Giving Noah Jax a Sibling
Donation protected
After years of battling infertility, my husband, Bryan and I, decided to explore private adoption. In our ignorance, we assumed that since there were so many babies and young children waiting to find their forever homes, that it couldn't possibly be unaffordable. In our search, we found that adoption is not a possibility for everyone and the fees are high, not including the "extra" things like unpaid FMLA (adoption, not childbirth), purchasing an entire nursery prior to knowing if the child would actually come home with us, doctors appointments, classes, legal fees, and unexpected times when we needed to leave work. The unpredictability of adoption is scary in itself. Here we were, these two people willing to give up everything and do anything to be parents, and it seemed like such an unreachable goal.
Needless to say, we scraped together every last dime we had, emptied our savings account and enlisted the help of family and friends for donated strollers, cribs, clothing and car seats. We were extremely lucky to have such amazing people in our corner that were willing to step up and help us figure out a way to bring Noah home.
We had a very rare experience - and we are forever grateful - but it doesn't always go the way it did. The emotions were high in our house and Bryan & I did everything we could to stay strong and keep our heads up. We were lucky to have finished our home study, be approved and bring Noah home within a 6 month time frame.
We legally adopted Noah 6 months later, on December 10 (Gotchya-Day) and have lived every day since with such love and appreciation for our lives.
Since then, Bryan and I have flirted with the idea of giving Noah a sibling. For us, it isn't just something we can say we want to do and do it - We have to prepare in ways that others may not have to...and that's ok, however, we need to ask for your help.
Neither of us likes handouts. We've always been hard-working and have sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today - to have Noah. We have never wanted to have fundraisers or ask for donations - we wanted to do it on our own -but we have come to a point where it may be the only way to give Noah a sibling and help another child stuck within the system.
As of today, both of us are working multiple jobs to get to where we need to be before April 2014. In April, our home study expires and we, in a sense, have to start all over again - Classes for 8 weeks two times a week, extra fees, safety inspections, monthly visits from the social worker, fire inspections, drug tests, physicals, fingerprinting, etc. It is very time consuming to start over from scratch. Before, when Noah wasn't in our lives, it was ok - we were able to adjust our schedules. Now, to leave Noah a few nights a week and to complete everything again, it just seems so difficult to imagine.
Either way, we want to give Noah a sibling and we are asking for your help to do so in the form of a donation. We completely understand that money is important and tight for everyone, and that asking this of you is a lot, but, if it is something you can spare - $5, whatever the amount, we will be forever grateful to you for helping us on this journey.
Noah is, by far, the most amazing thing that has every happened to us and not just because he is a miracle in himself but because of the journey we went through to bring him home. Without support, it's unbearable and without help, it's impossible.
Please don't feel obligated to donate. Again, no hard feelings because we completely get it. However, if you have some spare change to donate, please take the time to submit anything that you can.
We love to share our story so if you know anyone struggling with infertility, or looking for guidance on the adoption process, please tell them to reach out. Since this miracle, I have spoken to over one dozen people looking for advice and insight. I love being there to help people who were just as confused and scared as we were. Please send them my way :)
XOXO,
The Donatellis
Needless to say, we scraped together every last dime we had, emptied our savings account and enlisted the help of family and friends for donated strollers, cribs, clothing and car seats. We were extremely lucky to have such amazing people in our corner that were willing to step up and help us figure out a way to bring Noah home.
We had a very rare experience - and we are forever grateful - but it doesn't always go the way it did. The emotions were high in our house and Bryan & I did everything we could to stay strong and keep our heads up. We were lucky to have finished our home study, be approved and bring Noah home within a 6 month time frame.
We legally adopted Noah 6 months later, on December 10 (Gotchya-Day) and have lived every day since with such love and appreciation for our lives.
Since then, Bryan and I have flirted with the idea of giving Noah a sibling. For us, it isn't just something we can say we want to do and do it - We have to prepare in ways that others may not have to...and that's ok, however, we need to ask for your help.
Neither of us likes handouts. We've always been hard-working and have sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today - to have Noah. We have never wanted to have fundraisers or ask for donations - we wanted to do it on our own -but we have come to a point where it may be the only way to give Noah a sibling and help another child stuck within the system.
As of today, both of us are working multiple jobs to get to where we need to be before April 2014. In April, our home study expires and we, in a sense, have to start all over again - Classes for 8 weeks two times a week, extra fees, safety inspections, monthly visits from the social worker, fire inspections, drug tests, physicals, fingerprinting, etc. It is very time consuming to start over from scratch. Before, when Noah wasn't in our lives, it was ok - we were able to adjust our schedules. Now, to leave Noah a few nights a week and to complete everything again, it just seems so difficult to imagine.
Either way, we want to give Noah a sibling and we are asking for your help to do so in the form of a donation. We completely understand that money is important and tight for everyone, and that asking this of you is a lot, but, if it is something you can spare - $5, whatever the amount, we will be forever grateful to you for helping us on this journey.
Noah is, by far, the most amazing thing that has every happened to us and not just because he is a miracle in himself but because of the journey we went through to bring him home. Without support, it's unbearable and without help, it's impossible.
Please don't feel obligated to donate. Again, no hard feelings because we completely get it. However, if you have some spare change to donate, please take the time to submit anything that you can.
We love to share our story so if you know anyone struggling with infertility, or looking for guidance on the adoption process, please tell them to reach out. Since this miracle, I have spoken to over one dozen people looking for advice and insight. I love being there to help people who were just as confused and scared as we were. Please send them my way :)
XOXO,
The Donatellis
Organizer
Rebecca Donatelli
Organizer
Twinsburg, OH
