The Schoonovers

We are quickly learning that a lot of this process is going to be hurry up and wait. We were told that by others but are learning this for ourselves. It’s a lot of getting stuff done in a short turnaround and then waiting for the next thing.

We thought we would be starting our home study right after Christmas, but our home study writer ended up having some family deaths occur over the holidays. The adoption agency has rightly given her some time to grieve and process the loss before jumping into the home study with us, so if you think about it, please be praying for her.

We will instead officially start that process at the end of January or first week of February, so just a week or two from now. In the meantime, we’ve been able to tackle a few things.

• We started a t-shirt fundraising campaign. A sweet friend us create two designs that encompass our hearts in life and in this journey that we hope people will actually want to wear for a long-time. There are two designs. One that showcases our faith and belief that not only will this baby be chosen and loved but we are all already chosen and loved by the God of the universe. The other one is for our friends and family that may not share our faith but want to support us. It serves as a reminder that life is full of adventure and the next adventure is right around the corner. Adoption is our current adventure but your next one is just waiting for you to grab ahold of it. We have a few styles of shirts and sweatshirts in various colors and sizes XS-5X.

• We were able to have some new family pictures taken for our adoption profile by a dear friend, Ava Hooten. We are still working to complete our adoption profile and should have it completed this weekend. The adoption profile is a 10-12 page document that tells birth moms about who we are as individuals, our story as a couple, a little bit about our families and support systems, our faith, and hopes as parents. Birth moms who contact our agency to create an adoption plan for their child are given the choice as to whether or not they want to pick the adoptive family for their child. For those who do decide to make the choice for themselves, this will be their first introduction to us.

• We were able to submit, not the paperwork, but all of our documentation. There is so much paperwork that goes into an adoption. A lot of it can’t be completed until we officially start the home study, but we were at least able to submit all our documentation such as birth certificates, IDs, pet vaccinations, home and car insurance, health insurance, etc. It’s a lot!
• We were able to start and complete our required trainings. We each had to complete 6 trainings as part of our adoption process. We were provided with a list of resources that we could use to find trainings to complete. Examples of trainings included topics such as how to talk to your adopted child about their adoption, prenatal substance exposure, learning more about the different types of adoptions, and raising children who come from a different cultural background than you.
• Matt’s mom, Tammy Schoonover, started a keychain fundraiser to help support us. Tammy has a craft business and she has created some adorable keychains to help raise money for our adoption. They are not only cute, but great to throw on your wrist and go, plus she will ship if you are not local to her area.

• We almost have the nursery completed. We have thankfully been able to get all of the really big stuff needed for the nursery, so that is almost ready to go. We have moved onto gathering all of the smaller things like bath supplies, clothes, feeding, etc. A sweet friend also brought us two boxes of gently used baby clothes recently for our little one to use when the time comes. We have it all washed and sorted and are feeling more and more ready each day.

We appreciate all the support through prayers, checking in, and financially supporting us through our various fundraisers. We are about a third of the way funded on our adoption, so every little bit helps!

As it relates to prayer, the biggest requests right now are to pray for our home study writer as she grieves the losses she’s experienced, us to continue to prepare our hearts and home, and for the birth mom and baby that we eventually get matched with.

With Love,

The Schoonovers