Andrew and I have been thinking and praying a lot in double lately! We feel like God has recently lead us to possibly adopt a sibling group instead of just one child. We spoke to our social worker about it during our last home study visit and she thought it was a great idea!
By now you may be wondering why two? Why would they want the extra hassle of buying two of everything, having two crying and screaming children riding back with them on a 36 hour travel from Ethiopia, or paying the extra fees in order to bring home a second child? We say, why not? With double cribs, highchairs and medical bills also comes double joys! Are reasons for requesting two children (besides the fact that we feel God's leading) are as follows:
First, we know that the transition from leaving the orphanage in Ethiopia, perhaps the only home our child has ever known will certainly be easier if he or she has a sibling to share the experience with. Everything they know will be unfamiliar to them, including us, so having one familiar person in their life will aid in the transition to a life with their forever family!
Secondly, we know that we want to adopt more than one child at a time because from a financial standpoint, it is much more cost effective to spend a few thousand for a second child now than another $30,000 a couple years down the road. Also, if we adopt a second time, we have to complete ALL the paperwork over again and that is not something I want to do again anytime soon (although it is totally worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat :-)
Thirdly, there is a greater need for families to adopt sibling groups. They usually fall into the 'waiting children' category along with kids with special medical needs, and older children.
We don't know if God will for sure bless us with siblings but we are excited for the possibilities! whether one or two, we know God has a perfect plan for our little family and I can't wait to see it all unfold! Please pray that we can get the last several thousand dollars we still need and that the rest of the process will continue to go smoothly!
