Why Use An Adoption Consultant?

**I wrote this post back in 2012 when my husband and I were in the midst of our first adoption process before I became an adoption consultant myself. While I could share a post from my perspective as a consultant now, I love that this post shares my heart while I was actually an adoptive family using a consultant.** About a year ago, I thought that using an adoption consultant was just plain dumb.  My thinking went something like this: Adoption is expensive and hiring a consultant is another expense.  Why on earth would someone hire an adoption consultant?  My thinking about adoption consultants has drastically changed.  I went from thinking we'd never use one to not...

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Use An Adoption Consultant? Are you nuts?

When we first started looking into domestic adoption, I emailed back and forth quite a bit with a friends who had used an adoption consultant to help them as they adopted their daughter.  I remember quite vividly saying to Josh, "I just don't get it. Why would you pay extra money in what's already a super expensive process to use an adoption consultant?  Doesn't that sound kind of dumb?"  It really didn't make any sense to me. But as time went on, we needed someone to answer about a billion questions that we had about domestic adoption.  I didn't want someone's opinion.  I didn't want someone who just wanted me to hire them.  I didn't want some random info off...

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No Induction In Sight

I've never been "on time" with any of my babies.  It's safe to say that I'm somewhat of an expert at being overdue.  Above is a picture of chubby tired me the day before Addie Beth was born.  I was swollen, fighting acid reflux, peeing six times an hour, and swore that my baby would NEVER come.  I was sure that I would be pregnant forever, as in, for the rest of my life. As uncomfortable as I was physically, that paled in comparison to the weirdo intense emotional roller-coaster I was riding each day as I waved goodbye to my due date and stared blankly into a calendar of unknowns.  Each night I would go to sleep wondering, "Is this the night?  Is this the night...

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It's Our Baby

Summer's in full swing and my three sweeties and I have been soaking up the sunshine, enjoying sugary treats, and having lots of fun conversations. Tali went out into the dark garage today to grab some more ice pops (our third of the day).  "Mom.  It's so nocturnal out there right now!" she exclaimed. Addie Beth's been her normal crazy two-year-old self.  This morning she woke up at the break of dawn because she had wet through her diaper.  As I changed her bedding she started talking loudly and lightening speed. "Mommy!  Mommy!  Can I jump on my bed?" she excitedly asked.  Never-mind that it wasn't really even light outside yet.  No big shocker...

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