A Woodinville couple desperate to adopt a baby is putting it all online. Joe Diehl and Leah Diehl launched a major social media push to try to adopt a baby.
"Birth mothers are younger and social media is their go to," Leah Diehl said.
"That's their generation. They're on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube," added Joe Diehl.
The couple went through several rounds of in vitro fertilization and spent more than $60,000 on the treatments. They did not get pregnant. Before moving to Woodinville they tried being foster parents. They got the chance to care for an infant but he was quickly adopted by somebody else. They've tried to become parents for 7 years.
The process is taking an emotional toll. But they are creative, and they aren't giving up. They have friend sin Kansas City who were able to adopt two children with the help of social media.
Now they're trying to get the word out that their hearts are open, their home is ready and they want to adopt a baby.
"I can't wait to be a dad. It's one of the most important things in my life." said Joe Diehl.
The couple posted a video on YouTube called the "The Real Diehls." They have a Facebook page called "Adopting Baby 'D'" and a profile on AngelAdoptionsinc.com. Their hope is that a mother planning to give up her infant for adoption will pick them to be the parents.
The videos and photographs the Diehls have posted give the mother a chance to see what it would be like for an infant to become a part of the Diehl family. They included a picture of the nursery with a crib waiting.
On the Diehls' profile it says gender doesn't matter -- they would be thrilled with a boy or a girl. They are open to a child of any race.
What they want is to become a family.
KIRO 7 checked with local adoption agencies to get an idea of the number of infants adopted in our area each year. Amara in Seattle finalized seven infant adoptions last year. Bethany Christian Services helped with the adoption of 19 infants, in Washington and Oregon.
Of the 1,328 children adopted through foster care in Washington State in 2013, 23 of them were less than 1-year-old.
The Diehl's contract with the adoption agency expires in December. If the couple has not had the chance to adopt, the Diehls will stop trying to become parents, after seven years.
"We need to know at the end of the day we've done everything we can to make this happen," Leah Diehl said. "Beyond that it's kind of in God's hands."
We met with Joe Diehl and Leah Diehl in Woodinville Thursday afternoon. We're putting together their interviews and looking into why the social media push could be necessary to help the Diehls become parents. Watch the full story Thursday at 6 p.m. on KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.
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