2016 Recipient of CCAI's Adoption in Angels Award
In September, 2016, I was honored to be a recipient of the Angels in Adoption Award nominated by our Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy. It was an incredible experience to be a part of Washington D.C.'s Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's program Angels in Adoption. Through the hard work of the CCAI staff, Arnold and Porter law firm, and Senator Bill Cassidy's staff, we were able to sit with our Senator and tell our adoption story and advocate for legislative bills that would positively affect families who adopt and children without a loving family to call their own.
|
|
Our Adoption and Birth Story
There I was sitting in
my bedroom reading a book before bed.
Tommy was in the living room watching TV. Suddenly God asked me a question, “Do you
trust Me to multiply your family?”
Hello. My name is
Aimee’. I am married to Tommy, my
husband I adore. I am a mother to eight
children God blessed by adoption and birth.
This is my story of how God used
infertility to teach me how to trust Him and His plan for our family.
Tommy and I were married in 1999. We were both 29 years old. We had season tickets to LSU football and baseball games. We went to every home game and several away games. We decided we would wait one year then get pregnant. We planned the month we would conceive and the month between seasons we would birth our first child.
Neither happened.
Eventually we sought fertility treatments. The process was both physically and emotionally painful as I desired to be a Mom and have children. It didn’t help that I was invited to more baby showers than I could count and one of my friends had three babies in less than three years.
I realized how desperate I had become to get pregnant when one of the girls in church said jokingly, “Don’t drink the water here or sit over on that side of the church unless you want to get pregnant,” and I looked at Tommy as serious as can be and asked if we could sit on that side of the church the next week.
Through the years of infertility I experienced deep heart ache. I was devastated. I was embarrassed. I felt like something was wrong with me. I thought I was being punished for sins of my past. Ever since I was a little girl playing with all my sweet baby dolls, I dreamed of being a Mother one day. And here I was broken and barren.
But God has a way of taking a broken barren woman and wrapping His arms around tight letting her know He had a plan and everything was going to be ok. To trust Him.
So there I was sitting in my bedroom reading a book before bed. Tommy was in the living room watching TV. The next day we would go to our fifth fertility treatment. Suddenly God asked me, “Do you trust Me to multiply your family?” Without hesitation I said, “Yes.” He then said, “Aimee’, if you go to your appointment tomorrow you will get pregnant but you will be birthing an Ishmael. I want to give you an Issaac.” Instantly the peace of God fell on me and faith rose up in me.
Tommy and I were married in 1999. We were both 29 years old. We had season tickets to LSU football and baseball games. We went to every home game and several away games. We decided we would wait one year then get pregnant. We planned the month we would conceive and the month between seasons we would birth our first child.
Neither happened.
Eventually we sought fertility treatments. The process was both physically and emotionally painful as I desired to be a Mom and have children. It didn’t help that I was invited to more baby showers than I could count and one of my friends had three babies in less than three years.
I realized how desperate I had become to get pregnant when one of the girls in church said jokingly, “Don’t drink the water here or sit over on that side of the church unless you want to get pregnant,” and I looked at Tommy as serious as can be and asked if we could sit on that side of the church the next week.
Through the years of infertility I experienced deep heart ache. I was devastated. I was embarrassed. I felt like something was wrong with me. I thought I was being punished for sins of my past. Ever since I was a little girl playing with all my sweet baby dolls, I dreamed of being a Mother one day. And here I was broken and barren.
But God has a way of taking a broken barren woman and wrapping His arms around tight letting her know He had a plan and everything was going to be ok. To trust Him.
So there I was sitting in my bedroom reading a book before bed. Tommy was in the living room watching TV. The next day we would go to our fifth fertility treatment. Suddenly God asked me, “Do you trust Me to multiply your family?” Without hesitation I said, “Yes.” He then said, “Aimee’, if you go to your appointment tomorrow you will get pregnant but you will be birthing an Ishmael. I want to give you an Issaac.” Instantly the peace of God fell on me and faith rose up in me.
[Before going on, let me say one thing: this is our story. I truly believe whether you choose the
fertility treatment path or not, God is in both. He is with you and your spouse
on this journey. Let His peace be your
umpire.]
The night God asked me to trust Him to multiply our family changed my mindset. My prayer life was changed. Instead of begging God for children I started praising Him for the children He was going to give us. Tommy and I agreed to cancel our appointment the next day and stop fertility treatments completely.
