100: First Mother's Day Story & Adoption Process Breakdown

Speaker: 00:00:06

Hey, I'm your host, Mari Wagner,

and you're listening to the Everbe

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podcast, where faith meets lifestyle.

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I'm so excited you're here.

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or a longtime follower, I know

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Pull up a chair and listen in for

insightful real-life conversations

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and actionable steps on how to claim

the full life God created you for.

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If you're a woman desiring to live

a Christ-centered life in today's

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modern world, then this is for you.

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Welcome to Everbe.

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mari-wagner_1_05-13-2026_143054:

Welcome back to Everbe again.

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It's me, Mari.

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It's just gonna be a solo episode today,

and it's gonna be just a adoption update.

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I've gotten a lot of questions

of people being like, "Where

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are you at in the process?"

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And, "How can we pray for you?"

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And so I'm just gonna share a little

bit more detail of like what the

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process of adoption has looked

like for us, where are we at in the

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process, and just what are we...

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what can we expect from here on out.

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So I, I was gonna start with an Everbe

Moment, and then I realized I'm gonna

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share basically a whole Everbe Moment

later on in this episode because

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it's just continuation of how God's

working in this call to adoption.

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Um, so my Everbe Moment will

be later in this episode.

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I'll let you know when it is,

but it is, it is incredible.

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So I'll just walk you through what our

steps have looked like in our journey.

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Um, the steps can vary sometimes depending

on what route of adoption you go through.

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Whether you're doing domestic

infant adoption or international

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adoption, Or fostering to adopt.

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Those are kind of all different processes.

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But we're doing domestic infant adoption

here in the US, and we started o-

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our whole journey by doing research.

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So I got on the phone with some people

that I knew had adopted, which I

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didn't really know many at the time.

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I think we got connected with one or

two people that had adopted, and we were

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able to get on the phone, and they were

able to answer a lot of my questions.

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And my questions have really evolved

throughout the process because your

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worries, your interests, like what

you're looking at, and your questions

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on the whole process just change

and evolve as you move forward.

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So when I had a very first initial call

with a friend who had adopted her first

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baby, my questions were like, "Were you

able to feel like this baby was yours?

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Like, in the middle of the night when the

baby cried, like, did you have the ability

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to soothe that baby that you didn't birth?

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Did you feel connected to this baby?

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Like, how did your family and friends,

like, connect with this baby?"

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Those were some of my initial

questions, um, which I think were very

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appropriate for that state of our...

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that stage of our discernment at

the very beginning, where we were

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like, "Are we even called to this?

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What does this path of

growing our family look like?"

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And then later on in the process,

it was like I would call someone

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and ask them, like, "Okay," like,

"what does the process look like?

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Like, what kind of things do you

have to do as the adoptive parent?

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And what kind of things do you

have to turn in or questions you

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have to answer or interviews?

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Or how much does it cost?"

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Like, all these kind of very much more

logistical questions of like how do we

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get into it, how do we get started, right?

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And then kinda near the end now,

we're like, "Oh," like, "what does

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it look like to parent a newborn?

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And, like, what's the relationship

with the birth mom, and, like, how do

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you navigate, like, hospital plans and

birth plans when you're kind of like,

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you know, dealing with someone who's

birthing the baby that's not you?"

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Like, much more nuanced questions

to this part of our journey.

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Um- But at the beginning, we just started

asking simple questions and started

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getting on the phone with people that we

knew and learning what route they took.

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So with adoption in the US, you can

either adopt directly through an

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agency or you can work with what is

called an adoption consultant, which

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means that you have kind of like a

liaison between you and many agencies.

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So instead of me going to a bunch of

agencies, interviewing them, vetting

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whether they're ethical or not,

choosing whether I want to work with

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them or not, and presenting ourselves

and all that kind of stuff, um, we

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have an agent that we work with, a

consultant is what they're called.

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And she has partners of, like, all

these different agencies that she has

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vetted that she believes are doing

ethical work, 'cause you really wanna

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make sure that the agency you're working

with is very ethical, um, that they've

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had good results with, that they have

great relationships with, et cetera.

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And it opens you up to multiple states,

whereas, like, if I were just adopting

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here in Colorado, I would only have the

options of the agencies here in Colorado.

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Now, of course, like, I could apply

directly to an agency in Texas or

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in Florida or in Arizona, but to

us it just seemed simpler to just

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go through the consultant route.

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It just seemed like they would

take care of kinda more of

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that heavy lift, especially as

a first-time adoptive family.

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Um, it does come with a, a flat fee, so

it's a little bit more expensive, so some

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people are kinda turned off by it 'cause

they're like, "Oh, you have to pay," you

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know, like, I think it was, like, $4,000

of a flat fee or something like that.

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But in general, adoption

is so expensive, you guys.

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Like, really expensive.

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Like, minimum, like, 50K.

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So, like, to us, $4,000 was kind of

a drop in the bucket in that huge

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amount that we already have to, like,

save up, um, at a minimum, and it

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was gonna make the process easier.

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So for us, it was kind of a no-brainer.

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We're like, "This is worth it.

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We're gonna invest in that."

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Um, and so yeah, in this process,

we were recommended a consultant.

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Um, they recommended, uh,

one group of consultants.

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We chatted with them.

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We had a couple interviews with them, and

we learned a ton more about the adoption

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process through them, um, about how

birth moms pick families, all of that.

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And then we read Some books.

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One of them that we read

was Adopted for Life.

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That was a really good book, um, that gave

the Christian perspective, kind of the

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bl- biblical perspective of why Christian

families should discern adoption, why

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adoption is a good Christian thing to

discern if God's calling you to, even

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if you do have biological children.

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Um, and then the other book was, I

believe it's called The Connected Child,

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and I probably read like half of it.

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It's a lot about, like, behavioral

parenting, and as I was reading it,

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like, it's a big popular book in

the adoption world, and I hope that

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that's m- what it's actually called.

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But, um, it didn't seem fully

applicable to me at the time of

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what I was discerning, and so it was

good to kind of have that knowledge,

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but I didn't finish it all the way

through, but maybe I will one day.

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And then we got connected

with another friend.

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She worked with a different,

um, consulting agency.

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She raved about them, said there

was a ton of success there, really,

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really great people to work with,

very ethical, so we went with them.

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So we started working with our agency.

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We told them we were

ready to sign in January.

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We signed on in January, and

then the first step is you have

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to get started on a home study.

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So this is phase one of

the adoption process.

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There are two phases.

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Phase one is really you doing a

lot of the work, getting your home

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study done, turning in paperwork.

