Our Family Is Simply Ours
When we got married, we always thought we’d have a traditional family with a couple of children, but when we tried to have children naturally, it just did not happen for us. We even tried a few rounds of fertility treatments with no success. This is when we decided to adopt to grow our family.
When we found LifeLong, we knew it was the right partner for us. We had a good feeling about everyone we spoke to there. They were very supportive of our journey, and we couldn’t wait to get started.
In the beginning, we were overwhelmed when learning about the details of the adoption process, and when we heard about some of the issues expectant mothers go through, we knew we wanted to help as much as we could. One of the hardest decisions for us to make at first was how much of ourselves we were willing to give to take care of a child who might need some medical assistance at first. In hindsight, this decision allowed us to really think about what we wanted for our family and helped us strengthen our values.
We drove six hours to meet the expectant mom, and we were so grateful for the good meeting. She was already a mother and had a little boy. When we met, we instantly clicked, and as her due date drew near, we became very close. We didn’t go into this process thinking we’d gain a family member in the expectant mother, but that is ultimately what we got.
The Ups and Downs
Even though our expectant mom was great, we still had challenges along the way. She moved from one state to another during her pregnancy, which meant we had to hire another lawyer. We also were worried about her, so we helped her as much as we could by simply being available to listen. We got to know each other very well, and having that honest and open relationship really helped us through the entire process.
At times, when we were uncertain, we leaned on our friends and family. We were blessed to have a supportive community rallying around us. They kept us optimistic and always emphasized, “Whatever is supposed to happen will happen.”
The Delivery
The expectant mom involved us throughout her pregnancy, and we were involved in her birth plan as well. She was adamant that we be present for the birth, so we flew up one week before her delivery. We were glad to be there for her for the final doctor appointments and to try to assist her in making her as comfortable as possible. In the end, there were some complications, and she ended up having a C-section. We were right there with her.
Holding Michael for the first time in our arms was the most wonderful feeling. There were a lot of joyful and happy tears. The whole experience was surreal as we bonded in the room the hospital prepared for us.
Our Family Is Simply Ours
Throughout this journey, we learned a lot about our family, ourselves, and our relationships. We realized families come in all shapes and sizes. When we have our hearts set on making connections with people, others usually reciprocate. Just like everything else in this world, the emotional ups and downs can be managed. Most of all, gaining two family members in our son Michael and his birthmother meant the world to us. We didn’t plan on our journey to creating family to happen this way, but this is what we got. We are immensely grateful for this experience. As a family, we couldn’t have asked for more.