“Please listen before you say anything.” Those were the first words I heard when I answered the phone in June 2017. It was a call from our adoption agency — and what they told us completely changed our lives.
Z Michael Studios Photography
They had shown our profile book to a couple without telling us first. After much prayer, they felt we were meant to be the family. The birth parents and their extended families all chose us. It was a baby girl and she was expected to arrive the following month.
Erica Hartzog Photography
We had been matched. I had so many questions in my head, but the only thing I could say was “yes.” Deep in my heart, I knew she was our daughter — the child we were always meant to have. I phoned my husband, and before I could even finish speaking, he said, “Yes.”
He started telling everyone at work, “I’m going to be a dad,” and proudly saying, “This is our daughter.”
Erica Hartzog Photography
Our journey didn’t begin there. I had felt a calling to adopt for as long as I could remember. On our third date, I told my husband that I always knew I would adopt. To my surprise, he felt the same. We married in 2006, moved with the Army from Washington to Georgia, and talked about building a family. But life kept getting in the way. My husband was deployed often. It never seemed like the right time. After ten years of marriage and a lot of waiting, we finally stepped out in faith.
Erica Hartzog Photography
It took a year to finish the paperwork, home studies, fundraising, and choosing an agency. Then came the long wait. Our profile was shown many times, but every time, the answer was no. Each “no” chipped away at our hope. We wondered if something about us made us unfit, if God really wanted this for us. But He was preparing us. And when we finally matched, everything moved fast. Meeting the birth parents was emotional. We were nervous, unsure what to expect. But when we met, it felt natural. Being together felt so natural, like we’d shared a lifetime already.
Courtesy Bridget Bohannon
Jennifer Corcoran Photograhy
When we left, the birth mom said, “You’re exactly what I imagined you’d be.” Our daughter arrived two weeks later. We waited at the hospital while the birth family spent time with her. The next day, we met her. There were hugs, tears, and deep gratitude.
Kayla Dawn Photography
When her birth mom said goodbye, it broke our hearts. Her goodbye was our beginning. That moment will always stay with me. We have an open adoption. Some people question that. But for us, it’s a blessing. Loving our daughter means loving her birth family, too. Adoption is both pain and joy and the most beautiful gift we’ve ever been given.
