Mike, Ashley and CollinIs He Really Ours?

For some couples, the wait for an adoption opportunity can fly by in almost an instant. This was the case for Mike and Ashley. And for them, the call for an opportunity also meant the call that their son was already born. Luckily, Mike and his wife Ashley were as prepared as they could be, having attended couple’s counseling and completing a gender-neutral nursery in the nick of time.

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Mike and Ashley were ecstatic at the sight of their child. Mike says his first thoughts were, “I can’t believe this is my child. It was overwhelming joy.”

“I didn’t want to put him down,” Ashley says. “I was like, is he really mine?”

Mike and Ashley spent about a week with Collin in New Orleans for ICPC. “Looking back, that week was one of the best weeks of my life,” Ashley says. “You want to come home and be with your family, but for Mike and Collin and I, it was just amazing. It was beautiful there, so we could go outside. And just to not have to share with him anybody but Mike and I was great.”

Shortly before leaving Louisiana, Ashley and Mike had the opportunity to meet Collin’s birth mother.

“She’s a very nice person and was open to sharing information with us,” Mike says. “She was happy that she picked us. If other adoptive parents have the opportunity to meet their child’s birth parents, I think they should. It’s kind of a glimpse into where he’s coming from and gives some more insight.”

The couple was able to take pictures of Collin with his birth mom and all together, too. “I think that’s important,” Ashley says. “We want to make sure that we share that with him.”

Adoption StoryAshley and Mike also got more information about Collin’s four older biological siblings and say that he looks more and more like them all the time.

“We actually used the same naming convention that she used for her other children,” Mike says. Collin’s four birth siblings also have names starting with the letter C. “She loved that,” says Ashley of their name choice.

Ashley also made sure to ask if there was anything Collin’s birth mother wanted the couple to do with him at holidays, birthdays or just in general. The couple plans to stay in touch with Collin’s birth family through pictures, letters and emails.

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The couple really tried to be thoughtful in their relationship with Collin’s birth family. Likewise, they were put thought into other aspects of the adoption process. They pursued couples counseling before they decided to pursue their transracial adoption. And even now, they continue to learn about Collin’s development with the help of a parenting specialist in their community. Read more about their adoption story and adjustment to parenthood in their Adoptive Family Testimonial!