Collier Anderson...

As many of you know...Emory and I just brought home baby #6. Shortly after the adoption of #5, we found out that we were pregnant with our 2nd biological child. We were SHOCKED!!! Collier Anderson was born on 11/23/2010. He weighed 5 lbs 13 oz and was 19.5 inches long. He is absolutely precious and we are beyond thrilled that he is finally here. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes as we continue to grow our family!! Here are a few pics of our new bundle of joy! We are doing Christmas card pictures this weekend, so I will be sure to post family pictures soon!

Brand New
Collier has a great startle reflex
1st car ride....leaving the hospital
2 of our kiddos with baby Collier

Lots of Prayers and new babies....

Prayer requests galore today:

1. Please pray for the "S" family as they are traveling right now to meet their precious new daughter. Their BM is in labor, and will have this precious baby anytime. PLease pray for safe travels for this sweet family, pray for a safe and healthy delivery for this BM, and pray for this precious baby girl to be healthy! Please pray that the BM would remain steadfast in her adoption plan, and that God would allow our sweet clients to minister to her in this difficult time. Our hope is that our adoptive families would bring the gospel to each BM and agency that they work with, and that these BM's might know the hope found only in Jesus Christ!!! Updates and pictures to come very, very soon!!

2. Please pray for the Doss family. Emily and Daniel are sweet friends and past clients. Many of you may even read their family blog which I have linked to this blog. They adopted Manny back in March of this year. Daniel's mom passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer. Please pray for this precious family. This is such a difficult time. Praise the Lord that his mom was a wonderful Christian woman, and she is sitting at the feet of Jesus as I type this, CANCER-FREE!!! Pray for the loved ones she left behind.

3. Another precious family that was set to being working with us in January, emailed today with incredible news!! Please pray for the "C" family as they welcome a sibling group of 3 this weekend. It is set to be a private adoption, and they have a lot to do to get ready for this new arrival. They are going from a family of 4 to a family of 7. Pray for their adjustment, pray for these children, pray for the "C" family's current 2 children. Pray for the extended family, we know from experience what a shock it is for our families when you make the choice to accept more than 1, and older children at that!! I love this story, and believe this is exactly what the body of Christ is called to do! GOD IS GOOD!! He is faithful!!! I will keep you updated on this family as I receive updates!

Thank you for your prayers!! So thankful for the body of Christ, and those willing to intercede on behalf of others!!!

PRAYERS NEEDED FOR A PRECIOUS FRIEND......

A precious friend of mine is 20 weeks pregnant, and her water broke last week. The entire amniotic sac is empty. Please pray for this precious family. The Dr.'s gave her 2 choices...she can be induced and deliver the baby, but it is not possible for the baby to survive, or they can hospitalize her, and pray that the baby can hold on for 4 weeks in the womb, and then deliver her when she would be able to survive outside of the womb. This 2nd option also poses great risk for my friend. The amniotic sac is what protects the uterus from infection. My friend has chosen option 2. Please pray that the Lord would put a hedge of protection around her, around this baby, around their other children and of course, her husband. Pray that this baby would make it to the 24 week mark, and then continue to thrive afterward as well! Pray that the Lord would be glorified through every decision made, pray that HE would show HIMSELF mightily not only to my friend and her family, but to the doctors and nurses as well!! Please keep this precious family in your prayers. I will keep you updated!

Praying for K and J today....

I am writing this post as I anxiously wait on news that another sweet client is holding their new baby! Our sweet clients K and J are waiting on an update right this minute on the progress of their baby's delivery. Their BM was induced this morning at 8:30 EST, and was at 4cm dilated before they started the induction. Praying for a safe, quick delivery.

Lord, please be with this precious BM as she gives birth to this sweet baby girl. Lord, my prayer is that you would reveal yourself to this BM through this adoption experience. That you might use K and J as a vessel for YOU, GOD. Lord, I pray for this precious baby girl. I pray that she will be healthy, Lord. Be with K and J today as they wait, and over the next 24 hours as they wait for this BM to sign the most important documents she will ever sign. Lord, be with them all. Give everyone involved a peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you, Lord for adoption, thank you for a BM that chose life. Choosing life probably isn't the easiest path to take for the majority of these BM's Lord. How thankful we are that she did!!

Please continue to pray for each of the BM's and agencies that our families work with. Our hope is that each client would be able to share the gospel with their birth moms, and share the joy of Jesus Christ. Thanks for the prayers, and I will keep you updated on K and J and their baby girl!!

