"More than anything, I wanted to honor our son’s birth mom’s sacrifice by being the the most loving mom that I could." - Adrian, birth mom and adoptive mom

Clay spent years trying to perform to get people to pick him, because of the fact that at his earliest moment, he fundamentally perceived he wasn’t chosen. As an adoptive father, Clay found a connection point with his son on wrestling with your identity. Years later, when Clay's birth mom Priscilla reached out to pursue a relationship with him, Clay was overwhelmed. Watch to discover what happened next.

In this webisode, Jennifer Lanter from the Gladney Center for Adoption walks us through the steps for prospective adoptive parents. She specifically addresses the BIG hurdles for a lot of families pursuing domestic infant adoption — like the expense and the wait time. She also shares her personal experience going through the adoption process as an adoptive mom.

"That’s the paradox that is adoption. On one side, it is beautiful and celebrated and the new baby is welcomed with open arms. On the other, there is a grief over the loss that extends to your entire family. " - Ashley, adoptive mom #BraveLove

"We both desired an open adoption but what that looked like I don't think either of us knew. We both had hopes but could they be a reality?" - Emily, adoptive mom #BraveLove

Adoption is beautiful but is it also painful. The process that her birth mom went through was not without thought. Each time we had to have another paper signed, my heart ached for her and what she must be processing. Our joy was causing her immense suffering and loss. Something that I won’t forget.

Growing up, Stephanie was the oldest of 6, an athlete, and a cheerleader. It was a crushing blow to her and her family when she discovered she was pregnant at age 15. Very few people knew this detail of her life. But as her family began to expand over time, she reveals how telling her story has allowed her to find the adoption support she had been missing.

In Texas a birth mother must wait 48 hours before she can legally place her child for adoption. Our friends at The Archibald Project documented a hopeful adoptive family AND a brave birth mother during those 48 hours. These 48 hours may change how you view adoption.

But these stories don’t make media headlines day after day after day, and even if they did, the news couldn’t do it justice in a 60 second bit. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to do it justice in the hours it's going to take me to write this.

"It is messy and beautiful. I can't quite describe how rewarding and how challenging it can be, but it is both. And I would not change it for anything!"