[Dee1234]

I thought it would be cool to hear success stories from those who have adopted domestically. So, here are some questions for those of you who have successfully adopted.

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?

Looking forward to reading your responses!

[sneezyone]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
The wait, if you can call it a wait, was about two weeks.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
Through an adoption facilitator.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
I thought her birth was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen; I thought this little girl was absolutely amazing and so, so perfect. She had the cutest, teeniest little rosebud lips. She still purses them and smacks them when she's sleepy, just like in the beginning. She had all ten fingers and all ten toes and smelled soooo good (once properly scrubbed, of course ). I thought, wow, this is OUR little girl. Tears, lotsa tears. Just snuggling her little self up to my neck...priceless.

I have to say part of it was funny tho. Bmom delivered by c-section and she was only knocked out from the chest down. She wasn't quite lucid though, really loopy. She kept saying, to me and the docs, "Are they doin' it?? Is the baby out yet? I don't think they've started 'cause I don't feel a thing." She looked at me and said, "Adrienne? Are they doin' it right? Is everything OK?" (like I'd know! ) All I could think to do was nod. When one of her strapped down arms got loose and she started reaching down to feel what was going on, I frantically tried to get the anesthesiologist's attention but couldn't find the words. There I was, pointing like a mad woman, saying "Umm...is that supposed to happen? 'Cause she's...ummm...her arm...uh you might wanna...ummm!"

When we talked about it afterward she didn't remember a thing.

[lmrod55]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
I don't really call it a wait as we knew of the pbparents the day we finished our homestudy - but it wasn't official till a week later.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
We connected thru an agency in our area.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
Precious, just precious! She was perfect from her head to her toes, and I was honored to be a part of her birthday!

I look forward to seeing the responses as well - I know they will be uplifting!

[ess922]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
13 months from our 1st meeting with the atty till our son was born.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
She answered an ad we had placed in her local hometown newspaper.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
OMG!!! I was crying tears of joy and could not believe that I was actually living the moment I'd dreamed about for so long. I was also thinking how small he was and how much he needed us and at the same time how much we loved him already. I also hoped that we'd be just right for him. My mind was racing and so many thoughts were going through my mind in that moment. It is still so vivid for me now 19 mos later.

For all that have yet to experience this moment, you are in for the most incredible feeling of your life. Try to take it all in and enjoy every second.

Looking forward to reading all the other sucess stories. -Ellie

[Nevada Jen]

1. Our wait, technically none but it took 3 months for the homestudy and I don't know that it would be finished yet if our baby was not waiting for us.

2. Connection came through our angecy, ironically on the day I was going to fire them if they did not make some progress on our homestudy so that I could use a different agency or a facilitator.

3. We had to wait 72 hours after birth for bmom tpr before we could see him. I had this picture in my mind of a milk chocolate baby with fuzzy hair. My first thought was "Crap, they messed up and gave me someone elses baby because that kid is white!" Very quickly I would say that my thoughts turned to pure wonderment that this could happen to anyone, let alone me. That he was so perfect and that this was so, so much better than giving birth within 5 minutes I wanted to get him out of there so I could have him to myself. And then pure euphoria. And it has been that way ever since. I have to say, I never felt this way about my daughter who I gave birth to, maybe because of the physical pain that went along with that and then her being a tough baby.

I just love adoption and my fondest wish is that everyone can have as smooth of an experience as I did and that more people would know that if they can welcome a child of a different race into their home who comes from another counrty that they should consider doing it for a child from the US. Bdad termination is in November and we finalize in december.

Jen

[sneezyone]

Jen, Nobody warned you that it takes a little while for the color to come in on the light ones?!? LOL!!

[Nevada Jen]

I knew that but I guess my imagination that had been at work for 72 hours forgot. I was picturing TraceyK's baby. It really was a shock!

Jen

[GregDeanna]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
We waited 6 months before we were contacted by bmom. She was only 3 months pregant so we had to wait another 6 months before our daughter was placed into our arms.
2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
We created adoption "business" cards, passed them out to all of our friends and family. A good friend of mine posted hers at her church. On Easter Sunday we got "the call".
3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
Is this really happening . . . somebody pinch me! Then I thought "how is bmom doing? Is she crying as I hold my daughter?" I was also thinking about how beautiful she was and how much I loved her so. So many things go through your mind, I thought about her and the bmom mostly.

[icunurse]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
From start with agency to homestudy completion (plus required classes) - 7 months, homestudy to match 5 months, match to placement - under 2 months. Total = 14 months.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
Matched through our agency.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
I wondered where his bmom had been hiding him, he looked huge (not really, under 8 lbs, but she never wore maternity clothing and she's tiny!). I also thought he was the most amazing baby I had ever seen, everything where it was supposed to be, snuggled up and so peaceful. I also couldn't believe that it was happening, finally, after all that we had been though. It had crossed my mind during our years of struggles that maybe we would never be parents, but, thankfully, I was wrong.