Sweet Nella....

I love visiting my clients blogs and keeping up with them after their adoptions. It brings such joy to see them enjoying life together as a family. I love reading their stories, seeing their pictures, etc. I promise I am not a stalker, I just get so much joy from watching GOD build families through adoption. Seeing my clients match is only one step, I love that I have a relationship, a friendship with each of my clients, and they allow me to watch their family grow!! Thank you to all my new friends through FAC, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family, and to watch you as you grow as a family!!!

I just visited one of our sweet client's blogs, and this is what I found:

This is our Nella as a butterfly. Her Aunt Leslie had that idea for her for a costume and I am so glad we went with it...she was the most beautiful butterfly I had ever seen!!!!!!! Butterfly means new life and hope...and when I think about it that is what she is in our lives. Nella was what we hoped and prayed for for so long and she is a new little life. But also, we have a new life with Nella. One filled with happiness, love, and laughter, not that Matt and I didn't have that before, but we did have a part that was missing in our lives and we knew it was a baby....and Nella is our little hope that came true! She completed our family and we have never ever been so happy!!!!!!!

Oh the joy I get from reading this post.

Thank you , Lord for Nella. Thank you for M and J. Thank you Lord for Nella's BM who chose life for this precious baby girl. Thank you that she loved Nella so much that she gave her the greatest gift of all, LIFE. She gave her a family that is so in love with her it isn't funny. Thank you, Lord for creating adoption, thank you for the first picture of adoption when you adopted us into your family. GOD, thank you! THANK YOU! Thank you for these precious Christian families that are willing to step up and adopt the orphans. Thank you for the challenge in James 1:27, Lord. I pray that more families will step-up Lord and take care of the orphans!!

Congratulations "P" Family!

Congrats Jimmy and Amy! We are so thrilled to announce that sweet Hattie was born on October 31st. She weighed 5 lbs and 12 oz. The "P" family is doing wonderful, and will hopefully be headed home sometime early this week! Please keep them in your prayers as they await their ICPC approval! Jimmy and Amy were matched with us in only 2 short months. Their home study was approved August 3oth, and their precious baby girl was born Oct. 31! GOD IS GOOD! Here are a couple of pictures of their precious new addition!!

Pictures of Sweet Joy!!

I am so sorry this is so delayed! We have had a very busy month here at FAC!! Here are the pictures of Miss Joy that I promised! She is beautiful!!

Welcome Baby Joy...

Congratulations Davis family! Joy Allison Davis was born Sunday, October 17th by emergency c-section. She weighed 5 lbs 4 oz. and she is absolutely beautiful! The Davis family wasn't expecting their bundle of joy for another 3 weeks, and they were expecting a baby boy! NOT A GIRL!! Boy, does God like surprises!! They were quite surprised!! We are so excited for this precious family. We are so blessed with clients that know who to give all the glory to!! GOD IS SO GOOD, and we are so thankful for this precious family, and their beautiful new addition. Their precious birthmom signed this morning, and as you can imagine it was a very difficult time for both the Davis' and the BM! Please continue to pray for their BM, pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to her in a mighty way!! As always, thank you for your prayers and support for each of our precious families!!

Pictures to come soon!!!

Check out this blog...

Faithfulmommy.typepad.com

What to pack when you pick up your bundle of joy...

I will have several posts on this one topic...my first post is from a previous client...Emily Doss. She graciously volunteered to write our first post on this subject!! Thank you, Emily!

The Adoption Packing List I Wish I Had

I am a planner. But sometimes in the adoption world we get a phone call that changes our lives and either there is no time to plan or the plans quickly fly out the window. Luckily I married an amazing man who is pretty laid back and after 10 years of marriage it is finally rubbing off on me.

So although I wish I had been able to plan, we got THE PHONE CALL while visiting family out of state and headed straight to the hospital to meet our son....with nothing but a car seat!

If there had been time to plan here's what would have been nice to have...in other words here's what we picked up at the store as we expanded our family in the lovely hotel room nearly 800 miles from home.

For the parents:
Comfy clothes
Cute clothes (for all the photo opts)
Toiletries
Snacks, Drinks and Microwave Dinners
Plastic cutlery (nothing like getting carryout back to the room with nothing to eat it with.)
Quarters and Laundry Supplies
Camera
Video Camera
Computer
POWER CORDS (there will be tons of people to call and pictures to take! Don’t forget your power cords to your cell, camera, and all other electronic devices.)