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Phase two is you waiting and seeing

cases and waiting for that match.

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So phase one is, like, very busy, and

it's kind of like the sprint part of

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this whole process, because it's really

up to you how long it's gonna take.

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So sometimes it takes people, like,

six months, nine months, 12 months, 18

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months, because they just kinda go slowly.

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And you can do that if you're like, "Yeah,

I'm not in a rush to adopt," or, you know,

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"We're just gonna do things where we can."

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It can take a long time.

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But we were very excited to adopt and

grow our family, and so we tried to go

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as quick as we could, and yet we were so

frustrated about how long it took, because

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we were like, "Ugh, we thought we were

gonna get this done in, like, four weeks."

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And it's like, we're crazy.

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Why did we think we were gonna

get it done in four weeks?

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Like, we still had life going on.

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We still had work going on, and

so we couldn't just, like...

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The reason it takes so long

is 'cause you can't just pause

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your life to just do this.

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Otherwise, yeah, it probably

would just take a month.

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But We-- It took a little bit to

get connected to our home study,

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um, agency here in Colorado.

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So then I think we actually got started

like probably mid-February, getting on

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calls with them, learning what we had to

start doing, getting, you know, logged

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into the portals, and there's all these

like document checklists, and you gotta

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go through every single one of them.

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And I'm talking like, I mean, you gotta

submit a ton of documents, marriage

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license, insurance cards, marriage

certificate, like birth certificate.

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Like you have to just go find all this

paperwork and then turn it in, and

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then you also have to like fill out

a bunch of paperwork and all these

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questionnaires, and it asks you so much.

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Like it literally asks you so much.

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It's like, "Describe your parents and

how you remember them when you were

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in your childhood, and then in your

teenage years, and then as an adult."

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Like what were...

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Gosh, what else did it ask?

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Um, literally like, "What are the

biggest problems and conflicts

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you have in your marriage?"

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And, um, "Were you happy

as a child growing up?"

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Like, "What are some of the most

difficult moments you went through?"

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Um, it, it like asks

you so many questions.

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It's this big, long questionnaire, um,

that took us a while to fill out, a

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couple like sittings or what's it called?

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Um, a couple rounds of like

sitting down and working on it.

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And then there's all this training you

have to do, this like online training.

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So like there's like workshops we have

to attend that teach us about transracial

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adoption and, um, substance abuse, and

like if you get a case of a mom who

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had some sort of substance use, like

how can that impact the pregnancy and

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development of the child or does it?

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Um, relationships with birth

mom and, uh, different types

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of open adoption and stuff.

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Because what we found is that

in the US, closed adoption

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doesn't really exist anymore.

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Like there's like no such thing

as a completely closed adoption.

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So to some extent, like you're gonna

know who those birth parents are.

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Your child's gonna know who

those birth parents are, and

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the relationship can vary.

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But anyways, a ton of training

and then you also have to

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get a bunch of clearances.

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Like you gotta do fingerprints

and background checks and child

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abuse checks and medical tests.

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They wanna know if you have HIV or

you have to do a blood panel draw.

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You've-- or not a blood

panel, a drug panel.

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Um, uh, tuberculosis, like all this stuff.

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Um, so then you gotta do all that.

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So that's what we've been working

on since February, and at the end of

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all that, when you turn all of that

in-- Oh, oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot.

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We had to write an autobiography

about ourselves, okay?

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When I saw the list of questions that

were on the prompt of like what we

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had to include in our autobiography,

I kid you not, there was like seventy

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questions, and it was like, "Answer

each one of these thoroughly."

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I was like so Do you actually want,

like, a 10-page paper about my life?

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Like, is that too much?

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And, um, I literally emailed my agent

that and I was like, "I see that there's,

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you know, a vast amount of questions you

want me to answer, answer thoroughly.

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I just wanna make sure,

like, page count is good.

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Like, I could write,

like, 10 pages about that.

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Is that, like, what you're expecting?"

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And then I wrote that on a Friday.

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She didn't get back to me until

Monday, but I spent the weekend

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doing this autobiography.

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It's, it's 33 pages.

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Y'all, it's 33 pages.

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Thinking I could write it in 10

pages was actually hilarious.

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So that gives you some perspective

on all the work that goes

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into the adoption process.

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Yeah.

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In a way, it's

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like, it is hard and sometimes I'll,

you know, in, in low moments I'll

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complain to Trey and I'll be like,

"And other moms just get to get

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pregnant and then go birth their baby."

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And he's, he's really good at helping

me see the reality because, yes, of

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course, there's valid pain in that,

and at the same time, there's also

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difficulty and pain in pregnancy.

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You know?

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There's morning sickness and your

body is in pain and you can't sleep

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well and you have food aversions

or food cravings or mood swings.

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Like, there are difficulties

that come with it.

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So in its own way it's like these

are the pregnancy pains of adoption

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and the labor pains of adoption.

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Um, and no path to motherhood

is, is easy or simple.

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So it's a good reminder as

we're trudging through all this.

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And at the end after turning all of

this stuff in, then we get to the home

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visits portion, and that's basically

the last part of the home study process,

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so that everything I just explained

is part of the home study process.

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A home study is a report that they

have to write at the very end to

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basically, like, clear you to say, like,

"This is everything about their life.

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We have vetted them thoroughly.

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They are cleared to be

good adoptive parents."

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And it's a whole report

that gets written up.

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And it, like, in the report it's,

like, everything you just submitted.

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It's, like, everything about you.

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Um, but before they write it, they

come and they visit your house

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and they do in-person interviews.

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And I don't know if this is, like,

across the board for every state

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or whatever, but our state has

three visits, three interviews.

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And they're pretty in-depth.

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So the first one, the social worker comes

and you do an interview together with

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your spouse, and it's about two hours

long is what we were told to expect.

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And I believe anything that you

turned in is free ga- is fair game.

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Like, anything that you filled out in

those questionnaires, like, anything

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about your life and your autobiography,

like, they just wanna come and get

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to know you, get to know your home,

your life, your marriage, um, what's

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good, what's hard, like- Everything.

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So that first interview is

two hours long, you together.

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And then the next week they come back and

they do two separate interviews, one just

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you and the social worker, and then one

it'll be just Trent and the social worker.

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And each of those interviews

are two hours long.

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So man, that social worker is

probably gonna be exhausted by the

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end of it, but, 'cause she's got

four hours straight of interviewing.

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So that's the second visit, and I think

a lot of that is just, like, each one of

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you talking about your spouse and your

marriage and, um, yeah, you know what?

