Hello! We are Zac and Karen. Thank you for taking the time to look at our profile and for considering us as potential adoptive parents. We are excited for you to learn more about us!
We met in 2011 while in college pursuing the same undergraduate degree. After having a few classes together, Zac built up the courage to ask Karen out on an ice cream date after class (who could say no to ice cream?!). The date went well, then more dates followed, and it was easy to tell that the relationship would continue to grow.
We got engaged in August of 2015. Zac proposed while taking Karen on a boat ride on the lake early in the morning; the water was calm, the sun was just rising, and the weather was perfect. We then got married in November of 2016 and had a beautiful fall wedding.
After a few years, we decided to begin growing our family. Our son, Levi, was born in 2020, and our daughter, Hannah, was born in 2022 and is watching over us from Heaven. After the loss of Hannah and finding out that we are both carriers of a rare genetic disorder, we began to think that our plans to grow our family may not be what we had originally envisioned. With time and prayer, we discovered that maybe God had different plans for us. Instead of having more biological children, we felt as if we were being called to adopt, and we can not wait to continue to grow our family this way!
Expectant mothers who choose to make an adoption plan may qualify for some level of financial assistance during their pregnancy. However, each person's situation and specific needs are different. Your adoption social worker can help you determine what level of assistance you qualify for and deserve. Many expectant mothers qualify for financial assistance to cover basic pregnancy and living expenses, including but not limited to - transportation reimbursement, utility assistance for phone, water, and electricity/gas, maternity clothing and supplements, etc.
It won't cost you anything. If you choose to place your baby for adoption, all of your medical and legal fees will be covered and you may be eligible for financial assistance with other pregnancy-related expenses.
Yes. Even if you don’t know the identity of the birth father, you can still choose to make an adoption plan. However, every adoption situation is different. The adoption social worker you’re assigned to will get to know you and your story first, and then guide you through the process accordingly.
You can make an adoption plan at any point in your pregnancy, even after the baby has been born. But, it's important to start the process as early in your pregnancy as possible. Connecting with those resources will allow you to gain access to important medical services, including prenatal care, to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.
One aspect of your adoption plan is the "Hospital Plan" an outline of how you'd like your hospital stay and delivery to go. You can craft this on your own or with the help of your adoption social worker. But everything is up to you. You’ll be able to choose who comes to the hospital with you, who is in the room with you during delivery, and how much time you’d like to spend with the baby before signing the final papers.
As part of your adoption plan, you'll determine whether or not you’d like to have an open or closed adoption or something in between. Open adoptions may include phone calls, messaging (via social media, email, or text), and/or periodic visits each year. Closed adoptions may include no contact at all or annual updates provided to the birth parent(s) by the adoptive family. Each post-adoption relationship is different and can vary based on what an expectant mother chooses in her adoption plan.
We got our first snow fall of the season this weekend...although it was only a few inches it was enough to play in the snow! We went to a local park that has a huge sledding hill and we surpirsed Levi with having his cousins show up at the park to sled with us. Everyone had a good time! Levi started out a little timid and would only ride down the hill with someone else on the sled with him, but by the end of the day he was cruising down by himself. Today we spent the day at home and played in the yard. Levi has been talking non stop about making a snowman and having a snowball fight, and today we were able to make that happen! Zac and I were reminicising about a little one piece tiger snow suit that Levi used to have when he was a baby, we hope to be able to pull that out and bundle up a new little one to join in on some winter fun in the next year or so! (of course, what is safe for the little babe while we keep him/her warm and toasty :) ).
There are a few traditions that we have each Christmas season and we are enjoying all the family time that comes with them!
We get a live Christmas tree every year and we have been going to the same small family owned Christmas tree farm since Levi was born. We went the first week of December and found a perfect looking tree this year. We have a ton of Christmas ornaments, some old (many have been passed down from our parents, memories from grade school that we had made when we were little), and some new ones. Karen's mom picks out a special ornament for the kids every year, we write Levi's name and year on the back of his and hope to pass them down to him one day when he gets his own home and Christmas tree! We hope to keep the tradition with our adopted child as well :)
This past weekend we made Christmas cookies with Zac's family, which we also do every year. We help the kids get involved with the entire process, we want to make sure they have a good time rather than worrying about how perfect they turn out. Levi was a cookie decorating machine this year, and an exellent taste tester like he is every year.
Another trandition we have is taking a trip to the zoo to walk around and see the Christmas lights. We are planning on going next weekend with close friends and their little ones and making it a family date night. We all bundle up in our winter gear and endure whatever the weather brings that night. We are looking forward to going!
It has been a very busy, but fun fall season this year! In September and October we...
Fall always seems to be a busy time for us, but we really enjoy all time with friends and family that comes along with it!