Affording Adoption
Adoption funding options enable families to grow
When Vikki and Bobby married five years ago, it wasn’t long before they found out they couldn’t have biological children. Nonetheless, the couple knew they wanted a family.
“I didn’t matter to us how our children got here—just that they were here!” says Vikki.
After turning to Adoption Associates, Inc., the couple’s first daughter was placed into their arms quite rapidly.
“We went to our first meeting in January 2005, and Elizabeth was born in April!” says Vikki. “I always joke that my pregnancy was six weeks long.”
With a quick adoption process, Vikki and Bobby had very little time to gather funds before getting Elizabeth. They funded privately, but knew that when the time came to adopt a sibling for Elizabeth, the same funding methods wouldn’t be possible.
Another Member
For a variety of reasons—including the desire to adopt a newborn baby, to have a biracial child, and to eliminate the need for lengthy, overseas travel—the couple turned to domestic adoption once again. Vikki and Bobby wanted a sibling close to Elizabeth’s age, and they decided another child would be great for the whole family. But when the decision was finalized to adopt another child, they knew they still had to find an alternative means of funding.
Funding With New Means
When their paperwork was completed for a second child in November of 2007, the couple learned about an adoption loan program.
“We didn’t research any other loans: This was an interest-only loan for five years, so it would bridge the gap between receiving the tax credit and the time when the adoption was finalized,” says Vikki. “We just have to pay the interest, and then take the tax credit to pay off the loan.”
With the loan in place, the family was able to bring home their son, Ty, in January of 2008.
“It was definitely a blessing,” says Vikki. “Without it, I don’t know if Ty could have been brought into our lives.”
A Few Ups and Downs
The loan process played out much easier than anticipated for Vikki and Bobby, with the application being a simple one page. After faxing the completed sheet, they were approved within 24 hours, had the application notarized and were all set.
When Ty was born, things didn’t pan out quite as easily as the loan application. After he was discharged from the hospital, it was a few weeks before Vikki and Bobby could take him home. Still, they knew that their seamless experience with Elizabeth had been rare and that a few bumps were to be expected.
“With Elizabeth, things were different—she was born on a Thursday and we brought her home the following Wednesday,” says Vikki. “But we were very spoiled with Elizabeth.”
Three weeks from the date of his discharge, Vikki and Bobby brought Ty home.
A Busier Life
With Ty being one year old, the family enjoys spending time and playing together. Although things were much more hectic to begin with, Vikki says everything is slowly returning to a normal pace.
“Once we got through the first four or five months of no sleep, things are really awesome!” she says, with a laugh. “We’re really enjoying ourselves, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The family eats dinner together each night, attends church—where Ty is always passed around, because he loves to cuddle—plays games, reads, and enjoys celebrating holidays with friends and extended family members. Vikki says she always enjoys watching the interaction between Elizabeth and Ty.
“It’s neat to see Elizabeth be a big sister to him, and he loves chasing after his sister!” she says. “But if Elizabeth is hurt or crying, he’ll get upset and start to cry too.”
In Hindsight
Impressed with both the professionalism and education provided by AAI, Vikki says the agency’s characteristics were invaluable. During Ty’s birth, when the nurses at the hospital were treating his birth mother harshly and using improper adoption language, Vikki corrected them.
“It was like they were in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and they were saying lots of inappropriate things,” she says. “I told them to be more sensitive to the birth mother and I [realized I] really knew what I was talking about.”
With a growing family to love and “children that were God-given,” Vikki says their experiences, overall, were wonderful.
“I want to re-emphasize that if it weren’t for the loan program, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Ty into our lives,” says Vikki. “Every day is a blessing.”
For More Information
For more information on domestic adoption or adoption funding resources, visit our web pages or call 1.800.677.2367.
