Guest Post- Rachel (adoptive Mom)

When Paul and I got married I was 20.  As we discussed having children we said the same thing most couples say, “Let’s wait for a bit before we have kids.  We are young, still have a lot of schooling, and would like to have some time to ourselves before having children.”  About a month before getting married we had a spiritual experience that confirmed to us both that we needed to have children now!  We were shocked and scared but knew that we loved each other and could make it work. 

We were married in December 2005 and by the time August 2006 rolled around we started getting a little concerned that I wasn’t pregnant yet.  I went to my doctor and she encouraged us to give it more time.  Month after month passed and we still weren’t pregnant.  Although we were nervous about having children so quickly and while we were so young, we felt it was right – and we both wanted it so deeply (especially since it wasn’t happening).

Before long we started seeing doctors more regularly.  We talked about adoption and prayed about it – but it didn’t feel right at the time.  We felt strongly that we needed to continue down the “medical” route. 

By August 2009 we had endured a couple cycles of IUI and several cycles of IVF all with the same “negative” result.  We were lost.  We were confused.  We kept holding on to the prompting that originally came directing us to have children as we married, and the answers that had repeatedly come as we pursued the medical route but we were at a loss as to why those answers had come, yet we were still childless.  We spent every penny we had and felt like we couldn’t take any more.

We took a break from thinking about everything to give us some time to heal.  During this time we started to talk about adoption.  As we prayed about it we felt an undeniable witness that this was the path Heavenly Father was leading us to, and what He would have us do. 

We filled out the paperwork, did the background checks, and had the home study.  Everything just worked out.  We were so excited about this new adventure that we were on and even the sometimes critical and judgmental comments from friends couldn’t deter our enthusiasm for building our family in this way!

In March 2010 a friend introduced us to one of her friends that was pregnant.  The first time we met her we just “clicked!”  We met for breakfast one morning and spent two hours talking just the three of us.  As we left, Paul and I felt like we could have spent two more hours talking to her.  It came so naturally and it was so fun to get to know her.  A couple weeks later she told us that she was going to place her little girl with us!  We were ecstatic!  She was amazing throughout the next couple months as we anxiously anticipated Adalaide’s arrival. 

Adalaide’s birth day was a day I’ll never forget.  We met her a couple hours after she was born.  I will always cherish the time we spent in the hospital room with Adalaide’s birth mom, Adalaide, Paul and I.  We laughed, Adalaide cried, and we couldn’t have been happier.    Adalaide’s birth mom had some strong spiritual experiences that confirmed to her that Adalaide needed to be part of our family, and we felt the same.  She taught us that she had learned from the “Family, a Proclamation to the World” that “Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”  We feel blessed that Adalaide has such a selfless and Christ like example in her birth mom.

Since Adalaide came into our family we have enjoyed being parents more than we could ever have imagined.  We are grateful for the time that we spent going through the medical procedures because that time helped us grow stronger as a couple – and prepared us to be parents more than anything else we could have done. 

At this point we can’t wait to give Adalaide the gift of a sibling!  She loves children and always points out babies to us.  We are so grateful for the opportunity we have through adoption to be parents.  Thanks for reading the story about our family, feel free to visit our blog for more information about us http://www.paulracheladoption.blogspot.com/.

Love,

Paul, Rachel, & Adalaide