***Trigger warning for
those struggling with infertility and miscarriage***
What a year this has been! God has faithfully walked with us
through this season of our adoption journey. Gladney has been amazing and we
are beyond grateful for the work they are doing in our life and around the
world.
One of the issues Ray and I have had to honestly address and
grieve is the reality that Abigail may very well be our only biological child.
Due to our personal convictions, we have never felt God “okaying” the use of
pharmaceutical intervention in order to conceive. There are so many children in
the world, longing for a forever family. This, I very intentionally state, is
our feeling about OUR marriage and family journey. We would never disapprove of
others using intervention for pregnancy; it is merely where God has led us as
individuals and a couple. God filled
us with grace as we found great peace and joy in the future makeup of our
family.
Ray worked very hard this spring, training for the OKC
memorial half marathon, raising funds for our adoption with each mile run.
Thanks to the incredible kindness of family and friends, we raised all the
funds needed to fully pay for our adoption. We have seen the provision of God
through the generosity of so many people. What an amazing and humbling
experience to have the community of Christ love you in such a tangible way.
April was spent creating our family profile, having it
printed, and multiple copies sent to Gladney. This profile is the first
glimpse a birth mothers has into our life. Once those were turned in, the long
wait began. April turned to May, and then the long wait was suddenly and
unexpectedly over.
After a week of intense sickness we discovered that I am
pregnant!
Miracle.
We have heard so many stories of people finally being able
to conceive during the adoption process, but never expected to be one such
family. If you are familiar with our journey, you know I struggle with
recurrent miscarriage. The first several weeks we usually hold our breath and
pray for peace, which God has once again provided.
This pregnancy has been much more difficult on my body than
my pregnancy with Abigail. I honestly chalked this up to it begin the second
pregnancy with a 2 ½ year old exhaustion and possibly a baby boy since I was
having such intense symptoms.
After we encountered some (what we now know are minor)
issues, we had the opportunity to have an early ultrasound. While the sono tech
looked around I began to fret, not being able to see a heartbeat. I nervously
asked if she could see a heartbeat, she paused and then replied, “Actually, I
see two.”
Twins.
That’s right, not only are we expecting (a miracle in
itself), we are expecting twins (who are possibly identical. Not quite sure; as
of now they seem to be mono/di twins)!!!
Wooo. Yeah, take that in.
Okay, to answer some of the questions you may
have:
What happens with the
adoption?
-Our adoption goes on hold until babies are at least 9
months old
(we will probably wait until they are 1 year).
Will you still adopt?
-YES!! We will continue to adopt. We know adoption is
intended for our family and look forward to God’s prefect timing.
When is your
estimated due date?
-Due date? Ha! Twins are a whole other ball game y’all.
We’re already working diligently to help them stay in until they are full term,
which for twins is 37 weeks.
Meaning???
-Meaning, we hope babies will stay put until early January.
Isn’t it a bit early
for an announcement?
-Possibly :). This news has been a lot for us to take in and we have found comfort in
having the chance to process with close family and friends. Now that a growing
number of people know, we figured we might as well share openly. Not to mention
that second pregnancy with twins . . .
momma is gonna be showing quickly.
How can I help?
-Thank you for asking!! At this time, we deeply covet your
prayers. We are still in a bit of shock. The idea of moving from a family of 3
to 5 is a bit overwhelming! Pray for the safety of the babies, as they are in
critical weeks of growth. Also, please pray for my focus and diligence with
this pregnancy. All of our research thus far has instructed that the best way
to keep twins growing until 37 weeks is nutrition. Among other things, this
means drinking one gallon of water and eating nearly 150 grams of protein daily.
No easy task for a nauseas momma!
Have other questions? Leave them bellow and we will do our
best to answer them!
