Babes of Instagram

The process of trying for a baby is incredibly difficult. For one, you start to feel like a failure (at least I did). I knew, in my heart of hearts, that it wasn't actually my fault. I wasn't broken; I didn't make a mistake; I wasn't being punished. But still. Still, there was that feeling of disappointment. It was starting to seep into every aspect of my life.

I love Instagram. I spend too much time on it, like many of you. In the last year though, I would open Instagram hoping to escape the pain of not getting pregnant. Instead, nearly every post I saw was someone new announcing their pregnancy or posting a picture of their little babe. And don't get me wrong - those kids are super cute, but man did it get old! During Lent last year, I gave up Instagram for this very reason. It was consuming my time and my emotions. I'd open it and feel that pressure of failing all over again.

It was one of those instances when you can't do something, so suddenly it seems like everyone else can. And in my case, that was having a baby.

But yesterday, I remembered that Instagram can also be a tool for good and for joy. We finally, publicly announced our adoption plans on social media yesterday. Holy cow! I was blown away by the people who sent me messages, followed this blog, asked how they can support us financially, or simply commented their well-wishes. It was, in my mind, a simple post, but it had a big impact. It also made this whole thing like more than just paperwork. The world knows and it is real.

So thank you. If you reached out, thank you. Our hearts were full last night knowing that we aren't in fact failures, but we're going to be great parents. The Lord has equipped us especially for this and he's laid it on our hearts! What a gift.

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Many people wrote asking how they can financially support us. As I mentioned in my previous post, we've set up a personal page with Gobena Coffee. 50% of each purchase will come straight to us. If you're looking for your dollar to carry a little more weight, we've decided to create this GoFundMe. We have no expectations of reaching our goal, but know that the Lord is sovereign and wanted to give people the opportunity to take part in our adoption, if even in a small way.

Honestly, the best way you can help us at this stage is to pray. Here are few prayer requests:

1. Pray that we will get all of our paperwork and home studies done on time.

2. Pray for peace as we work through what feels like a mountain of paperwork.

3. Pray that our daughter (if she's already alive) will be healthy, safe, and well taken care of.

4. Pray that our marriage continues to strengthen day-by-day in preparation for this adventure.

We are in awe of the way the Lord has affirmed us and made us both feel valuable in this process.