What? You Adopted?

The phrase we have heard the most since adopting the boys is:

"I didn't know you were looking to adopted!"

To which I respond:

"Neither did I"

We were not looking to adopt.   But God had other plans and through a bunch of random coincidences in life we found ourselves once again heading down the road of adoption.

The short story of how this came to be: Three years ago we change churches.  I decided to take the nursery job at our church. Though the church and my job I become good friends with others who foster and adopt.  We decided to form an adoption/foster support group. (my eldest is adopted).  One day someone mentioned that they heard a set of twins in need of a home, just a passing comment in the middle of a conversation about foster care.

But that comment sat with me and sat with me.  And I prayed and talked with Matt and prayed and then....

I sent an e-mail

.....to the adoption agency and two weeks later we were chosen by the birth parents to adopt their babies.   

So in away I feel like adoption choose us.   Matt and I have always been open to growing our family in what ever way God presents and it is amazing what He will do.

It really was all so fast it is kind of a blur. 

The babies were born at 25wk and through a variety of unfortunate circumstances the birth parents who love the boys dearly made the best decision for the babies and that was adoption.  The rest of that story is for my boys. 

But by this point the boys were 2 months and the NICU was desperate to get a family in their holding the babies, loving on them and learning how to care for them before they were discharged.   And that's were we came in.

Matt holding Jonathan for the first time

Within days we went from no thought of adoption to daily visits to the NICU, filling out an incredible amount of paper work, scraping together the finances and preparing our house not only for bring home twins but also to be certified as a foster home for the in term between the babies being released and our adoption paperwork being filled out and filed (totally complicated since we didn't have a home study or anything).

Nana holding both boys for the first time (until now she had only held one at a time)

 

 

 

Aunt Karlee came along to hospital to help hold babies too!

 

Mama holding Jonathan with no tubes or oxygen for the first time.  Still had monitors but this was a big day!!!

There were so many sleepless nights I am surprised we survived, but we did get the house ready and the paper work done in time for David's release from the hospital.  Which then presented a whole new set of problems.  With one twin home and one twin at the NICU I was now having to leave one to go see the other.  And not just anyone could or wanted to watch my little 5lb baby that seemed more breakable then he was.   

Since the kids are not allowed in the NICU this was the first time they got to meet David.

But God is good and two weeks later we brought Jonathan home and with that started our "private" life as a family of 8.  Because we were under foster care laws we couldn't share the babies with the world yet. 

David and  Jonathan together at home!!

And that was the beginning of our 5 months on the roller coaster that is adoption.