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I don't know.

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I don't really know what else

that second interview's about.

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Once I do it, I'll come

back and let you all know.

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Um, and then the third one, so then

they come back a third week, and

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they're usually one a week for three

weeks just to, like, get it done with.

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So then they come back for a third

week, and that is what they call

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the home inspection, and that's

where they come, they like...

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I don't know if they're gonna tour the

house in the other, in the other ones.

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They might.

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But this one is, like, specifically

to come tour the house, and

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they're not trying to trick you.

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Like, they told us, like, they're

gonna give us a list of the

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things that they're looking for.

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It's just, like, safety.

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Like, do you have smoke alarms that work?

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And do you have a fire extinguisher?

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And, like, do you have a first aid kit?

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And is it, like, are your medicine

bottles, like, put away in a cabinet

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where children can't reach it, you know?

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Um, so I'm not, like, too worried about

it, and I do know that, like, we have a

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beautiful home and a beautiful marriage

and a beautiful community, and I know

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that they're just, they're gonna see that.

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And so I'm not really worried about it.

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But that is that last part of the process.

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And then you wait.

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And so then you wait for that social

worker to write up your home study,

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which can take anywhere from, like,

probably four to, like, eight weeks.

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Um, our agency told us they have a really

light caseload right now, and so they

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said you should get it within four weeks.

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So it sounds like it'll

be on the quicker end.

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And all of our home visits are

actually scheduled, so that's

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where we're at right now.

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That is our update.

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Like, we will start our

home study visits next week.

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So by the end of May, all of our

home study visits will be done, and

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: 00:16:54

then likely all of June the social

worker will be writing up our whole

294

: 00:16:58

home study report, and we'll just

be waiting for her to finish it.

295

: 00:17:03

And then end of June, beginning

of July, we'll be cleared

296

: 00:17:07

and we'll start seeing cases.

297

: 00:17:10

So after you get your home study done,

they, like, send that to your consultant

298

: 00:17:15

or your adoption agency, and that's

basically their proof and approval that,

299

: 00:17:19

like, you're clear to adopt at any moment.

300

: 00:17:22

So then you'll start seeing cases.

301

: 00:17:25

What does that look like?

302

: 00:17:27

In our inbox, we'll start getting

emails, and from what I've heard,

303

: 00:17:32

it could be multiple emails

a week or one email a week.

304

: 00:17:35

I think it also just depends

your level of openness to what...

305

: 00:17:39

If you have any criteria that

you're open to or not open to when

306

: 00:17:42

it comes to a child that you want

to adopt and raise and everything.

307

: 00:17:48

So obviously, like, the more open you

are, probably the more cases you'll see.

308

: 00:17:52

The less open you are to things,

probably the less cases you'll see.

309

: 00:17:55

So we'll start getting cases in

our inbox, and it'll share about

310

: 00:18:00

the child and the birth mom.

311

: 00:18:01

It'll be like, this is, you know, the

birth mom's situation, um, race, age,

312

: 00:18:07

height, hair color, medical history,

um, prenatal care, pregnancy care.

313

: 00:18:13

Like anything that would be

important for us to know to make

314

: 00:18:17

a decision of like, yes, we feel

called to raise this child or not.

315

: 00:18:21

Um, and you either say yes

or no to each of those cases.

316

: 00:18:25

So if we get a case that we feel

like, yes, we really wanna bring

317

: 00:18:29

this baby home, parent this baby,

raise it in our family, we'll say

318

: 00:18:33

yes, we wanna present to the mom.

319

: 00:18:35

If we say no, they're just like, "Okay,

great," and then you move on, and then

320

: 00:18:38

you wait till you get another case.

321

: 00:18:39

If you say yes, they will present the

mom with your family profile book.

322

: 00:18:45

So this is actually what we're

gonna be working on while we wait

323

: 00:18:48

for our home study to be written.

324

: 00:18:50

So like probably end of May, all of

June, we'll be working on building our

325

: 00:18:53

profile book, and that's basically,

like, a cute PDF that just, like, shows

326

: 00:18:59

pictures of your family, your home,

your hobbies, what your life looks like.

327

: 00:19:05

And it's a lot of writing too, like you're

writing about your life and your work and

328

: 00:19:09

your values and your marriage and your

home and your friends and your community.

329

: 00:19:13

Again, you're just basically writing

another b- autobiography, um, that

330

: 00:19:17

basically shows the birth mom who you

are, what your lifestyle is like, and what

331

: 00:19:23

kind of life this baby would have if she

were to pick you to be its mom and dad.

332

: 00:19:28

So If we see a case that we feel

really strongly about and we say yes,

333

: 00:19:34

we want to present to the mom, then

all the families who said yes, so

334

: 00:19:38

like those cases are getting presented

to multiple adoptive families.

335

: 00:19:43

All the ones that say yes will turn

in their profile book to the mom

336

: 00:19:48

and the mom will look at all them

and then she'll make that decision.

337

: 00:19:52

She'll say, "I love this family.

338

: 00:19:55

I want to give my baby to this family."

339

: 00:19:57

So she makes that final decision.

340

: 00:19:59

Like first you say yes and

then she says the final yes and

341

: 00:20:03

that's when the match happens.

342

: 00:20:05

And they say that like if it's a no,

you'll get an email or if it's a yes and

343

: 00:20:10

she picked you, then you'll get a call.

344

: 00:20:12

And so that's the call like all

adoptive parents are waiting to get.

345

: 00:20:16

You know, you're waiting to see

your agent's name on the phone

346

: 00:20:18

after you've said yes to see

if that mom picked you or not.

347

: 00:20:22

Um, and it can go one of two ways.

348

: 00:20:25

Either you can match with a

mom who is pregnant still.

349

: 00:20:29

Usually if she is, it's commonly

in her last trimester, so one to

350

: 00:20:33

three months until baby is born.

351

: 00:20:35

And so they might call you and say,

"Hey, baby-- or mom has picked you.

352

: 00:20:40

Baby will be, you know, baby's due in

one month or baby's due in two months.

353

: 00:20:44

Um, here's the due date.

354

: 00:20:46

You know, let's start planning to

pick up the baby then, you know, and

355

: 00:20:50

start preparing and all the things."

356

: 00:20:53

So you might be able to get

a little bit of heads up.

357

: 00:20:56

But it's also really likely for it to

be what they call a drop case, which

358

: 00:21:01

means that a baby was already born

and who knows, like for some reason

359

: 00:21:06

an adoption plan wasn't made while the

mom was pregnant and she decided she

360

: 00:21:11

wanted to put that baby up for adoption

and she had already given birth.

