When Kevin and Allison Ellison of Thorsby decided to adopt in June 2006, they understood that a long road lay ahead of them.

The couple, both Jemison High School graduates, married in April 1999 and desired to become parents. But after six years of aggressive medical options, they found themselves unable to conceive.

After a second miscarriage in December 2005, the couple were at their lowest point both physically and emotionally.

“We knew medically everything was done that we could possibly do,” Allison recalled.

There was one option left — adoption — but it was not a decision that could be taken lightly.

They spent much time in prayer and sought counsel from friends and family.

Allison made the decision to adopt long before her husband, but the two couldn’t move forward until they were in agreement. She had to prepare herself for a possible future without children.

“You have to be 100 percent committed,” she said.

Finally, summer arrived and the decision was made to adopt. The Ellisons decided to go through Lifeline Children’s Services, a Birmingham-based, non-profit Christian organization. They were immediately told that the process could take between three to five years. The paperwork alone took six months.

“We had multiple interviews with the adoption agency, and a social worker had to come out and do a home study,” Allison said. “We had to submit a profile, which is basically everything about us.”

The profile, or scrapbook, is what birth mothers refer to when deciding who the parents will be. Birth mothers have more rights than they used to in the adoption process, she explained.

“Adoption is becoming more open,” Allison said.

Then there were fingerprints, background checks, medical screenings and drug screenings. But the most difficult part by far was the 5-day period when the birth mother could have decided to keep her child.

“That was the worst week of our life,” Allison said.

But on Aug. 15, the couple got the news they had been waiting for. They were going to be mom and dad. As it so happened, Aug. 15 was Kevin’s birthday.

“That was a pretty good birthday present,” he said.

The baby was due Sept. 15 but was born two weeks later at Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham. On Oct. 1, they finally got to hold little Carter, and eight days later they brought him home.

Understandably, it took a little time for the whole concept to sink in.

“In our hearts, he’s ours,” Allison said. “But it takes a while to get to that point.”

The Ellisons would recommend adoption to those who have the patience to endure the process.

The words of 1 Samuel 1:27, “I have prayed for this child,” they claim as their own.

“Just realize it’s not going to happen overnight,” Kevin said.