This weekend Aaron and I were with friends and our adoption journey was the topic of conversation. We were asked, "tell us your story, how did you come to the decision that adoption is the right choice for your family?"
As I pondered this question, I thought back to my classroom at Andrews Elementary School in Burlington, NC. I started teaching at Andrews not long after Aaron and I started dating and I was teaching a class for children with severe and profound disabilities and each of those students were my babies. How I knew that Aaron was the one for me, was that he loved my babies as much as I did. Teaching in that setting meant that I saw some very sad stories and more than once Aaron would make the comment, "I would take Student A home in a heartbeat." I fell in love with this man all over again because he had a heart for my babies and I knew that he meant it when he said he would take any of those babies into our home. It was around this time that Aaron and I talked about adoption for the first time and we knew that one day adoption would be a part of our story.
In November 2007, Aaron and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. We had a textbook pregnancy and everything went according to plan, until the day of delivery. On the day our son was born, there were many complications that ended with Elias spending 12 hours in NICU. Our midwife called Elias our miracle baby and I really did not want to go through that again. I was done having children, but God had other plans.
Fast forward to 2009 and we find out we were pregnant for the second time. My pregnancy with Sophia was far from easy and we made the decision that after I gave birth, I would have my tubes tied. We almost lost Sophia early on in the pregnancy and my labor and delivery was very difficult. Sophia was under a lot of stress and we kept losing her heartbeat. I also experienced some complications post-delivery, and then that afternoon, my tubes were tied.
Having my tubes tied was not a decision that Aaron and I came to lightly. We thought long and hard and prayed even longer and harder, but in the end we were at peace with our decision. As we considered both of my previous pregnancies and deliveries, we honestly believed that we would not make it through another pregnancy. I believe that we were at such peace because we knew we were called to adopt and that our family was not done growing, we were just not going to be growing through pregnancy.
Children with special needs, especially children with Downs Syndrome, have always had a special place in our hearts. It seems a little weird to say, but we would love to adopt a child with Downs Syndrome, although we would never say "no" to any child. Apart from my 7 years as a special education teacher, I also spent several years working in the special needs ministry at church. My kids have always been around children with special needs and their love and compassion for them is truly amazing. I truly believe that God has been equipping our family to be the forever family for a child with special needs.
The first step is to have a private home study completed, but we have to have around $3000 to cover the upfront costs of the application fee, home study fee, and mileage. If you would like to partner with us on our adoption journey, you can donate via our YouCaring page at: https://www.youcaring.com/aaronandlisatant-796522
Fast forward to 2009 and we find out we were pregnant for the second time. My pregnancy with Sophia was far from easy and we made the decision that after I gave birth, I would have my tubes tied. We almost lost Sophia early on in the pregnancy and my labor and delivery was very difficult. Sophia was under a lot of stress and we kept losing her heartbeat. I also experienced some complications post-delivery, and then that afternoon, my tubes were tied.
Having my tubes tied was not a decision that Aaron and I came to lightly. We thought long and hard and prayed even longer and harder, but in the end we were at peace with our decision. As we considered both of my previous pregnancies and deliveries, we honestly believed that we would not make it through another pregnancy. I believe that we were at such peace because we knew we were called to adopt and that our family was not done growing, we were just not going to be growing through pregnancy.
Children with special needs, especially children with Downs Syndrome, have always had a special place in our hearts. It seems a little weird to say, but we would love to adopt a child with Downs Syndrome, although we would never say "no" to any child. Apart from my 7 years as a special education teacher, I also spent several years working in the special needs ministry at church. My kids have always been around children with special needs and their love and compassion for them is truly amazing. I truly believe that God has been equipping our family to be the forever family for a child with special needs.
The first step is to have a private home study completed, but we have to have around $3000 to cover the upfront costs of the application fee, home study fee, and mileage. If you would like to partner with us on our adoption journey, you can donate via our YouCaring page at: https://www.youcaring.com/aaronandlisatant-796522
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