I remember the first time I spoke on the phone with Taylor. She had such a sweet and warm demeanor about her and after just a few conversations I had a feeling we would become good friends! Kenneth and Taylor were very open with me about their story and what led them down the path of adoption. And I was honored and humbled that they entrusted me with such a big piece of their heart. Before they started the adoption process they had experienced great loss. But I was truly amazed at their perspective, joy, hope and spirit of perseverance that seemed to resonate through our conversations. Their faith and trust in God throughout this journey has been such an encouragement to me and many others. I pray these words will encourage your heart as Taylor shares about their journey to Aden.
For as long as I can remember, I had a desire to adopt a child. Soon after our marriage we talked about starting our family. I (Taylor) was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 14, which would make it difficult for us to conceive. Our plan was to to conceive a biological child through IVF and then complete our family through adoption. So often “we” make plans and God comes in and shows us his plan. We did two rounds of IVF and I became pregnant with twins, but we miscarried shortly after. Through this very tough time we came together as a family like never before. It became very clear to us that God was pointing us to adoption.
We found Christian Adoption Consultants through lots of research and started working with Kelly Todd. We felt a connection to her immediately. She was so kind and patient with us, as we asked a million questions! She was there to provide us with all the answers and pointed us in the right direction. We never felt lost in this experience because we had her holding our hand walking us through the entire process.
Once the home study was finished we began waiting and presenting our profile to expectant mothers. But we didn’t have to wait too long, because less than one month into the process we got the call we were praying for. We were chosen by an expectant mother due with a little girl in a few short months. We were so excited and couldn’t believe how fast everything unfolded! I will never forget the day we waited at the hotel ready to go and meet baby, but instead got news that her mama had chosen to parent. We respected her decision, but were very heartbroken. We had been praying and preparing for this little girl for months. Through this difficult time our adoption consultant, Kelly, was there for us. She was by our side, sending us encouraging emails and texts, reminding us that our story wasn’t over. Once we came to the realization that she wouldn’t be coming home with us, we held strong in our faith. We knew that God had a plan and reminded ourselves that His plan was better than ours and that this baby girl was not meant for us.
We took time to process the loss and a few weeks later resumed our journey to grow our family through adoption. Although it wasn’t easy, we knew everything would work out in His timing. Even though we didn’t have a name or a face, we continued praying for this expectant mama and her baby. One day we got the call that we were matched with an expectant mama who was due in a few weeks. We struggled to stay positive during this time because of what happened previously, but we stayed hopeful even through the uncertainty. During this time Kenneth and I learned so much about each other. We talked more often, prayed together and leaned on family and friends for support. We opened our hearts and minds to truly surrendering for whatever God had in store for us.
A few weeks later we got the call we had been waiting for, “You guys need to start making your way to the hospital.” With heavy and fearful hearts we packed up the car and made the drive. Our baby boy arrived shortly after we made it to the hospital. My husband and I were blessed to receive the gift of seeing our son born into this world, cutting the umbilical cord and doing skin to skin. The love, kindness and generosity our son’s birth mother showed us was truly humbling. She also gave us the honor of being by her side and caring for her boy when she was in the hospital. This gave us time to bond with him. When discharge day came she made the hardest decision she ever had to make. She placed all of her trust in Kenneth and I to be the best parents we could be for her son, Aden. The love she showed and the weight of that decision will never be forgotten and the love she has for her son is undeniable.
This woman made me a mom and I am so grateful for that. We will forever have a bond that is sacred and unbreakable. We are so grateful for this open adoption and our relationship we share with her. We talk often, we share photos and we Facetime. We also have plans for a family vacation together to Disney at the end of the year! She will always be a part of our lives and a part of our family. God has opened our hearts and minds to open adoption and we see the beauty and love of Jesus through this journey.
***If you are interested in learning more about adoption and the services we provide at Christian Adoption Consultants, I would love to chat! Feel free to email me, Kelly Todd, at kelly@christianadoptionconsultants.com and check out Christian Adoption Consultants for more information!***
Congrats Ryan and Ashleigh
Adoption Story – Brett & Tanna