“Our daughter cried a lot. Basically anytime she was awake, she was crying. Was it supposed to be this hard? We had hours of doctor’s appointments, therapies, and evaluations. But there would no longer be uncertainty for our little girl.”
‘She was exposed to substances in utero. She didn’t want to be held. I wondered if we’d made a mistake.’: Couple adopts daughter from foster care, ‘I am so thankful she’s ours’
‘We don’t have a dad here.’ I scrambled how to respond. I was by myself, thrown head first into parenting.’: Single mom fosters 18 children, adopts son, ‘Our heartbreak is worth it’
“I went from getting licensed to being a single parent almost immediately. I was in over my head. Together, we are conquering his demons.”
‘How much longer?’ we asked. ‘We can expect twice as long as a straight couple.’ The call came. She was 17.’: Gay dads share open adoption journey, ‘It’s the gift of a lifetime’
“’How do you feel about having children?’ It was on our second date. I was in Atlanta at a business conference. My cell phone rang. ‘We’ve been matched!’ Triton and I burst into tears.”
‘I found pictures. ‘You can leave now.’ They went to cut off the ‘mother’ bracelet. We prayed for a miracle.’: Woman describes adoption scam, ‘We are trusting in God’
“I asked if she thought she was for sure going to give her child to us, and she hesitated. ‘Come quickly!’ Things were going fast, and she didn’t want us to miss it. ‘She wants you to meet the baby.’ I stood outside the room bawling in my husband’s arms.”
‘You would have to be prepared to adopt.’ My heart stopped fluttering; it just stopped. ‘How am I even allowed to be doing this?’: Woman becomes transracial foster mom, ‘We are the lucky ones’
“She was playing basketball with all the neighborhood kids in our front yard when I got home from work. My heart fluttered. ‘What the heck am I doing? Can I even be a good mom? I know NOTHING.’ I walked up and tried to say hello to her.”
‘The ministry called. ‘We have a boy and a girl. Would you be open to adopting two children?’ WHAT? Could this be real?! We were moved to tears.’: After 11 miscarriages, failed surrogacy, couple adopt 2 kids from foster care
“11 miscarriages, a failed surrogacy, and a failed adoption later, a family member on my husband’s side begged us not to give up. ‘Try ONE more time.’ If it was meant to be, it would be. ‘These are actually our babies?!’ TEARS upon tears of joy came upon me as I held them.”
‘I’ll be back for you, I promise.’ I looked back with tears in my eyes. Her life is a revolving door of state workers and strangers.’: Adoptee becomes volunteer foster care advocate, ‘No act of love is too little’
“Her vocabulary includes words that would break your heart. As she expressed the pain in her heart, I felt as if I was looking at my former self. ‘I know you, I see you, and I am going to fight for you.’ She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and told me she believed me. I’ll show her she can.”
‘I’m actually not due for another 4 weeks.’ I threw my phone across the bed. The desire to add to our family didn’t just go away.’: After infertility battle, mom births 2 miracle babies
“’When do you think you’ll have more kids?’ I spent every day thinking about it, worrying about it. It was exhausting. All our eggs were literally in 1 basket, and it failed, again. I shredded anything that said the birth mother’s name. ‘I WILL have a baby this year.’”
‘We didn’t want to announce, ‘ADOPTIVE FAMILY’ every time we walked in a room. It was never a question of love.’: Mom of multiracial family says ‘our happily ever after is my favorite story’
“I cried all 300 miles home. We took some time to grieve and decide if we were going to pursue adoption or remain childless. Then one day, I heard a news story out of Haiti, and something in me perked up. ‘There they are. Those are our kids.’”
‘Get those kids out of here!’ They began chest compressions. The pictures showed a happy family. Would I ever have that?’: Foster youth becomes adoptive mom after ‘aging out’
“I realized I’d be ‘aging-out’ of care. No one ever adopted me. I had to get a job and work. I needed to save money. I cried. I cried for the sacrifices I was forced to make.”
