Happy 2007!
I am such a random blogger. Guys, my life really isn’t that interesting. One post every month or two really should take care of it! We were very busy over the recent holiday season, but then again, who wasn’t? We really had a wonderful time with friends and family. What a time to reflect on the blessings we enjoy!
To update you on previous posts…no, I haven’t finished our adoption profile. However, I am closer now than I have ever been! When I get it completed, I will e-mail it to those of you who would like a copy. We are adopting through a private attorney. He has suggested that we first of all, notify all of our friends and family of our desire to adopt. Frequently, adoptive parents are matched up with a birth mother simply by a third party of mutual friends. So, here is a way that you may be able to help us. If you happen to come in contact with someone who is pregnant and considering placing her child for adoption, please let her know that we are interested in talking with her. In addition to “word of mouth,” our attorney will keep our profile in his office for anyone to look at who may be considering adoption locally. He is THE best adoption attorney within a 100 mile radius. Because of our age, he doesn’t think that this process should take very long for us. Let's be honest...because of our good looks, too! I am SO just kidding!!!
We would like to ask that you keep us in your prayers. As strong as we are, this is definitely emotional! We met with a prospective birth mother two weeks ago. That was the first time we have actually come face to face with someone who possibly holds our future in her hands. After our meeting, both Eric and I felt that she would ultimately keep the child. The Lord has definitely prepared us for that. Her mind is still not made up, but we know in our hearts what the outcome will be. Who can fault her? In addition to praying for us, we also ask that you keep the birth mother of our child in your prayers. We are praying now, wherever she may be, that God will prepare her heart for this excruciating decision she will be faced with. We have a perfect peace in our hearts knowing that God has led us to this place. We feel confident that he is choosing this path for us.
Thank you all for your friendship and support.
To update you on previous posts…no, I haven’t finished our adoption profile. However, I am closer now than I have ever been! When I get it completed, I will e-mail it to those of you who would like a copy. We are adopting through a private attorney. He has suggested that we first of all, notify all of our friends and family of our desire to adopt. Frequently, adoptive parents are matched up with a birth mother simply by a third party of mutual friends. So, here is a way that you may be able to help us. If you happen to come in contact with someone who is pregnant and considering placing her child for adoption, please let her know that we are interested in talking with her. In addition to “word of mouth,” our attorney will keep our profile in his office for anyone to look at who may be considering adoption locally. He is THE best adoption attorney within a 100 mile radius. Because of our age, he doesn’t think that this process should take very long for us. Let's be honest...because of our good looks, too! I am SO just kidding!!!
We would like to ask that you keep us in your prayers. As strong as we are, this is definitely emotional! We met with a prospective birth mother two weeks ago. That was the first time we have actually come face to face with someone who possibly holds our future in her hands. After our meeting, both Eric and I felt that she would ultimately keep the child. The Lord has definitely prepared us for that. Her mind is still not made up, but we know in our hearts what the outcome will be. Who can fault her? In addition to praying for us, we also ask that you keep the birth mother of our child in your prayers. We are praying now, wherever she may be, that God will prepare her heart for this excruciating decision she will be faced with. We have a perfect peace in our hearts knowing that God has led us to this place. We feel confident that he is choosing this path for us.
Thank you all for your friendship and support.
posted by Beth at 10:28 PM
13 Comments:
You're so cute because of your great haircut! :)
Selena you are cracking me up! The very same haircut can be yours for the right price...
i will let you know if i hear of anyone. there have been a few people in our extended church family looking for somebody to adopt their baby. i am praying for you.
janelle
we are praying for you guys and miss you tons. TN is a great place to visit as is IN :) hang in there my friend....did you have a wonderful Christmas?
Beth! I was recently wondering if you had a blog! In fact, I thought about asking Beth Stamper if she knew where you were! Thanks for saying hi :) I'm going to go back and read your blog when I have a few extra minutes. Love ya! Leah
BETH!!!
Hey girl! A couple years ago, you left a message on my answering machine that was erased by our babysitter, and I have been trying to find you ever since! Thank goodness for blogging! Hopefully you will check your comments here soon...
PLEASE drop me an email sometime. We live pretty close and I would love to get in touch!
Your old friend,
Stephanie
Hello, Beth.
I know I'm responding to an old post, and hopefully your profile is now finished and getting a lot of attention.
