“Our family thought we were CRAZY.’ ’You should NEVER adopt. You never know what those kids come with.’ We already had two kids with special needs, but we knew God would provide for us. It was love at first sight.”

‘A baby was born yesterday. He may have been exposed to meth.’ There was no doubt in our minds. We turned around and ran to our baby.’: Couple shares adoption journey, ‘We’re meant to be’

‘Wow, your sister looks so much like your parents!’ Until that moment, it had never occurred to me that I was different. I was bitter and angry.’: Adoptee raises awareness, ‘You’re not alone’
“Growing up, my birth story wasn’t like the ones my friends had. I never knew where I was born or what my biological family looks like. ‘Why do I have black hair and black eyes while you’re blonde? I felt displaced.”

‘Mom, I can’t keep being shocked into rhythm every week.’ His heart was running out of fight. It was devastating.’: Mom details son’s heart transplant journey, ‘We got our son back’
“I got a phone call. ‘Parker’s in early heart failure. The disease is attacking his heart.’ He was just days shy of his twelfth birthday. I went into the bathroom, sat on the floor, and cried my eyes out. We were losing him.”

‘The moment she was in my arms, I whispered, ‘I’m your mommy.’ We were CALLED to this. She’s the star of our story.’: Family adopts baby with Down syndrome, ‘Worth isn’t defined by chromosomes’
“She stared into my eyes as I stroked her hair, telling her she was beautiful. It was over 8 months until we saw our baby girl again. 8 excruciating months, separated by a pandemic, on opposite sides of the world. It was GUT-WRENCHING.”

‘I got a life-altering call. ‘Can you come pick up your nephew?’ He was born with drugs in his system. No one warned us about the toll.’: Couple adopts nephew, ‘Our house is his forever home’
“She’d been sneaking Bailey’s into her coffee cup while breastfeeding. He’d cry and bang in his crib until he formed a bump on his head. We transitioned from being ‘aunt and uncle’ to ‘mom and dad.’”

‘He’s only a few days old, and white.’ He didn’t even weigh enough to leave. I did skin-to-skin for weeks.’: Woman battles infertility, fosters-to-adopt, ‘We don’t have to look alike to love alike’
“Seven miscarriages later, the carpet was pulled from under us. She came into our lives at just the right moment.”

‘Our family’s complete.’ Adding another child seemed impossible. Thanks to Jude, my heart changed.’: Mom both births and adopts sons with Down syndrome, ‘They were meant to be brothers’
“I remember telling Michael with 100% conviction, ‘Our family is complete, and I can no longer consider adopting.’ I did not know how I could cope with a child with DS, and the idea of adding another child seemed impossible. Then, I saw his picture.”

‘It’s an impossible mission.’ My mom wasn’t going to give up yet. This was for her little girl. She wasn’t about to lose this fight.’: Transracial adoptee shares journey, ‘My life was forever changed’
“I was abandoned when I was born, dropped off in a box by a school. It broke my mom’s heart. ‘I can’t pick up the phone and end my dream.’ She worked without sleeping, day in and day out, to fulfill her dream.“

‘He sobbed when I drove him home, ‘No, Mommy!’ It was unbearable. In his eyes, we abandoned him.’: Woman adopts brothers 2 years after saying goodbye, ‘God had bigger plans’
“I fell to my knees. It couldn’t be. This baby boy was going to go to an entirely new home. I cried myself to sleep, praying he was safe and loved. My phone rang. When she said his name, I thought I was going to throw up.”

‘How would you feel about having a baby?’ We caught the only flight out. Suddenly, all the heartache made sense.’: Couple adopts after 4 years of infertility, ‘Everything led us straight to her’
“We didn’t get to hear her heartbeat on an ultrasound. We didn’t get a gender reveal party or a baby shower. Nobody visited us at the hospital. And I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”