Adoption Success Story: Karis & Jonas
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Parents who adopt say it’s rewarding and fulfilling, but the reality is it’s also expensive. A Blue Springs family wants people to know that there is support out there for people who just need a little help to get over that financial hurdle.
The Hobson household is pretty busy.
“The moment the kids wake up its go time and it doesn’t stop all day long,” says mom Amy Hobson, “It’s not very glamorous, we clean up a lot of messes, and change a lot of diapers.”
That’s life when you’ve got three little ones all under two-years-old and another baby on the way. But it wasn’t like Stephen and Amy planned it this way.
“It wasn’t until a few years into the marriage of trying to get pregnant and it not happening that we decided for us rather than fertility treatments and spending money that way we would just move forward with adoption,” Stephen Hobson explains.
Stephen and Amy said they always liked the idea of adoption anyway. “We felt like we had a lot of love to offer and there are a lot of kids out there who need good homes,” Stephen says.
But once they started the adoption process, they got a surprise.
“Low and behold find out that she’s pregnant,” Stephen said. “We adopted our little girl Karis as a newborn and then five months later our son was born.”
Kai was just about to turn one when they got a call from their daughter’s biological mom. She was pregnant again and wanting to put the baby up for adoption.
“We were shocked and overwhelmed at the thought of that, thinking we already had our hands full with two little ones as it is,” Stephen said.
But Amy says they were also excited about the idea of keeping the siblings together. Their main hurdle was money. The first adoption cost almost $30,000 and they didn’t know how they would afford another one.
“That’s when we began looking online,” Amy said. “What are loan options and grant options and that’s when we found Gift of Adoption.”
Gift of Adoption provides $7,500 grants for parents who want to adopt. Priority is usually for special needs kids or keeping sibling groups together, so the Hobson’s grant application was approved. They were thrilled that the financial burden didn’t keep them from bringing baby Jonas home.
“I think we’re excited about showing people it’s not just a plan B,” says Amy. “It’s not just if you can’t have a biological child, it can be an option for anyone.”
After all, they didn’t plan it this way. But they wouldn’t change a thing.
For more information about Gift of Adoption, how to apply for grants, or donating to help other couples adopt, click here.