Adoption is a dear and special topic to my heart. My cousins are adopted. One of my very best friends on this planet is adopted. I am an adoptive mommy myself.
Why we chose adoption
I knew I was going to adopt a child since I was about 13 years old. When my husband and I were dating it was a topic that came up. He too was interested in adopting a child. When we were married, it was something that we definitely planned to do.
However, the sad thing is, when you mention that you are going to adopt, the first thing people ask is ” Why?” or “Can’t you have kids of your own?” Whether or not we had the ability to have biological children of our own was not the issue. For us, we wanted a child to love, nurture and raise in a home similar to what we had been raised in, regardless of whether or not that child bore either of our physical characteristics or DNA.
An intense process
We submitted our application for approval to the Alberta government to become adoptive parents in November 2006. For those that are unfamiliar with adoption, it is quite the intensive process. First, you have to choose an adoption agency. From there you have to decide if you want to do a domestic adoption or an international adoption.
If you choose an international adoption as we did, there is a course offered by the agency that you have to take. Then there are the application forms you have to fill out. Applications about yourself, your marriage, education, family, hobbies, careers, medical and psychological history. A social worker has to conduct several home visits. This is where he or she comes to your home, interviews you as to why you want to adopt, asks how your family feels about adoption and inquires if you are of sound mind and body to raise a child.
The waiting game
Then the most difficult part of the process begins... WAITING. You know how, as a kid, it was hard to wait for your birthday, and it was hard to wait for Christmas? This is ten times more difficult. So what did we do while we were waiting? We researched every possible baby thing out there. Cribs, car seats, bottles, diapers, playpens, adoptive breastfeeding, names, you name it we Googled it. We also spent hours “window shopping” online.
Christmas came and went. Easter came and went. We went to a friend’s wedding in Mexico. We went to Newfoundland. We finally got up the nerve to start purchasing baby items since we had no idea when our phone was going to ring and we wanted to be ready to hop on a plane and go. In late spring 2007, one of the references we had spoken with about Acorn Adoptions told us about an adoption coordinator that she had used to adopt a baby from South Carolina.
At this point, we figured it couldn’t hurt to have our names listed in two places since we would have to renew our home study in November again if we didn’t have a match by then. I was a little apprehensive at first but finally hubby convinced me to contact the co-ordinator in South Carolina.
Once again we sent away for information and an application form. We talked to more references that the coordinator had provided us with and created yet another adoption profile. We did all this within the first few weeks of July 2007. Then we waited some more. Did a little more shopping. Started looking at paint colors for a nursery. And then…..
THE PHONE RANG.
'My daughter was waiting'
It will always be one of the most unforgettable moments in my life. I was sitting in the living room watching "Big Brother," when Jeanna, the coordinator called. I remember her asking how we were doing and my asking her what’s new.
"Well," she said. "I am calling to tell you that there was a little girl born yesterday. The birthmother has already signed the paperwork. Your profile is the only one that fits the birth mother’s requirement for an adoptive family. The lawyer’s office says she’s yours if you want her.”
"You mean you have a baby for us?" I said, just to make sure.
I was beyond excited. The word describing my emotions at that moment hasn’t been invented yet, because if it was, I would use it. Jeanna said we could have some time to think about it. I said no way.
There was nothing to think about. Thousands of miles away, my daughter was waiting for me to get her. So I told Jeanna I would call her back since I needed to call the hubby at work and tell him the most marvelous news on the planet. So I called him at work. He fell out of his chair.
'Forever ours'
The next few days were a whirlwind. We went shopping, booked airline tickets, packed our suitcases and headed down to South Carolina for our daughter. The day we met her, August 20, 2007, will forever be one of the most special days in my life. We finally got to hold the child we had been praying for. She was our real-life little baby doll. Our most wanted special little miracle. Happy, healthy and absolutely perfect. Gorgeous in every single way possible.
Today, that gorgeous little miracle is eleven years old. Sassy as they come. Smart as a whip. Loves to dance, cook, and bake. A servant-hearted kid who cares for others, she’s thinking of being a paramedic when she grows up. I wouldn’t change a single thing for the world. She made us a family, she is forever ours.