361

: 00:21:15

And usually it's just like day of

or like day after baby was born.

362

: 00:21:19

They'll present the case

to you and you'll know.

363

: 00:21:21

It'll be like, baby was born yesterday.

364

: 00:21:23

Here's the whole situation.

365

: 00:21:25

And those are usually more expedited.

366

: 00:21:26

And they'll be like, you need to tell us

within the next four hours, like whether

367

: 00:21:30

you want to parent this baby or not.

368

: 00:21:32

And so you'll say yes or no.

369

: 00:21:33

If you say yes, then you'll

wait for the mom to choose.

370

: 00:21:37

And if she chooses you, you'll

get that phone call and it'll

371

: 00:21:40

be like, okay, mom chose you.

372

: 00:21:43

You need to get on the next flight

out because baby's already born.

373

: 00:21:46

So like the clock is already ticking.

374

: 00:21:49

And so then like you need to literally

get on the next flight out to go

375

: 00:21:52

pick up your baby and your whole

life changes in a matter of hours.

376

: 00:21:56

Um So that's how the matching

process can look like.

377

: 00:22:01

And then in terms of how long it can

take, that is the question nobody can give

378

: 00:22:06

you a straight answer on because there's

no hierarchy or waiting list of how

379

: 00:22:11

families get presented cases or chosen.

380

: 00:22:14

It's not like because you were

waiting longer, you get first pick.

381

: 00:22:18

It's not.

382

: 00:22:19

It's just literally like when the right

baby is born that God picked for you,

383

: 00:22:24

that was meant to be in your family,

and the case gets presented to you,

384

: 00:22:27

and you say yes, and the mom says

yes, that's when the match happens.

385

: 00:22:32

And I have heard things

all across the board.

386

: 00:22:35

Like, my friend matched in three weeks,

and I've had so many people in my DMs

387

: 00:22:41

telling me that they matched in like

two weeks, three weeks, four weeks,

388

: 00:22:45

six weeks, seven weeks, eight weeks.

389

: 00:22:47

Like way faster, like,

than I would have thought.

390

: 00:22:50

And I also have people in my DMs who

are like, "It took us seven months,"

391

: 00:22:54

"It took us nine months," "It took

us six months," "It took us a year."

392

: 00:22:57

So that's the part that's kinda hard.

393

: 00:22:59

It's like, and now once we go

live early July, it's just gonna

394

: 00:23:07

be like, it's gonna be so hard.

395

: 00:23:11

It's gonna be so hard to wait because

I just don't know what's gonna happen.

396

: 00:23:14

Like, of course, I want

it to happen quickly.

397

: 00:23:17

Maybe some people wouldn't be like that,

but I'm like, "Call me the next day, man.

398

: 00:23:20

I'll fly out."

399

: 00:23:21

Um, I want it to happen

quickly, obviously.

400

: 00:23:24

Like, I hope it just takes a

couple weeks, but I also have to

401

: 00:23:27

like have the understanding that

like it could be a couple months.

402

: 00:23:31

It could be many months.

403

: 00:23:32

I don't know.

404

: 00:23:34

Um, but basically starting

July, we just have to be ready.

405

: 00:23:38

We have to be ready for whatever happens

and for a baby to come home the next day.

406

: 00:23:43

So, so yeah.

407

: 00:23:45

So I'm, I'm try- I'm getting ready.

408

: 00:23:48

Like my registry's almost done, and

I have links saved for a nursery,

409

: 00:23:52

but I haven't bought anything yet.

410

: 00:23:56

I think I've just kinda been waiting for

maybe the home study be o- to be over.

411

: 00:23:59

I don't know why, because...

412

: 00:24:01

I don't know why.

413

: 00:24:02

Maybe it's just 'cause we've been busy.

414

: 00:24:03

But, um, but yeah, I kinda need to start

buying stuff just because like if they do

415

: 00:24:07

call you, like let's say we get a call in

August, and they're like, "Baby's born.

416

: 00:24:11

Come pick it up."

417

: 00:24:12

Like, I don't wanna have to stress

about putting a nursery together,

418

: 00:24:15

and I know the baby sleeps in your

room the first like six months.

419

: 00:24:18

I know.

420

: 00:24:19

But like if y'all know me, you know

it's gonna stress me out to have

421

: 00:24:24

an unready room for this baby I've

been waiting five freaking years

422

: 00:24:28

for, so, so I'm gonna get it ready.

423

: 00:24:31

Um, and then, and then what's next?

424

: 00:24:36

And then, like when you go pick up

the baby, you have to be there for a

425

: 00:24:39

certain amount of time while you're

legally cleared to take the baby home.

426

: 00:24:45

So it could be like- Minimum four

days up to 14 days, basically.

427

: 00:24:50

Like, one to two weeks is the

expectation that you're gonna be in

428

: 00:24:53

that state where you picked up the baby.

429

: 00:24:55

There's gonna be legal processes

that are happy, happening that's,

430

: 00:24:57

like, terminating the parental rights

of the birth mom and transferring

431

: 00:25:02

or, like, giving you permission to

take the baby home, all that stuff.

432

: 00:25:05

Once you get cleared,

then you can fly home.

433

: 00:25:07

So that's the other thing is, like,

you basically just buy a one-way

434

: 00:25:10

ticket 'cause you don't, you

don't know when you're going back.

435

: 00:25:12

Um, then you get home, and then

depending on what state you adopted

436

: 00:25:17

from, uh, is how long it takes

for the adoption to be finalized.

437

: 00:25:23

So technically, you're not legally...

438

: 00:25:27

Like, you're legally that baby's guardian.

439

: 00:25:30

I think it's, it- it's

kind of like foster care.

440

: 00:25:32

You know, you're technically that

baby's, like, foster family, and then

441

: 00:25:35

there's, like, some home visits that

need to happen once the baby comes home.

442

: 00:25:39

Your social worker comes back to

see, like, how are you adjusting,

443

: 00:25:41

how is baby adjusting, any questions,

everything's going well and seamless.

444

: 00:25:45

Okay, good.

445

: 00:25:47

And then depending on the state you

adopted from, it'll be a couple months

446

: 00:25:51

from when you bring the baby home to when

the adoption is finalized, so to when you

447

: 00:25:54

legally become that baby's legal guardian.

448

: 00:25:58

Um, and I think, mm, it's

usually, like, three to six

449

: 00:26:02

months or something like that.

450

: 00:26:04

But, like, nothing changes, you know?

451

: 00:26:06

Like, you still have the baby at home.

