Hi, our names are Milton, Sarah and Erin and we want to tell you our story. First, we want to say how blessed we feel by having Erin in our lives.

 

Milton and I set out to have a family of our own, (Milton has three children from a previous marriage) and when that didn’t happen we turned to the medical field for help. It seems I am not able to become pregnant. After several IVF treatments and a surgery I could not go on being heartbroken month after month and Milton did not like seeing me go through the pain anymore. We turned to adoption, which was something we discussed when we talked about having a family. We thought about the public system but came up against resistance, it seems our local FIA had been going having some personnel problems and were not well equipped to help us with what we were looking for. We both believe in God deeply and know that there is a plan bigger than us so we were taken aback by what to do next but kept plugging away. We finally found an agency to do our home study and while we were talking with our social worker she suggested we check the Internet for a reliable adoption agency. That’s when we found American Adoptions.

 

We called to put our name in and get an application to become active members. It all happened very fast from that point. We were alerted to a situation but our paperwork from our home study had not been sent in yet, it was completed but was in the process of being sent to American Adoptions. We were pretty upset but realized that once again God’s plan was preparing us for our baby. Once our paperwork had been received our profile was being shown to birth mothers. Since Milton and I are of two different races we were open to a bi/multi racial child. It was only a couple of days after that when Megan Riley called us. She told me about Teka. Megan wanted us to know about Teka’s ethnicity, which is African American/Caucasian/Asian/Native American. I became very excited and told her yes. She warned that I needed to discuss this with Milton and I told her I already knew his answer. While I called Milton, Megan was making a call to Teka. After each of our respective phone calls Megan called me back. She told me that once Teka found out how excited we were she too became excited; she had been guarded due to some previous situations that did not work out. After that we set up phone calls and discussed different things. She told me about her two children and sent pictures so we could put a face with her voice.

 

It was getting close to due date time but no baby yet. Teka was growing increasingly uncomfortable and was ready to deliver. Her doctor had told her if she had not delivered by the Monday after Easter he would induce her. I packed my bags in anticipation of the impending trip. I’m certainly glad I did because at 3:00 am Wednesday, April 16, 2003 we got the call we had been waiting to receive. I’ll never forget that plane ride; since I was awaken in the middle of the night I would alternate between laughing, crying, and sleeping. Teka had wanted me to be there for the delivery but by the time I boarded the plane she had delivered a beautiful 7lb 15.9oz baby girl. We named her Erin Page. I’d wished I could have been there for the delivery but in retrospect Milton and I have the rest of our lives with Erin and we think it was important that Teka got to spend the first couple of hours with her. Milton was unable to attend due to an emergency at his job. He’s sad that he missed those first two weeks (we waited for the ICPC to clear) but being a father already he knew how important that initial time alone with a baby can be for a new mom.

 

We got to have lunch with Teka and her family before taking off. We took some more pictures and shared tears and hugs one last time. I promised Teka I would tell Erin just how strong of a person she is.

 

Erin is two years old now and a ball of energy. She’s very spunky and bright. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. We keep a picture of Teka and the kids along with other family members that Erin doesn’t get to see often. When we parted Teka told me we were family now and she is right. Erin will always be the tie that binds. It would take the rest of our lives if we had to count our blessings from Teka and American Adoptions. We are very fortunate and very happy. We are more fulfilled than we ever expected. If someone had told me this is how my family would be formed I would not have believed them, though I’m glad it is.

 

Milton, Sarah and Erin