A Journey of Trust
We always wanted to be moms and knew adoption was the right choice for us to start our family. No other path felt right. When we started to research our options, we immediately knew LifeLong was where we belonged. We were impressed with their success rate and were reassured with their knowledge of LGBT laws in relation to adoption. We felt confident in their national reach and knew they were the right ones to guide us through this journey.
We were quickly connected with an expectant mother, and it was so exciting to communicate with her. While that connection did not pan out, we learned so much about the process and ourselves. We ended up communicating with a few more expectant mothers after that before being connected with Wren’s birthmother.
Not Always Easy
Our adoption journey was not an easy road. From the beginning, there were many ups and downs and even times when we questioned if this would work out for us. Our contract with LifeLong was coming to an end soon, and even though we had just endured a particularly difficult unsuccessful connection, we decided we had enough love and persistence to try one more time. We promised to trust the process and ourselves enough to give it one more shot. Looking back now, we are so glad we did not give up.
Wren’s birthmother was simply the best person we could’ve been connected to. Our communication with her was easy from day one. She was clear with her wishes throughout her pregnancy, and she always kept us updated on doctor appointments. She even wanted us to come visit her as soon as possible. When we met her for the first time, it felt like we had always known her. We shared a meal and learned so much about her as we experienced her sense of humor and her strength in person. After we returned home, she let us know she was interested in an open adoption, and we couldn’t have been happier about that! We are so grateful for her choice and look forward to the day when she is a bigger part of our lives.
The Day It All Happened
We received a call from Wren’s birthmother about three weeks before her due date. She had just left a doctor’s appointment and had been told there was a good chance she would go into labor soon. Hurrying home, we packed up as quickly as possible and made the seven-hour drive. We ended up waiting another 15 days before Wren was ready to join us, but those days were so special to us! We were able to explore and get to know the city where Wren would be born, and we got to spend more time with Wren’s birthmom and Wren’s half-siblings! We are forever grateful for those days.
When Wren was delivered, we were there right beside her birthmother. She was incredible. She asked us to cut the cord, and Wren’s first snuggles were in the arms of her amazing birthmom. It was an indescribable feeling holding Wren in our arms when it was our turn. We were fortunate enough to receive a hospital room next to Wren’s birthmother for the length of Wren’s stay. We took those days to spend more time with Wren’s birthmother and to bond with our new baby girl. We shed many happy tears during that time.
Trust Made It All Possible
Throughout our journey, if there’s one thing we learned, it was that you have to just trust the process. We had to do our best to set fear and worry aside or else they would have completely consumed us. We made the conscious decision that we would not waste our emotional energy on what we could not control. We saved our strength for the joyful emotions, the ones worth savoring.
Our marriage is stronger because of our journey. We learned just how much we love one another and how we can weather storms as a family. This realization has given us the confidence to eventually grow our family again. We want Wren to have siblings, and we can’t wait to give her that.
Our adoption journey and becoming parents has helped us to grow in so many ways. We are dedicated to passing along many of the lessons we learned to Wren as she grows. We want her to always lead with her heart, be trusting, be confident in herself, and be persistent.