Reid and Paul’s Adoption Story

On a Sunday September 18th we received a screening call from Kathi, our Adoption MN social worker. She told us there was a birth mother interested in 5 families, and we were her second choice. We were told the birth mother, Lauren, was shy and working slowly through the process. She was due on November 4th, so time was quickly approaching for her to make a plan.

Many days went by and we didn’t hear anything. We wondered if Lauren had picked her first choice. We started to think that maybe this situation wasn’t going to be “the one” for us, which was OK. Our philosophy surrounding our adoption plan was “when it happens, it happens…” as we wait and hope for a placement.READ MORE

Jeff & Beth’s Adoption Story

It all began with a phone call from our Adoptive Parent Counselor and these words: “Hi, this is Robyn. I’ve got a situation that I’d like to talk to you about.” But wait… it didn’t all begin there… it began before that with an Orientation Meeting at Adoption Minnesota.

From the minute we walked into Adoption Minnesota, we knew that we were in the right place. We had visited other agencies, but none of them felt right, none of them felt like “us.” A friend of a friend told us about Adoption Minnesota. She had adopted her daughter through them and said so many positive things, we knew we had to check them out.READ MORE

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Amy’s Story

“I am very proud of my decision. Although he may never call me mom, I feel good inside knowing that I have given him the best gift in the world, a happy life and a chance to make his dreams come true.”

I was 18 years old and a senior in high school when I learned I was pregnant. I have always known about adoption. For many years I have said that if I were ever in the situation where abortion would be a solution, I would choose adoption without a second thought.

I decided adoption was the best choice for my baby as soon as his father failed to accept the responsibility of being “dad.” For me, keeping my son could have been an unbelievable struggle. I had six years of college to finish that most likely would have had to wait. Most of all I didn’t want my son to grow up without a mom and a dad.

I chose the adoptive parents myself. I looked through book of families. Some had children, some didn’t. Each couple had photos and a brief biography about themselves, their children and pets. When I got to the last page, I knew as soon as I saw their pictures that they were the ones. I got to keep their profile from the book.
When I looked at them, I could see parts of my life in theirs. Also, when I read their letter, it was almost as if God had answered my prayers right then and there. Everything that was really important to me seemed to be right there in their family.

I struggled with many emotions at different times in my pregnancy. Sometimes, I wished that I wasn’t pregnant so that I could do more with my friends. Towards the end, I was on bed rest and sick, so I wanted it all to be over. Then, when I had him, I wished it wasn’t all over.

My birth parent counselor was always there for me, and I always had options. She wasn’t saying this is the way you have to do it. She asked me how I wanted things to happen. She let me know I could change things if I wanted, and that was really important to me.

I had a very fast and easy delivery. My boyfriend was there, and everyone at the hospital was great. They respected me for my decision and let me have as much time as I wanted with my son. It was a very emotional time. I had second thoughts and more second thoughts. I cried a lot, but I knew my situation was still the same.

When it came time to leave the hospital, I had things set up a special way so it wasn’t so hard. My boyfriend came to get me before the adoptive parents got there so I didn’t have to see him leave with anyone else.

It was the HARDEST day of my life. I was depressed. It was comparable to losing someone you love, but you know they are still alive. It was very hard. Many, many thanks to my parents, boyfriend and counselor. Without these people, I could never have gone through with it.

I am very proud of my decision. I get pictures, updates, and visits. My son is cuter then ever! Every time I see how happy he is, any doubt I ever had goes away. Although he may never call me mom, I feel good inside knowing that I have given him the best gift in the world, a happy life and a chance to make his dreams come true.

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Amber’s Story

“Going into this process, I never imagined how amazing adoption could be. Even though it was by far the hardest decision I have ever had to make, it was also one of the best ones, too!”

I first found out I was pregnant when I was in my first semester of my freshman year of college. I was terrified about thinking about what I should do. I was still hanging out with the birth father, but we weren’t serious. I remember talking with my mom and she said that she would support whatever choice I made, but asked if I ever thought of adoption. She said that we had family members who were adopted and others who were planning on adopting. I researched a great deal online before I contacted the birth father to tell him I was pregnant and also thinking about doing an adoption.

I was so freaking scared making that call. He was 4 years older then me and I thought for sure he would want to parent! We met up and I told him about the pregnancy. He was in complete shock and said, “What are we going to do? We have no money!” I explained to him that I wanted to look into adoption and what it would look like if we placed. His face looked so relieved.  He agreed that he thought that it would be the right choice. He said that he would like to have an open adoption because he couldn’t imagine saying goodbye forever.

We met with a counselor at Adoption Minnesota. She was incredibly helpful and answered all of our questions. She showed us the book of families and we picked out a bunch that we were interested in. We then set up a meeting with one of the families to meet them in person.

When the meeting day came, I was totally freaked out! Would they like me? Would it be weird? Would I like them? We met at a restaurant near my house. The meeting went better than I could have dreamed of. They were PERFECT! We spent most of the meeting just getting to know each other. They made me feel like they really cared about the birth father and I and were not just in it to get my baby. We called them that night to tell them that they were the ones.  Their reactions and pure happiness is something I will always remember.

When my daughter was born, I realized what people were talking about when they said that you could love someone at first sight. She was adorable and perfect. My mom, along with the birth father and his mother, and I spent a great deal of time at the hospital holding her and getting to know the adoptive parents even more.

When the day came that we were all leaving the hospital, I had so many emotions. I was incredibly sad and even jealous that they were going to get to go home with her. I also felt relieved that I didn’t have to become a parent when I wasn’t ready. I was happy for them and her, too, because I knew that they would give her the very best. When we were leaving the hospital together, my adoptive parents said to me, “Now remember, this isn’t goodbye. She will forever be in your life and will know about how much love went into this decision.”

Going into this process, I never imagined how amazing adoption could be. I get to see my daughter often and get updates on how she is doing and growing. Even though it was by far the hardest decision I have ever had to make, it was also one of the best ones, too! I know that she is taken care of and has the best dads in the world.

Julie & Sean’s Story

“If you’re considering adoption for your child, Adoption Minnesota is a place where you’ll find support and comfort with people who really care about you. For the most important event in our lives so far, we couldn’t have had a better experience!”

When we first discovered that Julie was pregnant, we had lots of questions about what we should do. We knew adoption was one option, but we really didn’t know much about it. So we decided to contact Adoption Minnesota to get some information.

Julie was really nervous about calling, but the birth parent facilitator who took her call was very kind and understanding. She explained the process clearly and sent us written information. We loved our baby very much already, and we wanted the best for him, so we knew it would be a hard decision to find a family we could really trust to give him the best.READ MORE