Hello all! This is my first time to actually write about adoption…but I have talked and told my story to many over the years. My eldest daughter, Gidget, asked me to please but it in words, so here goes.
In 1988, I was working at a health food store. One day, the owners daughter came in and was talking about how she had found a home for her unborn niece. She was so excited because the baby was going to be aborted if she had not found a home for it. I was overwhelmed. I was excited that the baby was not being aborted but I was so distressed because for whatever reason I felt the baby was supposed to be mine. I went home and cried and cried. I told my husband that I felt that our baby had just been stolen from us. I had friends who had adopted, and nothing had every affected me this way before. But the feeling never left. Then one day, my boss, came in and said that her daughter was upset because the people that had first said they would adopt the baby had changed their minds. I looked at her immediately and said, “We will take the baby.” She asked, “What will Tim say?” I replied, “He will say YES!” She set up a meeting with us with the biological parents within the week. We met with them on my husband’s birthday. They told us they would call us by the end of the month to let us know one way or another. They called us the very next day and told us they felt we were supposed to have the baby. Of course, I already knew that…God had already spoken to my heart.
I took the biological mother to the doctor on a regular basis. She went into premature labor several times before giving birth to our youngest daughter. I knew every time she had the premature labor. God would wake me up during the night with labor pains. I would go by the next day to check on her and she would give me a strange look and would say, “How did you know?” I would always reply, God woke me up with labor pains. When they called to tell us that our youngest daughter was fixing to come into the world, my husband had just started his vacation that would last for 16 days. We lived further from the hospital than they did…but we beat them to the hospital. We even stopped and picked up our oldest daughter from school.
I was in the room when my youngest daughter, Autumn Skye Kelley, was born. She was a month premature, she came into the world weighing 5 pounds and 5 ½ ounces and was 15 inches long. She was beautiful. The doctor put her into my arms…the biological mother smiled…and said, “I make pretty babies,” I replied, “Yes, you do.” (By the way, her initials spell ASK…we asked God for her a long time…we did not realize what her initials spelled until a friend of ours pointed it out…God works in mysterious ways).
Twenty –three hours later as we were leaving the hospital…the biological parents came by to see our daughter one last time…the biological mother looked at me and said, “You have a beautiful baby girl there.” I replied, “Yes, yes I do,” and smiled at her.
My youngest is now 23 years old. She is such a blessing as both my girls are. My eldest is flesh of my flesh…my youngest flesh of my spirit. I love them both! My youngest has met her biological parents and was even their brides maid at their wedding a few years ago. She has also met her biological brother and grew up knowing and visiting her biological grandparents. Am I concerned? No, she has plenty of love to go around…plus, God birthed her into my spirit…and she will always be my daughter. I so recommend adoption to anyone…but only if you have love to give…unconditional love…both my girls know I love them and I am so blessed to be their Momma!
