My husband Adam and I tried to have a baby for seven years, but it was really hard.
We started our family in 2007, when our son, Owynn, was born. We never imagined having just one child; it always meant to be more. I grew up in a big, close family with 14 siblings, so I knew how important it would be for Wynn to have a brother or sister. But after five miscarriages and failed IVF treatments, we decided to leave it in God’s hands.
Eventually, we thought about foster care. Owynn was asking for a sibling all the time. He even talked that all he wanted for Christmas was a baby.
We had a lot of deep talks about prayer, about how sometimes God answers us differently than we expect, and how hard that can be to understand.
Adam and I took a class to learn about foster care. But after that, we realized it was not the right fit for us. The goal of foster care is to reunite children with their birth families, and we knew we might not be able to handle that emotionally. Our hearts were already tender, and we knew it would be too painful. Owynn was disappointed, and it broke our hearts to see him so sad.
Then, in June, something incredible happened. By what felt like a miracle, we were introduced to a young woman named Kendra. She was pregnant and wanted to place her baby for adoption. We knew the chances of her choosing us were slim, but we prayed, and those prayers were answered.
We did not tell Owynn at first. We knew how much he wanted a sibling, and we were afraid of breaking his heart again if it did not work out. We kept it quiet, just in case Kendra changed her mind.
On December 6, Kendra gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Naylee. I was in the delivery room, along with Kendra’s sister. Adam waited outside with some of Kendra’s family. When he walked and gently picked up Kaylee for the first time, His eyes lit up in a way that instantly brought back a familiar feeling.
When Owynn was born.
We stood by side with Naylee at the hospital and did not leave her once. When Kendra gave us permission to take her home, we were overjoyed.
When we brought Naylee home on December 8, Owynn had no idea; he said it was the best Christmas gift he could ever get. Kendra asked to be there when we told him, and we were glad she was. That moment meant a lot to all of us.
Now, we are completely in love. We still look at her and feel amazed by how blessed we are. It was God who gave us strength when we were broken. He tested our faith, and in His perfect timing, He gave us our pleasant girl, Kaylee Kenny Ran.
Owynn says December 6 was the best day of his life. He says God gave him not just one sister but two-Kaylee and Kendra. And he is right. Kendra and her family are now a part of us forever. We will always make sure Naylee knows who her birth mom is, and how special she will always be to all of us.
