Adoption - Day 639

Yep, it is officially day 639 of our adoption process and today is a very special day. Why, you ask? Today is the final day of the adoption process for us as a family. The very last day! Granted adoption and the process of raising our beautiful baby girl will go on forever, but the process of completing the adoption is finally reaching its end.

 Today we will go to the county courthouse in downtown Vancouver and have the final papers signed, making Lamaya 100% ours in every way. Yes, she was already hand-picked to be ours long before even time began, but not necessarily according to the state of Washington. So, today marks the end of the seemingly endless paperwork and endless checks for this fee and that fee. It feels so nice to be done!

The adoption process, what can I say about it? For anyone considering it, I suppose the best advice I can offer is to prepare yourself to be patient and to always expect the unexpected. Yeah, right, it's just that simple. Tell that to me way back in July of 2010 when we first started and I wouldn't have a clue as to what that really means. Now that we have gone through the heartbreak and the unspeakable joy of adoption, I can honestly say that, yes, we would do it again. NO, not anytime soon. Geez, am I some kind of baby factory here? Two in under 9 months is plenty for me thank you very much.

Adopting Lamaya is the best thing that we have ever done, absolutely no question. She has been worth every tear, every single page of relentless paperwork, every single day of the last 639 days, every penny (and THEN some) and every bit of struggle we encountered. She is a precious gift and we are blessed to be called her mom and dad.

I'd say that probably the number one obstacle when a couple begins considering adoption is the financial burden. Let me be the first to tell you that if adopting is God's plan for your life, I can give you a 100% guarantee He will provide for you in miraculous ways that will increase your faith and understanding of His generosity and love. That's not to say raising the $25,000 was a piece of cake. It is to say, however, that we took out $0 in loaned money from the bank to make this possible. We were gifted money left and right by friends and family who just wanted to bless us in the process. We received money through the most random ways like our car accident settlement claims (super strange) and a massive garage sale (raked in just over $2,000). It was easy in the beginning to feel a little discouraged. That $25,000 mark seems awfully daunting. Once we hit $10,000 we looked at each other thinking... maybe this is possible after all!? And it was. I am very happy, honored and THANKFUL to say that as of today–the 639th and final day of adoption–we will be short a total of $19 and, NO, we didn't take out a loan for those $19. :) God is so good and so faithful to us and if you contributed in some way to this process, I wish we could properly express our gratitude. Hopefully you have had the chance, or will have the chance, to hold this amazing little munchkin in your arms and her smile or tootsie roll arms are enough to thank you for your generosity. And to thank you for help making bringing her home to us a reality.

We are thrilled about this day. It means so many things. It means the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. It means that we can FINALLY file our taxes, which is always a good thing. It means that we can focus on just simply being a family and not have to worry about legalities or paperwork. That we can finally just enjoy being us three (and Tucker too!), well at least for a few more months before it becomes us four!

So, thank you for following this journey of adoption. It's been a wild and unpredictable ride, filled with pain, frustration, love, peace, joy and endless blessings. I wouldn't change a thing about our journey, even the hard and painful parts. It was all part of bringing home our sweet little pumpkin, Lamaya Claire.


Love,

AA