For the baby:
Car seat
Diaper Bag- We found that a backpack worked well for us.
Bottles
Formula- The hospital usually sends you "home" with some samples to get you started...we found the liquid pre-mixed kind was most convenient for this clueless first time mom, looking back I would probably get some bottled water and powder formula.
Bottle brush and dish washing soap
Munchkin makes some really great to have reusable microwave sterilizer bags.
Diapers
Wipes
Lotion
Alcohol wipes (or whatever you choose to use for umbilical cord care.)
Sponge bath supplies
*For boys only- supplies to care for circumcision- (our doctor recommended Vaseline and gauze pads...they gave us some samples at the hospital then we knew exactly what to pick up from the store.)
Blankets and or swaddlers
Clothes (Can I get an a-men...finally all these cute clothes we've been staring at can go to good use!)
Pack and Play- ours was fabulous because it had a bassinet as well as a changing table. It was everything we needed in our lovely hotel room.
Stroller- For when you are sick of the hotel room and in dire need of an outing.
Canvas Crates/Baskets- definitely an extra and not really needed, but it helped me stay organized in our small space.

Note on hotels- It made things much easier for us that our hotel had on site laundry capabilities and had a fridge and microwave in the room.

Staying in a hotel room with your sweet new child is such an amazing time. You get to celebrate the end of an adoption journey and the beginning of a miracle of a new life. I hope you are able to enjoy your time and be a little more prepared than I was. And don't stress, there is probably a store right around the corner for all those things you forgot you needed. :)

by: Emily Doss

Helpful Blog Posts coming soon...

Over the next few weeks, we will be posting blogs that will help adoptive parents on their adoption journeys. We will blog about travel tips, things to take and not to take, expectations of the adoption journey!! We would love for you to become a follower, so that way you can keep up with all of the different helpful blogs coming soon!! Have a blessed day!!

Updates...

Thank you all so much for the prayer requests!! M and D's prayers have been answered, everything is working out beautifully with their potential match. The match still has not been officially accepted, as they are waiting on a few more tests to be run! Please continue to pray for the health of this baby girl and for M and D as they continue to move forward very excitedly. They have waited for a baby for many years, so they are thrilled to finally be able to hold their baby girl!! As soon as she gets stronger and they get some tube free pics, I will make sure to post them for you! In the meantime, please continue to pray for this sweet baby, baby J!! Thank you so much!!

Also, please continue to pray for the 6 siblings that were placed in foster care earlier in the week, the details of this situation are very heart-breaking, and these children need our prayers. I do not want to post specifics as it is a very sad situation, but know that God is already working mightily, they are in the same foster home for now, and will be moving to a near-by state where they will be split between 2 relatives that live very close to one another. Pray for healing for each one of these children!!!

Also, please continue to pray for each of our clients that is presenting currently!

Also, pray for B and C. Their BM is due Aug. 27th, but is having contractions and is already dilating. Pray for a safe delivery for the BM and healthy baby boy!!! More updates to come as soon as I have them!!!

Thanks for all the prayers!! God is so good!!

Prayers....

I just wanted to post a few prayer requests:

1. Please pray one of our clients, M and D...they have a potential match with a baby that was born 8 weeks early. Please pray for the health of this baby, for each doctor and nurse that will be caring for this baby and also for M and D as they continue to make decisions about moving forward with this potential match!!

2. Please pray for C and B as they prepare for their baby boy, pray for their BM as she continues to carry this baby! Pray that the BM is steadfast in her adoption plan.

3. Pray for a sibling group of six that has been placed in foster care in another state, their parents passed away over the weekend, and they are now being placed with different family members. Please pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to each of these children, pray for the families that are taking these children on, pray for healing for each party involved in this tragedy!

Thank you for your prayers! I appreciate them so much, and constantly get emails from clients, prospective client and just blog readers reminding me they are praying for our adoptive families, their BM' s, etc. Thank you!!

Congrats...

Just wanted to post a quick congrats to C and B!!! Their precious baby boy is due on August 27th!! Can't wait to see pics of their newest addition!!! Please keep C and B in your prayers as they prepare for their new little one, please also keep their BM in your prayers as she continues to carry this sweet baby! What an amazing gift she is giving to C and B! I cannot imagine, but I am so thankful for each BM that has chosen the gift of life for their children, and also to bless another family with such an incredible gift! Please pray that she is steadfast in her adoption plan, and also that the Lord would grant her a peace during this time. Adoption is the adoptive parents greatest joy, but it is also the BM's greatest loss! Please keep both parties in your prayers! Thanks so much!!

