We're Adopting!
Well I guess the title was kind of a spoiler, but guess what??! We did it! We signed with the Cradle for the next itty-bitty, tiny-love who will be joining our family, and we are elated!
It has always been in my heart to adopt since I can remember. And I am just so (sooo) grateful to have someone who was able to make the desires of my heart their own. (Mike, I’m talkin’ bout you!)
Knowing this was going to be a long journey, we visited our first agency in February of 2017 when our biological daughter, Rowan, was just 3 months old. It felt … weird, for a lack of better words. Here we were just 3 months postpartum already thinking about baby number two. It was so premature. I hadn’t even fully recovered from giving birth (but that’s a whole nuther post… or not. Too gory. Definitely rated R, or X, or Z… or something like that). Anywho, we ‘liked’ the agency, got some good information, but ultimately decided to keep looking.
Fast forward to when Rowan was 10 months old, we attended the Cradle’s Orientation to Adoption on September 16, 2017 and didn’t leave without committing to them. They are a not-for-profit Adoption Agency out of Evanston. It was the Cradle’s child-centered approach that won us over and distinguished itself from the other agency/ agencies. The Cradle has done their research, they know what is best for kids, and that is their mission. They have a clear vision that is formed around what is best for adopted kids. We felt like the other agency we had previously visited straddled the line on multiple topics and were willing to sway with whatever opinion or view you had. We appreciated the transparency of the Cradle and felt they were wholly concerned with what was best for the biological child and biological parent(s).
We are excited about our journey and are inviting you all to come along with us. I (Stacy) am a verbal processor, so this is a great space for me. I also realize how little information the general public knows about adoption and feel that is partially due to the adoptive parents guarding themselves during the process (and rightfully so). We are going to do our best to remain open and honest throughout our journey for the next member of our family. This forum serves as the beginning of our next child’s narrative.
This is their story and it begins now.
