When we first started our adoption journey almost 2 and a half years ago, we had no idea that Jackson was already growing. As our community surrounded us with love, prayer and financial support, we finished our home study, prepared our nursery and waited. Little did we know, Jackson was waiting for us too! You can watch our original story below:
On a Wednesday afternoon in early October, we received a call that would change our lives. There was a birth mom who wanted to meet us! We rushed out of town to meet her for dinner. We had a lovely dinner together and our conversation flowed naturally. It was so clear that God had orchestrated it all. A few minutes after we left, her case worker called to inform us that we had officially been chosen. We were going to be parents!
That same amazing community that had surrounded us with such love, kindness and generosity in our waiting was now overjoyed to help us prepare for the impending arrival of our son.
The next 10 days were full of preparations and honest conversation with Caitilyn, Jackson’s birth mom. On October 21, 2015 at 10:09pm after many hours of labor, Caitlyn delivered the most beautiful baby boy! He was perfect in every way! Shortly after he was born, the doctor ushered us into the delivery room. There we saw the most unbelievably beautiful sight…Caitlyn cradling Jackson with such tenderness and love. Then we experienced a holy moment like no other. After 9 months of carrying him, taking care of him and loving him, Caitlyn asked us if we wanted to hold him. What an amazing gift! The moment that we held him our hearts were joined forever…we were parents! The joy and grief entwined together in that moment will never cease to amaze us. Caitlyn’s courage made us parents.
The next few weeks and months passed slowly and quickly all at the same time. We cherished every single moment with Jackson. We spend hours holding him and just staring at him. Parenthood was more of a blessing than we could ever have imagined and Jackson has been such an extravagant gift. We have cried and prayed over him and thanked God for every second of difficulty, pain, joy and redemption that lead to us becoming a family.
The beauty, selflessness and courage of Caitlyn still amazes us every single day. We have spent the past 2 years getting to know her even more. She is such a blessing and she is so proud of our story. Our open adoption has grown our family in such a beautiful and unique way. Jackson is so loved by so many.
When the time came to finalize our adoption in court, our family and friends surrounded us at the court house followed by the biggest party our little cottage had ever seen. Caitlyn came to support Jackson and us and to meet our family and friends. She was met with open arms and love from our community.
This past spring, we were preparing to begin the adoption process again when we received incredibly unexpected news. After many years of infertility, we found out that we were expecting and we were beyond thrilled! Jackson kissed Mommy’s tummy, and we dreamed about the future with our new little one. Sadly, within just a few weeks, we found out that our baby had died. Grief and sadness overwhelmed us and we were again surrounded by our loving family and friends to help us through. Our community made walking through the loss so much more bearable.
We have spent the remainder of the year processing and beginning the healing process from losing a child. Although we don’t think our hearts will ever be fully healed, we are trusting the Lord for the continued growth of our family.
Jackson is such a remarkable little boy. He is learning and growing so quickly and we are appreciating every stage. At only 2 years old, he loves people, especially babies, and often prays for those on his heart all on his own. He has recently been talking about “baby” and “sisser” or “brudder.” We know that his little heart is ready for our family to grow too. He is beginning to understand his amazing birth story and how God grows families in different and beautiful ways.
So here we are again. Our hearts full of love for a little one and a birth family that we have yet to meet. Preparing. Waiting. Trusting. Hoping. Praying. Please pray with us as we wait for our family to grow. We are trusting God for the right match with a birth mom and that she will be surrounded with love and support as she moves toward adoption.
Adoption is a beautiful picture of God’s love for us and how we become a part of His family. We are excited and humbled for the next chapter of our adoption love story.
So here we are again. Our hearts full of love for a little one and a birth family that we have yet to meet. Preparing. Waiting. Trusting. Hoping. Praying. Please pray with us as we wait for our family to grow. We are trusting God for the right match with a birth mom and that she will be surrounded with love and support as she moves toward adoption.
Jennifer
Jennifer always dreamed of being a stay at home mom and the reality is far better than she could have imagined. Her days at home are filled with laughter, stories, songs and dances with Jackson. She thrives when the house is full hosting families for meals or play dates. She loves hot tea, flowers, and taking care of her boys.
Jason
Jason works from home as a residential building designer. His favorite distractions include Jennifer, Jackson, brunch, coffee, and a good book. He loves being a Dad and husband so much that he just wants to keep getting better at those things for the rest of his life. He will also write fiction one day.
Jackson
Jackson is 2 years old and is a huge fan of going to the zoo and helping Mommy and Daddy fix anything with tools. He loves to read books, sing songs, climb ladders, and bury treasure in the backyard. He has a tender heart and loves to pray for people. He loves babies and is so excited to become a big brother.
Aug
6
Big Changes for the Pederson Family!
In the fall of last year, just after his 2nd birthday, Jackson started telling us that Jesus was going to bring us a baby. He has always had a tender heart and his faith was such an encouragement to us as we prepared to begin the adoption process. As days, weeks and months passed, Jackson continued to tell us about “my baby” and he prayed almost daily for this babe.
Fast forward to March of this year, we had just finished our home study paperwork and gone to 16 hours of adoption training in Castle Rock, CO when we were completely surprised beyond belief. After more than 5 years of infertility and a pregnancy loss last year, we found out that we were expecting! Joy and faith filled our hearts as we anxiously waited to visit the doctor to find out how baby was doing. After a series of tests we went in for an ultrasound and saw a tiny babe and an even tinier beating heart. Gratitude and wonder overwhelmed us as we thanked God for this life growing inside. Baby is due January 2, 2019.
That was a few months ago and we are still in awe of what God is doing. Jennifer is now in her 2nd trimester and enjoying every part of pregnancy…even the difficult parts. Jackson continues to pray for “my baby” and is convinced that he’s going to have a sister. We will find out the baby’s gender at our ultrasound in August. We will all be thrilled with a sister or a brother for Jackson. Jason has continued to work and build his business from home which has been a huge blessing especially on the harder days for Jennifer.
As we’ve walked through this pregnancy, many have asked us about our adoption journey and what we plan to do. So here’s the plan…
Our amazing agency, Hope’s Promise, has asked that we pause our adoption until this baby is at least a year old. So, we are pausing at the end of July and beginning the process again in 2020. We have completed our home study requirements with our final interview this month.
Thanks to your generous support, all of our home study fees were covered and we have enough left over to help pay our fees to get into the waiting pool in 2020. We have been overwhelmed with the Lord’s faithfulness to us through our community. As we began the adoption process at the beginning of this year, we knew that God was going to grow our family. This miraculous pregnancy was bigger and better than we had imagined. Thank you for praying with us as we continue to trust Him as He grows our family.
Please continue to pray with us for: Health for Jennifer and baby. Peace in our home as our family grows. That big brother Jackson’s heart would be prepared for his new sibling. That the Lord will continue to show us when and how He wants to grow our family in the future.
We are so grateful for you! Blessings!
Jason, Jennifer, Jackson & Baby
Feb
3
Adoption Process Moving Forward
Our application has been officially approved! This means we can now begin the process of updating our home study. Thank you to everyone who is supporting us and praying for us! We are so excited for our family to grow!
