John and Tammie
Wow! What can we say but a child may not come right when you want, but he or she will come right on time! For us, the timing was perfect, because John Mark was meant for us and with the assistance of Adoption Associates, Inc., we received the perfect blessing.
We had been trying for six years to conceive, and after several surgeries and a hospitalization, we decided that we would no longer focus our hopes on having a biological child. We realized that our dream of having a family could still come true through the blessing of adoption.
In the winter of 2006, we started the adoption process. We were optimistic about adopting since our friends had recent success with their adoption. We signed up with an agency in our town and began the process. Our home study process went well. However, sometimes it seemed as if it was taking forever. Then we got the letter that our home study was approved on February 27, 2007. We sent our profiles to local agencies and waited approximately three weeks, but we still hadn’t heard anything. Then, a friend who had also adopted advised us to contact Adoption Associates, Inc., since I was from Michigan. This is where the blessings and miracles began.
I first contacted Adoption Associates, Inc. on Monday and sent in all the required documentation. Then, we were contacted that Thursday by an Adoption Associates, Inc. staff member who told us that a birth mom was considering our profile. I asked when the baby was due and was not given that information. She advised me the next day that the birth mom wanted the weekend to choose a family. That was the longest weekend, but I didn’t worry. On Monday, we learned that not only had we been chosen, but that the baby was already born, the birth mom was terminating her rights that Wednesday, and that the birth father had already terminated his rights. Therefore, we could become parents that Wednesday or Thursday. Needless to say, we dropped everything and planned on making the 11 hour trip to Michigan to get our baby.
That night I went out and bought everything I could think he would need. We notified our immediate family and close friends, and they were all excited for us. It was great that it all happened in Michigan because when my husband had to go back to work, I had the support of my family.
We soon received the call that the baby’s birth mom had been to court and terminated her parental rights. That meant that the baby was ours. We were scheduled to see him that Thursday and go back on Friday to pick him up, and once again, Adoption Associates, Inc. came through. After speaking with Nancy Cannon, we were advised that we could take him home that Thursday, March 28, 2007. Tears fell and joy filled our hearts. We had been blessed with a son after only waiting one month from the approval of our home study. We met his birth mom and let her know how grateful we were that she had chosen us. We will always have a place in our hearts for his birth parents because they have blessed us with the most adorable and loving son, along with making our dream of being parents come true.
From the moment we saw him, we knew he was meant to be ours. We both were overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t wait to hold him. It was amazing how much he looked like my husband and how instant the love and connection was. We couldn’t quit looking at him on the drive home; I sat in the back with him and just looked at him. He was so perfect.
My family in Michigan was overjoyed for us and loved him from the start. We had an abundance of love, company, and gifts for him. Everyone was amazed about our story and how perfectly matched to us he was. They kept repeating that this baby was sent from God and meant for us. Both of our families have fallen in love with John Mark and continue to send their love and support.
The best part of our adoption story was getting John Mark home and settling into our routine. It felt so good to pull up into our driveway as a family and take him into our home. Our lives have changed in the most positive way. Now that he is four months old, we receive daily confirmations that he was meant for us. He looks like his dad more and more every day. We have created such a close bond with him and it is such a natural and loving feeling. We enjoy our family time and outings. It’s such a good feeling to be out and about as a family. Family is everything to us, and we plan on being the best parents as our family grows. But for now, seeing him develop and advance on a daily basis is nothing short of amazing. He is everything to us, and we cannot imagine life without our little John Mark.
In addition, John Mark hash enriched and enhanced our marriage. He has brought unbelievable joy into our lives. We are so proud to be his parents and so grateful to his birth mother for choosing us. He is the most adorable, happy, loving, and bright baby. He amazes us weekly with all the new things he does. I stay at home, so we have formed a very strong bond and he knows his Mom. The smilies he gives just melt my heart, and I love snuggle time. John has taken on the role of fatherhood well too. They have a great relationship. He is also a great diaper changer, and I’m loving that.
We are so grateful that we decided to contact Adoption Associates, Inc. The staff at both the Lansing and Grand Rapids offices did an excellent job. Without their dedication and commitment to creating families, we wouldn’t have been blessed with our son. Everyone that assisted us should be commended for their hard work, which resulted in the most blessed event in our lives. We appreciate how thorough they were in providing the birth parents’ background information and the great host care they provided for John Mark. We have referred several of our friends to Adoption Associates, Inc. and will continue to speak highly of the agency. We hope to adopt again within the next couple of years and will be looking to Adoption Associates, Inc. to assist us once again.
