Our adoption journey has been a whirlwind. After considering adoption for years, it was in January of 2021 that we decided to take the plunge. We started doing foster to adopt research. I talked with numerous state agencies and nothing felt quite right. We have two children already, the unknowns associated with foster care was not the path for us.
A simple Google search…“private toddler adoptions in the United States” led me to Graceful Adoptions. I reached out via email and Karen, Graceful Adoptions’ Founder, emailed me back almost instantly to set up a zoom meeting with both my husband and me. We connected instantly. Karen was a breath of fresh air. She was honest, kind, and easy to talk to but most importantly to us, she was ethical. Her priority is birth parent advocacy and the welfare of the child. It only took one call, but we knew Graceful Adoptions was the agency for us and the guiding compass to bring our next child home.
Our journey has been a beautiful experience! After finalizing all of the initial paperwork with Graceful Adoptions, we began working on our family profile information, and before it was even complete, we received a call from Graceful Adoptions’ staff saying that they had a potential match for our family. This call made it very clear that Graceful Adoptions helps facilitate the best matches possible, regardless of the timeline.
Within days, we were interviewed by Axl’s parents via zoom and by the next weekend we were on a plane to meet them in person. We had a wonderful weekend getting to know all three of these amazing people. When we started the adoption process, we were aware of the impact that we would make on a child’s life, but we were unaware of the positive impact that we would have on the birth parents’ life as well. We were able to spend so much time together, as a unit of 5, that not only did we fall in love with our future son, but also his mom and dad who had raised, loved, and nurtured him. Without Graceful Adoptions, we would not have understood the importance of this relationship and the complete benefit to having an open adoption.
Axl will know who he is, where he comes from, and the completely selfless love that his parents have for him; why? because not only will we tell him, but so will they.
Not only does Graceful Adoptions facilitate all in person meetings, stays, and transition plans, but they also orchestrate all of the behind the scene events. Graceful Adoptions found the proper legal teams for representation, made us aware of state compliances, and provided counseling with Graceful Adoption’s great social worker.
I am writing this story during the last day of our transition plan. We have been in Georgia for the past week spending time with both our son and his biological parents. I have learned how necessary this process is and how it is giving us the best outcome for success. Our son is loving, kind, funny, and smart. He is attaching to us properly and feels comforted by our love and presence. Thank you, Graceful Adoptions, for your deep knowledge of attachment and giving my family the best outcomes for success.
If I could give anyone advice when it comes to working with Graceful Adoptions, it would be to encourage and embrace the process. Graceful Adoptions staff are experts in their fields and want nothing but the best for everyone involved. Their dedication to your health and well-being is their top priority. It’s not a coincidence that their adoption success rate is 93%.
Thank you, Graceful Adoptions, for bringing our son Axl home.
Kelsey and Ricardo
Seattle, Washington
