What will be your son ’ s name , and what meaning does it have ?
His name will be Theodore Michael Metz . Before we saw our son ’ s photo , we loved the name Theodore because of the meaning behind it : “ God ’ s gift .” We also loved the nickname “ Theo ” that we knew we would use . When we saw our son ’ s face for the first time , he just looked like a Theo ! It was a perfect match .
When will we be able to see a facial picture of Theo ?
Due to Thai adoption laws , we are not allowed to show Theo ’ s face where he is recognizable until his adoption has been registered at the Thai consulate , which will be a little over a year after he comes home from Thailand .
THEO ’ S BEDROOM IN HIS FOREVER HOME
What was some good advice you received from other adoptive parents ?
Adoption is a “ hurry up and wait ” process . You quickly hurry to fill out loads of paperwork , and then you wait , sometimes months on end , for that paperwork to be processed or to be matched with a child . Filling our time with prayer and productive activities was a life-saver during those long waits . After we were matched with Theo , we had to wait for the Thai government to approve our adoption . The average wait usually is seven to ten months . Once you are approved , you travel to Thailand about three to five months later . The worldwide pandemic and the unknowns of travel were overwhelming . I felt strongly impressed to set aside a specific day every week to pray for our adoption approval . A few weeks after we began praying about this every week , we found out we had been approved in under five months of waiting ! Another huge answer to prayer along the way !
What encouragement can you give to other prospective adopting parents ?
Jeremiah 32:17 was a huge faith builder for us as we went through the adoption process . It says , “ Ah , Sovereign Lord , you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm . Nothing is too hard for you .” If God has called you to step out of your comfort zone to do something that feels so much bigger than you , just remember that we serve a God who does the impossible ! ■
COURTNEY ’ S ADOPTION SHOWER
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