The night God asked me to trust Him to multiply our family changed my mindset. My prayer life was changed. Instead of begging God for children I started praising Him for the children He was going to give us. Tommy and I agreed to cancel our appointment the next day and stop fertility treatments completely.
There are roughly
100,000 children available for adoption right here in the
United States and
over 153 million children waiting to be adopted around the world.
Source: Congressional Coalition of Adoption Institute
over 153 million children waiting to be adopted around the world.
Source: Congressional Coalition of Adoption Institute
We
started talking about adoption. I looked
at children here in Louisiana and around the world that were waiting to be
adopted. My heart discovered a new kind of brokenness birthed out of compassion
for the fatherless. My desire was
changing. I longed to hold one of these
children and have them call me Mom.
“For
this child I prayed and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him.”
I
Samuel 1:27
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14
"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14
We started pursuing international adoption after much
prayer. During our wait for our daughter
in Peru we were blessed with adopting our first son from birth through a
private domestic adoption in Louisiana.
We were able to watch him grow in another woman’s womb and pray for his
name. God gave Tommy the name Asa which
means healer. When Asa was placed in my
arms in 2003, my desire to be a Mom was fulfilled. God
used this child to heal and fulfill our deep desire to be a Mom and
Dad.
“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Three months later we were matched with a beautiful 22 month
old girl named Zoe. Her name means Holy
Spirit life.
While in Peru adopting Zoe, we met her three siblings ages 13, 9, and 6. When we got home from Peru we started praying about adopting the three older siblings. Tommy had no peace to do so.
Seven months later to my surprise I got pregnant. Six weeks later I miscarried. Emotionally it was too much to bear. This pregnancy stirred up the desire to be pregnant again. Through the tears I cried out to God and asked why? Why did You let me miscarry because now I crave to get pregnant? And as our Heavenly Father does, He gently whispered to me, “Aimee’, I give and take away whether you understand or not. I never told you to give up the hope to get pregnant because both adoption and birth are miracles from me. I will give you both.”
I felt His peace again. We named the baby we miscarried Hope Joy. Hope that we could get pregnant and Joy because God heard my cries.
Two months later we got pregnant again.
While in Peru adopting Zoe, we met her three siblings ages 13, 9, and 6. When we got home from Peru we started praying about adopting the three older siblings. Tommy had no peace to do so.
Seven months later to my surprise I got pregnant. Six weeks later I miscarried. Emotionally it was too much to bear. This pregnancy stirred up the desire to be pregnant again. Through the tears I cried out to God and asked why? Why did You let me miscarry because now I crave to get pregnant? And as our Heavenly Father does, He gently whispered to me, “Aimee’, I give and take away whether you understand or not. I never told you to give up the hope to get pregnant because both adoption and birth are miracles from me. I will give you both.”
I felt His peace again. We named the baby we miscarried Hope Joy. Hope that we could get pregnant and Joy because God heard my cries.
Two months later we got pregnant again.
“I
have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10
Six months later we received an email from our attorney in
Peru telling us they found another of Zoe’s siblings and because we adopted Zoe
we get preferential treatment. I opened up the attachment to this
beautiful 22 month old Peruvian girl. My
heart leaped! Our attorneys then
asked if we were still interested in adopting the older three siblings. I quickly brought the email to Tommy and as
soon as he saw that precious 22 month old face the peace of God fell on him and
he said, “Let’s go get them all.”
“God
sets the lonely in families…” Psalm68:6
At seven months pregnant, we boarded a plane to go adopt the
four: 15 year old Heidi, 11 year old Henry, 9 year old Anthony, and 22 month
old Rose.
“For
nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
One month after coming home with the next four, I birthed
Grace.
In under two years from the time God asked me to trust Him to multiply our family, we had seven children in our home.
In under two years from the time God asked me to trust Him to multiply our family, we had seven children in our home.
“Now
faith is the confidence in what we hope for
and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
One year later we were surprised again by being pregnant for
Elijah. He made number eight.
Our precious miracles
from God, both adoption and birth, are: Heidi (not shown), Henry, Anthony, Zoe, Asa,
Rose, Grace, and Elijah. Today, we thank God that He used infertility to turn
our hearts to the fatherless and teach me how to trust Him.
We thank God for multiplying our family through adoption and birth… both being His miracles!
We thank God for multiplying our family through adoption and birth… both being His miracles!