We are adopting Little Mushka #3 and if you are interested in helping make this possible, head over to this blog post to see how you can help!
I get asked so many question every week about adoption. You can find my previous posts with FAQ’s here and here if you’d like to learn more about our story❤️
If you’ve ever thought about adoption, it can be really overwhelming with all of the options. There’s domestic or international adoptions, race, gender, medical conditions and agencies to consider. We prayed Psalm 32:8 through this entire process - He WILL direct you!
We basically just followed the path of a friend who had adopted for our first adoption and really trusted their advice. The Lord made everything clear for us and it all fell beautifully into place.
Every state is different and the goal of Tennessee’s foster care system is to reunify families. We knew we were ready to adopt a child so we checked foster care off of our list.
Our next decision was choosing between an agency or consultant group. We ultimately chose a consultancy group as our name is out there for multiple agencies to see, which means its a quicker process as there are many expectant mothers who are able to find you. We used Faithful Adoption Consultants and we love them!
Our first adoption ended up being a private adoption. We did it one time and knew that was how we should grow our family from then on. We couldn’t love our baby Brooks more, no matter if he had grown in my own womb or somebody else’s.
When we pursued our second adoption, we went all the way through with Faithful Adoption Consultants. A consultant group helps a ton with speed if that matters to you. We went active with our adoption in October and were matched in November. Our little boy was born in January.
Adoption doesn’t have to be hard and long and expensive and scary. If God calls you to do it, say YES. I was super scared and overwhelmed at first. Our adoptions have been the very best parts of our lives and both times, we have felt God holding our hands and leading just to the next right step.
As for finances, we fundraised our adoptions. God covered every cent. Our second adoption was totally funded through Dear Mushka😭❤️ We are also raising funds for our third adoption (you can find all the details here.)
Not everyone is called to adopt themselves, and that is totally okay. However, we are all are called to serve others and take care of one another. So some choose to say yes to donating money towards an adoption.
Our adoption necklace mentioned in the video is a triangle which represents the birth family, adoptive family and the child. It’s the perfect gift for a birth mother or adoptive mother and comes with reflective scripture cards.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Birth Parents
I feel like there is a lot of negative stereotypes and fear surrounding birth mothers. I was in the exact same place the first time we adopted and I thought ‘what if this sweet mama decides to change her mind?’.
I wanted to make it clear that a birth mother is just an expectant mother until the rights have been signed over. She can still change her mind even if she chooses you and promises to give you the child.
Adoption is so beautiful but the fact that the child has two families interacting in their lives means it can still be complicated. It’s totally normal to be hesitant with open adoptions for this reason. We chose yes to open adoptions for both of ours, but our birth mothers chose not to have a relationship with us.
Home Study
It’s not a difficult process but can be tedious. The social workers are always really kind and interested in getting to know you! They are simply there to see that you live in a safe environment.
When You and Your Husband Aren’t On The Same Page
What I’ve found a lot of comfort in, came from the Bible when Abram was called to a new land without a lot of details. God doesn’t tell him where he is going, simply that He will lead him. So we took baby steps forward with a lot of prayer for unity.
I hope you found this helpful! Feel free to DM me any more questions and follow along on our IG stories to see us bring Mushka #3 home❤️