A Welcome

Here I go... blogging for the first time... was there ever any doubt it would come to this?!

Well, WELCOME!  

I'm so glad you're here! 

I started this blog as a way to share what our family is going through in our adoption journey.  Since so many of you know our story, I'm just going to jump right into the nitty gritty.  I'll share the "WHY we're adopting" post later. (OK, here.)

Now that we are "going public," we can finally share what we are going through as it has been such a whirlwind of emotion in the past month or so. Many have asked "Where are you in the process?" "What is next for you?" and "What can I do to help?" At the risk of going overboard with the information, here is the best way I can answer these questions!! Please, PLEASE do not hesitate to keep asking, and staying in the loop. We couldn't possibly do this without you!  

Where we are/What's next:

We are in the "home study" phase. This includes gathering A LOT of information (from drug tests to birth certificates), meeting with a social worker several times, and having our house inspected. Given how fast it is all going, we expect this process to be concluded by the end of October. Then, we are "home-study approved" in the state of Massachusetts, and can apply for adoption situations anywhere in the country!  Then we wait...

...hopefully not too long.

Once we are chosen by a woman expecting a baby (called the "birth mother"), we are considered "matched." This can take a few months or even over a year. Once the baby is born, and the birth mother relinquishes consent, depending on where the baby is born (what state) we can bring him/her home and that is considered "placement." We will then have several more home visits with our social worker before the adoption is "finalized" legally.

What you can do to help:

Well this is awkward. There is really no delicate way to say this... 

We need money. 

Adoption of a baby in the US can cost from $25,000-$50,000 all told. (I'll post about this later, too.  The logistics of where this money goes can be mesmerizing!  We are NOT buying a baby!) 

The plan is to use our savings account, which we had started awhile ago to pay for daycare and maternity leave costs. We can start applying for grants after our home study is approved.  They are usually need-based and we may not qualify for a lot of them, but we will try!  

And then, we will fund-raise. 

Aside from making secure donations through www.youcaring.com/owensadoption you can:

Pray for us, if you are so inclined!  This is a long and sometimes disheartening journey.  

Help us with fundraisers! We are going to start fundraising right away by having a Yard Sale on October 15th!! Please consider donating items or your time to this event.  

Here is an invitation to the yard sale on facebook. You can help by sharing it!  

Share this blog!  You never know who will benefit from reading about our journey!

If you can't help us out with the yard sale- no worries!  We will have other fundraisers (t-shirts, silent auction, photo sessions, to name a few...)  

Keep in mind that we are creative!  We can use your old stuff, your time, your skills, your miles, your sweat, your contacts, and your ideas! Definitely more on this later, but feel free to message me privately with any ideas!

THE #1 THING YOU CAN DO FOR US is to get informed about the adoption crisis, and pray for all the babies around the world that need loving families and safe homes.  Did you know, if you put all the orphans in the world into one new country, it would be the 10th largest country in the world?  Well, that just about breaks my heart.  Our prayer in all of this is that God uses our story to inspire just one more family to consider adoption.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11  

Welcome to our Journey of Hope.

With love, and gratitude for all you've done already,

Davina (and Mike)