452

: 00:26:08

It's not like anything actually changes

from the moment you bring the baby

453

: 00:26:11

home to the moment you, like, are

sworn in and legally sign a paper.

454

: 00:26:16

Um, and then it's done.

455

: 00:26:21

Easy, right?

456

: 00:26:23

Quick.

457

: 00:26:23

Um, no, it's a whole process.

458

: 00:26:26

It's a whole process, but we know

the Lord has called us to it,

459

: 00:26:29

and we feel honored to be here.

460

: 00:26:32

That's the reality.

461

: 00:26:33

Like, I'm grateful to be here.

462

: 00:26:34

I'm grateful to be able to be

doing all these things, and

463

: 00:26:38

I know the Lord is providing.

464

: 00:26:39

I know finances are a big, um,

obstacle for a lot of people in...

465

: 00:26:45

that want to adopt

because it's so expensive.

466

: 00:26:47

And I wanna, I wanna say that for anybody

who's in that process or has that fear,

467

: 00:26:52

you can apply for loans, and so many

people fundraise, and God will provide.

468

: 00:26:57

And so, like, no, we do not have

$50,000 sitting in our pockets

469

: 00:27:01

just, like, waiting to adopt.

470

: 00:27:03

Like, we have had to save and work

for it, and, um, which is why we

471

: 00:27:07

launched that Holy Family Rosary,

where 50% of the proceeds of

472

: 00:27:11

that are donated to help funding

families adopt, starting with ours.

473

: 00:27:16

And so once we're fully funded, then

we'll move on to another family.

474

: 00:27:20

And I'm very excited for that.

475

: 00:27:22

I'm very excited to the point

where we get fully funded and we

476

: 00:27:25

can start helping other families.

477

: 00:27:26

Like, my vision for that is that

maybe a f- like you know somebody.

478

: 00:27:31

Like, maybe your friend is adopting and

you know financially, like, they need

479

: 00:27:34

some support, and that you can come to

us, and we can, um, you know, learn about

480

: 00:27:39

that family and see how we can support

them, and then donate a big check to

481

: 00:27:42

them and hope that, like, it helps fund

their adoption or, like, helps get them

482

: 00:27:47

on their way to funding that adoption.

483

: 00:27:49

And it's, it's amazing how, like,

I've s- I've just seen it on, in the

484

: 00:27:53

adoption Instagram world, the more

that I get into this, the more that

485

: 00:27:56

kind of content pops up and how God

provides, and there are such generous

486

: 00:28:00

people that step up to help others in

building their families, and we wanna do

487

: 00:28:05

exactly that once we're done with ours.

488

: 00:28:07

So if you're interested in supporting us

in that way, um, I'll make sure to link

489

: 00:28:12

in the show notes the Holy Family Rosary,

where you can buy a rosary, pray for our

490

: 00:28:17

family, and, um, half of those proceeds

of those sales will help support us.

491

: 00:28:22

But no pressure.

492

: 00:28:23

Honestly, like, the biggest thing

you can do for us is, is pray.

493

: 00:28:27

Like, please just pray for

us, like, as often as you can.

494

: 00:28:30

Pray for it to be a smooth process.

495

: 00:28:32

Pray for, um, good relationships

with the birth mom.

496

: 00:28:35

Pray, pray for a healthy baby.

497

: 00:28:37

Um, pray for us just to have

the grace to navigate this.

498

: 00:28:42

This is just...

499

: 00:28:44

It's a different way to grow your family.

500

: 00:28:46

Um, and there's different challenges

that come with it, so just

501

: 00:28:49

pray for us to be good parents.

502

: 00:28:52

And, and just thank you.

503

: 00:28:55

Thank you for doing that for us.

504

: 00:28:57

My Everbe moment I was gonna share was

just another confirmation that I have

505

: 00:29:03

felt that we are on the right path and

are truly called to be adopting and that

506

: 00:29:11

we have discerned right, that, like,

we have heard the Lord's voice, heard

507

: 00:29:14

His call, and are on the right path.

508

: 00:29:16

So Mother's Day was just on Sunday,

and usually for someone experiencing

509

: 00:29:23

struggles with their fertility and

unable to conceive, or if you have a

510

: 00:29:27

friend that's had loss and miscarriages,

Mother's Day is really hard.

511

: 00:29:31

Um, and it's usually just a

sad day for me, to be honest.

512

: 00:29:35

Um, and so I was just kind of

expecting it to be that way.

513

: 00:29:38

Like, the days leading up, I

was, like, mentally like, "Okay,

514

: 00:29:40

yeah, Mother's Day is coming up.

515

: 00:29:42

Like, I know it's gonna be a hard day.

516

: 00:29:43

Like, what am I gonna do that day?

517

: 00:29:45

How can I kind of make it better and

kind of take my mind off things?"

518

: 00:29:49

And all the, all that.

519

: 00:29:51

And then, like, the day before Mother's

Day and on Mother's Day, like, it just,

520

: 00:29:56

like, went completely the opposite.

521

: 00:29:59

Like, it was an amazing day.

522

: 00:30:01

It was, like, a happy day,

and it was so unexpected.

523

: 00:30:05

My sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law

and Trey all got me, like, sweet

524

: 00:30:11

little Mother's Day gifts and

wished me Happy Mother's Day.

525

: 00:30:15

And I was, like, kind of taken aback

where I was like Why are you doing this?

526

: 00:30:19

Like, I'm not a mom.

527

: 00:30:20

Like, I'm not a mom yet.

528

: 00:30:23

And they had a beautiful perspective

where they were like, "If you

529

: 00:30:27

were pregnant, you'd-- we'd

be celebrating you right now."

530

: 00:30:30

Like, and you are an expectant

mom, it just looks a little

531

: 00:30:35

different when you're adopting.

532

: 00:30:36

Like, maybe you're not an expectant mom

that's pregnant, but you're an expectant

533

: 00:30:41

mom that knows a baby's coming, and

you're doing everything to get there, and

534

: 00:30:45

you're preparing, and you're almost there.

535

: 00:30:48

So the other thing too that they were

saying is like this baby, like if

536

: 00:30:52

we're adopting in this year, like this

baby is already alive in his birth

537

: 00:30:57

mom or her birth mom's uterus, womb.

538

: 00:31:01

Why did that sound so weird?

539

: 00:31:03

In her womb.

540

: 00:31:04

Um, which means like that baby's alive,

and the truth is I'm that baby's mom.

541

: 00:31:11

Like, I am that baby's mom, and

I'm just waiting for baby to be

542

: 00:31:17

born and be put into my arms.

