It's been a while since we've updated our blog. There's a reason for that. We've been praying and waiting on God to reveal His plan at this time. Again, we've been taken by surprise and seen that our plans don't always go the way we think they are going to go. With that being said, we are ready to let you know about our current situation.
We are expecting to have a baby in March.
That's right: WE are expecting to HAVE (as in deliver) a baby. Marie is pregnant!!!!
To say this is unexpected is such an understatement. We've told only a few people up until this point, but someone looked at us with a look as confused as we felt at first and said, "But...I don't understand. I thought it was medically impossible?!" To which we responded, "Well, it was medically impossible. But nothing is impossible with God!" We hadn't been trying to conceive a really long time yet when we met with the Reproductive Endocrinologist back in December who discussed some findings of a test that had been done. Even in his words he said, "In my line of work I don't use the word 'impossible', but if I did, I'd definitely say it now."
All babies are miracles. Conception is a miraculous thing. And this one is just that: miraculous! It is NOT because we started adopting and weren't "stressed" about conceiving. It is NOT because we relaxed. The fact is that the necessary components needed for conception were not there! There is no doubt that this is a blessing straight from God! Even after the shocking news that we would likely never conceive naturally, we knew that God can work miracles. We knew that maybe one day we might be blessed with a biological child. But we NEVER expected it to happen now!
We are extremely excited and overjoyed about this gift and the opportunity to carry a biological child! It is an amazing thing that has been hard to wrap our heads around. At times we have been SO scared and nervous about something going wrong. But we are trusting that God has a plan for us and this baby.
Marie is almost 11 weeks pregnant! She has had two appointments so far. We were able to see the baby and the heartbeat at 7 weeks, and Marie got to hear the heartbeat at 10.5 weeks! It is such an amazing thing, especially when it's something we were told we would likely never get to experience! Both times the heartbeat was very strong and everything looks great so far! We were going to wait a little longer to tell everyone, but Marie's OB/GYN said at this point our risk for miscarriage is very low, and she encouraged us to go ahead and tell and enjoy the excitement.
With all of that being said, we realize this is not a typical announcement to just say we're pregnant! We have had SO much unbelievable support from our friends and family to help us adopt and bring home Baby King! While this pregnancy obviously changes things, in a way it doesn't. We said from the beginning that we always have wanted and planned to adopt. Our choice to adopt didn't come after we were told we couldn't have biological children. Our hearts remain the same on this issue. We want to adopt. We love this baby growing in Marie SO much already, but we also love the Baby King (or Kings?) we will adopt one day, the one you've joined us in praying for throughout this process. I've said it before, it really is hard to understand how much we love children we've never met! But we do, those that are biological and those that are not.
At this time, we will continue to pray and be open for God's will for our family. Right now, we are still active with our agencies. (On another note, we may have to drop one agency we are working with. They have increased their fees so much that at this time we are going to be unable to afford what they are requiring to adopt through them.) There is a lot to consider when thinking about when we can adopt. We've always wanted children close in age anyway, so maybe it will work out like that! But we also have to take into account that we will be managing a high risk pregnancy and working hard to keep Marie as healthy as possible and off of bed rest. Also, since we are working with agencies and doing domestic adoption, you know that the birth mothers will pick who they will give their children to. We expect that when they find that we are pregnant at this time, they might choose others who are waiting to become adoptive parents who aren't expecting. Because of these issues and others, we realize that we may be unable to adopt before or close to the birth of our biological child.
Obviously, there is a lot to think about and consider. We could analyze everything over and over and over and try to make a plan for our adoption right now. While we know it's smart to think about these things, we also have learned that we are NOT in control!! We know that God has a plan. We are surprised more each day at what might be in store, but we are learning more and more that He knows the plans He has for us. So, we plan to keep our hearts and minds open to what those plans might be. Knowing it may mean a lot of sacrifice and figuring out things to be blessed with two children relatively soon, or it may mean that we don't get to meet our adopted child (or children) for maybe years down the road. It may mean we are meant to do international adoption and not domestic adoption. While we don't know a lot at this time, we DO know that we are thrilled and excited and overwhelmed by this blessing of a biological child, and we know that we love and are excited for the day we will bring a child or children into our home through adoption. We don't know a timeline or an exact plan, and that's okay.
So, now that you know all of that, we have received a lot of money to go toward helping us with an adoption. That money, at this time, has not been spent at all! All adoption expenses that we've had so far have been paid from our money. All donated money has been kept safely in a separate bank account. At this time we'd like to continue with the plan and keep that money in this separate bank account for our adoption, whenever it may happen. We can assure you that the money you've given for adoption will be used for adoption! We do, however, realize that your plan for that money, or at least the timeline, may have changed. If you would like to be given that money back for any reason at all, we are happy to accommodate those wishes. We know some of you have given a great deal, and it may be hard knowing the child may not be here for a while longer than we thought. If for any reason you need or want a donation back, please feel free to contact us. If not, it will be kept in a separate account for adoption expenses at whatever time God shows us!
We are still early on this new journey of pregnancy! Almost through the first trimester but not yet. We ask you to please join us in praying for this miracle baby! We pray that it continues to grow and develop into a healthy baby that we get to hold in March! Pray for health and safety for Marie and Biological Baby King! We would also love if you would continue to pray for our adoption, whenever and however it happens! Pray for birth mothers out there who are delivering children that they will put up for adoption, and for adoptive parents who are waiting to and are meeting their new little ones that they will bring into their homes. As we've said before, your support means the world to us, and we are continuously overwhelmed by the beautiful gracious people God has placed in our lives. Thank you so much, we love you all!!
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