Rob and I met in college and were later married in August 2000. We were so much in love and excited about our future together. We often talked about the family we would have, how many children we wanted and names we liked. We waited a couple years before we felt that the time was right to start our family. Far from our minds was the thought that this might not be as easy as we expected. We never anticipated having a hard time getting pregnant, but after many unsuccessful tries we turned to the advice of doctors. And of course the answers don’t come quickly. There were tests and procedures and more doctors and lots of unanswered questions before the final conclusion was made – we would not be able to conceive a child.
Although facing infertility was unexpected we didn’t allow that road block to stop us from fulfilling our dreams of having a family. We decided to look into adopting, knowing that we had love to share. We both have adopted relatives and could see the blessings of knitting a family together. Adoption was a big decision and it wasn’t until we had prayed and pondered that we received a strong confirmation that adoption was the avenue through which we would have our family.
We started on our adoption paperwork but it’s not a quick or easy process.We had a lot of lonely days; days of pain and despair. Many of our friends and family members were starting to have children of their own. We struggled with the feeling of loss at being unable to have children. We unavoidably compared ourselves with others and felt, that without children, we were excluded. Even though we maintained a positive attitude on the surface there was definitely an emptiness that was creeping in as time went by. We continued on with school and jobs. We made new friends and found happiness where we could. But the months turned into years and the emptiness never went away. Many tearful prayers were said.
From the time we started the adoption process we moved from Utah to Michigan and then to Kentucky … and we continued to wait. In July 2007 we got an email from a birth mom that would change our lives forever. She was 3 months pregnant and was contemplating adoption. We emailed back and forth for weeks. We can’t even describe the excitement we felt when she told us she would like us to adopt her baby. We felt so blessed. We continued to email and were able to get to know each other. We remember our first meeting in Tennessee, the situation felt so surreal and honestly, quick nerve racking. When we met, however, the nervousness went away and it just felt right. We had a wonderful time meeting this sweet birth mom. Our admiration and love for her began to blossom.
In February 2008, after 6 years of waiting (and waiting and waiting), our prayers were answered. We were finally parents. We held for the first time our beautiful daughter Karlee. She was perfect and sweet and our own special miracle. Karlee's birth mom showed so much strength and unconditional love in her decision to place Karlee with us. We love being parents. There is not a day that goes by that we are not grateful for the blessing of adoption in our lives.
While we feel eternally grateful for the blessing of Karlee, we have a great desire to add to our family. Karlee is also very anxious for us to be able to adopt again – she’s learning what adoption is and asks when she’ll get a brother or sister. She is so kind and compassionate. She loves to play and is already talking about sharing her toys with her new brother or sister. She’ll be the best big sister. Together, we are excited to share our traditions, build memories as a family and share our love with more children.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Our Journey to Adoption. Everyone's story is different and special in their own way. We pray that by reading our journey you will be able to get to know us a little bit better.☺
