Well, first let me introduce myself . . . I am Ms.Birthmom’s adoptive mother, and I would like to share some of my thoughts with you. Let me begin by saying that I am very proud of my daughter; she rocks and she shines! I wish you could all meet her; she’d definitely brighten your day. Let me tell you, she’s certainly been the light of our lives.
I’d like to tell you the story of how Ms.Birthmom came to be a very special part of our family. My husband and I had been married for about 6 years and very much wanted a family, but it didn’t happen as we expected. As God would have it, He had another plan. We had been to all the infertility specialists and kept hearing the same answer . . . “There’s really no reason why you aren’t becoming pregnant. Give it time, it’ll “probably” happen someday.” Well, as an old friend used to tell us, “There are 3 types of people in the world: those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that don’t know anything’s going on.” My husband and I have never been ones to watch things happen. We were in the office of the final doctor we were EVER going to see about infertility, and he asked us if we’d ever considered adoption. (In fact, we’d discussed it many times.) We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were meant to be parents so we decided then and there (in his office) to begin the adoption process. What an exciting adventure it was! We were sent down the hall to a counselor’s office, whom he assured us would lead us down the path to finding our child. The thought of “searching” for our child intrigued us. We began “looking” with an enthusiasm that we’d never before experienced. We were instructed to send a letter to as many people we could think of: family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. In the letter we told a little about ourselves, what we do for work, where we lived, the types of fun activities we enjoyed. The idea was to spread the word that we were anxious to adopt a child. Our dream was coming true – we were on the track to becoming parents!!
Over the next few months we had a few responses, but none that came to fruition. Our hopes remained high. In early August of 1980 we had the best phone call of our life! A past real estate client knew someone who knew someone. . . . Peggy was due to deliver in 12 days! Not a lot of time to prepare for parenthood, but we were doers, and we would be ready! Soon we got the call that Peggy was in labor so we made the 3 hour drive to the hospital only to find out it was a false alarm, and she was being sent home. The drive home was long and a little disappointing that our car seat was still empty. But the next day the call came again, so in a flash we were on our way. At the hospital we were up all that night pacing in the waiting room. One woman observed how nervous we were and said to my husband, “I know you must be the expectant father, but who is she?” I immediately chimed in with that unmistakable look of joy, “I’m the expectant mother!” We all got a huge laugh out of that. 
Ms.Birthmom came into the world at 11:22am on August 25, 1980, bruised and battered due to a breech birth, but to my husband and I she was THE most beautiful baby in the world! There are no words to describe that first feel of her soft skin or the sweet smell of her hair– she was absolutely perfect, and she was God’s chosen daughter for us! And now as I sit and write these thoughts and think back to that time so long ago, I have tears of joy in my eyes, remembering the love that we felt at that moment. That special moment that is now such a sweet memory.
So now my fabulous daughter is a birth mom herself and has had 2 boys who she has so lovingly put up for adoption. People ask if it’s been hard for us as well, but we can only smile and think how proud we are for the decision she made to give her boys life. They are still our grandsons, and we have definitely given new meaning to the word “family.” We have a special bond with their adoptive families and with the boys, one I wouldn’t trade for anything. We will always be Grandpa Tom and Grandma Sue!
*Thanks Soozie!!!
My husband is in the Air Force and we are getting stationed overseas. A new adventure for both of us.
