What led us to adoption 

We have been trying to conceive since January 2013. 4 years of invasive testing, early morning blood draws, 2 surgeries, oral medications that led to injectables for 6 rounds of infertility procedures left us exactly where we were in Jan 2013- without a baby and way less hopeful.  The kind of heartbreak you feel after seeing "not pregnant" on a test month after month is something I don't wish on my worst enemy.

We've been praying for a child for 48 months.

I came home one afternoon, sat next to my husband and something hit me like a ton of bricks; we spent 4 years trying everything we could to get pregnant but in the process lost sight of our main desire: to love a child.  That's where our dream of adoption came to life. 

Our fundraiser

Unfortunately we didn't have any insurance coverage for infertility treatments and paid completely out of pocket. Not only did we endure disappointment, but our funds quickly dwindled to pay for these treatments.  Our family was more than gracious to help us out financially to start the adoption process. Next up is legal fees and travel expenses (including air fair to fly out to get our baby and lodging/food while we spend the 1-2 weeks in their birth state until we are cleared to leave). All proceeds of the fundraiser will go directly to help defray the cost of legal fees and travel expenses.

The theme of our fundraiser is "help us find our missing piece" We've purchased a blank puzzle with each piece worth $30. When someone "buys" a piece or pieces, we plan to write their name on the
piece(s) When the puzzle is complete, we will frame it and hang it in the nursery. Every time we look at it, we'll be reminded of those who helped us complete our family.   

How to contribute

There is a button (you need to click on "view web version to see it) to link you directly to our PayPal account where you can "buy" any amount of pieces you chose (in $30 increments). We are working on a Venmo option and will keep you updated when that is added.  If you would like to contribute via personal check please e-mail us at FundingBabyF@gmail.com and we'll provide you with a mailing address.

Our thanks

Many of you have been with us on this up and down journey from the start-we can't thank you enough for your love and support. Many are just learning about our journey- welcome and thank you for reading. If your heart leads you to decide to make a contribution to our fundraiser, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We plan to teach our child(ren) about all who helped our family. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but in our case it also takes a village to get them here. Thank you in advance to all who are a part of our "village"

With love, 

Karen and Jon 

The adoption seminar and a puzzle update!

On Saturday, Jon and I attended an all day adoption preparation seminar in Manchester. It is a requirement for our home study. Some of the themes included attachment, development, children in care, grief and loss. It was very informative! We also got to connect with other couples who are in various stages of their adoption process. They seminar ended with a reading of "The Mulberry Bird: An Adoption Story" It was a beautiful story and we plan to add it to our child's library.

Next up is part two of our home study. We mailed out our pictures and personal excerpts to Angel Adoption so they can start to put together our profile! Once our home study is completed, our profile will become public and sent to birth moms/birth families. So exciting!


The puzzle is coming along! We continue to be blown away by the support of our family and friends We can not thank those enough who have donated, prayed for us/baby Fiore and followed along on our journey.  There is no doubt we will have one very loved baby!

There is still time to help us find our missing piece! We have a PayPal link to donate electronically, or if you prefer to send a check, email us at FundingBabyF@gmail.com for our address. Thanks again for all your support.

With love,
Karen and Jon

Part one of the home study and a fundraiser update!

There are many requirements you must fulfill before you can adopt domestically. One of those requirements is a home study. On Saturday, a social worker came out to our house to complete part one. It consisted of her asking many questions about our childhoods, our relationship/marriage, our infertility story and what led us to adoption. We felt very comfortable with her and the conversation flowed easily! We gave her a tour of our home and she finished up by letting us know what we can expect the next time she visits with us.
One of the highlights was how well behaved Bronson was! He chewed on his toys in his bed most of the visit and spent the remaining time by our sides on the couch. I think he won her over with his big blue eyes! Don't worry, we gave him extra treats to reward the good behavior :)

On our snow day(s) we began putting the names of those who donated on the puzzle pieces! We are so overwhelmed with gratitude to all who have donated, reached out to us to share their story and give their support or just a quick hello to say they are thinking of us. We wouldn't be where we are today without the support of our family and friends and we will never take that for granted.

There is still time to donate if you would like! As a reminder, there is a PayPal link on this blog (if you are viewing it on mobile device, click "view web version" to find the link on the top right) or from our Facebook page click "shop now". 

Next up is an 8 hour adoption class on Saturday and part two of the home study the week after. Things are moving right along! As always, thanks for joining in our excitement. 

With love, 

Karen and Jon