
said she knew someone named K, who wanted to meet us. I gave her our phone number so we
could set up a time. I was shocked and
excited to have a message on our machine when I got home (that very day!). I was super nervous
but didn’t want K to wait to hear back so I called and we talked quickly. We
decided to meet on June 3. I had a hard time thinking of where to meet so I
just suggested our home. She seemed ok with that.
We met June 3 and I was
super nervous. We spent all weekend cleaning and thinking about how to make a
good first impression. I thought through different questions that we might be
asked and how to ask questions without being too nosey or pushy. I thought about how to seem warm and friendly (this is very hard for me when I am nervous- I am shy normally and when I get nervous I become even more quiet).
When K came she brought
her mom with her. I was really glad she had that extra support with her
decision. We had a very good time
talking and laughing and telling stories. I was really sad when they left. I
had made banana bread but because we were having such a good time I forgot to
get it out!
We spent the rest of
June texting back and forth and calling. I wanted K to know we care about her but didn’t
want to be too intrusive. She had a life before she met us and I didn’t want to
cause any problems or discomfort.
I am so grateful for all the help we received. All the people who prayed for us, who kept us in mind- even if it didn't work out, passed cards on for us, sent emails for us and who hoped we would eventually somehow have a child join our family.
Sorry there are no pictures with this post. I want to maintain K and her family's privacy. Thanks for understanding.
Coming soon- part 2!