[MMC66]

1) How long did you wait?? we matched with bmom about 2 weeks after completing our homestudy/paperwork and Addy was born 2 months later.

2) How did you connect with Bmom?? I found out about her while looking into classes about transracial families with another agency

3) What was my first thought when I saw her?? She is absolutely PERFECT.

Martha

[mommy3]

Reading everyone's stories is just so special -- Our son is now 8 but as we wait in a possible situation now (and a very recent failed adoption), I've thought so much about the wonder of our son's adoption story. May our next one be as wonderful (we hope it will be with the new pbmom in Dec. . .)

1) How long did you wait to find your child?
From the time our homestudy cleared, it was almost 9 mos to the day. Our son's birthmother, K, conceived within days of our homestudy clearing.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom?
Our agency called us and told us (before ML King weekend, a long holiday weekend, of course) that a birthfamily wanted to meet us very soon. We had to wait the whole weekend before we could reach anyone and then it was hurry up, make travel plans and go to visit the following Wed. Our meeting was scheduled for Thurs. a.m. and when we went to meet her, she went into labor and our son was born 34 hours later on Friday.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?
I was the first person to hold my son, except for the med staff. I sat in a rocker in the birthing room and noticed his beautiful eyelashes and gorgeous hands, tiny fingers. We all felt so close to him and to his birthfamily from that second. We are all still very close.

As I said, I hope for another beautiful (and I expect crazy) experience this time, maybe in 3 mos! susan

[LisaCA]

1) How long did you wait to find your child?

from completion of homestudy to call about pbmom, not quite 4 weeks. dd was born 5 days later. very quick.
we'd planned to adopt in the future from the moment we decided to get married in the 1980s, but didn't feel ready. fast forward, I get a few blood clots in my leg, so my "brush with death" caused me to rethink a few things. I decide I'm almost ready (so brave), but I wait two years before telling dh, just to be sure. we then realize that the timing is bad, since I'm about to take a job the next year in Los angeles, leaving dh behind. we figure no adoption agency will let us go forward, so we wait three years til our houses are together, then go ahead.

2) How did you connect with his/her birth mom? we had a facilitator, who matched us with her.

3) What was the first thing you thought when you saw your child for the first time?

i arrived the day after she was born in Illinois It was after 9pm, but I explained the situation to the guard at the desk and then met bgrandma. she gave me a big hug, I met dd's aunt, who was 10 at the time, then I went up to meet dd. I remember all the nurses stared at me, I think wondering who would fly in to adopt a baby. I smiled and walked past, went into bmom's room. I remember telling bmom that she looked beautiful (and she did). I gave her a hug, then they presented dd to me. She was so small, curled into a little ball. I held her for a few minutes, then gave her back to bmom. totally blown away. I stayed only a few minutes, about a half hour or so, then left. When I showed up the next day, there was a new guard at the desk but she knew the situation and greeted me with "hey new momma!"-that was so cool. Spent the next day with bmom, bgrandma and bmom's friends and family as they streamed thru to meet dd-awesome.

[Michelle 053002]

FIONA's story
1) wait time 2 months

2) Bmom chose us from "the book" we had to write our story and have pictures, never met her, talked on the phone for 5 minutes a week after we brought dd home.

3) The whole staff at the hospital came out to tell us how beautiful she was. I figured they were lying and I said to dh," be prepared our dd looks like a TROLL and they are afraid to us until we sign papers".
When she was wheeled out, I could not catch my breath, she was so tiny and so beautiful I still remember that perfect button nose, I loved her instantly.

J's story
he is still technically foster so his is a little different but moving the way of adoption
1 & 2) we learn from our neighbor that her dd's Bmom was pregnant again and wouldn't be allowed to keep the baby( this in Oct-- baby due in Jan) we rush to find the agency that will work backwards and get us approved and certified to do foster care ( most people get certified and then wait for the agecny to find them the children). we are 2 days shy of being approved when he is born so he goes to a temp. foster home for 7 weeks

3) I was really shocked by his size ( much bigger then I expected) also much lighter, I thought he's look like his half sister ( our neighbor). I loved him instantly too, tried to hold back in case he didnt' get to stay but couldn't.

[redhedded]

I have two perfect babes adopted at birth. Daughter arrived after one year of waiting and two failed matches. The agency attorney we used with our daughter contacted us about ds two months before his birth; we were not actively pursuing adoption. We used an agency both times. My feelings were overwhelming both times. I thought I would faint. I wondered how on earth that I could ever have been so blessed to have these babes enter my life. I prayed silently and vowed to birthmother to always love them, support them and encourage them and to ensure that they knew how much she loved them. Both times, I knew that I was eternally changed; I would never be the same again.

Here is my girl at 12 hours.

[redhedded]

And here is my son, 8 months ago, in the NICU, at 10 days old.