Eads Family Adoption Update!

The Eads family has been blessed by Jesus and we are very happy with our family! We have two wonderful children and we are unable to have any more children on our own. But the LORD has placed a burning in our heart to expand our lovely family. Children are certainly a blessing!

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth, blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."
Psalm 127:3-5

So we have decided to pursue adoption after a year of prayer and discussion. We are excited. Below is a running update. Read from the bottom--up for a storyline of what happened.
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2-13-04
We received, signed and faxed papers to our adoption attorney today to finalize the adoption here in our state. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our adoption attorney and everyone who helped him in the adoption of this wonderful image-bearer. We were very pleased with their services and would recommend them. In fact, we may try to adopt through them again! Lydia is 10 days old now and doing well. She has some fussiness and newborn crying that is common. It's been 5 years since we have had a crying baby in our home! She has a cute cry. Actually everything about her is cute!

2-10-04
This is our first update since the marvelous birth of our new baby!
Lydia Marie Eads was born on 2-3-04 at 12:01 PM weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long!
The adoption was finalized on 2/6/04 at 2 PM. The birth mom was phenomenal. Both attorneys [one for each state] have said that in all their years they haven't met such a special birth mom. She was decided and happy about her decision and sincerely loves the baby. She is looking out for her best interests. She held Lydia, told her she loved her and saw her several times in the three days between birth and adoption finalization. She sent us flowers and a figurine AGAIN, and also she spent the pregnancy making a hand-made photo album for us to put pictures of Lydia in. We couldn't say enough about the birth mom and how much we care and love her. She is a special woman indeed. And we are eternally grateful to our Powerful Savior who is able to make His will known and is able to enact it. He deserves all the glory!

1-30-04
We heard from the birth mom today and also spoke with her doctor. The baby is doing well, the birth mom's blood pressure is still borderline. Today is Friday, and she has an appointment Monday with the OB doctor. If her blood pressure is still a bit elevated, then they plan to induce labor. We should be getting a call from the doctor Monday morning.

1-23-04
The birth mom called today and we also spoke with her doctor. She and the baby are doing well. She is only slightly dilated, so she has an appointment in one week [unless she goes into labor before then!]. Her due date is 5 days away.
We are overcome with the Sovereignty of our Lord. He is able to do ANYTHING, and He owns everything. What He plans, no one can thwart. And He has rolled out the red carpet for us. We know that whatever happens, it will be for our good and we are resting on Him. All for Jesus!

1-17-04
We spoke with the birth mom today. She saw her doctor yesterday [friday]. Her blood pressure is down, but is still somewhat borderline. She has another appointment on Wednesday, January 21. Until then she remains on bedrest.

1-13-04
Since we will be spending about 2 weeks or more in the state where the baby will be born, due to the interstate compact laws, we decided today to buy a car seat/carrier/stroller combo at Babies R' Us so that we won't have to drive somewhere to get one in a place we are not familiar with. I am being struck more and more at the gift that the birth mom is giving us. It really is a special and heroic decision on her part to do what she is doing. We pray for the Lord's will and hope that the adoption goes smoothly.

1-12-04
We got a call from the birth mom today. Apparently her blood pressure is borderline elevated, but she is not showing signs of eclampsia, or even pre-eclampsia at this time. She has been placed on best rest by her doctor until the delivery. At this time the doctors do not want to induce delivery since it "would be a tough induction". I had a chance to speak to her doctor on the phone and he said that she is not dilated at all, and since she only has a minimal blood pressure elevation, they will continue to monitor her and the baby. She has another appointment on Friday January 16.

1-2-04
We spoke with the birth mom today. Both her and the baby are healthy. We also spoke to the attorney that represents her and learned more about the process after delivery. Apparently we will have custody, right after delivery, but she will still have 72 hours to change her mind. Her attorney spoke very highly of her today. We are thankful to her and to God.

12-19-03 [evening]
We did hear from the birth mom tonight. She said that the ultrasound did show the baby to be a girl! So her name will be Lydia Marie Eads!!! Praise the Lord! She said that she and the baby are both healthy. She is due at the end of January, so we keep getting closer!!!!

12-19-03

Flowers from the birth mom!
Click here for a larger image
Just minutes ago [at 3:20 PM] the doorbell rang. It was a florist delivering flowers to us. The flowers were wrapped and there was a letter attached. After the florist left, we opened the letter which read, "It's a girl. Love, [birth mom's name]" We were stunned. Our attorney didn't tell us to expect a delivery. Does she have our address? Did she deliver the flowers to our attorney, who forwarded them to us? Did she have the baby early? Did she have another ultrasound? Did she have the baby and this is her way of telling us she is keeping the baby? We were full of questions. After praying and making a few calls to our attorney, we discovered that the birth mom wanted to send us flowers, and did so through our attorney, and she had an ultrasound today that showed the baby to be a girl. We might be hearing from the birth mom later today....Praise the Lord!!

