We have BIG news… We are adopting a child!
In a whirlwind of events, we are preparing to welcome a beautiful baby boy into our home in less than a month! We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to prepare for this life-changing event.
As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It may surprise you to hear that adoption-related costs can easily total $50,000 or more. This is why we have set a goal of $40,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.
We knew funding this adoption in such a short period of time would be immensely challenging, but we also believe whole-heartedly that God has aligned our every step down this path. In that same faith, we are believing that God will align us with individuals that desire to contribute to our adoption journey.
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he grows up.
Hey Everyone! I wanted to give you all an update on our adoption journey!
First of all, I wanted to let you all know that, by the grace, abundance, and incredibly love of God, our adoption has been PAID IN FULL! Thank you is not even close to enough to express our deepest appreciation and overwhelming gratitude to everyone who has supported us in this journey. We are truly blessed beyond measure.
Second, our (virtual) adoption hearing has been set for next week! Anyone who would like to attend and show support is welcome. The information from the attorney regarding the hearing is below:
"We are confirmed for June 13th at 3:00pm for the 15-minute zoom adoption hearing. The attached Notice of Hearing has the zoom instructions for Judge Miller but you may also use the following link to access the hearing: https://zoom.us/j/9195129985. Please be mindful when clicking the link as it’s active for Judge Miller’s other cases. Family and friends are welcome to attend the hearing and you may share the zoom link with them."
Third, I wanted to give everyone an update on Asa. Asa was born with a cleft palate, which he will have to have surgery to correct when he is around 12 months old. Luckily, we have one of the top pediatric oral surgeons right here in Pensacola. The cleft palate can cause complications to hearing, speech, etc., but we have an amazing team of specialists at Sacred Heart Hospital that all work together to navigate this process… and so far, Asa has had NO COMPLICATIONS. Most babies with cleft palate have to have tubes in their ears by the time they are 3 months old. Asa has no fluid in his ears and does not need tubes thus far. Praise God! We have just been blown away by the team of amazing medical professionals that have been with us every step of the way. The care and commitment that these individuals put into Asa’s growth and development is so amazing.
Asa also was born with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis. We are grateful that we knew his potential for having this condition and knew what to look for, so we caught it early, which will allow us to give him the best chance for little-to-no effects from this disease. The second blessing is that is type 1, which is the mildest form. Other than some adorable café-ole spots, so far Asa has had NO COMPLICATIONS from this condition. We are teamed up with a phenomenal pediatric neurologist that will continue to monitor Asa’s development.
For those who do not know, Asa means “healer” in Hebrew, and we believe there is a reason why this is his chosen name. We believe he is strong and mighty, and that he will break all the rules when it comes to any illnesses or medical conditions that are spoken over him. We knew from the minute we were contacted about this precious child that he was special… a gift from God. He proves us right every single day. He is now 4 ½ months old, and he continues to meet or exceed every milestone. He is happy, healthy, and just absolutely perfect in every way.
We see God in every single step that we take with our precious son, as well as every step leading up to this point in our lives. Nothing has happened by chance. It is exciting to see how God is moving mountains around this little boy, and we can’t help but wonder with great anticipation about all the mountains God will move THROUGH our Asa. Thank you all so very much for being a part of our journey. We pray immense blessings over each and every person that has invested spiritually, emotionally, financially, or otherwise. We love you all.
Rich & Marisa
Asa Sutton Rayne Preston made his appearance on January 15, 2024 at 12:34pm. He was 5lbs 12oz and 19.5 inches long with a head full of jet black hair! Rich and I were able to be there for the birth, and I even cut the umbilical cord. Watching our son being born has to be the most beautiful and extraordinary experience I have ever had in my entire life. After a couple of days in the hospital, we were able to take our son home and began our journey as Mom and Dad.
Asa is indeed perfectly and wonderfully made by God... we see it in his every detail. We are absolutely in love and also absolutely exhausted! The last three weeks have been filled with feedings, diapers, boogers, spit-up, cries, tiny smiles, wandering eyes, coos and grunts, and sleepless nights... and we wouldn't change it for the world. Asa is hitting milestones and melting hearts. We are just smitten.
We want to say thank you from the very bottom of our hearts for your support in making our long-time dream come true. We have a ways to go, but so far we have been able to make our payments to keep the adoption process moving forward. For those of you not familiar with the process, upon leaving the hospital, we were made Asa's "legal guardians" until the adoption is finalized, which is a lengthier process. Our first petition to the court will be in April, and then we will have another court date after that to finalize the adoption.
We will keep everyone posted on our journal with updates, stories, and all the cute pictures you can possibly stand! We love you all, and we are so thankful to have such an amazing support system around us.
Marisa, Rich, & Baby Asa
We wanted to give everyone an update on baby Asa. Our sweet bio mama is scheduled to be induced TODAY (Monday 1/15/24) at 4pm. The doctor said since she is a first-time mother, and she is only about 1cm dilated, it could take some time for her to actually go into labor. He said we could be meeting our baby boy as early as Tuesday morning or as late as Thursday... but we are so ready to meet him!
Please keep baby Asa in your prayers. He is growth-restricted for unknown reasons, which is why they are inducing bio mama at 38 weeks. All the things that they can test for have come back normal, but they said there are many unknowns until the baby is born. His weight is not too concerning - last week he weighed 5lbs 5oz. However, his abdominal measurements are in the bottom 4th percentile. The doctor said it could just be genetics, since bio mama is very small. But we know that he is perfectly and wonderfully made by God, so we are not worried. We just want our baby and our bio mama to have the best birthing experience.
Thank you to everyone who is involved in our journey in some way. We cherish the support that we have around us. We will continue to update all of you as we continue on our journey!
