Our Adoption Story
How it all began...
A Family Affair
As we started trying to grow our family and found that we were struggling to have biological children, adoption was the clear option for us. Adriana’s sister was adopted and Bradley’s brother adopted his son, so we felt comfortable exploring what the process would look like for us. Bradley’s brother had adopted with Angel Adoption and was always bragging about how great their experience was, so when we decided to start looking into adoption, we started with Angel. We immediately felt comfortable with them. Once we officially started the process, we were equally excited and nervous! We couldn’t believe that we were doing this.
It Only Takes One
As our wait stretched on without any opportunities, our excitement slowly turned to discouragement. We continued to remind ourselves that waiting was part of the process and did our best to keep the faith.
Finally, as we neared the two-year mark, we got THE call. Adriana works nights and was getting ready for bed when Angel reached out to let us know that an expectant mother had chosen our profile and wanted to talk to us. Adriana said yes immediately and then called Bradley to tell him the news. The expectant mother only lived a few hours from us and she was only in her first trimester. We knew if our communication went well and she liked us, we would be in it for the long haul.
We started by texting her. After some pleasant conversations, we set up a time to meet in person. We chose to meet at a halfway point between us and get lunch together. We were so nervous. We felt like this may be the most important moment of our life and we really wanted it to go well. Thankfully, our first meeting was wonderful, and we clicked!
From that point on, we started texting more regularly and got to know each other better as her pregnancy progressed. Given how close we lived to each other, Adriana was able to attend doctor’s appointments with the expectant mother during her second and third trimester, which was incredibly special. We were even able to have our own gender reveal party.
Even though we felt as though our relationship was stable and going well, there were times that the expectant mother would become less communicative and we worried that she was changing her mind. We had to remind ourselves to stay calm and that what was meant to happen would happen.
Meeting Brody
The Monday after Easter Sunday, Adriana, Bradley and the expectant mother attended a routine doctor’s appointment together. Through previous appointments, we were already preparing for her to likely deliver earlier than her due date, but this appointment changed everything. At this appointment, they found a concern with the baby’s heart and they wanted to admit the expectant mother immediately.
We left the doctor’s appointment and each ran home to grab some supplies. Then we headed back to the hospital so the expectant mother could be admitted. Adriana stayed with the expectant mother through the night while Bradley waited at home to hear what would come next.
Two days later, the expectant mother was induced. Late that evening, our son, Brody, was born! Adriana was able to be in the room for Brody’s birth. His birthmother was the first to hold him, then was quickly brought to the NICU, four days later Adriana held Brody for the first time. He would spend two weeks in the NICU strengthening his heart.
Getting Stronger in the NICU
Initially, it was very overwhelming to see Brody hooked up to everything in the NICU. Even with Adriana being a nurse herself, she felt scared. But we knew he was getting the best care possible and we trusted the medical team. Adriana spent every day in the NICU with Brody and provided regular updates to his birthmother on how well he was progressing. Bradley was able to come to the hospital between work hours and spent as much time as he could while Brody grew stronger.
While Brody was in the NICU, his birthmother met with the attorney to sign over her rights. It was the most agonizing day of our lives. We were pacing and waiting, pacing and waiting. Bradley was the one that finally saw the attorney coming to tell us the news. When we finally heard that she signed, we both wept in relief. We shared the news with our families and Adriana received a text from her dad that said, “Congratulations, mom!” That text in particular meant the world to her.
Our Family Today
At almost two weeks to the day from when we walked into the hospital, we finally left with Brody. It felt so good to drive those few hours home with our son. Once at home, settling into our lives and trying to establish a routine was harder than we imagined. Everything felt so big and scary without the hospital staff around, and after wishing and wanting for a child so badly, we felt guilty reaching out to ask for any help. Thankfully, we have amazing families who stepped up to make the transition so much easier for us. We are so proud of the family that we have become.
We have continued to provide Brody’s birthmother with updates and pictures. She has met up with Adriana and Bradley a few times to see Brody. We’re just going to continue to keep that door open for her. She made us a family, and we are so grateful for her every day.