Today, Lifetime Adoption is sharing yet another adoptive couple’s story today in our blog series “Then and Now.” Our Lifetime adoptive family today is Ross and Carol from Nebraska.

As they started their adoption journey with Lifetime, they shared that they both came from large families and had always dreamt of filling their home with children. “Adoption is something that has been on our hearts for most of our lives, long before we ever knew each other. We have been struggling with infertility, and have decided lately that perhaps we should start investing our resources in adoption, rather than pursuing additional infertility treatments. After looking at some of your beautiful couples hoping to adopt on Lifetime’s site, we thought ‘we could do this!’ While out on a walk that evening, I was praying about it, and all of the uncertainties kept popping up. A common fear was ‘what if no one wants their child to grow up on a farm in the middle of Nebraska?!’ I just kept praying, ‘Father, I just need some direction here.’ Long story short, later that evening, I was on your site again and saw one of the birth mother’s descriptions, something about a Catholic couple who lives in a country setting. Needless to say, we felt like God was giving us a nudge!”

In their adoption profile, Ross and Carol wrote, “We are a young, Catholic couple excited to become first-time parents. Ross is a farmer and Carol is a nurse practitioner, so we love caring for animals AND people! We live on a farm and love our life with cows, chickens, horses…and plenty of fresh air with beautiful sunsets!

We have been praying for a child since we got married, but after a few years of struggling with infertility issues, we felt that God was asking us to adopt. We have felt such joy and hope since pursuing adoption and feel like this is right where God has wanted us to be all along! We can’t wait to share our home and hearts with a child. Please know that we are praying for you and your child every day as we seek to build our family!

Our house is a 3-bedroom, white frame farmhouse. We love its character and charm! It was recently renovated–Ross actually refinished the hardwood floors himself. It has lots of big windows, so it’s always full of sunshine. We enjoy relaxing on the front porch to chat, read a book, or watch the sun set. Our farm includes over 70 acres, with a large front/back lawn, barnyard, and pastures, all surrounded by cornfields. We have a big garden with strawberry and pumpkin patches. The barnyard includes a chicken house and corral. The pasture, with a pond, is home to our cows.”

With a few months of signing on with Lifetime for their adoption, Ross and Carol were chosen by their son’s birth mother. They joyfully adopted a baby boy through Lifetime this October!

Ross and Carol wrote to us, “As we write this, our beautiful baby boy is napping peacefully in the next room. Sometimes we still marvel that this is really life, because it feels like a dream come true! One year ago, when we were taking our first faltering steps down this adoption path, we never dreamt this journey would turn out so wonderfully. Sure, there were bumpy parts, and we weren’t truly prepared for how painful and difficult the adoption wait can be…but it all ultimately brought us to Isaiah! You told us, time and again, in webinars, blog posts, social media posts, phone calls, and emails, that God was preparing us to meet THIS specific baby to be OUR baby. At the time we didn’t realize how true and profound those words were, but we see it now. We have a beautiful baby and a loving open adoption with his birth mother. Neither of those blessings would have been possible without your help!

We’re so profoundly grateful to Lifetime for your guidance over the last year. You helped us navigate the rather confusing details of home studies, adoption lawyers, profiles, and interactions with birth families. You provided education and support to prepare us to be adoptive parents. You showed us examples of successful adoptions to give us hope when it seemed like adoption was going to be painful and fruitless, as our infertility struggles had been. When issues came up with the birth family, travel, or lawyers, you provided guidance and input (as well as emotional support and prompt emails/phone calls!) You truly covered all of the bases in regards to domestic infant adoption! We loved our experience with Lifetime and look forward to ongoing contact in the future. In particular, we would like to thank Kim, Patty, and Veronica, who devoted a great amount of time and support to us. 

May God abundantly bless the wonderful work that you are doing!”

Written by Heidi Keefer

Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of blog posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.

Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.