Adopting Little Baby Lev♡
We are so excited to share this journey! After almost two years of infertility, miscarriage, and heartache we are watching God make something beautiful out of our ashes and we are glad you're along for the ride. Our story is only beginning, but we know it's going to be a good one.
Adoption has been heavy on my heart since I was a young teen. I've always thought that there was something absolutely precious and perfect about taking in a child and raising them as your own. When I met my husband, he was straddling the fence on adoption- open to the possibility but unsure if it was for him. We would talk about it on occasion, but nothing more. As we grew more in love with Jesus as a couple and more in love with our church and influences there, I saw my husband's heart start to change. Adoption was no longer an "I'm unsure" for him, instead it became an "I'm interested in doing that someday."
A couple of years ago we decided that adoption was for us- Jesus had given us the heart for it and we made a plan to make it happen when we were ready. Naturally, we thought we would have biological children and planned on doing so before we adopted. Our journey for a baby began in the fall of 2015. We went an entire year with negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test. Finally, we were able to get into a fertility doctor in October 2016 and within the first visit our amazing doctor (that we love so dearly) diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Basically, my body does not allow ovulation like it should and a strict lifestyle change was full speed ahead. From food restrictions to exercise routines-- I did it all. Much to our surprise I was able to get pregnant immediately.
Our sweet little baby went to be with Jesus just 3 days before Christmas-- between 8 and 9 weeks pregnant the heartbeat failed and we were left in devastation. After one miscarriage and one false positive pregnancy test to follow, I found myself questioning why we were putting ourselves through this emotional rollercoaster. Infertility is so hard...miscarriages and false positives make it even worse. We came to a place in our journey where decisions needed to be considered-- Do we continue? Do we try the hormones? If that doesn't work do we pay thousands of dollars (literally) for procedures that are a 50/50 gamble? The weeks went by and my heart fell further away from the thought of fertility treatments. Honestly, there wasn't one ounce of me that wanted to put my body through any of it (but CHEERS to the women that can and want to do it!).
What started out as "I guess we will try one round of hormones and one round of IUI" turned into "We don't want to do this. Why are we considering it? LET'S adopt!" Through this passed time of trials and infertility we had questioned why this had all happened to us-- Why is God allowing us to go through all this hurt? Why aren't we getting to experience the one thing we want the most? There isn't even one single shred of us that has doubted God's plan for our lives. However, trusting in God's plan doesn't mean the road will be easy. God has been preparing our hearts for the exact moment we decided to start the adoption process. We see now exactly what He has been working on and we are watching the puzzle pieces fall into place. He has used this heartbreaking season of infertility to push us to adopt quicker than we ever imagined we would, and we couldn't be more excited about it.
So, we are glad you're here on this journey with us! Though the build-up to this moment has been tough, our hearts are overflowing with joy at what's to come. We have never been so sure as we are about choosing to adopt. It's the best decision we have made and we finally feel like we are ENJOYING LIFE again! The process will be long, but we are excited for every step ahead.
Thank you for your love, prayers, and support both through our infertility hurts and in the days to come while we await the arrival of our sweet Baby Lev! We are ecstatic for the day that we can welcome that sweet baby into our home and smother him/her with kisses, love, cuddles and hugs!
All our love and appreciation,
Russ & Bri
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! -Psalm 127:4-5
www.ourlittlegrowingfamily.com
