Chris & Deborah Woo-Miller

are adopting a child from United States of America

Dear Friends & Supporters,

We are beginning the process of domestic infant adoption and would love your support in this process. Since Chris was adopted (as an infant from India), we know firsthand the positive impact adoption can have on a child’s life, and have always had it in mind for part of our family building process. We persevered through the adventure that was getting married during the global pandemic and have been trying to start our family for the last couple of years. As we have navigated through infertility issues this past year, the conversation about adopting someday for a second kid shifted to the idea of building our family through adoption now. And since we have not been able to have a baby of our own, at this point in time we strongly desire the experience of raising an infant to experience all those early milestones with them.

If you know Deborah, you know she has always had a heart for kids. She can often be found making silly faces at and entertaining whatever child is in the room and has long dreamed of the day she would have a child of her own. If you know Chris, you know he has been elementary school teacher for almost a decade and is ready to upgrade from uncle status to dad.

It may surprise you that the average cost of domestic infant adoption in the United States can range from 50K to 80K. It certainly was a surprise to us! It is for this reason that we are asking our family, friends, faith community and supporters to consider donating to help ease the financial burden we never anticipated would be involved in building our family.

The fees which adoption agencies collect are so high because they cover:

  • Living and medical expenses for the birth mother
  • Legal fees for transfer of parental rights
  • Legal fees associated with adopting out of state and adoption finalization
  • Counseling for birth parents
  • Outreach fees to help expectant mothers find our agency and thus our adoptive family profile.

You can play an integral part in helping us realize our dreams of becoming parents and enable us to provide a loving home for a child in need. We have chosen to use this specific crowdfunding platform so that any donations you choose to make are tax deductible. (You can also give to the foundation via check or charitable giving platform.)

Your love, support, and prayers mean more to us than you know.

Love,

Deborah & Chris

October 2024 Edit: The projected budget for our adoption is higher, since it is a California match, than we were initially prepared for. So we have raised the fundraising threshold.

Adoption Status

Home At Last

Adoption Agency

American Adoptions

Updates

  • Update 27

    Merry Christmas 2025!

    December 26, 2025

    I've been reflecting a lot this past week about how I barely remember this time of year last year. It was such a strange time of anxious, tentative hope.

    It's sometimes still so hard to believe that here we are, a year later, watching Abby experience her first Christmas.

    We will never be able to thank each of you enough for making this past wonderful year of our lives possible. I can't imagine our lives without joyful, curious, boisterous Abby in it!

    P.S. Apparently we never actually posted the update about Abby's adoption finalization which was via a very brief Zoom court appearance on Sept 3rd.

  • Update 26

    Adoption Process Milestone

    February 14, 2025

    How fitting that today, with love in the air for Valentine's Day, we reached an important milestone in the adoption process and feeling like this is really real! There are a few rounds of different legal proceedings that need to happen, and we were notified today that the biggest and most important one is complete. There are still home visits to be had and a period of several months that need to pass before we can seek for the adoption to be finalized, but we breathe easier from here out knowing there is little that can disrupt things at this point.

    In the meantime, we keep falling in love with this adorable girl who still mostly eats, sleeps, and poops, but is starting to meet friends and family, charming everyone with her smile, and even made it to church last week!

  • Update 25

    Week One Home

    January 2, 2025

    We're nearing the end of our first week as new parents! Chris has become a master at mixing bottles, we all are getting some long stretches of sleep, and we are definitely ready for when we can get past the required wake to feed every few hours time. (And perhaps too hopeful about how much more sleep it might mean!)

    On top of all the things to navigate getting used to life with a newborn, this week has entailed lots of paperwork which is *really* fun when you're running on limited sleep. But things are moving along in the adoption process.

    We are grateful for the ways you have all cheered us on through this journey so far and relish your prayers as we continue on through the coming months, overjoyed but oh so sleepy!

  • Update 24

    She’s here!

    December 28, 2024

    Our baby girl was born at 6:03pm on December 27th. After a long day of waiting for any news from social workers or the hospital, we arrived about 25 minutes before her birth. And then we waited a little longer to meet her while her birth mom did the bravest and hardest thing anyone will ever have to do and say goodbye. We met our precious Abigail at 10:25pm.

    So far there’s been a little sleep, a little milk, some diapers, and a lot of cute noises while we stare at this little bundle of joy.

    Thank you for making this little miracle possible.

  • Update 23

    Merry Christmas!

    December 25, 2024

    Time has been passing very strangely as we have gone through December, with the days both flying and crawling by as we have approached the induction date. We squeezed in some last birthday celebrations for Deborah (the 14th) and Chris (today, Christmas!) amidst trying to get things ready in the apartment for the baby. Meeko has been very disoriented by the constant shifting of furniture and new things appearing in the apartment or favorite chairs leaving for good.

    Sunday someone gave Deborah a perfect analogy for how these final days feel: it's like being on the up part of the roller coaster. That feeling you get in your stomach that's both excitement and anxiety. I get motion sick pretty easy, so anytime someone convinces me to go on a "mild" roller coaster, that up part for me is a lot of "I chose to get on this ride right?" "This is going to be fun...I hope/think"

    Thursday morning we head down to SLO and Friday morning we head to the hospital. It's so hard to wrap our heads around, that in less than 48 hours we could be holding our baby and in a few days we could be ringing in the New Year as a family of three.

    Grateful to have you on this journey with us and wishing you a Merry Christmas!

$47,937 raised of $50,000 goal
Two ways to give
Donate
 Match Donations to this Family
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Matching Donors

  • John J Woo matched $5,000
  • Omer Olson and Connie Miller matched $5,000
  • Tom and Judy Tsao matched $1,500

Donations 152

  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
  • S. Louie gave an undisclosed amount
    God is good.
  • The America Online Giving Foundation on behalf of Apple gave $200
  • S. Louie gave an undisclosed amount
    Continual prayers for all people and tasks involved in bringing the little one into your home.
  • Anonymous gave an undisclosed amount
  • Schwab Charitable on behalf of Cameron and Charlene Ashizawa gave $2,000
  • David Duran gave an undisclosed amount
    ❤️
  • Kristina Kanemoto gave $50
  • Anonymous gave $150
  • Anonymous gave $95
    You are going to be parents! 🎉