Here we are. Finally. A day that we have been working towards since December of last year has finally arrived. It has not come without its hardships, tears, work, or even support. It is a day that my wife and I have been anticipating for quite some time now (before we were actually married, really).

We have finally submitted all of our adoption paperwork!!!

Let’s all let the magnitude of that concept soak in for a moment. (If you think this is stupid, you obviously don’t know how many trees are killed with every adoption and home study application…)

During the application phase, every day we delayed was a day longer we had to wait. Now, every day we wait is a day closer to seeing our baby for the first time! When I first knew I wanted to write about this, I really did consider sparing the details of how the whole process worked. Now I’m more convinced than ever of it’s importance and the meaning in every step. Adopting is definitely not easy. But the journey is one that we will never forget.

My wife and I had always known that we would adopt some day (she made that very clear before we ever got engaged). I had always thought that we would have some biological children before actually adopting. But we found out this past November that, through circumstances beyond either of our control, that timeline has been switched up a bit.

We spent about a week trying to decide what to do next. The decision was pretty blatantly obvious, now that I think about it. We really needed to come to grips with the fact that we did not have all that much control over our situation. As a result, we went and did something about it – the only thing at the time we could control.

After talking with my wife’s extended family who had also adopted, we were able to make an informed decision regarding an agency and location (domestic, not international). As it turns out, about a month later we would find ourselves in the same city as the agency! A quick phone call later and we are registered for the adoption seminar that they are conducting while we are in the area! It really is an insane shift in events and mindset when you go from feeling like God, Himself, is against you to things falling into place so quickly.

Upon arriving home, no time was wasted in finding an agency here through which we could have our home study conducted. This process is when the agency and a social worker partner together to conduct interviews, see your house, and ask tons of questions through paperwork to determine if you are fit for parenthood. This is a fairly drawn out process as it requires background checks, applications, and 1-on-1 visits. The social worker we found lives about an hour away and was able to meet us twice while we were on our way home from various trips. We are currently in the multi-week window waiting for the home study to be finalized and approved by both agencies (the one in-state and the one in the state we are adopting from).

The last piece of the puzzle was our profile. This is basically a book that is shown to prospective birth mothers (matching your specifications) that they use to decide if they want you to be the adoptive parents of their child. That looks really weird when I type it out but there really isn’t another way to say it. That’s what it is. My wife and I are both fairly creative and she really took the lead on this one. She gathered the pictures, made the book, and typed up the majority of the content. That’s not to say that I didn’t have my opinion heard as well. In every step of the profile creation, she constantly asked my viewpoint on the aesthetics, allowed me to write content, and brainstorm the formatting. We submitted the completed profile earlier this week.

I am incredibly grateful for such a great partner/teammate/best friend/wife through this entire process. I know for a fact that it could not have been done without her strength, love, and dedication. As a team, we can’t wait to meet our baby. It’s really amazing how you can love something that isn’t even born yet. Our prayers are with the birth mother as well as anyone who receives hope or inspiration from our journey.

We’ll keep you posted.

– Andrew