12-6-03
We spoke with the birth mom on the phone today. No huge news. Right now we are feeling the uncertainties that every adoptive couple feels. There are no guarantees. The birth mom can change her mind at any moment, even up to three days after delivery. As always we are firmly relying on Jesus to do as He pleases. We are believing Romans 8:28 where God says that He works out everything for the good of those who love Him. Well, we certainly love Him [though not as much as we'd like to], and since God cannot lie, then we know that whatever happens in this situation is for our good overall. That is our Rock. We cannot rely on anything except His goodness and provision. But what a Rock to rely on! Praise the LORD!

11-22-03
We drove to meet the birth mom and dad, but the birth dad was unable to make it. We had a nice time with her and toured the birthing facility. Then after working out all the arrangements for the "big day" with her, we went and checked out all the hotels in the area so that we are prepared to stay somewhere for the 2-3 weeks necessary after adopting the baby. We think we have our game plan ready and are leaving everything in the Lord's hands, since He is the one in control anyway! What a gracious God we serve. If you look at the first entry in this journal, you will see that it has been only 5 months since we first spoke with an adoption attorney and now we are making the final plans for the delivery date!
Today we got more recent ultrasound pictures of the baby from the birth mom. We still do not know whether this baby is a boy or a girl!

If you click on the ultrasound image above, you will see a larger image that is marked showing what parts of the baby you can see here! By the way, the due date has been adjusted to January 28th, 2004. There is about 10 weeks to go!

11-13-03
Plans have changed and we plan to meet the birth dad on November 22nd...we'll post a report after we meet him!

11-6-03
We have plans to meet the birth dad on November 15th....

10-28-03
The issue concerning the "interstate compact" came up again. The birth mom heard that we would have to stay in her state of residence for 2-3 weeks after delivery awaiting several documents before we could legally return to our state with the baby. The birth mom just so happens to be acquainted with the Mayor of her city. The Mayor said that the mandatory 2 week delay would be waived in our case! He said that we will be able to return to our state after the normal 72 hour time period needed after delivery to appear before a judge. We took this exciting news to our adoption attorney. He said that the Mayor has no jurisdiction in this case, since it is a state law, not a city law. So our attorney says that it sounds nice, but that it won't happen. Here's what we think: Jesus is bigger than all this. Whether or not we will be required to stay 2 weeks is irrelevant. We will be happy with God's provision either way. We will be happy even if the adoption doesn't go through [though understandably disappointed] because our joy does not arise from our circumstances, our joy comes from knowing Jesus in a personal relationship, and knowing that our sins are forgiven. If Jesus wants us home 72 hours after the delivery, it will happen, if He doesn't want us home that quick, then we stay there. Praise the LORD!

10-22-03
The birth mom called today after her doctor's appointment and told us that this ultrasound shows the baby to be a girl! Who knows???? [Jesus does!]

10-14-03
We spoke again to the birth mom. She is doing well and is healthy. She is still dedicated to the adoption. There are many nuances and details to work out. We pray for HIS will to be done.

9-26-03
Misha spoke with the birth mom today. She is still committed to the adoption. We continue to work with Steve Kirsh and her attorney to work out all the details. Right now there is less than 4 months until the due date!

8-28-03

Click each image to see a larger image of the baby we hope to adopt

8-27-03
We spoke with the attorney tonight who will be representing the birth mom. She is from a different state [i.e. she doesn't live in Indiana] and the attorney was educating us on this state's laws for adoption. There is a law called "interstate compact" that requires a period of 2 weeks or more AFTER the adoption is finalized [at 72 hours after delivery] before the baby can go into Indiana. If we were to bring the baby home, we would be risking a nullification of the adoption. The problem that we have is that we would have to live in a hotel for an unknown period of time away from all of our family with a newborn baby. We are concerned about this and are praying that Jesus would find a way to provide for us. I do not feel that that situation would be ideal, in fact, it would be stressful. But God is greater that all of our problems and He is the solution to them all. We are praying that He will help us.
"He is [our] stronghold in time of trouble." Psalm 37:39

8-24-03
We met with the birth mom today. The meeting went well. We are very comfortable with her, and she seems also to be comfortable. We talked for over 2 hours. She is very nice. She is also very concerned with taking care of herself and the baby. Since we are not sure if the baby is a boy or a girl, we picked a girl name...Lydia Marie Eads. We got to see and take home with us two ultrasound pictures of the baby. She is due 5 months from today, so there is a lot of time left. In a few weeks she will be having another ultrasound, which may then more clearly show the sex of the baby. We toured the birthing facility at the hospital where the birth mom will deliver. It is a very nice and new hospital. They even provide a room for adoptive parents to sleep in [a private room] during the time between delivery and finalization of adoption. We will be setting up another time to meet with birth mom and birth dad. Until then we pray for our Father's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

8-23-03
We spoke with the birth mom today and we are planning on meeting her tomorrow [Sunday] after church. She said that the doctors are now not sure if the baby is a boy or a girl after reviewing the ultrasound! I wonder!

8-18-03
We had our final "pre-adoption" home study with Bethany Christian Services and we will be approved!! We now await meeting with the birth mom. Praise Jesus!

