**right after we found out we were matched**
As we enter this last week before our baby is due (yaaaaaaay!), we are extremely busy getting things ready. It's fun and exciting, and we cannot wait until he is here. I seriously CAN NOT WAIT! I want her to go into labor now! But, we are also still trying to come up with our last four thousand dollars for the adoption (it was $7000, but in the last week, we have gotten 2 $1000 checks and a couple other checks.....amazing!!). So, I am spending these last days pulling out all the stops to raise that money. We have been so unbelievably blessed by people so far and are amazed at the ways that God has provided. I can't wait to share all about our fundraising adventures someday when I have time. (For some reason, I think I will have more time after the baby comes....don't burst my bubble.)
All that to say, I thought that I would share the letter that we sent out to our friends and family. It will let you all in on a little more of our story, and you'll actually get to hear from Nick instead of me. He writes a lot better than I do, but let's not tell him that. I don't want it going to his head :)
Here you go:
Friends and Family,
As many of you already know we are in the middle of an adoption process, and as of the 24th of July, we have been officially matched with a birth mom who is due August 25th. We’re mostly excited, if not a little nervous, at the prospect of being parents to our baby boy. Mindy’s ubiquitous list of “ items I want you to build” has lately grown to include a number of nursery items, and since hearing the news of being matched, we’ve officially entered name negotiations. George is definitely not in the running, but one Grandfather-to-be is making a case for Buster, Pablo, or Timmy (all names of our beloved SF Giants).
For me, the idea of building a “vintage looking crib” is a sober reminder that a) yes, we’re having a baby, b) I don’t know how to build a crib, and c) I don’t really know what to do with the little person soon to occupy the crib. In my experience, time doesn’t wait until you’re ready, and so we have the better part of a month to “prepare” for this exciting addition to our family.
To some degree or another, you all have been aware of our journey leading up to this decision. We decided four years ago that we wanted to start a family, but sorting through Huntington’s Disease in Nick’s family, and then dealing with unexplained infertility have made the process challenging and painful. We’ve both known we would make our way to adoption at some point in our life, but neither of us anticipated coming to adoption by way of the pain and struggle of the last few years. On paper it can look like we’re adopting from a place of lack- because we’re dealing with infertility. However, viewing our desire to adopt as a solution to our infertility problem or as “plan B” doesn’t do justice to the fact that we’ve always wanted to adopt. We’ve never really thought of it as “plan B.”
Perhaps we’ve been given bodies that lack something in the way of reproductive health. We’re still finding our way through this painful struggle. But for us, adoption has never been a solution to having too little, it’s rather, always seemed like a natural response to the ways God has been so generous with us by way of you all- our family and friends. We’re adopting because, despite it all, we’ve come to “taste and see” some of God’s goodness.
Why tell you all this? I guess, because we feel the burden to tell our story right. Because our story isn’t primarily about us or our pain and still-unanswered questions-it’s about God and the mysterious ways he’s weaving his life into ours. We honestly feel privileged to adopt and appreciative of the ways God makes good things grow from the most unexpected places.
The old adage “it takes a village to raise a child” applies to this process of adoption. We need your help. We need your prayers, friendship, and if possible, financial support. To be honest, it’s hard for me (Nick) to ask for help of any sort, so this process has been a lesson in learning to receive from God and others. We need your prayers- both for us and our birth mom. Pray for us as we sort through pre-parent jitters and for continued healing and discernment through infertility. Pray for protection, healing, and God’s peace for our birth mom, who has shown tremendous courage and selflessness through this process.
Adoption is expensive, as many of you know, and we would appreciate any financial support you are able to give. We have raised all but five thousand dollars of the money needed through garage sales, a silent auction at our house, Mindy’s online shops, random checks in the mail, and through the support of our family, church, and friends. Put simply, we’re so thankful and humbled at the way the people around us have rallied to support us.
There are a couple of ways to help us close the gap, which are all available on Mindy’s blog: www.melinda-ann.blogspot.com. We’ve partnered with two different organizations (Just Love Coffee and The Apparent Project) that allow a percentage of every purchase to go to our adoption. The blog also has links to Mindy’s online stores, where you can buy any number of hand-crafted goods. You can also follow Mindy on Instagram (@melindaann and @findingsunday), where she hosts sales to raise money for the adoption. If you are buying something from Amazon, you can search through Mindy’s blog in the sidebar, and a portion of the money will go towards our adoption. If giving straight money is your style, we have a “donate” button on the sidebar which accepts debit or credit cards, or you can just send a check.
Thank you all for your friendship, support and prayers. In so many ways, this decision to adopt only makes sense because of the community(s) we’ve come from. We’re excited to introduce you all to the new addition to the family when he arrives. Blessings to you all.
Love,
Nick and Mindy
Are you still there? Amazing. Thanks so much for all your support. If you are interested, I am having an instasale on instagram this Thursday at 6:00pm PST. All the money will go to support our adoption. Just follow @findingsunday ...I've got a lot of great new jewelry to sell!
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Eek! You must be so anxious for your baby boy's birthday to get here! Praying you're blessed financially and praying for your family as you make the leap into parenthood :)
ReplyDeleteI check back everyday to see if you've posted any news. Please give us an update. I'm praying all is well and you are just caught up in loving that new baby boy:)
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