Aliviah's journey to our family (this is a long one)

Four years ago today my husband and officially decided to proceed with the adoption plan. During that four years we had two different adoption agency. The first one turned David and I down because they were looking for families that already had children in the home. Talk about a knife in the heart. It totally made me feel like I was unfit to be a mom. It took me a few months to jump back on the bandwagon with 3 failed infertility procedures and now an adoption agency turning us down I was crushed and didn't understand why God was putting us through this. I questioned God a lot during this time. Not that I had a right to He had a perfect plan for us.

The next agency I called was to Nebraska Children's Home who has been serving Nebraska since the 1890s so they obviously know what they are doing. When I talked to the lady on the other end and I asked how much the informational meeting cost (yes most agencies charge for every little thing) she told me they don't charge for their their services. The only payment they require is that we use our time, treasures, and talents. I didn't quite understood that but we decided to go to their  informational meeting. That meeting was the beginning of our official adoption journey.

That meeting was in February 2011 and in July 2011 we went to a weekend class  6 hours away I. grand Island, Nebraska. We left on a Thursday evening and were in class all day Friday and half day Saturday. This class had so much information it was almost overwhelming. But it was the turning moment in my life. Up until that point I was leery about the whole adoption experience. I thought like most people think that I didn't want to share my child with them and I didn't want to co-parent. Boy was I so naive about the whole thing. They had real life adoption stories come and talk to the group from birth mothers and fathers to adoptive parents and even grown adult adopted children on what it was like growing up in an open adopted relationships. This class and their story changed my mind a complete 180 degrees. After that class I was excited to get to share this journey with our birth family whoever they may be. After that class we had an interview with the agency.

In November 2011 David and I were officially on the active waiting adoptive families list.  We started to go to our monthly PREPARE meetings month after month year after year hardly missing any of these classes. We took classes from car seat safety to how to have an open adoption. In the 2 1/2 years  we went to these classes we never once had a repeat topic.

Two years almost to the day that we started our PREPARE classes God allowed me to get the contact I've been wanting to hear for the last 2 1/2 years! The next 8 months we full of preparing and home studies and paperwork lots and lots of paperwork. The little bundle of joy that we were about to welcome into our family was going to be born in Ohio and our agency only services Nebraska so I contacted my case worker and she said she would still help me and help find us a lawyer there in Ohio. It was such a wonderful easy transition because of our case worker she was amazing! Our daughter was due June 15.2014 so on June 12, 2014 David and I boarded a plane to Ohio

The  next week we spent it hanging with our family and taking Aliviah's birth siblings to the park to play and waiting for Aliviah to make her grand entrance. On June 21,2014 at. 2:50 am my beautiful little girl  Aliviah Macelle made he way to my arms. Getting to be privileged to watch her be born is something not very many adopted mothers get to experience. I am so grateful I was able to be there. There is no greater joy. The next day David had to head back to Omaha because he didn't have anymore time off work.  So over the next few days it was just me visiting Aliviah. My emotions were all over the place. I was extremely happy to finally be a mom after 9 years of marriage but on the other hand my heart was shattering into a million pieces to her birth family . I would  try to be strong for her but I would cry for her too. I love her so much and hated seeing her in pain. Somehow I felt like  I was taking something away from her. But then God reminded me that she chose us because she loves Aliviah and wants what is best for her and she loves Aliviah with all that she has. I am eternally grateful for  Aliviah's birth family. They made the greatest sacrifice anyone  human can make. Adoption is the closest we will understand the sacrifice God made when he chose to give his only begotten some so that we can be adopted in his family. Just like I had to choose to adopt Aliviah we have to choose to be adopted in Christ 's family .

On July 9, 2014 my parents and I packed up the rental car and we headed on our long road trip from Ohio to Nebraska. Having Aliviah in our lives has been the greatest part of my life. God has had Aliviah planned for us from the very beginning of time. She is truly the easiest happiest baby. On March 10,2015 we finally get to go to court to finalize her adoption but that is just a piece of paper. So ALiviah didn't grow under my heart for 9 months she grew in my heart for 9 years.