To say that I enjoyed working with LaRone and Nicole is the biggest understatement of the year!! They are the most joyful, expectant and sweetest people you will ever meet! Truly, they are a one of a kind couple who started their adoption journey with BIG promises from God.
Through every circumstance and trial that they faced, they remained hopeful and trusted in God’s perfect plan. Whether they encountered financial trials, health trials, disappointment and frustration, you name it … they walked through it all with their heads held high, knowing God was with them. When the Lord said move, they moved IN FAITH and the Lord showed up in every single way possible!
Trust me….you want to keep reading. Nicole is going to tell their story, in her own words. And, if you’ve ever been on a rollercoaster, you know the ups and downs can come unexpectedly. That’s a perfect description of their incredible adoption journey. All in all, God remained faithful to His promise and brought the sweetest little girl to their arms just in time for Christmas!
Now, grab the tissues and get ready for this one, guys!
“A lifelong battle with a chronic condition had caused us infertility. LaRone has sickle cell anemia. The disease is so impactful doctors handle the disorder with daily doses of a chemotherapy medicine. This very serious medication transforms the lives of those living with sickle cell anemia; it allows the patients to live regular lives and expect normal lifespans. There is, however, one dark side to the medication. Infertility is commonplace among those who elect to take the pills. This side effect is exactly what we faced over the last few years. We tried all the home remedies, doctors’ suggestions, and even contemplated ultra-invasive in vitro fertilization treatments. We also made the risky decision to abstain from the medication so it would not impact our fertility. But the process just ended in sickness for LaRone.
Amidst constant baby inquiries from family, friends, and co-workers, the unsuccessful attempts devastated us. We hearkened back to our days of premarital Christian counseling and wedding vows where we were told to communicate about everything, never give up on each other, and, most of all, trust in God. This process has taught us our greatest lesson in life. We may not know why God allowed us to have trials and tribulations, but there is a reason. No matter how unbearable the situation seems, just know that God has a reason. You may not know why for days or months or even years, but there is a reason. The Lord works in our lives in mysterious ways. However, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). It took years, but our faith has shown us that the sickle cell diagnosis and our resulting infertility were placed upon us for a reason. The Lord wants us to adopt His beautiful children. He wants us to provide them with His teachings and our love, support, stability, and direction.
Once we realized what God was calling us to do, we initially decided to go solely through the foster care system to adopt. The two of us attended all the classes, got our house “up to code”, submitted our paperwork, and started the waiting process for our inspection and home study. While waiting on the final steps with the foster care system, we felt a push to move. We started looking into other routes for adoption and ran across using consultants. After researching and reaching out to a few consultants, we decided to sign with Christian Adoption Consultants. Both of us loved our phone call with Jonnilyn and felt a sense of calm while talking with her. She became our personal guide through the process and was also one of our prayer warriors.
One month later (last September), we were home study ready and prepared to match with prospective birthmothers. They say the third time’s a charm, and that was exactly the case for us! We were on our way to my grandmother’s funeral when the email about our child came. Something just felt right about it, so we decided to step out on faith and present to this third birthmother who was presented to us. After hearing we matched with “B”, we were overjoyed. “B” was pregnant with a little boy and was due right after Christmas!
The match was so quick we were not quite prepared financially. Although we had some money saved, we needed to come up with the rest of the money. Otherwise, we could not complete our match. This situation with “B” had God written all over it because the agency was able to manipulate the fee schedule to make our match fee fit with what we had already saved. Both of us were thrilled when we heard the news. In another surprise, the agency called us back to let us know “B” had another ultrasound and was pregnant with a little girl!
A few days later, the two of us were able to speak to “B” on the phone to get to know each other better. We felt an instant connection. She asked us if we had picked a name already. We had, Avery. After sharing the name, she laughed with excitement. “B” too had picked an “A” name. She said it was a perfect match!
We worked fast to prepare our home for the sweet baby girl. It just so happens we stayed up late on November 29thworking on the nursery. On November 30, we received a call to let us know they had to induce labor on November 29th. Avery was here and stable in the hospital! We immediately left work and drove to Florida to meet her! She was beautiful and our hearts melted immediately.
During these moments we must remember how difficult these times are for birthparents. “B” decided that she would make her time at the hospital the last moments with Avery. Once she discharged from the hospital, she decided it was best for Avery to go with us and for her to go her separate way. We understood and respected her wishes. As one last gift from “B’s” family, we were able to meet “B’s” mother. After a short stay in the NICU and the ICPC wait, we brought Avery home, just in time for Christmas!
We trusted in Him and moved when He said move. He worked everything out for us, and both of us could not be more thankful. Thank you Jonnilyn and CAC for our little Christmas Miracle, Avery!”
SO SO SO happy for you LaRone and Nicole! Your sweet family is beautiful and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have been a small part of it growing!
If you are interested in infant domestic adoption and would like to talk more, I would love to chat! Jonnilyn@christianadoptionconsultants.com
XO, Jonnilyn
Thoughts of Grace 