The Phone Call

It was a normal Thursday in January when we received a call from Lutheran Family Service. We were told that a baby girl had been born that morning, and her birthmother asked to see our profile book. We said, “Sure,” as this was maybe the seventh time we had shown our book to a prospective birthmother. Later that evening, we were giving our 4-year-old daughter a bath and Laura’s phone rang. She was on-call for her clinic, and assumed it was just a call to report to work. She thought nothing of the different area code. Instead, we were shocked to hear from an LFS caseworker that the Mom chose us! The next question was how soon could we be at the hospital the following day?

That Friday was a bright and sunny day. We were experiencing our last hours as a family-of-three in the car as we drove to meet our little girl! We stopped at Target to buy a few clothing items and then nervously (but excitedly) stopped for lunch waiting for the okay from the caseworker to come to the hospital. The night before, feeling like we had only minutes to decide on a name, Laura suggested Gia Gillian to nickname her ‘Gigi’. We had always had a boy’s name picked out, but never talked about another girl’s name!

A Family History Of Adoption

We met Gia, her birthmother, and her grandpa at the hospital. That allowed us some time and opportunity to talk. Adoption was personal for us both, which we explained to them. Tyler’s best childhood friend was his cousin, Alex, who was adopted from South Korea. Laura’s biological father died when she was a baby and Laura was adopted at age 4 by her Dad. After a difficult pregnancy for Laura, the thought of adoption seemed right for our family.

A Twist In The Story

Gia was quiet, sweet, and a truly good baby during our stay. After leaving the hospital the following cold and snowy day, we thought our adoption journey was concluded. However, we faced challenges that no one saw coming. Two days later, Gia’s birthmom did not sign the adoption paperwork with the lawyer, and requested Gia back. We were devastated. Our caseworker had not navigated this situation before, and we took things day by day. We had unwavering support from Lutheran Family Service, and also talked to our pastor during these difficult days. It was hard not to feel confusion and anger, but we were also soaking up any time we might still have with Gia. While DHS (the Department of Health and Human Services) was involved for Gia’s safety, and we had daily updates with our LFS caseworker, we still didn’t know what would come next. We already loved Gia it was clear that it was no longer in our hands.

Resolution

Ultimately, it was further dialogue and communication, as well as creating a more open adoption plan, with Gia’s birthmother that made her feel comfortable signing the paperwork. The lawyer told us we could proceed with adoption. We continue to have a connection with our Lutheran Family Service caseworker after going through this. We give Gia’s birthmom monthly updates and photos.

The adoption was finalized in July. Gia was also baptized into our church the end of September. Gia, aka ‘Gigi’ or ‘Gigilicious’ is the smiliest baby! She loves sucking her thumb, adores her big sister, is obsessed with cats, and eats anything now!

This Christian adoption was only made possible by your prayerful and financial support of Lutheran Family Service and Many Hearts unplanned pregnancy support. It is only because of this financial support that we can continue to walk alongside women facing an unplanned pregnancy, helping create life-affirming plans, all at no cost to them. Because of you, our support doesn’t end there. We are able to continue counseling and support for these women as long as they need us after birth and/or adoption.

Thank you so much for partnering with us for this incredibly important and life-saving work. Please continue praying for women facing unplanned pregnancy. Pray for their safety, health, strength, courage, and a love so big for their unborn baby that they choose life.

Click HERE to read more adoption stories!

Or, support our Christian adoption efforts by giving to Lutheran Family Service HERE!