Todd and Jackie chose adoption with American Adoptions after pursuing international adoption without any luck. The couple were open to many situations and happily received an adoption opportunity with Katherine after nine short weeks.
“The situation was unique in that the birth mother was going to have a home birth, assisted by mid-wives. She also wanted to breast feed Samuel for at least a week before the court date. We had a few conversations with Katherine and felt so good about our beginning relationship. However, we were terrified! It is hard to function when you are not in control of the situation. Would Katherine hold true to her word and bless us with Samuel? Every hour of every day we consciously chose Faith over our Fears,” Jackie writes.
Katherine called the couple in the middle of the night when her water broke two weeks early, and Todd and Jackie packed up and made the seven-hour drive as quickly as possible.
“We spent four bittersweet days at Katherine’s home, only leaving to sleep at night in our hotel room,” Jackie writes. “We shared meals, stories and photos with Katherine and her wonderful teen-age children… We all loved on Samuel and marveled at God’s beautiful handiwork. So many emotions compressed in a few days’ time!”
The day before court and the day of were very hard for Jackie and Todd. They knew it might be the last time they saw Katherine and her kids. “She lovingly held him in the courtroom,” Jackie writes. “She handed him to me and told me she loved us. I told her we loved her too.”
But Jackie and Todd kept in touch with Katherine.
“Katherine requested monthly updates with photographs the first year,” Jackie writes. “Since we had been at her home, we decided to directly communicate instead of through the agency. Each update brought an email from Katherine and her children. Our relationship grew.”
Over time Jackie and Todd learned more about open adoption and decided they wanted that for Sam. Katherine agreed wholeheartedly. “We now speak on the phone, and through texts, e-mail and letters,” Jackie writes.
Since then, Katherine and her children have even come to visit. All agree, “Samuel will grow up feeling the love of his immediate family and then his extended family… No one can have too much love!”
