Monday, October 13, 2014

PHOTO BOOK preview & some questions answered:

It's been awhile. I know. 
but.
We are still here and in the middle of all things adoption! I thought id take some time to answer some of the questions some people have been asking & share some snippets of our photo book!

1. Where are we at?
* We are WAITING... and waiting and waiting. Our home study interviews are complete and our caseworker is finishing up writing our home study. We have our next big chunk $12,000 due very very soon. As you can see from the side bar fundraising thermometer we are still a ways from that number. But I have faith in our Lord that he will provide and we will be able to make that big payment (I may be borderline crazy)

2. "Why did you choose domestic adoption?" & "There are kids all around the world that are already born that need to be adopted, why do you have to have a baby?" 

*We have gotten these questions A LOT. These questions are hard for me because my guard immediately goes up and my first reaction is to be defensive. I have the answers to these questions and I know that people only ask out of love and mean no disrespect (at least I hope). Also, when we started this journey we knew we wanted to help educate people along the way because so many were unaware. But to answer these questions, we spent a LOT of time researching, discussing & praying about which path of adoption was BEST for us. The key phrase is "BEST for US." There were many factors that played into our decision. As most of you know we are young-er. So many of the countries that we looked into we didn't qualify for. Also, the amount of travel time for some of the countries we were looking at was not something that we could commit to. Our initial thought when considering adoption was international. However, once I researched domestic we really felt called to pursue that. I was inspired by these women that were in a difficult situations that were choosing LIFE for their unborn child. In today's society abortions are the norm, accepted & encouraged however, we want them to know that they can choose life and there are people who will love their baby as their own & support them along the way. 

3. What is this whole photo book thing you keep talking about?
* ohhh boy. Our photo book has been my baby for the last few months. We had to create a photo book (I chose Shutterfly.com) that give birth moms wanting to place their baby, a glimpse into who we are and our everyday lives. STRESSFUL. Do you know how hard it is to pour your heart out in a book that you are creating for someone a. you've never met & b. that's supposed to "convince" them to choose you? The perfectionist in me wanted this thing to be perfect but the fact of the matter is that no one is perfect and why would a birth mom want to pick a family that portrays them in that sense? Our book is real, honest & hopefully shows the love & respect we have for each other. I reviewed, had people edit and PRAYED over this book so much. I know when it comes there will be things I wish to change, small spelling errors and some blurry pictures. I have told myself that it is OKAY if its not 100% perfect and that I will be happy with it exactly the way it is (because I am not going to dish out another $350 to order new ones!)

 Here is some snippets of our book. Not all pages are included here but here are some. Please keep all comment positive ;) I'm really working on being 100% satisfied with this thing. Also, it is taking a lot for me to share this.. super vulnerable over here!! okay, enough already.. enjoy! 


 Our cover (above)


Welcome letter...
I prayed and prayed about this part. First page= first impression!

(missing our "couples" page.. not ready to share that just yet!)

Now below the pages go in twos, a spread.. try and picture it 









  

  




 Our book is a total of 24 pages, obviously some pages are missing. Hope you enjoyed this post. Please continue to be praying your hearts out for us! We love you all! 

-Erika