Published June 2006
By The Cradle Staff
When we began our adoption journey in February of 2005, we really did not know what to expect. The idea of open adoption was very new to us. In the beginning we were quite leery about the entire concept, but going through every step of the process from the classes to all the paperwork we found ourselves really accepting the idea of open adoption. We realized that open adoption is definitely best for our daughter.
On March 10, 2006, we met with our birthmother for the first time. Words cannot express how nervous we both were, but after spending just a few moments with our birthmother we were overcome with a sense of peace. Everything just felt right. The Cradle told us that you would know what birthmother/birthparents would be the perfect fit. We now know that is so true! There was an instant connection between the three of us. It is so amazing how much we had in common. We truly have the utmost respect and love for our child’s birthmother.
March 14, 2006 was the day of placement. The day that we had been waiting for; the day that seemed like an eternity to reach finally arrived. We were more excited to be bringing our daughter, Hannah Elizabeth home. All we can say is it was bittersweet, a loss for one, but the beginning for our new family. Our hearts are full of love and gratitude to Hannah’s birthmother for giving us the greatest gift anyone could ever give. To quote The Cradle’s openness philosophy, “It is no accident that we have been brought together, for together we can accomplish what we could not do apart.” We live everyday by these words of wisdom.
Our lives have been filled with so much love and joy, more than we could have ever imagined. The sudden tears because you just cannot believe that your most important dream has come true. The love and protectiveness in Jeff’s eyes is such a wonderful feeling. Jeff watching me console her when she is having a fussy time or when we are just playing brings so much happiness to him. Everything about parenthood is better than we could have ever expected. We find ourselves lost in time watching everything she does from eating, to sleeping, to playing. Jeff and I love the quiet times we have with her. All the smiles and the coos have definitely made our adoption journey worth it. Hannah is so loved not just by Jeff and I, but our entire family and friends. We love to watch the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins spending time with her. Adopting Hannah has not only brought Jeff and I closer, but closer to our entire families.
Every night there are hugs, kisses, and lullabies before Hannah goes to sleep. It just amazes us how comfortable and content she is lying in our arms and hearing our voices. When she relaxes in our arms and starts to drift off to sleep we know that she feels content, happy and loved. We have only been parents for two months, but it feels as if Hannah has been apart of our lives forever. We were asked if parenthood was all that we thought it would be and our answer was definitely YES!! Actually, better than we could have ever imagined, we know that our lives will be enriched daily as Hannah grows. We cannot wait for all the new firsts that will be coming. To finally feel complete as a family is the best feeling in the world.