543

: 00:31:19

And so they were sharing this all with

me, and of course, I'm like fighting back

544

: 00:31:23

tears and just like, "Oh my gosh, what?"

545

: 00:31:25

Like, it was just kind of a

surreal moment where I was like,

546

: 00:31:28

"Wow, like this is so beautiful.

547

: 00:31:31

Like maybe I do get to be happy today.

548

: 00:31:33

Maybe I do get to celebrate today."

549

: 00:31:35

And we all went to the zoo with

Trey's whole side of, um, the

550

: 00:31:38

fam, with all of our nieces and

nephews, and that was so much fun.

551

: 00:31:42

And the Everbe moment, right, my God

moment was like we didn't make it

552

: 00:31:46

to the morning masses 'cause we were

just like rushing to try and like

553

: 00:31:49

get to We were gonna go to morning

mass, and then we didn't make it

554

: 00:31:52

because we were just like rushing to

like do a bunch of stuff and get out

555

: 00:31:55

the door to go to the zoo that day.

556

: 00:31:58

And so then we had to find an

evening mass to attend after the zoo

557

: 00:32:02

'cause the zoo closed at four PM.

558

: 00:32:04

So then we were gonna find a

5:00 PM Mass to make it to.

559

: 00:32:07

Now zoo is in Denver, and we

don't really go to Mass in Denver.

560

: 00:32:10

We don't, we don't live in Denver.

561

: 00:32:11

So we had to, like, look up a church

and try and see if there was a

562

: 00:32:17

church that had a 5:00 PM Mass that

was close to the zoo to where we

563

: 00:32:21

were so we could get there on time.

564

: 00:32:22

And Trey found a church that was

just Our Lady of Guadalupe, and I

565

: 00:32:26

thought nothing of it at the time.

566

: 00:32:29

Now let me just preface this whole

part to, with saying that, like...

567

: 00:32:32

if you haven't heard the episodes

We're Adopting Part One or Our

568

: 00:32:37

Adoption Story Part One and Part

Two, like, you won't understand

569

: 00:32:41

why this is, like, such a big deal.

570

: 00:32:42

I think it's all in Part

One, the big, the big stuff.

571

: 00:32:45

So, like, if you don't know what I'm

talking about, you're gonna need to

572

: 00:32:48

either, like, pause and go listen

to that and then come back to this

573

: 00:32:50

part or finish listening to this

and then go back and listen to Our

574

: 00:32:54

Adoption Story Part One episode to

understand why this is such a big deal.

575

: 00:32:59

We go to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mass, and it's in Spanish.

576

: 00:33:05

And we're like, "That's okay."

577

: 00:33:06

I mean, I'm fluent in Spanish.

578

: 00:33:07

Trey's learning a lot of Spanish.

579

: 00:33:09

We just had to get to Mass.

580

: 00:33:09

We're like, "That's great.

581

: 00:33:10

We'll go to Spanish Mass."

582

: 00:33:12

And we walk in, and the wall

behind the altar has this huge,

583

: 00:33:18

gorgeous image, gold-framed

image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

584

: 00:33:24

And then on the wall, like, in gold

lettering, like, actual physical

585

: 00:33:29

lettering, it wasn't just painted, it was

beautiful lettering on the marble wall, it

586

: 00:33:34

said, "Am I not here who am your mother?"

587

: 00:33:38

But in Spanish.

588

: 00:33:39

Um, and so it was clearly a very,

like, Hispanic Catholic church.

589

: 00:33:45

Um, and again, none of this

is clicking for me yet.

590

: 00:33:49

I'm just like, "Aw, this is so pretty."

591

: 00:33:51

And I'm just, like, you know,

sitting in Mass and just, like,

592

: 00:33:54

reading the words behind the altar

and just like, "Wow, that's so

593

: 00:33:56

pretty," and nothing is clicking.

594

: 00:33:59

And then at the end of Mass, they

ask all the moms to stand up for

595

: 00:34:03

a blessing as they usually do, and

most times I just, like, sit in the

596

: 00:34:08

pew, and I just wish I was invisible.

597

: 00:34:10

And I just, like, I'm sad and just wanna

get out of church as fast as possible.

598

: 00:34:14

And this time Trey nudged me, and

he's like, "You should stand up."

599

: 00:34:19

And I was like, "No, it's okay.

600

: 00:34:20

Like, it's okay."

601

: 00:34:21

And he was like, "No, stand up."

602

: 00:34:23

And I was like, "Oh, my gosh."

603

: 00:34:25

So I stand up, and I'm like trying to

tell myself, like, "Keep it together.

604

: 00:34:31

Keep it together.

605

: 00:34:31

Keep it together."

606

: 00:34:32

Like, this is an emotional thing for me.

607

: 00:34:34

And I stand up, and the priest just gives

this, like, beautiful spiel about moms

608

: 00:34:40

and how they have a gift from Our Lady

to all the moms, and they have roses

609

: 00:34:48

that they wanna give to all the moms.

610

: 00:34:50

And as this man is walking over to

give me a rose, and here's the thing,

611

: 00:34:54

is like my-- so many times in my

life, like Mary has given me roses and

612

: 00:35:02

spoken to me through roses, and that

was not part of Adoption Update One.

613

: 00:35:08

Like that was, that...

614

: 00:35:09

I don't think I've, like really

shared much about that, but,

615

: 00:35:10

like that is a thing in my life.

616

: 00:35:12

And so when they were like,

"Oh, we have a rose for every

617

: 00:35:14

mom," I was like, "Oh my gosh."

618

: 00:35:15

It, like started to click where I was

like, "Wait, like Our Lady of Guadalupe is

619

: 00:35:19

like, is, is gifting me a rose right now.

620

: 00:35:23

She is speaking to me right now."

621

: 00:35:25

And as this wonderful usher man

is going down the aisle and going

622

: 00:35:32

over to me to hand me this rose,

I just like start crying because,

623

: 00:35:37

like everything comes together.

624

: 00:35:40

And I, like, was reminded of the very

first time I, like really accepted

625

: 00:35:48

this infertility journey and kneeled

down and bawled in front of an image

626

: 00:35:52

of Our Lady of Guadalupe and was like,

"Mom, you need to give me some sort

627

: 00:35:57

of confirmation that I'm going to be

a mom, because I can't do it anymore."

628

: 00:36:02

And then the next day, I see...

629

: 00:36:05

Again, you gotta go listen

to the episode, you guys.

