Chris and Amy's Adoption Story

The phone rang late Tuesday morning, at the end of January, bringing us the joyous news of the birth of our son, Logan. We frantically threw things together into suitcases while calling our travel agent to get us booked on the fastest possible flight from our home in Arizona. Within hours Chris and I were off-beginning our journey to Kansas to pick Logan up from the hospital where he was bom. On the way to the airport, and in between flights, we called family members to let them know of our new arrival. While we frantically searched through baby name books on the plane (we still had not decided on a middle name), we tried to keep our emotions under cautious control. Excitement only slightly outweighed our fear.

We arrived at the hospital in Kansas on Wednesday evening. The hospital social worker had stayed late just so that she could meet us. We signed the papers and then a nurse brought in our two day old son. The next day we got to meet his birth family. We ate lunch with them and then took a whole roll of family photos together. Both of Logan's birth parents welcomed our invitation to have a completely open adoption and we gladly exchanged addresses and phone numbers. They are wonderful, loving people who look forward to being a part of Logan's life.

When we flew back to Kansas to finalize his adoption three months later, we met with them all again. His birthparents had a chance to spend some quiet moments with Logan while Jessica played with their other children. They even came with us to the court for the actual finalization, not because they had to, but to show their support for Logan on his big day as he officially and legally became a permanent member of our family. Hopefully someday they will be able to make the journey out to Arizona to visit us here.

We have been through so much as a family in this past year. We have truly experienced the greatest of joys as well as the deepest pains associated with adoption. We have also had to confront all the emotions associated with loving a new child after the loss of another. However, we are still adamant supporters of adoption and are grateful for the choices that both Jessica's and Logan's birthparents made.

The journey that we have had to take to become a family has certainly been more turbulent than we ever would have wished, but it is what has made us a family and we wouldn't have it any other way. And when we tuck our children in bed at night we know that somehow everything is as it should be. Who knows, maybe someday in the future we might even anxiously await a phone call announcing the arrival of another child!

Sincerely,

Chris, Amy, Jessica, and Logan