Good News & Bad News

BAD NEWS: Our attorney called today, and due to our birth mother's circumstances, our adoption costs are going up - by about $5,000. Honestly, we were surprised and overwhelmed (maybe even a little upset) by this news. However, we know that adoption often comes from a place of brokenness - and we are trusting that God knew about this phone call long before we did. He's still in charge - and He can move mountains. We're claiming that and trusting him!

GOOD NEWS: We heard back from our grant application, and we've been "recommended for funding"! It appears that we will be awarded a grant, but they're still deciding how much. They said we will know the final funding decision by January 25th.

Below is the updated estimated costs:

Home Study	$3,000.00
Profile	$250.00
Grant Applications	$75.00
Fundraiser Expenses	$350.00
Miscellaneous	$200.00
Pre-Match Referral Service/Attorney Fees	$3,000.00
Matching Fee	$3,500.00
Legal Fees	$17,300.00
Birth Mother Expenses	$27,500.00
Travel for Birth	$3,000.00
Post Placement	$1,500.00
TOTAL	$59,675.00

Bottom Line - as of today:

Goal	$59,675.00
Funded	$41,534.04
Amount Still Needed	$17,917.93

All of this to say... we'll be rolling out some fundraisers VERY SOON :-)

It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that

in 74 DAYS, we'll be a family of FIVE!

Unexpected Update!

 

Well, we had an unexpected adoption update today... The birth mother who chose us had an ultrasound appointment this afternoon, and we are excited to share a 

NEW DUE DATE... MARCH 26th

Soooo, it looks like we'll become parents again about 3 weeks sooner that we thought :-)

I downloaded a pregnancy app when we first matched - it keeps me updated about what's happening during each week of the pregnancy. Today, when I updated the due date, it popped up 81 days left... HOLY GUACAMOLE!!! It got very real very fast lol!

With all that excitement, comes the reality of what it's going to take financially to complete this adoption. Now that we're officially matched, we have the hard numbers (see below). 

Home Study	$3,000.00
Profile	$250.00
Grant Applications	$75.00
Fundraiser Expenses	$350.00
Pre-Match Referral Service/Attorney Fees	$3,000.00
Matching Fee	$3,500.00
Legal Fees & Birth Mother Expenses	$40,000.00
Travel for Birth	$3,000.00
Post Placement	$1,500.00
TOTAL	$54,675.00

The total amount is more than we initially anticipated due to the specifics of our birth mother's situation, but we also know that with God, nothing is impossible! He is a mountain mover, and we're confident He will provide. We are super thankful that we will be able to utilize grant money we've been awarded - which will help offset the increased expenses. 

BOTTOM LINE, here's where we are at as of today:

Goal	$54,675.00
Funded (including grants)	$41,224.00
Amount Still Needed	$13,451.00

We are currently 75% funded and have $13,451 left to raise. 

Our plan to raise these remaining funds includes saving, fundraising, and continuing to apply for grants. Please pray with us that we would have favor with the grants we're applying for. We will definitely share updates on Facebook and our website as these grant applications are processed! 

We also have more fundraisers coming VERY SOON!!! Be on the lookout for new links and events!