630

: 00:36:07

The next day, I, like get this

painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe,

631

: 00:36:13

and it looks exactly like me, and her

arms are wrapped around three babies,

632

: 00:36:19

and it was this confirmation of Our

Lady of Guadalupe comforting me and

633

: 00:36:24

telling me, "You're gonna be a mom."

634

: 00:36:26

And then I had a flashback

of just in October, on St.

635

: 00:36:31

Carlo Acutis' feast day, and me

walking into this random church

636

: 00:36:36

at Spanish Mass, which we never

go to Spanish Mass, you guys.

637

: 00:36:40

Why do, why do these things

keep happening at Spanish Mass?

638

: 00:36:44

We go to this random church, or I go to

this random ch- random church at Spanish

639

: 00:36:47

Mass, and I walk in right after I see

the huge billboard that I was praying for

640

: 00:36:52

that said, "You're-- Like, adoption is

the loving option," where I knew God was

641

: 00:36:56

calling us to adoption, and I walk into

the church, and they have this giant,

642

: 00:37:01

gorgeous statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

643

: 00:37:03

And she directly speaks to my heart and

is like, "I have always been with you.

644

: 00:37:07

I have called you here.

645

: 00:37:09

See, I told you you were gonna be a mom."

646

: 00:37:11

All these things are flashing in

my brain as this man is coming to

647

: 00:37:14

hand me this flower, and here I am

again with Our Lady of Guadalupe

648

: 00:37:20

in front of me on Mother's Day.

649

: 00:37:24

And she looks at me, and she says,

as this man's giving me this flower,

650

: 00:37:28

and she's like, "Didn't I tell you?

651

: 00:37:31

You're gonna be a mom.

652

: 00:37:32

Like, you're a mom, and we're celebrating

your first Mother's Day together because

653

: 00:37:38

I'm your mom too, and I'm watching

over you, and I'm guiding you, and I'm

654

: 00:37:44

interceding for you, and I'm with you."

655

: 00:37:47

And behind the altar in Spanish, the

words, "Am I not here who am your mother?

656

: 00:37:53

I am your mother, and

I am always with you."

657

: 00:37:55

So you can imagine at this point

I have stopped fighting the tears,

658

: 00:38:01

like tears fully streaming down.

659

: 00:38:03

My heart is f- like swelling, and I just

am like, Our Lady, man, she is so special.

660

: 00:38:13

Sh- I'm so grateful for this

relationship that we have.

661

: 00:38:18

Like, I felt like such a

special daughter on that day.

662

: 00:38:23

I was like, "Wow, Mary, you really...

663

: 00:38:25

Like, you really love me.

664

: 00:38:26

Like, you brought me here.

665

: 00:38:29

You brought me to the Our Lady of

Guadalupe Mass on Mother's Day to

666

: 00:38:35

celebrate Mother's Day together."

667

: 00:38:39

Like, she's so intentional.

668

: 00:38:42

She's so intentional.

669

: 00:38:44

She's amazing, and I love her so

much, and I couldn't have asked

670

: 00:38:49

for a better first Mother's Day.

671

: 00:38:52

Like, truly.

672

: 00:38:54

Um,

673

: 00:38:55

it was something I'll never forget.

674

: 00:38:57

And so that's my Everbe moment.

675

: 00:39:02

And just again, like, as we're nearing

the end of our adoption process, as

676

: 00:39:08

this, like, home study stretch starts

next week, these visits start next week,

677

: 00:39:13

and we wrap up this process before we

start seeing cases, it's like the timing

678

: 00:39:17

of everything is just truly impeccable.

679

: 00:39:19

You can't make this stuff up.

680

: 00:39:21

And having this moment with Our Lady on

Mother's Day, right as we're wrapping

681

: 00:39:25

up and getting ready to see cases this

summer, was just, like, exactly what

682

: 00:39:30

I needed in this part of the process.

683

: 00:39:31

So Just really wanted to share that

with you guys to keep you updated on

684

: 00:39:36

our journey and what's going on and

what we're doing and how it's going

685

: 00:39:40

and, um, how you can pray for us.

686

: 00:39:44

And then also, I just wanted to share

because I think a lot of the times when we

687

: 00:39:49

hear these kinda like big God moments in

other people's lives, we just think like,

688

: 00:39:53

"Wow," like, "Is God active in my life?"

689

: 00:39:57

Like, do I have those moments?

690

: 00:39:59

Like, I think a lot of times we can

be like, "God doesn't do that for

691

: 00:40:02

me," and the reality is he does.

692

: 00:40:06

He wants to, he does, and he will.

693

: 00:40:09

We just need to pursue him in the

same way he wants to pursue us.

694

: 00:40:14

Like, if we don't know him well

and know the ways he speaks

695

: 00:40:20

to us, we won't recognize the

ways he's working in our lives.

696

: 00:40:24

And if we don't have our eyes

open, we won't see those moments.

697

: 00:40:30

Um, so the Lord can work in your

life just as miraculously, just as

698

: 00:40:37

special as he's been working in mine.

699

: 00:40:39

He loves you so much, has an incredible

plan for your life, and wants to do these

700

: 00:40:46

grand gestures of love for you as well.

701

: 00:40:50

He wants to communicate with you.

702

: 00:40:51

He wants to show you the way.

703

: 00:40:53

He wants to just love you and just

give you your heart's desires.

704

: 00:40:59

So that's my encouragement to you.

705

: 00:41:01

Pray for the big things.

706

: 00:41:03

Pursue the Lord as much as he wants to

pursue you so that's my story today.

707

: 00:41:07

Let's wrap up with some

Everbe, uh, questions.

708

: 00:41:10

There was a couple on adoption, so

I thought it was just a very fitting

709

: 00:41:12

episode to kinda go through those.

710

: 00:41:15

Um, one of them is, "In general,

what do preparations for your

711

: 00:41:18

child look like at this stage?

712

: 00:41:20

Are you starting to prepare a nursery?

713

: 00:41:21

Have you gotten the nesting

ur- the nesting urge yet?

714

: 00:41:25

Praying for you both."

715

: 00:41:26

So I talked a little bit about that.

716

: 00:41:28

I've been working on my registry,

calling some of my close friends and

717

: 00:41:31

asking them to help me pick, like,

what products are worth it, what's not.

718

: 00:41:35

Um, and that registry is almost done.

719

: 00:41:37

I am going to share it online when

it's done because I've-- It's so funny.

720

: 00:41:41

I've had a lot of first-time moms in

my DMs come to me and be like, "I'm a

721

: 00:41:45

first-time mom, and I don't know what

to buy," like, "What's your registry?"