8-16-03
3 PM
The birth parents also had asked us to choose the name for the baby so they would know what to call him. After much thought and prayer, we have decided on Justus Robert Eads. Giving him a name makes this all the more real and exciting!! Praise the LORD!

8-16-03
12:30 PM
We just got a call from the birth mom!!!!! She said that she was extremely impressed with our "profile" and letter and could tell that we are very family oriented. Her and the father have both selected us!!! They want to meet with both of us here soon. Ultrasounds show the baby to be a boy. The due date is January 24th, 2004.
Also, on Monday August 18th, we have our final "home study" by Bethany Christian Services here in our home.
Thank you Jesus for your kindness to us. May the Lord's will be done.

8-14-03
Our adoption attorney just called and the birth mom is interested in us and will be calling us on August 16th, Saturday, to talk. After a month of thinking, she apparently is interested in us. We now await and pray for the Lord's will! We are excited!

7-12-03
We just got a call from our adoption attorney. There is a birth mom that may be interested in us. We are very excited and will be talking to Steve on Monday, and will set up a meeting with the Birth Mom. We are praying for the will of our Lord Jesus! By the way, we got our 1-888 number up and running!

7-8-03
Yesterday we met with Bethany Christian services for our first home study. The meeting was 2 hours. It seemed to go well. We are still waiting on some paper work and our 1-800 number...it should be in soon!!!

6-26-03
Still awaiting 1-800 number set up. We have our second phone line in.
Home study meeting is on July 7...

6-19-03
Today we ordered a second phone line and then will have to have a toll-free 1-800 number set up. We also wrote an advertisement that will run in the newspapers across Indiana. Next step is to wait for the 1-800 number to be set up so we can run an ad in the papers. Bethany Christian Services said they will call in one week to set up the "home study"

6-17-03
Today we got a call from our adoption attorney. The birth Mom that he told us about read our letter and really liked it and thought we are a wonderful family, but she decided not to choose us because we have two biological children. Apparently she then chose another couple [I know nothing about that other couple]. My emotions are mixed. Overall I am very thankful to our Lord Jesus. We know next to nothing about this situation. We don't know the mom, her health, her habits, nor do we know anything about the child. We don't know if this mom would end up changing her mind later. But God knows absolutely everything. He said that He works out everything for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose [Romans 8:28], so He must have a good reason, one that is even for our good. This has helped me a lot. How can I be upset, sad, or disappointed when God is on our side?!? Just because we don't know what He is doing doesn't mean it is not something for us to rejoice over! My next thoughts turn to the LOOOOOONNNGGG road ahead with advertising, new phone lines, writing letters, waiting, etc. There is much more work to be done. Now we wait to see what God will do!!!

6-14-03
Today we filled out a ton of paperwork. We filled out paperwork for Bethany Christian Services who will be doing a "home study" that is required for an adoption. Bethany Christian Services also is an adoption agency, but we are not using them for that, only to do the home study. To apply for a home study we had to fill out forms about everywhere we have lived, our work, income, assets, liabilities, and references. Misha and I both had to write essays about our marriage, family life, our childhood, and parenting. Criminal history checks will be done as well. After the application [and fees] are accepted, a social worker will come to our home at least three times for at least 2 hours each time to meet us and check out our home. After the adoption, the social worker will come out several times to check up on how we are doing. Today we also filled out a stack of papers that our adoption attorney will need. Most of these forms related to understanding the fee schedule and other intricacies of the adoption process. After filling out both stacks of papers we sent them on their way. Now we wait to see what God will do!!

6-13-03
Today was very busy finalizing the "dear 'Birth mom'" letter. We finished it and got it to Steve Kirsh. He will present it to this birth mom either today or by Monday at the latest. So now we wait to see what God will do!!

6-12-03
Today we had our meeting with our adoption attorney. The best way I can describe it is "Powerful!" After we handed him our information sheet he said, "How soon are you ready to adopt?" When we said, "Today," he said that he never hears that. Apparently most people need several months to prepare, save up, etc. Then he looked at our information sheet and said, "Are you Baptists?" We said, "Yes." and he left the room!!!! He was gone for several minutes and we were left there wondering what was going on! Finally he came back in [apparently after talking with the birth mom] and said that there is a birth mom who has turned down 25 couples and will only adopt to a Baptist couple!!! There were many other similarities that clearly showed that this was a "God-thing" going on. We then watched a video on the adoption process and during that time, Steve called the woman and told her that we are the perfect couple for her!! Praise the LORD! Hallelujah! The birth mom is due in September!! So tonight we are writing an official "dear birth mom" letter, but this one is specific to her. At this point we are wondering what Jesus is up to. Adoption can take two years to happen, if you are successful. If this goes through, then God will have shown yet again that He is the Almighty Provider, and that His plans and ways are higher and greater than ours. Even if this particular adoption doesn't happen, all Glory still goes to Him who reigns over all the earth!

6-11-03
Tomorrow we are meeting with Kirsh & Kirsh at 3 PM for an informative meeting. We have reviewed the information about their practice and are excited to see what God will do!

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