We always knew God’s plan was for us to adopt. Adoption was already in our family, both of Kristin’s parents were adopted. We tried for two years and then adopted through foster care the first time. Because of where we are in life, this time we wanted to go through a licensed agency.
Prior to working with Graceful Adoptions, we had been matched with two mothers. Neither of those matches worked out as the mother stopped talking to the agency prior to the baby’s birth. Moving forward we were scared about all the unknowns; the process, the waiting, would the mother change her mind, and finances were a huge concern because we had already lost some money in the previous matches. We were concerned that we would get close to a mother and she would change her mind.
When we expressed all of our fears to our Home Study agency, our worker recommended that we work with Graceful Adoptions. She told us about Graceful Adoptions’ financial guarantee, and we discovered we had previously found Graceful Adoptions on–line when we were doing our own research. We knew with financially security we would be able to move forward.
What we found, was so much more than just financial security. They were organized and professional, and delivered their services with a personal touch. We were more than a name or a family to Graceful Adoptions, they cared about us. The adoption process was intense. We learned a lot about each other and our own family going through it. We were specifically impressed by the amount of time they spent reviewing our preferences and working on our Family Profile. We knew that if they were going to match us on our values and criteria, it was clear we would be represented accurately, and with that, a better outcome.
A better outcome is exactly what happened. Our son’s mother first interviewed us on the telephone and based on the call, we traveled to meet her in person. We were filled with emotion – excited and nervous. We prayed through the process and God gave us a lot of peace. We went in with the mindset that we would be ourselves, share our story, and have faith in the rest of the process.
We arrived at the hospital at 2am. Our son’s mother asked that she not be woken, however, wanted us to spend time with him. Graceful Adoptions had called the hospital to let them know we were arriving. We saw the nurse standing at the glass doors holding him. As soon as she saw us, she handed him to us. We were so happy, we both cried.
For other families who choose adoption, consider Graceful Adoptions. They care as much about the adoptive parents as they do the birth parents, they are personally involved along the way, and their knowledge and experience is comforting. We hadn’t experienced that previously. Then, trust them and the process, and don’t let trivial things get in the way of your goal to grow your family.
Kristin and Steven
Lexington, KY
