adoption story

I was so excited to receive a personal message on Hannah's Prayer the other day.* This was from a woman who had been approached to adopt a child in a similar fashion to the way we were. Almost the same. We knew Bri. She did not know the mother of the little girl she would adopt, but she did not go to agency seeking an adoption. Someone came to her and said, "I know someone. Are you interested?" They were!

Melanie was scared and overwhelmed with all the possibilities and failures this leap entailed. I tried to encourage her that these stories can have good endings. She and her husband decided to proceed.

Here is the note:

I don't know if you remember me. But I was the woman who was going to adopt from someone in Louisiana.

Needless to say our little girl was born October 20. I got to be in the operating room and I was the first to touch her. She is beautiful. And we are so blessed.

Thank you so much for all your kind words last summer. You were part of that blessing, and I just wanted to thank you. God used you at a time when I needed someone.

We have a big day tomorrow, we are having her dedicated to God at our church.

Thanks again,

MeLanie

She also included this picture. How ADORABLE is this?

I am so excited for Melanie and her husband and their families.

Adopting within the U.S. can be scary. You have a waiting periodo after the birth at which the birth mother can change her mind for any reason at all. But the truth is, we aren't guaranteed anything in life. We aren't guaranteed that an IUI or IVF will result in a pregnancy. We aren't guaranteed that a pregnancy will result in a life birth. And we aren't guaranteed that a child we bring home will never have anything bad happen to them.

Melanie reiterated this to me in her letter. "This experience has been wonderful. As you include this, I just want you to know. The day after Charleigh was born her Birth mom was having a very hard time. My husband and I were beginning to brace ourselves for the worst. As we sat in the waiting room, one of the nurses told us that we could visit our little girl in the nursery. In the nursery the staff was talking to us about our experience. They wanted to know how we were doing with everything. My answer was, "If I only get this moment to be her mother, then this is the moment I will cherish forever. I KNOW everything will be okay, because God has His hand in this." Wendi, it was true. As a type "A" personality I plan everything out to the letter, and it was okay to not know if tomorrow I would be her mother. It was God. All of it."

Amen.