Our Adoption StoryHow it all began...
Acceptance
We tried to grow our family on our own, but it proved to not be successful. After putting Brittany through multiple emergency surgeries, talk of adoption came up often. We wanted to grow our family and love what adoption does for families. We researched other companies, but everything Angel did was perfect for us. We were so nervous about our meeting and worried we wouldn’t be accepted. The meeting went so well, and we were beyond excited to hear Angel was allowing us to join them.
Our family was so happy for us as they knew what we had been through and how much this meant to us.
Getting Started
It was so exciting to make the profile and add a video. We can remember standing in the foyer making the video, hair all done up, and we had to redo the video so many times but finally got it. There were so many takes and a lot of laughs, but it was worth it.
We were always nervous about being chosen, whether it was being chosen by Angel or going through the home study and that process. Filling out all that paperwork brought on many emotions, as Brittany was worried that she would be looked down upon for being a child of divorced parents, and other things that were out of our control as well as the nerves that no expectant mother would pick us. We would look at the website all the time and see all these families get connected and adopt. We would wonder when it would happen for us. How long would it be? Lucky for us, the wait wasn’t too long.
Ball of Nerves
Brittany got the call while at work that there was an expectant mother and birthfather wanting to talk to us. She immediately went to the conference room and connected Greg into the call, where we found out the expectant mother was just eight weeks along. Tears still come rushing in reflecting back to that moment.
Nerves were a common thing for us, and this was no different. We were so nervous sending the first text. Texting was great, and it all felt normal, like we had known them both for so long. We met in person about a month later on Super Bowl weekend. She wasn’t feeling well and we were worried they would cancel, but they still wanted to meet. We met at Texas Roadhouse and sat for dinner for 2 ½ hours, talking like we were old friends, laughing and having a great time.
Months went by, and we talked more. She then asked that we be there for her ultrasound to see the gender. We got to see it was a boy and watch him move around. The doctor let us know she would be having a c- section, and when he told us the date, it was our four-year anniversary! We knew it was meant to be! As soon as we got in the car, we called our families; we were beyond excited. We went out to dinner with the expectant mother and birthfather again and had another wonderful time.
Waiting for Baby
We then anxiously waited the whole summer, passing the time by staying busy getting the nursery ready, traveling, and visiting with family. We would get scared during the times her communication became inconsistent but knew we had to remain patient. A couple weeks prior to her due date, the expectant mother wasn’t feeling well and her blood pressure was high. She was going to the hospital thinking the baby might come early, so we packed up and rushed to get to her. She was not responding,and we were thinking the worst. The next day, she texted that she was fine, so we went back home. We basically did a trial run where we realized we had forgotten so many things.
This Is It!
Because of the scheduled c-section, we had time to prepare for the baby’s arrival. We got there a few days early and went to a fancy black tie dinner, but our nerves wouldn’t let us eat. We discovered Brittany forgot her license as well! Her sister thankfully was able to send it to us with time to spare.
When we arrived at the hospital, we thought we saw the expectant mother, but it was her twin! We were a little confused, but then we saw her in bed and it all clicked. Brittany went in with the expectant mother for the delivery while Greg and the expectant mother’s sister waited out in the hall.
This was our first time experiencing anything like this, and we had no idea what to expect. The expectant mother was nervous, so Brittany held her hand. Then we heard a baby cry, and he was here! Brittany was so excited to go in for the delivery she forgot to bring in a camera or phone. The staff handed him to Brittany, and the birthmother reached out and touched his face. It was a moment Brittany will never forget. Greg was outside the room pacing, the nurses were keeping him updated, and the next thing he heard was Greyson crying. Ten months of stress was gone with one cry. Greg was so surprised how fast everything happened. We went to our room, where Greg was able to hold Greyson, and they immediately started to bond.
The birthmother was in recovery and wasn't feeling great. We felt so terrible we weren't able to be in there. She was amazing, and we were so grateful for her. After everything she did for us, it still hurts that we couldn’t support her how we wanted to during that moment.
Once she was feeling better and we were able to see each other, we told her to let us know if she wanted to see him and hold him; we did not want to overstep. She decided she wanted to have him for a little bit,and we can’t begin to imagine how hard that was for her. We continued to spend some time together just talking. It was an experience that is indescribable. When the birthmother was discharged, the birthfather came to take her home. We gave them a gift for their daughter as well as a letter, where we told the birthmother it was also our anniversary. We had held this from her the moment we were told when her c-section was to not make it about us. We did not want her to ever think she owed us anything if for some reason she changed her mind.
Room for Three
Once released from the hospital, we went back to our hotel, this time with a baby! We had made this trip a few times without him, staying at the same hotels. It was so surreal that now we would be bringing him home.
Once we arrived home, our family was all there to welcome us with balloons, flowers, and “Welcome Home” messages on our chalkboard. We enjoy watching the recording back and seeing how happy everyone was.
Words cannot express how much we appreciate what they have done for us. The birthparents made this dream a reality, and we wouldn’t be here without them. As much as this is said, you just have to trust the process. Keep hanging in there. There is somebody out there just waiting to meet you, and they are going to love you. Just keep holding on. That expectant mother is out there.