Adoption Poem...

LEGACY OF AN ADOPTED CHILD

Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried you tears

One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, which of these two women, Are you the product of?
Both, my darling, Both, Just two different types of love.
---- Unknown

Welcome to Holland...

by Emily Perl Kingsley Print Version I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome To Holland". "Holland?!?" you say, "What do you mean "Holland"??? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy" But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills...Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned". And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things...about Holland.

Welcome Baby Elle!!

Another sweet family has a precious new addition! Elle Elizabeth was born on July 19th at 7:50 pm. She was 7 lbs 1 oz and 19 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful! Here are a couple of pics of Miss Elle!

Despicable Me...Is it Despicable?

Okay, so Emory and I were planning on taking the kids tubing this afternoon, until a scattered t-storm totally ruined our plans! Bummer!! SO, our back-up plan was to go and see a movie. Not much was playing that we hadn't already seen, so our only option was "Despicable Me". After mentioning to my mom that we were headed that direction, she mentioned to me that I may want to read the reviews, because the story was all about orphans and adoption. She informed me, that from the reviews she had read that this movie depicts adoption in a very negative light.

So, needless to say, I heeded her advice and we went to an inflatables place instead! When we arrived back home, I did some research of my own, and found very mixed reviews. So, I thought I would ask you guys: Has anyone seen the movie? What are your thoughts? I would love some feedback. The following are some of the reviews I read about the way the movie depicted adoption:

This adoptive mother liked the movie, but would not want her adopted daughter to see it:

Warning: Because the plot deals with orphans and adoption, sometimes in an irresponsible manner, I didn't take Rosie. I think she is too young to understand that it was done with a sense of humor and true adoption is nothing like it is portrayed in the movie. If your children have any issues about adoption, make sure you talk about it before you go see the movie.

Another adoptive mom states:

The story line includes a single man adopting three orphaned girls so he can use them to fulfill his evil plans. The orphanage caretaker is a surly, demanding woman that punishes the children by putting them in "the shame box" During the climatic point of the movie, the evil character-turned good guy sends the girls back to the orphanage (against his wishes, but it's still a disruption). The orphanage caretaker makes the girls sit in the shame box because they're returned! The end is happy and endearing, heart warming, tear jerking, etc. Really, despite the premise, it's super cute. However, it could definitely be a trigger for traumatized children so be careful! I would NOT recommend it for families that have newly adopted children, have severe attachment issues or that have little girls that were abused by a male figure.

So, as you can see, there seem to be some questionable scenes, so definitely do your research before you take your adopted children, or foster children to see this movie. We have decided, based on the reviews, the dynamic of our family and the age of our children that we are going to pass on this summer blockbuster! I would still love to hear your opinions though, especially if you are an adoptive parent and have seen the movie.

Flipsyde - Happy Birthday

This is a great video depicting the regret that often comes with the decision to abort a child. Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom of our blog, you won't want to miss the words. It's a powerful video about the permanent choice to abort a child.

It's been awhile...

I cannot believe that it has been so long since my last post! I apologize! However, with summer everything gets crazy!! We have had so many of our sweet clients match with different agencies over the past few months! It is so exciting to see pictures of these new families and their precious new additions! I realized today, that it has been forever since I have posted pictures of our clients new additions, so if you don't mind, I will use the rest of this post to show off some of these precious babies!!

Here are a few of 2010's little ones:

As I receive permission from other adoptive families, I will continue to post pics of their little ones, or even a few family pics! Which are my favorite!

Also, please pray for our clients that are already matched with agencies that are just waiting on their babies to be born, pray that their BM's are steadfast in their adoption plans, pray that the Lord would protect each of our families financially and emotionally!

Pray for our clients that are waiting to be matched! Pray that the Lord would present opportunities with agencies and attorneys that match their criteria, their budget, their medical/social preferences, etc. Adoption can be such a long, emotionally trying journey, please pray that each of our adoptive families would be strong as they wait on their precious new additions!!

Thanks for keeping up with us, despite my blogging inactivity! I promise I will be back on the ball!! Thanks for your prayers as well, each of our families appreciates your prayers so much!