Back in October, we found out that after a 2-and-a-half-year wait, a birthmom had chosen us to be the parents of the little girl she was carrying, due December 15.
Soon after we got this news, we found out that the biological father, who had been agreeable to the adoption, had changed his mind. He had an appointment with our agency to sign consent papers, but he cancelled that appointment and said he did not believe the adoption was God's will.
There are many details I'm leaving out, and some of you reading this may already know some of those details. To be honest, I've probably shared more details with some than I should have about the situation. But for those of you who want to follow our journey, I'll start out with some basic information.
After meeting the birthmom, A, Mark and I felt confident that God was inviting us to make ourselves available to this little girl. After hearing A's story, we agreed with her that the best choice for this baby was to be adopted by a loving, in-tact, Christian family, in spite of the fact that the biological father disagreed. Unfortunately, the laws regarding adoption in Ohio make it possible for a biological father to stop an adoption, even if the adoption is the best thing for the child. So we knew going into this situation that it would be risky. There was a good chance that at any time, the whole process could be stopped, and we would not be able to become this little girl's forever family.
I hope to share in future posts more details about what we have experienced and learned so far in this process. And I will also update the legal situation here, so those of you who want the latest news can check in.
For those who may be finding out about all this for the first time, you can rejoice with us that we did bring home our little girl, after being present for her birth on December 18 at 2:06 AM. She weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz, and was 19.5 inches long. We named her Ava Rose Maureen Erdmann, and we're calling her Ava Rose.
Isaac has really enjoyed becoming a big brother, and absolutely loves Ava Rose. He asks to hold her many times a day, and loves to talk to her and tell her stories (the latest stories have involved a little girl who becomes very small and walks around inside Ava Rose's tummy...)
Because of the tenuous situation of all this, we are keeping this blog set up as private. Please don't send the blog address or links to anyone else. If you think someone may be interested in reading it, please send me an email and I'll send them the link.
We are greatly blessed to have people all over the world praying for our family in this time. Please keep it up.
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