722

: 00:41:48

And I'm like, "I-I-- Me too.

723

: 00:41:51

I'm also gonna be a first-time mom.

724

: 00:41:53

I don't know, but I'll let you

know what I end up picking."

725

: 00:41:56

So And I have that registry done.

726

: 00:41:59

I'll share.

727

: 00:42:00

Um, and I've also had a couple people

ask, like, "I'd love to send you

728

: 00:42:03

something or support you and send

you something from your registry."

729

: 00:42:06

So if that's something you're interested

in as well, just keep an eye out.

730

: 00:42:09

I'll be posting it on my stories, and

I'll probably send it out in an email and

731

: 00:42:15

probably not talk about it on a podcast.

732

: 00:42:16

I probably won't have a

whole podcast on my registry.

733

: 00:42:19

Maybe.

734

: 00:42:20

Who knows?

735

: 00:42:20

But just keep an eye out on Instagram.

736

: 00:42:22

Um, and then do I have the nesting urge?

737

: 00:42:24

100%.

738

: 00:42:25

Like, there are just things that

I feel like I can't, like, let

739

: 00:42:29

go of in my brain that I feel

like need to get done right now.

740

: 00:42:32

Like, our carpet I feel like is

so gross, and, like, it wasn't

741

: 00:42:38

something I cared that much about.

742

: 00:42:39

But, like, thinking of a baby coming,

I'm like, "This carpet's gotta go.

743

: 00:42:42

We gotta get hardwood floors everywhere."

744

: 00:42:44

So that's something I'm trying

to see if it fits in the

745

: 00:42:46

budget, which it probably won't.

746

: 00:42:47

But I'm trying to make it work.

747

: 00:42:49

Um, and then, like, closets.

748

: 00:42:51

Like, our closets are,

like ... The storage closets

749

: 00:42:54

are kind of, like, unorganized.

750

: 00:42:55

Like, our linens closet is, like, a mess,

and, like, our guest room closet is a

751

: 00:42:59

mess, and our office closet is a mess.

752

: 00:43:00

It's just kind of like anything that

doesn't have a home around the house

753

: 00:43:03

is just, like, shoved into that closet.

754

: 00:43:05

It's kind of like Monica from Friends.

755

: 00:43:07

Like, if you come to my house,

it's like, it's pretty clean.

756

: 00:43:09

It's beautifully organized.

757

: 00:43:11

But don't go in my closets because

my closets are a nightmare.

758

: 00:43:15

So that is, like, top of my list

to get organized before baby comes.

759

: 00:43:20

Okay.

760

: 00:43:21

Next, what agency are you using?

761

: 00:43:23

Um, if you don't wanna give the

name, clues about choosing an

762

: 00:43:25

agency and what to look for.

763

: 00:43:26

What drew you to that agency?

764

: 00:43:28

I'll share here.

765

: 00:43:29

I don't know if it's, like, unsafe

to share the name or not, so I

766

: 00:43:32

haven't shared it on Instagram.

767

: 00:43:34

But this is a much smaller group that I

know is, like, my most engaged audience,

768

: 00:43:39

and I almost trust you guys more than I

just trust, like, everybody on Instagram.

769

: 00:43:42

So I'm gonna ask my agent if I can

share it publicly on Instagram,

770

: 00:43:46

but I think it's probably fine.

771

: 00:43:48

Um, Cradled in Grace is the

consultant agency that we're using.

772

: 00:43:53

So there you go.

773

: 00:43:55

We really like them.

774

: 00:43:55

Another one that was g-

uh, recommended to us was,

775

: 00:43:58

uh, I think it's Faithful

Adoption Consultants.

776

: 00:44:03

And then there was another

one, I think, that was, like,

777

: 00:44:04

Christian Adoption Consultants.

778

: 00:44:06

So those are some different

consulting agencies to look through.

779

: 00:44:10

And then when it comes to,

like, actual adoption agencies,

780

: 00:44:13

I don't know much about that.

781

: 00:44:13

So I can't really help there

What drew you to that agency?

782

: 00:44:18

What drew me to the agency is that I

knew people that adopted through this

783

: 00:44:21

agency and that had referred multiple

friends to adopt from this agency,

784

: 00:44:26

and they all had successful adoptions.

785

: 00:44:28

I wanted to make sure

that the route I was...

786

: 00:44:29

like, the per- like, the r- agency

I picked, like, had a high success

787

: 00:44:32

rate because it usually means they're

being ethical, they're walking well

788

: 00:44:36

with the mom, they're taking care

of the birth mom and not rushing

789

: 00:44:39

her to make a decision, and so then

she changes her mind at the end.

790

: 00:44:42

So they had a good success rate, um,

and they're very big on supporting the

791

: 00:44:47

birth mom, being ethical, giving her all

the supports that she needs to make sure

792

: 00:44:51

that she can be as healthy as possible

and mentally stable and prepared to

793

: 00:44:56

make this decision and truly is- wants

to follow through with the decision.

794

: 00:44:59

Um, or supporting her if she

chooses to parent the baby.

795

: 00:45:03

Are you adopting a boy or a girl?

796

: 00:45:05

Um, we don't have a gender preference.

797

: 00:45:07

We aren't gonna limit

ourselves to a boy or a girl.

798

: 00:45:09

You can't pick the gender when you're

pregnant, and we don't wanna pick it

799

: 00:45:13

now, and we don't really care, honestly.

800

: 00:45:15

I'd be so excited to have

either a boy or a girl.

801

: 00:45:17

Both sound so much fun.

802

: 00:45:19

And, um, yeah, if we were to pick

just one, it would literally cut our

803

: 00:45:23

cases that we see in half just because

we, like, chose one specific gender.

804

: 00:45:28

So we wanna be open about that.

805

: 00:45:30

So it'll be either a boy or a girl, and

it's actually hilarious that we just,

806

: 00:45:34

like, don't know what gender it is because

if I was pregnant, I would be wanting

807

: 00:45:38

to find that out as soon as possible.

808

: 00:45:41

Um, but it's just gonna be

a surprise, so we'll see.

809

: 00:45:45

I mean, I guess when you get the

case, it will tell you if it's

810

: 00:45:47

a boy or, or a girl, but it just

feels like this huge surprise, so.

811

: 00:45:51

All right, you guys.

812

: 00:45:53

Well, that's all I have for you today.

813

: 00:45:55

Um, thanks for listening,

thanks for supporting us, and

814

: 00:45:58

thanks for praying for us.

815

: 00:46:00

Have a great day.

816

: 00:46:01

We'll see you next time.