Baby Chase
Craig and Cheryl are representative of many of the adoptive families who sign up with American Adoptions.
Many of our families have struggled for months, and many times for years, with infertility. The husband administers shots and watches his wife become increasingly ill during the cycles of treatment, all while friends and family members are having children of their own. The fertility treatments continue to be unsuccessful, and the couple wonders if the next attempt might be “the one,” as their savings continue to dwindle.
The couple finally decides to leave their infertility behind them and adopt a baby. However, this decision isn’t always an easy one to make, as Craig experienced.
Craig and Cheryl’s story is also a typical adoption story because it has a happy ending, with the couple realizing their dream of becoming parents. This is their journey to parenthood.
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On a cool Wednesday evening in March 2010, Craig was enjoying a night to himself at his home in Connecticut. His wife Cheryl was at her sister’s house with her and her husband’s new baby, who was just brought home from the hospital earlier that day.
Little did Craig and Cheryl know, their own family was about to change that night as well.
The phone rang and Craig didn’t recognize the caller ID. Thinking it was a telemarketer, Craig let it ring. A few minutes later, the caller persisted and the phone rang again. Craig was getting perturbed because it was too late for telemarketers to call.
“Hello,” he answered sarcastically.
“Hi. This is Lissa from American Adoptions. I’m calling to let you know that you’ve been selected.”
Unprepared for the news, Craig was in shock and didn’t hear much of what was said after that, until…
“It’s a boy,” Lissa said.
After a few minutes, the realization had finally set in – Craig was going to become a father.
“I started crying. I was ecstatic, scared, excited,” Craig said. “It was like finding out your wife is pregnant. It was just an unbelievable feeling.”
Meanwhile, Cheryl was on her way to a local drugstore to pick up a few things for her baby niece. She noticed she missed a phone call from American Adoptions, and decided to call Craig.
“They probably just need more paperwork,” Cheryl suggested.
“No, Cheryl. That’s not why they called…”
After hearing the news from her husband, Cheryl broke down and cried in the drugstore, overcome with the emotions from the journey her and Craig took to reach this moment.
To read the rest of Craig, Cheryl and Chase’s adoption story, please click here.
