[Annmairi]

Hi. My name is Anne-Marie. At the age of 19, I placed my baby daughter for adoption. That was May 1992. She was less than 30 hrs old when I placed her into the loving arms of her mother. Through the grace of God and the astounding love of the adoptive family we have enjoyed 14 years (so far) in an open adoption.


Truth be told, when “adoption” was mentioned to me at the beginning of my pregnancy, I thought, “Adoption is a wonderful thing….BUT it’s for “other” people. I could NEVER give my baby up. It would hurt too much.” I never gave it any consideration beyond that moment…UNTIL the morning that I heard God speak to me.


The moment is etched into my mind and engraved on my heart. Adoption was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t feel desperate or inadequate or afraid or unsure or any of the multitudes of things many unmarried pregnant girls/women go through. I was very happy with the expectation that I was going to have a baby to love…no matter what the consequences were.


Then that morning came. God’s clear yet inaudible voice gently but firmly told me to pick up the phonebook and find an adoption agency. After who knows how long of looking over each agency ad, I finally made the call that would change my life. And in the process…through my own obedience, I learned so much about my heavenly Father.

When the time came to choose a family, meet the family, and actually place the baby, I had been given such peace. There was no sadness….no regret…only love for my daughter and joy over knowing that she had been a blessing and gift to me and that she was moving on to be a blessing and gift for another family….a family who has never forgotten me.

A few months after she was born, an open adoption counselor employed by the adoptive family told them that I had not “grieved” for my loss. I explained to the adoptive family that I had nothing to grieve over. I didn’t feel as if I had “lost” anything. Maybe that’s because I gave her freely and in obedience to what God had asked me to do.

I married in 1997 and now have 4 additional children (ages 7, 6, 3.5, & 2). Our children have always known about and talked to their ‘big’ sister even before they met her in person (which was only in the past few years due to distance and various circumstances).

Words cannot express the blessings that God has bestowed upon me during these past 14 years. I would love to share my experience with others and be an encouragement to those in need.



BTW...my open adoption is not legally binding. It was the first ever (and possibly only) open adoption in the history of the agency I went through...initiated by the adoptive parents. They were only obligated to send quarterly pictures to the agency for the 1st year.