Our adoption journey has been long, and has had many twists and turns along the way.
We initially set out in 2022 to pursue a private adoption. We went through the home study and got approved in 2023 for infant placement. We raised funds and secured a finances to make sure that we could adopt an infant without having to worry about the cost – we discussed the details and high cost of private adoption in previous posts. We prepared a nursery and all the things we’d need to welcome a baby into our home. And then the adoption consultancy we were working with went through major changes in staffing and how they interacted with clients. This change left us in a position where we felt we needed to part ways with that agency at the end of 2023 and work with a local adoption agency in 2024.
During this transition, we prayed and sought direction on how to grow our family. We started by considering doing private adoption through the new agency. Then, we considered adopting a waiting child in the foster care system. And then in the Spring of 2024, God put it on our hearts to adopt a sibling group (ages birth to 8 years old). Not just one or two, but up to four. On top of that, we still feel led to pursue private infant adoption. That’s a big change from our original path, but God knows what He’s doing!
Because of the change in direction, we had to undergo a new home study in 2024 and take different training in preparation for older children. Our home saw some big changes too! We converted my (Hannah’s) office into a bedroom, we integrated play spaces into other areas of our home, and came up with ideas for how we could make more space in our home in the future.
While we wait for an infant match and a sibling group match, we are providing Respite Care for other foster families. This helps us practice the parenting skills we're learning in our classes, get used to the chaos of having kids in the house, and make some adjustments to our home and routines to accommodate kiddos.
Our hearts are open and willing, and we are looking forward to what God has planned for us! Your prayers and generous financial support have made growing our family to this extent possible. This has been a long journey, and it may take a bit longer still. But we are so blessed to have you with us!
Loved ones, we have had a very eventful several days!
But first… We want to take a moment to thank every one of you for your support of us and our family-building efforts over the past several years. For those of you who gave a financial gift, who prayed, gave us advice, encouraged us, and showered us with everything we need for bringing home a baby, we cherish all of the acts of sacrificial giving, love, and service you’ve shown us. We could not have done all this without you!
Now, for the baby news!
March 3 - I was invited to join our birth mom and her mother at the OB office to hear the baby’s heartbeat and learn when birth mom would be induced. Induction was confirmed for March 5.
March 4 - Birth mom was induced in the morning. We waited for word of labor progressing. Nothing much happened for a while. Then, as we were enjoying an early dinner before heading up to the hospital, we got word that labor was suddenly in full swing! We wrapped dinner up quickly and drove North. We got to the hospital only 30 mins. after the baby was born. Birth mom had some snuggle and bonding time with him before we joined. It was good to talk with her and see how she was feeling. Everyone was recovering and no major issues were found.
We then were moved to the post-partum unit. Birth mom had the room next to ours. Because this is an Open Adoption, we wanted her to be able to have visits with the baby any time she wanted while we were all together. I’m so glad she had the opportunity to visit him and introduce him to her family.
March 6 - We were all discharged on the same day. We waited a little while to pack up our room and load Baby into the car to head home. Our first night home was very stressful and scary! It was a lot easier to be confident in our baby care while we had a fleet of Healthcare Professionals outside our door! But, care got easier each time we practiced it that night, and that gave me hope for the future.
March 7 - This was an important day, because it was the day our birth mom agreed to sign the parental rights termination paperwork. Getting to know our birth mom a little in recent days has shown me how deeply she loves this baby, and how hard it is for her to part ways with him. She has been really brave and selfless, and I admire her for that! She signed the paperwork, as planned. We made plans to sign our paperwork at the agency’s office on Monday.
March 8-9 - We introduced Baby to our parents and a few friends. This little kiddo is so loved, and has been loved for so many years before he was born! Both families are excited to be grandparents again.
March 10 - Today was the day we signed the Permanent Custody paperwork at our adoption agency. This places the baby in our care with the end goal of permanent adoption. The way this works: For the next 6 months, we will have in-home visits with a social worker to assess how everyone is settling in and bonding together. Around the 6 month mark, we will have a court date to finalize the adoption. After that court date, the baby will be legally our son, as though we had given birth ourselves.
So, without further ado, we introduce Stephen David Luke Critchfield! The story of his first two names is in a post from December, 2024. We have met and spoken with our birth mom a few times prior to Stephen being born, and she told us she was calling him Luke while he was in the womb. We wanted to honor this special name, so we decided to add it to our originally-planned name.
Our Beautiful Boy, Little Man, Stevie, is an answer to prayer and a delight to parent. We love his sweet coos and his natural curiosity and energy. He already loves music and singing, and is an enthusiastic eater. We could go on and on… we love him from head to toe! Please reach out if you want to call, FaceTime, text with us, or visit. So many people in our lives have brought Stephen home to us, and we are grateful for you and your support. We want to share the delight of this baby with you so he can get to know you too!
With our deepest gratitude and love,
Hannah and Phil
Hi everyone! It's been a quiet few months while we waited for our birth mother to finalize her birth plans and we got the house ready for a baby. Now, tomorrow is the big day and we're waiting for the baby to be born! Please pray with us for a smooth delivery, and healthy birth mother and baby. Please also keep our birth mother in your prayers, because choosing adoption is a difficult decision.
