What...Adopting from Ethiopia?!

Okay, so we are very aware that many of you, if not all of you, are pretty surprised at what may seem like our sudden decision to adopt. Well, what many of you probably don't know is that this has been "in the cooker" for about three years now. Most of you know that we have struggled with infertility but are probably not aware of how long that has been going on for us. We started trying to get pregnant a year after we were married, so it has been five years of dealing with infertility. When we weren't getting pregnant, I decided to go to grad school, thinking that I needed something to do other than sit around and wait to get pregnant. I am very glad that I made that decision and think that has helped tremendously in our ability to better cope with infertility. But, back to adoption...when Nathan and I first got married we had thought about adoption, even prior to knowing about our infertility. As time progressed and we weren't able to get pregnant on our own, it became even more likely and exciting to us that we would adopt. We want you to know that our decision to adopt is in NO WAY our second best option. We are just as excited as we would be if we were pregnant, although the feelings associated with these two things are probably quite different. We really started gathering information and thinking about adoption when we moved back to Indiana from Houston 3.5 years ago. However, we just didn't feel like the timing was right and we wanted to be able to give our child the best home and be as prepared for him or her as we could be. So, that is where we are now. We are both extremely excited about this and are so GRATEFUL for this opportunity. We know that it may take some time to adjust to the idea of adoption for some of you and realize that while we have thought and prepared and prayed about it for quite some time, you may not be in the same place we are. That's okay. And again, we are more than happy to answer any questions about why we chose to adopt or any other questions you might have. We hope that you will soon understand and become as excited as we are. :)

So...now on to answer the question WHY ETHIOPIA? Well, as I said before we have always thought about adoption. Earlier in our decision-making process we had thought about Russia, but as we looked at all of our options we began to feel that wasn't right for us. As we looked at all of our options and considered all of the details and requirements for each country, I felt a strong tug at my heart for Ethiopia. I quickly fell in love with Ethiopia and the children there. I guess I believe that is where God was telling me that that is where my child is and that is where we needed to go to get him/her. So, actually the decision to go to Ethiopia was quite easy and both Nate and I feel very strong and secure in our decision...and did I mention EXCITED?!

So, there you go. There is kind of the quick version of the decision process. Again, we are excited that you have chosen to join and support us in this decision and look forward to talking with you in person about our journey to adopt.