We are happy to announce…
OUR HOMESTUDY HAS BEEN APPROVED! As I mentioned in this post…I was hoping to get it done in record time, but that was totally too ambitious. But…it feels GREAT! It is a huge weight lifted off our shoulders and now we can finally concentrate on what’s important…building our future family!
But this is the time when we need your help the MOST! As we have said before…we are NOT listed/working with an adoption agency. Let me say that again: WE ARE NOT WORKING WITH AN ADOPTION AGENCY. What this means is…the advertising and spreading-the-word that we are looking to adopt...that responsibility falls entirely on us. Although it might seem like the hard way…we chose this particular route because it made the most sense to us and allowed us to feel like we were finally in the driver’s seat of our future, for once! After wanting a child so badly for 6+ years, we couldn’t sit idly by year after year waiting & hoping our adoption profile would be viewed and subsequently chosen by a birthmother using that particular agency. We want to be doing something that feels like we are moving forward. That is why we have retained an adoption lawyer and established a working relationship with a state social worker (also who helped us through our home study process).
This is what we need your help with:
TELL PEOPLE ABOUT US! Spread the word that you know this couple (umm...US!) that is looking to adopt. Feel free to share via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), or simply shout it from a roof top! We are not shy or afraid to have our story out there…it’s kinda the whole idea! Gone are the days of adoption being a taboo subject. We are excited and thrilled about it! The more people we are able to get our message to, the more possibilities we may have to find that path to our potential future child. You could very well play a vital role in our future family...and not even know it! Even if you think you don't know someone looking to adoption...a friend of a friend, might! Please share our story!
I want to help, but…HOW?
Well, we’ve tried to make it easy…We are excited to launch our very own website!
www.anadoptionoption.com
This website will be the “go-to” place to send people, should you hear of anyone considering adoption for their unborn child. This website is chock full of information on us, our home, our family and our beliefs. It is a place that you can feel comfortable sending someone contemplating adoption and know that they are going to get the full story of Travis & I and our long journey that led us to adoption. The pressure to explain us and our story is off of you…you can let the website tell the story!
In addition to the website we have postcards (a.k.a. “touch cards”) and flyers that we would like to distribute anywhere and everywhere that is allowable. Flyers can be posted on bulletin boards at grocery stores, colleges/universities, military bases, doctor offices and the like…and postcards can be placed beside cash registers at local businesses such as your favorite coffee shop, hair salon or restaurant. The information on both directs them to our website. Again, this is where we need the help of friends/family/readers like you! If you know of places and can gain their approval…please help us spread the word! We can adopt across state lines (legally with our lawyer) so even if you are in another state, and would like to help us, let me know. I have tons printed and can easily have more printed, if needed. If you would like some please email me at susan_and_travis@yahoo.com with your mailing address and I will pop some in the mail to you to distribute as you see fit.
So…Wait…is this legal?
Yes! Totally!
What’s the legal process??
Once a potential birthmother is interested, we put her in touch with our social worker so that she is informed of ALL of her rights & options (yes, even those that may not include us and may include self-parenting) and then she is helped through whichever process she chooses. If that potential birthmother doesn’t want to self-parent and wants to continue to move forward with an adoption process, then our lawyer is called in and they discuss her legal options further and a potential birth plan (that includes us…YIPPIE!) is introduced & put into motion. We feel this process protects us AND the birthmother. It allows our lawyer & social worker to vet the person and their commitment to parent or adopt and then help them AND us navigate the legal waters that lie ahead.
I know we have said in the past and on numerous occasions the outpouring of support from our friends, family, coworkers and even complete strangers has been overwhelming & quite humbling…and believe me; we hate to have to continue to call on you for further needs and support. However, all it takes is a little effort to share our story (via the website) and it will truly mean the world to us. We have tried to be mindful NOT to post too often to our blog or fill your Facebook news feeds with too much in relation to our saga, and we will continue to do so. Life does go on and we realize there are so many other important life events to celebrate and honor! We hope, as we celebrate with you on your family's births, graduations, marriages, promotions and life changes that you, in return, help & celebrate with us, on ours!
Thanks again for all the love & support!
Susan & Travis