Our birth mother invited me to attend her final OB appointment today before she is induced tomorrow. It was a blessing to hear the baby's heartbeat and meet the doctor. I know our birth mother is in good hands for her delivery! After the appointment, she, her mom, and I had lunch together and enjoyed talking and getting to know each other. I know God has good plans for us, for this baby, and for our birth mother and her family. I'm excited to see how He brings us all together to expand all of our families through this adoption.
With love and joy,
Hannah and Phil
(Photo credit to freestocks on Unsplash)
Hello dear friends and family! It’s the end of 2024, and we’ve had such an up and down year. This year, God’s been working on our patience and perseverance through the whole adoption process. We’ve grown a lot in our faith and in our marriage, and that is something I’ll always treasure.
Earlier in the year, we decided we would take a trip for our anniversary to celebrate 20 years of marriage (on our 19th anniversary) because we would likely have a child/children placed in our home next year (our actual 20th anniversary) when it would be hard to get away to celebrate. Fast forward to earlier this month, when we were about to leave for our trip. We had all our bags packed and ready to load in the car the following morning, so we were relaxing and watching a movie. Suddenly, we got an unexpected phone call. It was our case worker from the agency calling to let us know that a birth mother we were presented to had chosen us to adopt her baby! What an amazing anniversary gift for us on the eve of our milestone celebration week!
We kept the news to ourselves for a little while to let the reality sink in. While we were on our trip, we decided to announce the good news to family and friends at our various Christmas gatherings after we returned. Our parents and family were delighted! Our friends and church family were so excited to hear the news!
Another thing we did on the trip was settle on a name for the baby. I had an intuitive moment a month or so ago that we should name the baby after one of Phil’s beloved found-family cousins who passed away unexpectedly a couple of years ago. This man loved God sincerely, was very involved with his children and wife, and was a source of encouragement and deep friendship for Phil. I wanted to honor this memory in our little boy. Phil agreed on the name when I told him, and then suggested that we give him a middle name belonging to our dads (my dad’s name, and Phil’s dad’s middle name). It was a short and natural conversation, like we had known all along what his name would be.
The baby is growing on target and seems healthy from his scans. He is due on February 16, 2025. But if you know anything about babies, you know that they will arrive when they want to!
We only have a few short weeks until he is here. We’re excited, but nervous too. Excited to grow our family and welcome Baby Boy home! But there are still some unknowns in the adoption process that will test our faith. So, we ask that you pray for all of these things so that God is in every decision and detail!
• For the health of the baby and birth mother as she concludes the final weeks of her pregnancy.
• For a safe and uncomplicated delivery and recovery for birth mother and baby.
• The birth mother is experiencing some anxiety around her decision for adoption. Please pray that God gives her peace and direction for her decision. In the State of Ohio, the birth mother has up until 72 hours after the birth of the baby to decide to parent the baby herself or to proceed with the adoption.
• Please pray for our nerves too! Of course we want to adopt Baby Boy. He is on our heart and in our thoughts. But, if God has other plans, we want to trust Him and follow His lead with grace, kindness, and faith that He has something good in store for us in the future.
While our future path is a bit foggy, like the photo in this post, we have hope for the future even though we can't see it now.
It is our prayer that you and your loved ones have a joyful and blessed beginning of the new year!
Happy New Year!
Hannah and Phil
(Photo by Jason Mavrommatis on Unsplash)
Yesterday, while taking a walk with a friend who is going through the home study process to become a foster parent, I received the call from our agency that we are now Foster Family Approved! Our license will allow us to foster-to-adopt a sibling group of up to 4 kids. It's a huge milestone that we've been waiting on for several months. I don't think the reality has sunk in quite yet!
Our next steps are to provide respite care to other foster families who need a break of any kind over the next several months -- from needing to take a weekend trip out of state for a wedding/funeral, to a more extended break to rejuvenate and provide their best selves to their foster kids. We are doing this so that we can gain parenting experience before bringing a sibling group in full-time. Plus, it will help us get to know other kids in the system. We may end up providing respite care to a group who needs a permanent placement, but their current foster family isn't in a position to adopt them.
Please pray with us as we move into this next phase of our adoption journey!
(Background confetti photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash)
Our adoption journey sure has branched out in 2024! To make room for the updated story on our landing page, I'm archiving our original family story from 2022. Follow this blog to learn about what we've been up to since our previous posting!
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[Original family story from 2022]
In case you haven’t heard… we are expanding our family through adoption!
We want to welcome a child (or more than one!) into our home and share our lives with them.
We invite you to become part of our adoption process by praying for us, our future child or children, and the birth mother who has to make the difficult decision to give up her child. If you wish to support us in a physical way, we have set up this crowdfunding campaign to help offset fees throughout the adoption process.
As part of the adoption process, we learned there are BIG expenses. For the adoption alone, it is about $50,000 (USD). Before we get to the point of adopting, we must go through a rigorous approval process to ensure that the birth parent is placing her child in a safe home environment with conscientious parents.
We want you to be part of this community as our child learns and grows. It means so much to us, and will mean so much to them when they are older, to know you helped bring them to us. Please join us as we prayerfully, and with great intention, seek to grow our family and our community.
With much love,
Phil and Hannah
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