Trust is a major issue for anybody who is thinking about adoption. For many birth parents, trusting a new couple with their precious baby can feel almost impossible. Additionally, both birth parents and adoptive parents often want to feel a sense of closure with their respective adoption journeys. For these reasons, many families like to celebrate adoption with a special entrustment ceremony.

Many find commemorating their child's transition from birth family to adoptive family to be a powerful experience. In the past, some adoptive parents would welcome a new child into their home with a "welcome home" party or baby shower. Some would hold a naming ceremony or baptism. But the entrustment ceremony carries special meaning, because it involves both of the child's families.

"My husband and I have been waiting to be chosen by a birth mother for almost two years now. Meanwhile, whenever I check the Lifetime website, I keep seeing couples matching and adopting. 

I feel like it's not fair. How did they adopt so quickly? Why them and not us?!"

Right away, Lifetime's adoption professionals can recognize couples who will adopt sooner rather than later. These couples have resolved any issues surrounding infertility, and are now focusing on their adoption. Their focus on adoption is so sharp that they're not trying to remodel their home or shop for a new car at the same time. These couples are putting all of their efforts and resources into their adoption. They're resourceful, organized, and proactive.

Keep reading to discover how you can speed up your adoption match!

Midlife is a time when many people reflect on the lives they have built for themselves and plan for the next leg of their journey. Perhaps you have embraced family life, and your children are now grown, or maybe you've focused on your career and your relationships. You, your partner, and your friends are established in your careers, and retirement is within sight. Your friends lament about being empty nesters soon, but they are excited to relax, engage in hobbies, and travel as they look ahead.

However, this vision for your future does not feel right. You still have energy and love to share with children. Whether you are a parent already, or you desire to experience parenthood for the first time, you may question if adoption is still a possibility. Prospective adoptive parents in their 40s may wonder, "Am I too old to adopt?"   

Fernando and Angela Martin had struggled with infertility since they first decided to grow their family. They came to our adoption center two years ago to explore their options, but they were not quite ready to pursue adoption. Now, several failed infertility treatments and over $50,000 later, they were ready.  

It only took a few months to locate a birth mother for Fernando and Angela. The eager-to-be adoptive parents met their potential birth mother, Janette, and they really hit it off. Janette thought Fernando and Angela were perfect, and she chose them to become parents to her unborn baby. Shortly after, this adoption took a difficult turn.  

Adopting after infertility invites even more emotional intensity into the already complex adoption process. I saw this when Angela walked into my office one afternoon, anxious and unsure. She said she needed to talk.  

“Janette’s a great person,” she said. “Very positive and outgoing.”

“I knew you’d like each other,”  I replied.

“Yes,” she hesitated. “But we’re declining her offer.”

Since 1986, the Lifetime Adoption Foundation has helped children, babies, and mothers in need. The proceeds from your household donations go directly to these families-in-crisis. Every day, the Lifetime Adoption Foundation's mission is to assist pregnant women as they learn about adoption as an option for the precious life they are carrying. Through the blessing of families like yours, the Foundation can help, care, love, and support, knowing that Lifetime adoptive families are ready with open arms to embrace both mother and her child.

As you look toward your year-end giving, please consider a gift to Lifetime Adoption Foundation to help and bless birth mothers, like the one who will choose you to parent her sweet baby. Through college scholarships and laptops, the Foundation can directly assist birth mothers as they create a better future. Your tax-deductible gift can be mailed in or made directly online at LifetimeFoundation.org.

The holidays are a time for celebration, spending time with loved ones, and making happy memories. But waiting adoptive parents might have a different experience. They may feel like they are missing something during the holidays, and it can be hard to explain to others exactly what it is. No matter when you are waiting to adopt a child, you can face ups and downs, but the holidays can make waiting feel even more difficult. I'd like to share 7 practical tips to help you deal with the stress of your adoption wait during the holidays!

Today's article comes to us from Elizabeth Laing Thompson, the author of When God Says, “Wait” and When God Says, “Go.” She writes at LizzyLife.com about clinging to Christ through the chaos of daily life. As a minister, speaker, and novelist, she loves finding humor in holiness and hope in heartache.

Elizabeth lives in North Carolina with her preacher husband and four spunky kids, and they were totally worth the wait. You can connect with Elizabeth on her author site, on Facebook, and on Instagram. 

The summer after our third anniversary, I turned to my husband and said, “And now, let there be babies!” Kevin looked at me with vague panic haunting his eyes, but said, “Okay! That sounds fun. I think?”  We expected to just get off birth control, light some candles, and four weeks later, do a happy dance around the bathroom, positive pregnancy test in hand—that’s how the grow-your-family thing seemed to be happening for all our friends. Only it didn’t happen that way for us.

Perhaps you began your adoption journey after a struggle with infertility; perhaps the Lord has simply put it on your heart to open your home to a child. Whichever route led you to pursue adoption, you must have quickly learned that the time table is out of your hands—and often involves a season of waiting. The complex and emotionally draining process of growing your family can seem to stop and start so many times you end up with whiplash—not just for your feelings, but also your faith!

In domestic infant adoption, the wait to be chosen by a birth mother can be a challenge for hopeful adoptive parents. Recently, Tracy, an adoptive mother in-waiting, shared with us how Lifetime’s encouragement, support, and webinars have helped her.

Tracy, and her husband, Jamie, are actively waiting to be chosen by a birth mother. To prepare for their future adoption, Tracy attends monthly webinars. She shared how the support and encouragement of Lifetime's staff have helped her family, and how Lifetime’s adoption webinars inspire her to write during their wait. You’ll be inspired by hopeful adoptive mom Tracy’s uplifting adoption poem and honest feedback on how Lifetime's supportive staff have filled her with hope for her family's future:

Finally, the day you've been waiting for has arrived: it's time to bring home your newly adopted baby!

The days of searching and waiting are over, and it's time to begin a new season of life as a parent. Your entire family wants to meet this little one, and this is such a joyous occasion.

It's a very normal reaction to want to focus solely on bonding with your new child. Many families say they'd like to forget the adoption process: the paperwork, the interviews, the rejection, and the long wait. They desire to move on as a typical family. These are understandable feelings for adoptive parents. 

But, amid all your joy, you need to remember and respect the open adoption contact agreement you made with the birth mother. Honoring this agreement benefits the entire adoption triad (you, your child, and the birth family) in these ways:

In the United States, 10% to 15% of couples face difficulty conceiving after trying for at least one year. While some of those couples will go on to have biological children, some will not. For many of these couples, moving from infertility to adoption helps them fulfill that part of their life where they feel something may be missing.

For many couples that contend with infertility and live out the daily struggle that comes with it, an important question emerges: do you want to be pregnant or do you want to be parents? It is difficult to determine when to forego fertility treatment and opt for adoption, especially after you have been trying for so long. Fortunately, this is a decision you can make in time. You just might need to take a few extra steps along the way.