I have researched adoption profiles and come up with 10 tips for putting one together (published on AdoptiveFamilies.com and from http://www.profilesthatgetpicked.com /tips.htm)
***
So what makes a profile work? I gathered anecdotal research from birthparents and adoption counselors. While each birthparent comes with a viewpoint as unique as
a fingerprint, here are some commonalities I found in what attracts and what doesn't in a profile.
1. Inject humor. Include an amusing anecdote or funny photo that shows that humor is one way you deal with life. “They had a picture of the whole family wearing 3-D glasses and watching fireworks, “recounts birthmother Kelly. “This family had a good time just being around each other.”
2. Show something unique. Have a horse? Show it. Bilingual? Write a few words in another language. You want to differentiate yourselves from the others in the stack. “The mother I chose proposed to her husband at an NFL football game on the big scoreboard,” says birthmother Jessica. “I liked her spirit!”
3. Find balance. Describe your life as full enough that you are not dependent on a baby to make it complete, yet not so full that you have no room for a child. Gwen reveals, “Both people had high-powered jobs and were involved in so many things that I just couldn’t see how they’d fit in another responsibility.”
4. Remove all hints of desperation. It’s as much a repellent to a potential birth mother as it was to a potential spouse. If you can’t come by this honestly, you need more counseling before you embark on adoption. “I didn’t want my baby to be the one thing that saved these people from a life of misery,” explains Sarah, so I passed
on them.”
5. Choose an agency based on your expectations for future contact. For example, if you state you want very little or no contact, you may be in for a long wait
if your agency is known for open adoptions. “We went to an open adoption agency because we wanted SOME contact,” say birthparents Heather and Jason. “so we rejected a couple who wanted us to disappear after the birth.”
6. Accurately represent yourselves and avoid playing to your audience. One expectant mother might love dogs while another might be allergic. One might want the baby to be the couple’s first, while another might want siblings. To bring about the best match simply be truthful about who you are and what your lives are about.
7. Tinker. Advertisers know that tweaking just a word or an image can dramatically change results. If you’ve been waiting a while, make a minor change, like the stationery or the lead photo. “If your agency is having activity but your profile isn’t garnering interest, a semi-annual review with minor changes might help,” suggests Karen Bettis, Adoption Counselor at Lutheran Family Services.
8. Be just a bit quirky. For example, if you show a photo of your home, point to a bedroom window and add the caption “Baby’s room!” Birth parents look for reasons to come back to your profile. Our daughter’s birthmother, Crystal, laughs about this today: “I liked looking at your home. And I liked knowing you already had a room picked out. That caption made an impression.”
9. Be brutally honest with yourselves about your profile. Or better yet, have a trusted friend – someone less vested in the outcome – look over your masterpiece. Ask this person to be candid about the photos, letters and tone. Maybe you can’t see that Aunt Tillie looks awful in that family photo, but you need to know. “In one picture of a family picnic, they all had red eye,” explains birthmother Gwen. “I know it wasn’t real, but my impression was ‘how demonic!’”
10. Get exposure. Become an ambassador for your agency. Keep pregnancy counseling brochures in your car so you can post them at libraries and community
centers (with permission). Your own doctor can be a resource to her patients who
are pregnant but can’t parent – if she has brochures. And to stretch your geographic boundaries, post your profile online. An internet search on “adoption profiles” turns up a host of sites that match birthparents and adoptive families.
May you have a short wait and a smooth ride.
Lori
Beth,
Wow it has been a long time. This is Jennifer Beauchamp (Zust). I am sorry to hear about your situation but God has a wonderful plan in store for your lives. My husband and I are going through the same situation right now but there is always a reason even if we don't understand it all. Good luck with the adoption process I am told it can be trying but well worth it. We are giving it another year and then we will be looking into that option as well. God bless and tell your family hello.
Love,
Jennifer
Beth and Eric,
I will certainly be praying for you as you endeavor on this adventure. I am sure that God will have His perfect way and will pray that He will guide you both through all of it.
Hey Bethy....It's Myah....since I see you blog often (hehehehe) could you shoot me an email to mainelymy@yahoo.com....It's taken me a while to track you down....I hope to talk to you soon.....Miss you very very much....Myah
dear beth,
i am just curious to see how you are doing.
we have been in the process of adopting our four kids and a relative in milwaukee popped up unexpectedly. the kids are being moved to her home probably at the end of march. we are praying that the Lord would change her mind or do something to intervene. God knows.
love you,
janelle
Anything new going on?
OK Sweetie....this has gone way beyond random blogging....Hope all is well....can't wait to hear from you.....Luv Myah
Post a Comment
<< Home