Our Adoption StoryHow it All Began...
Life’s Detours Led Us to Angel
Like a lot of couples, we really wanted to grow our family and welcome children into our lives. We tried everything possible to conceive biological children, and we were never able to get pregnant, after six years of marriage. After taking some time to search our hearts for the next step, we came to the decision to grow our family through adoption. Our family was just as excited as we were to welcome a new family member into our lives. After doing research, we came across Angel Adoptions, and we decided we would pursue our adoption journey with their help. As we began working on our homestudy and profile, we were so excited to finally be on our way to becoming parents. We of course felt nervous about all the unknowns and being first-time parents, but the joy greatly outshadowed our nerves. With the support of our families and friends, we felt and knew we were ready for this journey.
Waiting...and More Waiting
We knew from our research that adoption can be a long and difficult road, but we never really understood how difficult the waiting would truly be. Although Angel staff were extremely supportive in providing support and monthly updates, it was really hard to tell family and friends, “Nope, nothing new,” when asked what was going on with our adoption journey. Then we learned a birthmother was interested in speaking with us along with a few other families. We were beyond excited and allowed ourselves to really celebrate this experience. We spoke to her on the phone, and although we thought things went well, we did not hear from her again. We were heartbroken, knowing we were going back to the waiting game after having gotten so excited over this opportunity. We did our best to move on and busy ourselves as we waited for that one call that would change our lives forever.
The Stars Aligned
As we entered the last few months of our contract, we were starting to accept this might not be our path and we might not walk away from this journey with a child. We then got a call from Angel stating there was a birthmother who was interested in us and she wanted us to reach out to her that evening. We texted her, and although we were of course very excited, we also felt reserved and did not want to allow ourselves to get overly excited. We looked at this opportunity as a possibility and never a sure thing as we could understand just how difficult a decision like this could be for the birthmother. We learned she was due within the next month or so and moved to hiring services on her behalf fairly quickly. As her due date got closer, we set up a time to meet the birthmother in person and just to get to know each other a bit better. After the long drive there to meet her, we decided to drive back home that same night. During that time, we got a call the birthmother had gone to the hospital with contractions but was ultimately sent home to rest. The next day, we were at home when we received a call the birthmother was in fact on her way back to the hospital and her water had broken. Thankfully we had all our bags packed and ready to go, and we were out the door and on our way within 10 minutes.
Welcoming Our Child
When we arrived at the hospital, we went right to the room to be with the birthmother. She had asked us to be in the room for the birth and wanted us to be there to cut the umbilical cord. We were truly honored and humbled as we knew that even at this point this was still not a sure thing. Being in the room to witness the birth of your child is an experience that truly has no words. The intense emotions and the tears flowed freely from us, and we welcomed Mckenna into the world while Kenny cut her umbilical cord. She was laid on her birthmother’s chest briefly before she was taken to get checked out by the nurses. We were then led to our own room along with Mckenna and spent the first hour of her life doing skin to skin. Meeting our child for the first time, holding her, and looking at her beautiful face…there are no words. We were overjoyed to have reached this moment after so many obstacles over the last eight years.
We had not told our family we had connected with a birthmother again in case it fell through. We couldn't bear to go through the letdown again, so to say they were surprised when we called them from the hospital is an understatement. All of our emotions came flooding out as we sat in that room taking in the beauty of this moment. The birthmother was able to come by our room for a visit right before she was discharged from the hospital, and we spoke briefly and took pictures. She had always wanted a closed adoption, but after the birth of Mckenna, she decided she would like a slightly open arrangement. We happily accepted and have been in contact every few months when she reaches out and asks for pictures. We will continue to honor her wishes and do whatever is in the best interest of Mckenna.
Our New Life
Life has been so wonderful the last six months, and having Mckenna in our hearts and home has been beyond anything we could have wished for. We have fallen into a rhythm as a family, and we are soaking up every moment and milestone we can. Jenny works from home, so thankfully we have the flexibility to be home with Mckenna. Being parents is one the greatest joys, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow our family in the future. We would love for Mckenna to have a sibling someday.
Reflecting back on our journey, it is easy to see why the wait was hard. But in the end, everything came together just as it should, and we walked away parents to a beautiful baby girl. We know waiting is so hard, but for anyone currently in that position, we want to tell you there is hope. Stay positive and enjoy the process because your time will come.