We are pursuing an independent interstate adoption of a baby boy who will arrive this fall. As a part of our adoption process, we are raising funds to assist in the costs that come with adoption. We are raising funds for the costs of two attorneys. Because this is an interstate adoption, we will have to hire representation in both states. We are also preparing for travel and accommodations while we wait for the Interstate Contract for Placement of Children (ICPC) to be completed before we can travel home with him. Accommodations for housing for an unknown amount of time is also a big expense.
We have been married for almost 11 years and have an 8 year-old daughter. We have desired to add to our family through adoption for as long as we have been together, but this spring, the Lord made it abundantly clear that now was the time. Our daughter is excited to be a big sister and we can't wait to meet this little person.
We have claimed Jeremiah 1:5 for our little one, where the Lord speaks and says, "I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born." We believe that the Lord has big plans for this little baby, and we are excited to see how we get to be apart of it. We are grateful for the community that surrounds our family as we take steps to grow our family. Thank you for playing a part in his adoption story. Please pray with us during our journey to bring him home!
Update: 11/10/24
In April we got a call about a baby. The baby was due in November, and the expectant mom was thinking about placing the baby for adoption. Were we interested? Andrew and I said, we would pursue it until the Lord closed the door.
In July, the expectant mom and I finally made contact. She graciously allowed me to come to all of her appointments starting at the 20 week anatomy scan. While I loved that little boy from the first time I saw him on the screen, it was obvious to me that the Lord had opened the door for us to love this momma as much as He was opening it for us to love this baby. Over the past 4 and a half months, we have waited and prepared for us to welcome a son while also developing a close bond with the birthmom. Our community has wrapped around us and showered us with love and support as we fundraised as well as helping give us everything we could possibly need or desire for our new addition. Our plan was for us to continue our relationship with her and have a very open adoption. How could we not? We love her as much as we love him.
This week a precious baby boy was born to the most amazing young woman and then, the Lord closed the door.
When I say that there is grief, I mean this is one of the hardest things we’ve been through-which is saying a lot because we’ve been through A LOT of grief over the past 4 years. But we are trusting the Lord that He knows what’s best for us and for Baby Gumball, and for the birthmom. I told Ady last night as she was crying about her “baby brother”, that we only have a few pieces of the puzzle while God has the puzzle box (with the picture) and the rest of the pieces, so he can make it all fit the way they are supposed to.
The birthmom graciously gave us time with him to talk to him, and pray with him, and love him. She allowed me to choose his middle name-Jeremiah. I chose Jeremiah because of the verse we claimed for him- Jeremiah 1:5 “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.” We know God has big plans for him and for his momma.
We want to remain in their lives as much as she will allow us to because this journey wasn’t just about coming home with a baby. This journey has been about loving this family with Christ’s love, and just because the baby didn’t come home with us, that doesn’t change.
Please do NOT say anything unkind about her or her decision. I can’t imagine how hard it was for her. Even though we are broken, we know she made the best choice she could and we will love her and encourage her as she parents this little boy.
Please be patient with us as we grieve and process what is next for our family. Our feelings and emotions are all over the place, even though we are trusting God, it’s still a hard road. From the bottom of our heart, we thank all of you who have loved us on this journey and ask that you continue to pray for us as we walk this path and listen to the Lord for Him to guide us.
Many have asked for us to share our baby registry, so I am adding the link to our Baby List here. Both of our registries are accessible through Baby List.
Thank you to everyone who wants to love our family while we prepare for our little one!
my.babylist.com/babygumball
The past month was a complete whirlwind! On August 10 (and 11th) we had an unbelievably large yard sale to help fund the adoption. Our community was so generous and we raised a large sum that we were able to put directly toward our adoption costs. We also had both of our home study visits in August. We are happy to report that we are now the recipients of an approved home study!
Baby Gumball is continuing to grow and is almost at 30 weeks gestation. We cannot believe that our little man will join our family in just a couple of months! Our expectant mother is amazing and we are so grateful for her.
We are still fundraising! We will still likely have some attorney fees, even though we are "current" at this time, and we are also preparing to fund our extended stay in the baby's birth state. Due to the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC), once he arrives, one of us will have to remain with him there until approval to return to South Carolina. I (Anna) will likely stay and Andrew and our daughter will return to South Carolina Monday through Fridays come for visits on the weekends. We have reserved an extended stay, but we are prayerful that the time out of state is not as long as expected so that we are able to be together at home as soon as possible!
Thank you so so much for being on this journey with us! We are so grateful for the support of our friends and family as we pursue adoption to grow our family!
The past two weeks have been especially productive for all things adoption. We are waiting for about 4 documents to be returned to us from the state and we will be able to schedule the first of our home study visits. (Home study + Background Checks and Fees- $1150)
We have retained representation here in SC and will be retaining an attorney in GA next week. ($8500 total upfront)
We are still working on fundraising to help with these costs. Our shirt fundraiser ends tomorrow (8/3) and our yard sale is next weekend. We are so grateful for everyone who has already contributed. The links are below for shirts as well as the tax deductible link for donations through “adopt together”.
We love this little man so much already and can’t wait to bring him home!
Fundraising Website:
https://adopttogether.herokuapp.com/families/the-johnsons-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0e1e_fyG3l80QUy5KpunalHrR1PfiooeU_djWD5iCt0-KwP3B0NyE3x4g_aem_XMEVjNXvN5WrU6UqbSzowA
Shirts:
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/johnson-family-adoption-journey?utm_campaign=mobile-campaign-page-share&utm_content=johnson-family-adoption-journey&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link
