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Samantha and Jeremy made the decision to join the Everlasting Family in May of 2016. They were both overjoyed when in March a birth mom named Crystal was interested in getting to know them. While we always hope for the smoothest connection possible, there can often be hiccups and road bumps and this connection was no exception. With love and guidance, we all waited together alongside Samantha and Jeremy and weathered the storms that occurred. Emotions and tensions ran high from time to time, but none of that mattered when they got the call that Crystal was in labor. The fear and uncertainty seemed miles away when Samantha and Jeremy laid eyes on their son for the very first time. On July 17th, a bouncing baby boy, Nathan Edward, entered the world. Life for Samantha and Jeremy would never be the same! We admire the patience and strength that Jeremy and Samantha possessed. Nathan has completed their family and our hearts could not be fuller for them. We have the deepest respect and gratitude for birth mom Crystal for allowing us to stand by her side and connect her with Samantha and Jeremy. Happy Birthday, Nathan! You are one perfect little boy!

Joe and Kourtney were blessed to welcome Mikaiah into their family a year ago and it has been an amazing journey ever since. Happy Birthday sweet boy.

We are all doing amazing and our sweet Mikaiah is the love of our lives.  He brought so much to our family and it’s been amazing having him. He is probably one of the sweetest babies I’ve ever come across.  You can probably tell from his pictures how joyful he is!! Such a blessing to us. We really are so appreciative for everything you all did. Thanks, Kourtney

All of our waiting families have a unique story to tell, but the one thing they all have in common is their desire to love and welcome a new baby into their homes and hearts. Follow us on Pinterest and ISSUU to get to know all of our waiting families.

Sonya and Roderick joined the Everlasting family in August 2016 when they decided that adoption would be the best way to grow their family. Roderick himself was adopted, and the similarities between Roderick’s story and Apollos’ story were serendipitous. Much like Apollos, Roderick’s birth mom also made the decision to place him for adoption. Roderick and Apollos were also the 5th child, and while his birth mom faced a lack of support for her decision, she decided this was the best decision for him. Amy felt the same for Apollos. Roderick enjoys a good and healthy relationship with his birth mother and siblings! He still visits with his birth mother. As Apollos’ birth parents wrestled with this decision, Sonya and Roderick, waited with grace and patience. When they met the first time, just before Apollos was born, they spent hours laughing and getting to know each other.  When a second wave of uncertainty came over Amy and her partner, Sonya and Roderick once again waited, prayed and kept the faith that what was meant to be, would be. Ultimately, it was decided, that Apollos was destined to be Sonya and Roderick’s son. Everyone welcomed Apollos Craig on June 18th at 11:41 p.m. He was 8lbs 1 oz, and 20.5 inches of beautiful baby boy! During their 11 month journey, their patience was tested, but their strength and hope carried them through. We cannot thank Apollos’ birth parents enough for their selflessness and love for their son. Welcome to the world, Apollos!

Thank you Lisa and Bill for sharing this update and beautiful family photos. 

Sheila, 

Mila is one and we cant believe it! She is the sweetest little girl and we fall more in love with her every day. This past year has honestly been a joy for us. We’re still adjusting to what it’s like to have a little girl in the house, but she’s been patient with us. Her brothers are her favorite people in the world. No one can make her giggle quite like they can, and it only takes one laugh from them to encourage her silliness. We had the opportunity to go spend time with her birth mom and sisters a few mins ago and it was a joy! We didn’t know what an open adoption would look like, but we have grown to love her birth mom, Jenn, like she’s a part of our family. We spent 5 days together in May and had such a sweet time. We don’t know what it will look like over the years, but we’re confident that our growing relationship with Jenn and her daughter will be an important part of our family forever. 

Again, thanks for helping us to find our daughter. Our hearts are so full of love for her! We’re in awe every day of the way we were brought together.

