Why Adoption

 

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After being married a year, we decided it was time to start our family.  We both come from large families and we wanted the same.  After two miscarriages and then years of not being able to get pregnant, we felt led to adoption. Without a doubt, we know we were led to our kids' birth moms.  These three women have given us the greatest gift/privilege to raise their kids.  We feel an extra responsibility to be good parents, to honor them and are forever grateful for their selfless love for their kids.  We know our family is not yet complete and we are anxious to bring another child into our home. 

Read more here and here about our thoughts on our birthmoms. Read more here about my thoughts on infertility.

 

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Openness in Adoption 

Our boys' birth mom’s wanted an open adoption. We have enjoyed building relationships with them and are glad that our boys’ know their birth moms.  I have seen how an open adoption has blessed both our lives and our birth moms' lives.  Our birth moms are not left wondering if their sons are ok and how they are doing. Openness helps with healing.  Besides enjoying our relationship, I appreciate that I can ask questions about genetics and family history.  For the boys, they will have questions answered about why they were placed for adoption, and they know they are loved. We respect a birth mom's privacy and follow her lead.  At times our adoptions are more closed because that is what our birth mom preferred. As parents we are trying to do what is best for our kids.  We feel that the more people who love them the better!

Can We Touch His Hair?- Becoming a Transracial Family

 

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Gavin is biracial and Liliane is full African American. We have always been open to adopting children of other races.  Our extended family is very supportive, accepting, and loving to all our kids.  We know that being a different race from Gavin and Liliane will bring some challenges.  We read books and are part of a transracial adoption support group to help us meet those challenges. We live in a diverse neighborhood so that our kids will go to school with students of many different races and belong to a church that can provide positive role models for all our kids.  Although we get a lot of attention (this could also be because my kids are so cute!), our family has been completely accepted wherever we go.