Aaron & Marinda's Adoption Journey

What do  "shadowing whiskey", skier's nose, CMV, a miscarriage, and adoption all have in common?  They are all part of our unique and unforgettable story.   We started this fundraiser to have all the funds ready to adopt when we are matched with the child God has planned.  We have been approved to adopt an infant up to a 5 year old and are just waiting.   We do not want to be in debt to adopt.  We want to focus our time, attention, and love to a child without worrying about debts.  The support raised here will basically be giving a home to an orphaned child and joy to us as we expand our family.  We cannot thank you enough for taking the time to walk alongside us in this journey.  Our path together has been an amazing one layered with blessings as well as obstacles to overcome.  By the grace of God we are here, in a marriage stronger than ever, sharing our journey with you.  To summarize our story as quickly as possible we will just give you highlights.  If you want to know more details let us know and we can share a link with you to our adoption page.  Aaron:  We met on February 9th, 2013 in Nashville, TN. We were engaged less than 3 months later and married 5 months after that on October 5th, 2013.  Marinda had relocated to Colorado where I lived and unfortunately her body did not adjust to the climate there.  She was sick often with what they call skier's nose from lack of moisture in the air.  It was a tough transition and we looked forward to our honeymoon cruise in March 2014.  The honeymoon didn't actually happen as there was an oil spill and our ship didn't sail.  While exiting the ship with 1600 other people Marinda contracted a rare virus from someone on the ship.  Her immunity was low from being frequently sick in Denver which made her susceptible to the virus.  We were told it was not safe to try to conceive until the virus was gone or the baby would most likely die.  8 months later in November 2014 Marinda was virus free and we were able to try to conceive.   Marinda:  I was so thankful to finally be well after being so ill the first whole year of our marriage.  I had finished up a medical mission to Guatemala and met Aaron in Jamaica for our honeymoon part deux.  This time no cruise ship, no rare virus, just a fantastic time.  Hooray!  We became pregnant and in early January I shared a positive pregnancy test with Aaron.  We were delighted! Unfortunately, we miscarried shortly after which was unexpected of course and a hard time for both of us.  At the advise of our doctor we went to a fertility specialist to do testing to see if there were any answers as to why we miscarried.  Of course there was no real medical reason they could give us and all the various tests they did came back healthy for both of us.  Praise God! Aaron:  The fertility doctor told us that even though all the tests were healthy and we were perfectly fine that we should proceed with fertility procedures if we wanted to get pregnant.  Being emotionally vulnerable after the miscarriage we listened to him instead of going with our guts that we didn't need their medicines and procedures.  Marinda's ovary swelled and almost needed to be removed because her body responded so well to the medicines he prescribed.  She then hemorrhaged and almost had surgery to stop the bleeding as she was very anemic.  God was protecting us the whole time even though we went down a path that was harmful thinking we were doing the right thing because the doctor said so.  Marinda did not have surgery to remove the ovary nor did she need surgery to stop her bleeding because God allowed her body to pass what was needed on it's own.  What miracles we saw during this tough time! Marinda:  God gave me the strength after all I had been through to be strong and not fearful.  He led me to a new doctor even though the other doctor said there was no one else who did what he does.  I am glad they don't do what he does and moved on to this new doctor who helped my body get back to normal after the side effects of that medicine.  Another year had passed during this time and it was November 2015.  My body took a while to regulate after those experiences and we were able to try to conceive again in March 2016.  Aaron:  We were relieved that the whole ordeal with the awful fertility doctor was over and just wanted to enjoy being healthy and happy together.  We relaxed, had fun, and enjoyed outdoor activities together while trying to conceive again naturally.  Another year went by without becoming pregnant and our trustworthy doctor helped walk us through IVF (in vitro-fertilization) to try to start a  family.   Marinda:  In March 2017 we again made life together (5 embryos).  3 of them were put into my womb but did not survive.   The other 2 were frozen and 1 of those that survived the thawing process was transferred into me.  It did not survive either.  We were hopeful that we made life together but disappointed that they did not continue to grow and live.   Before we had proceeded with IVF we attended all trainings in October 2016 to be eligible to foster or adopt.  We were with an adoption agency for a whole year without our family look book being shown to parents who were considering adoption.  Being new to the process we didn't realize that the company wasn't working hard towards finding opportunities for us for placement.  Thanks to a friend we were referred to a different adoption agency and now in December of 2017 our family look book finally began being shown to potential families seeking placement for their children.  After 15 months of trying to foster/adopt we feel like we are finally truly awaiting a child who will be here sooner than later.  We have completed our home study and steps for a birthmom/family to choose us.  Please also keep us in mind if you know of an expectant mom or family that has a need for a forever family for an infant to 5 year old. Once we are chosen we have to pay the $20,000 placement fee before the child can come home with us.  The total costs for the adoption will be $26,000.  We have already invested nearly $10,000 to get to the place we are now.  We are seeking financial support to help with what we have already paid as well as the money we will need to have ready up front when we are blessed with the call for the child that is ours.  We are also fundraising with Both Hands Project which brings a community together to help renovate a widows home while also offering funding to oprhans seeking adoptive families.   We are so thankful for the friends and support network we have and appreciate your consideration in helping us.  We plan to continue to leave this Go Fund Me page up as long as needed and when we receive details of the child who will be ours we will post updates.  We created fun reward levels for those who donate certain amounts so that our future child can look back and be reminded of the sacrificial love and giving of others who helped bring them home.    Together, we know God will provide through your generosity and His will for us to have a child.  Thanks for reading our story and donating.  It has been a rocky 4 years together but again the Lord knows what He is doing and we trust in Him.  This journey has brought us closer than ever and we feel well equipped for whatever may come next...especially our child.