 

When Amber and Jeremy married, they knew they were ready to grow their family and have a baby. Amber spent much of her young adult life baby sitting and dreamed of becoming a mother from a young age. Her passion to be a mother only flourished as a nanny. As they tried to have a child, they faced many roadblocks and challenges. They both were diagnosed with infertility but continued to fight and exhaust every option available to them. It was during this time Amber realized the only thing she wanted was to be a mommy. It was in that moment they decided to pursue adoption.

This decision left them with great peace. With their families support behind them, Amber and Jeremy decided to work with Everlasting in September of 2016. While the wait felt agonizing, it was not long before Amber and Jeremy reached out to us about a potential but challenging birth mom situation they were presented with in May.  Amber initially communicated with birth mom, Katy, and she just KNEW in her heart that this was their birthmom and their baby. Amber and Jeremy continued to get to know Katy and felt bonded and connected from the start. Their hearts constantly felt love and gratefulness for not only their birthmom but their genuine connection. Less than a month after they connected, and only 10 months after deciding to enlist Everlasting’s help, Amber and Jeremy welcomed their baby boy, Canaan Reign, to the world on May 31st. Canaan was 20 ¾ inches and weighed 7lbs 11oz. We know that battling infertility combatted how difficult the wait was, but we are certain that every moment was worth it. Congratulations from everyone at Everlasting to Amber & Jeremy on your amazing little boy. Canaan is beautiful, strong and as his name means, he is truly the promised land.

Webinar: Paid Family Leave Application Process for 
Bonding Claims

On behalf of the California Employment Development Department, we are pleased to invite you to an informational webinar about navigating the Paid Family Leave application process for filing a bonding claim.

Research has shown that the application process for Paid Family Leave is one of the biggest barriers to eligible individuals using their benefits. In order to increase awareness and usage, we hope to help you get more informed about the application process for bonding claims in case you get questions from clients, employees, patients, and/or community members.

This webinar will cover the application process for filing a claim electronically or by mail, the documentation that is needed, and where claimants can go for assistance and more information.

Join us Tuesday, June 20, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. PT

Click here to Register

Please note, we strongly encourage participants to call into the webinar for a clearer connection. 

Dial: 877-309-2074

CreatingAFamily.org put together an excellent, age appropriate list of books that will help introduce the concept of adoption and birth parents to younger children. These books are geared toward 3-8 year olds and can open the adoption dialogue between parents and children.

 

The Adoption Tax Credit is in jeopardy. There is a new legislative proposal to eliminate the Adoption Tax Credit, which would make it impossible for some families to adopt. Take a few minutes to reach out to your local Legislators and let them know how important the Adoption Tax Credit is.

Thank you, Beth and Michael, for sharing this wonderful update with us. Christopher is such a handsome boy and we can’t believe he is already 2! 

 

Hello, Sheila!

What can I say..things are going GREAT! Christopher is a complete joy. As you can see from his pictures, he is a very handsome fella, but that is nothing compared to his personality. He is silly, smart, daring, brave and fun.  It can be exhausting, but we wouldn’t change a thing!

Two weeks ago he broke his femur!  It was terrible.  But even during that, he was flirting with nurses, making silly faces at Mom and Dad, and just handling it like a champ.  And despite being in a Spica cast, which doesn’t allow him much movement, and certainly no walking or even standing, he is all smiles and sweetness.

What was very touching is that his birth mom, whom we still are in contact with, sent me a lovely text after I told her abut the broken bone.  Basically, she assured me that I am a good mom and that she wishes she was as willing to let her kids be adventurous and explore their worlds they way we do. She said she hopes this little blip on the radar doesn’t change the way we parent him.  It is a lot of stress to not only worry about your child, but wonder if his tummy-mommy sees you as a less than stellar parent.

I know I am gushing, but Mike and I just look at each other every day and ask, “How did we get so lucky with this guy?” He is even better than anything I could have imagined, and we always say, our own DNA could not have made a better kid.

We can’t thank Everlasting enough. As time was ticking on our contract, I know Ceal worked diligently to help us become parents.  He was sort of our last shot. And while it was a difficult process to go through, as we had a couple fall through, I would do it again in a heartbeat to have this guy in our lives.

Beth and Mike