It is with a very grateful heart that I write this. We are Joe and Kourtney, and if you have been with Everlasting for any length of time and are as nosy as we are, you have most likely read our profile. Like us you would have gone through and read most of the profiles to see what all the different families are like, and then get worried that no one will ever pick you over all these other amazing families! Like us you may go back and forth on whether going with Everlasting Adoptions was the “best” choice for you and worry that this couldn’t possibly work. You may read comments on Facebook or Internet and wonder, “Is this the real deal?” We did all this and more, and to be honest, all of it was our fear taking over. When you want something so badly and your heart just aches with it, you allow so many doubts to come in. When you are talking about the life of a child, it can be absolutely overwhelming emotionally. Coming into Everlasting, we already had three children; two of them biological, and the third, adopted. We had never been with any type of agency before and really didn’t know what to expect. A friend of ours had seen Everlasting Adoptions online and mentioned them to us. So one night, Kourtney filled out an application, and within a day we got a phone call from Everlasting. Our experience with Everlasting, from the very beginning was definitely positive and something that we would repeat and also encourage friends and family to go through if they were looking to adopt. We felt that from day one they were very honest and transparent with us, even telling us that because of our already having children it may take longer to find a match. We have been very satisfied and grateful for everything they have done for us. Every email I wrote was promptly replied to (and I wrote often!), every picture I asked to be put on or taken off of their website was done quickly (again A LOT). If I called them, they answered or called right back. We are so thankful for everything they have done. When we finally made our match (after 18 months) they helped us find lawyers and helped us figure out the next steps. They even helped us in the very first steps of connecting with the birth mom when we were unsure how to proceed. We now have our sweet little Mikaiah Jude and are so in love with him. He is now five weeks old, and already we can’t imagine life without him. He puts a smile on everyone’s face (even in the early morning hours when he’s hungry and we are exhausted). Life is crazy, unpredictable, noisy and a lot more unorganized, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think if we can say anything to you, it would be to stay the course and don’t allow doubt to get in the way of what you already know is the right thing for your family. You will go crazy with waiting, your patience will be tested, you will think time is standing still, but in the end you will have a precious and VERY loved baby in your arms for life and every minute of the past months/years will be worth it.
