In the spirit of National Adoption Month and Thanksgiving, we encouraged our staff to reflect on some of their favorite adoption memories. Here are a few that stood out!
“I will never forget the one adoption we did back in 1996 at Christmas time where the birth mother thought she was having one baby boy and ended up having twins. This was not discovered until the family was on an airplane on their way to the hospital and their birth mother was in labor. The adoption took place on Christmas Eve, and the birth mother surprised the family when they got to the hospital with a boy and girl instead of just a boy. This particular adoption happened very early on at the agency, but I still think about it. It was a super surprise, everyone cried for joy, and it was great to be part of such a journey for this couple!” – Wade Morris, Director of Community Resources
“One of my favorite things about sitting at the front desk of the office is when a local adoptive family comes in to drop off their pictures and letters. The parents are always so happy, and their kids are really happy too. It is so awesome to actually get to see the kids and how their moms interact with them, even just for a few minutes. It’s a small thing, but it really warms my heart and makes my day when I see the babies/children with their adoptive parents.” – Elexx, Project Coordinator
“I have worked for American Adoptions for over 14 years, so it is safe to say I have seen thousands of adoptions. Therefore, it is very hard for me to single out one or two favorite adoption moments.
“I have worked with countless families who, by the time they got to me, were heartbroken through years of infertility. The feel good memories which stand out to me are the families who are so taken with the birth mother that they incorporate her name into the child’s. These are almost always the families who secretly hope for a closed adoption because they had fears about the birth mother and the ongoing relationship they might have to keep up; they were afraid to get to close to her for fear she would want the child back and break their hearts all over again.
However, soon after the baby was born, they witnessed the incredible sacrifice that this woman was making for them to become parents and realized that she is not a threat to them. I remember baby “Eric” and baby “Cooper,” named because of their birth mother’s last names. I remember baby “Stephen,” named because his birth mother’s name was Stephanie. I will always hold a special place in my heart for these adoptions because of the bond that is forever formed between these families.
One specific adoption story that touched my soul was the couple who had miscarried twin girls pretty late in their pregnancy. As they mourned the loss and started through the journey of adoption with us, they understood that the chance of adopting twins was pretty rare. We only see maybe five sets of twins a year between both programs, so the likelihood that this would happen to them was slim to none at best. However, that was not the case. They were matched with a birth mother who was carrying twin boys! In my 14 years, that is a story I will never forget. It confirms the cliché I say to my families all of the time (and I almost sure they get sick of hearing), but everyone ends up with the baby (or babies!) they are supposed to!” – Angie Newkirk, Adoptive Family Specialist
And look back on what National Adoption Month means to Adoptive Family Specialist Kelli!
