Healing!

Today we got the results of my sono-histogram. This procedure was to determine how much scarring was still in my uterus and if I would need another surgery. Several friends and family members have been praying and today I was told my uterus looked normal! They didn't find anything wrong and encouraged Michael and I to try to get pregnant! Thank you Jesus for answering our prayers-for healing my womb. In case you didn't know know I was diagnosed with the worst case Asherman's Syndrome which is scarring and adhesions in the uterus. After a miscarriage and two surgeries the walls of my uterus scarred together. After one corrective surgery my doctor said they opened up a finger sized cavity in hopes that healthy lining would grow but it looked like my tubes may be blocked in which case I wouldn't be able to get pregnant. Most cases of Asherman's like mine require numerous surgeries. After the first surgery I went to the healing rooms and a few months later I got pregnant this time a possible tubal pregnancy which I miscarried also. That was in November of '07 and now I am here with a normal uterus and on my way to adopting a baby. Yes we are still going to proceed with the adoption and look forward to all God has for us this year!!!

The Road

The road has been pretty steady. We are nearing the end of completing our home study with a few things taking longer then expected. God has been building our faith just when we needed it. Support has begun to come in and my parents are in the process of buying a house here. We are excited that they will be so close by and involved during the process of our adoption. I have been trying not to get to out of control while anticipating the arrival of our little one, but the thought they he or she might be alive in the womb right now is overwhelming. I find myself inadvertently wandering into the infant sections of Walmart or the thrift store. For a while I felt the urge to find a good diaper bag because we went through three with Mikey. I have also had the urge recently to find or build a good changing table. It wasn't so bad always changing Mikey on the floor or in the crib but it would be nice and look really cute in the baby's room. When we finish our home study we plan to get the baby's room ready. Several authors in reference to adoption have sighted the need to prepare for the baby. Because there is no physical bump on the tummy reminding you that there is child on the way they say getting the room ready can help the idea sink in. 

We could definitely use some prayer right now. Though support is coming in we still need several thousand dollars for the adoption costs. It is hard not to get discouraged sometimes and it has been a little more difficult then we thought to get all the pieces together for the home study. Thank you all for your support and prayers. It is so encouraging to see our friends and family get excited about this adoption. Please pray that God would continue to stir our hearts over this child and draw us to lean on him. He has been opening my eyes to His heart for orphans through stories in the Bible and songs I hear. Please also pray for Mikey that he would be prepared as much as he can for this baby. I know he will be a great older brother but we don't want him to feel replaced or threatened in his position as our son. Thanks again everyone for you support.

It has begun. Michael and I met with our case worker about our home study and have begun the compilation of paperwork. I now know what they meant at the seminar about being paperwork pregnant! We have to gather a ton of information, have friends give references, get fingerprinted and send them off for background checks, write down endless information from how many square feet of living space do we have to where our fire extinguisher is located-we got one-it is so cool I almost wish I needed to use it! We have to write an autobiography about ourselves and answer a lot of questions about the child we are wanting. In the mean time (haha) we have to put together our family profile and and send out support letters. It is exciting but exhausting at the same time. I feel like I can work on it all day and not make much of a dent. 

Please continue to pray for finances and for the home study to go smoothly. We are also praying for a healthy baby and birth mother, and we would appreciate prayer for the written parts of out home study and profile. Part of the profile is a Dear Birth Mother letter and this maybe more then anything else weighs on my mind. I want to present who we are while being sensitive to our audience and I am having a hard to time. Praise God we do have the finances to pay the consultation fee and home study fee. Thanks for your prayer and continued support. -Hannah

Step One

Yesterday we met with Tracie, our adoption consultant to begin the process. It was so exciting to set up a game plan and be reassured that this journey can be made.We contacted our social worker and set up our first appointment. That will begin the paperwork pregnancy stage. God has been so faithful in providing even in these early beginnings. We have enough support coming in to cover the consultation fee and home study so far. Thank you for your prayers and continued support.- Hannah

The Beginning of a Journey

As some of you know Michael and I have been considering adopting a child. In the past six months God has impressed strongly on us both His heart for adoption. As James 1:27 says true religion is caring for the orphan and the widow. Since our two miscarriages we feel enthusiastic about enlarging our family.
The first steps to our journey will be to get a home study and family profile completed. A home study is a report done by a social worker that evaluates family, home, and general ability to care for a child. A family profile is a presentation of information and pictures of us for the agencies to show to the potential birth mothers. We will be working with a consultant from Christian Adoption Consultants. www.christianadoptionconsultants.com

Financially this will be a huge undertaking and we are currently raising funds to help with the adoption costs. If you would be willing to help in this way please click the paypal DONATE button. We are currently working on setting us a tax free donation account in which donation would be tax deductible. More info to come...