The decision to grow a family is a choice that's often debated for a while before knowing it's the right time. There isn't just one route to parenthood and adoption is the route that feels best for so many families.
According to Adoption Network statistics, reported by Adoption.org, there are approximately 140,000 kids who are adopted by families each year in the US. The stats show that these adoptions come from several sources including a stepparent officially adopting, but nearly 60% of adoptions start from the foster care system and 26% come from other countries. Adoption isn't always a magical fairy tale story, but it's deeply rooted in love.
For families that are welcoming a member through adoption, announcing the amazing news is a fun thing to do. Much like people take to social media with photos and messages when they're expecting, these heartwarming adoption announcements are full of all the feels, too.
'Friends' Theme
The decision to adopt is often one that is long thought about and it's something to celebrate when the time is right. This is a cute way of putting some pop culture into the mix with a Friends reference. "The one where God Calls Us To Adopt" is a play on the show's titling.
Due Date TBD
Expecting couples often share the exciting news using letterboards. It contains all the important information, like due dates, and this is a perfect play on that — even when the "due date" is still to be determined.
Brave Mama
When it comes to adoption, there's more than just the parents involved in the story. This gorgeous announcement honors that. The caption honors the birth mama calling her "so brave and strong." The caption continues to say that the bio mom is "always going to know how much she loves you."
He's Here
The same mama from above had another way to honor her baby's adoption. "A day I will never forget," she wrote on Instagram. She thanks her son's bio mom with trusting them with her son, and honoring the love and respect they have for her and the loving sacrifice she made.
Soon to be Seven
Adoption isn't just for families who are starting to grow. Nope. It works for all sorts of family sizes and this family is excited to announce they're growing by one more to hopefully have five children in the crew. "Could not be more excited to be adding another blessing to the family," the dad wrote on Instagram.
Today He Gave Me His Last Name
At times, adoption is an official stamp on something that's been growing for a long time. As we stated earlier, there are many adoptions that are finalized when a stepparent extends his love to a stepchild and gives the kiddo his last name. This adoption announcement mimics baby ones and it's perfect.
No Bump
A flip of a typical pregnancy announcement photo, this one plays off the whole showing off a growing pregnant belly thing. We love the saying on the letterboard, "No bump but so pumped," is a playful way to announce the decision to adopt and grow the family. We really hope to see more of these continue on social media.
Parents To Be
Having professional photos done to announce a pregnancy is common, and there are totally fun and playful ways to incorporate the same feel in the announcement photos for adoption. This one shows the love between the couple and shares the message that while they don't have all the details yet, there's more to come.
My Best Friend
Being able to bring our kids into the announcements we share is so much fun. It helps show off how excited the whole family is and that's true with adoption, too. Look at how excited this little one is to become a big sister soon. It's precious.
Worth the Wait
There is a whole lot of waiting in hoping to adopt, and a lot of work behind that to qualify. It's a big deal when a family has completed all the requirements to be able to welcome a baby or child into their home, so it's an event that is worth celebrating. This has all the trinkets to show this family is prepared.
Actively Looking
Being "officially active" means two different things for couples who are trying to conceive and those who are ready to adopt. For this family, who is officially active now, it means they've let the adoption agency know they're ready to open their home and their hearts to a child looking for a family.
They Said Yes
There are so many moving parts that need to come together, legally, for an adoption to be made official. A lot of "OK" needs to be given from multiple parties, and when that's all done, and the paperwork is the only thing that's standing in the way, it's a beautiful, gorgeous thing.
Big Sister
This announcement also takes many of the traditional themes we see in pregnancy announcements and popped them into their adoption announcement. We see a sibling who is excited to become a big sister, the due dates of "waiting to adopt in 2021" and the family who looks over the moon.
No Clue But...
For a lot of families, the road to adoption starts with becoming foster parents. Some families want to be that comforting place for kids to be loved whether they move on to go back with their bio family or become a loved member of another family. Choosing to be a foster parent is a beautiful thing to celebrate, too.
It's in the Details
Many families go the route of adopting a baby or a young toddler and this pretty chalkboard shows all those small but significant details that go into the process. It highlights the long wait with 749 days (or just over two years) and the two important dates — a birth date and the forever home date.
Making It Legal
There are a whole slew of legalities that go into an adoption and it's a lot of stress and work. Between the many home studies, appointments with doctors and therapists, lawyers, and eventually a court date to make it legal, that date is a celebration for many families.
It's a Story
It's a whole story when a family is built with adoption at the center. There are all those important dates to celebrate and honor including the story of the biological parents who are making a sacrifice of love for their children. This illustration is a beautiful way to tie all those details together.
Nursery Is Ready
Getting the nursery ready is a fun project to tackle during the waiting time to bring a baby into the world. For families choosing adoption, there is a lot of preparation that goes into the entire process, and the nursery often has to be ready at a moment's notice.
It's a Match
When trying to grow a family, there is often a whole lot of waiting. There's the time it takes to conceive, which for some can be a tortuous journey. Then, of course, there are the nine-plus months of pregnancy to get through as well. With adoption, there's a lot of waiting too and it's often a whole lot longer than pregnancy.
