I have always wanted to be a father.  Even as a child I would think about what it would be like when, one day, I have a child of my own...

We are finishing the Extended Family Series today! We are sharing the story of Micah's adoption told by Kevin, his adoptive father. Find out how Kevin went from being closed to the option of adoption to experiencing a more open adoption then he ever could have imagined. Meet Kevin...

I thought of the things I would like to pass down to them, the experiences, the memories I would like to create with them, my faith, my fanboy level love of Superman. The one thing that never crossed my mind was adoption.  In all those dreams it was always assumed that the child would be of my flesh.  This is probably why it took me so long to come around to the idea of adoption. 

I never thought it would take nearly six years to build a family. Nor did I ever think I could love a child as much as I love our son, Micah...

In Part 1 of the Extended Family Series, we heard from Tiffany - birth mom to Micah. Then, in Part 2, we heard from Micah's birth father, Brian. Join us as we hear this same amazing story told through the eyes of Marissa, Micah's adoptive mother... 

After about a year or so of marriage, my husband and I decided it was time to start a family. After a year of no success, we sought the help of a fertility specialist. We were quickly told that both my husband and I had some serious infertility issues that were preventing me from becoming pregnant. So we went straight to In-Vitro Fertilization. After the first failed attempt, we tried again with no success. Finally we were told that it would be nearly impossible for us to conceive.

In honor of Mother’s Day, here's a story told by one woman who has actually walked in the shoes of birth mothers and adoptive mothers.

When faced with the challenges of infertility, grief, loss and fear, she developed a deeper compassion, a greater hope, and a more open heart than she ever could have dreamed possible. Meet Jennifer.

My story, just like so many others, is hard to put into words. Hard to put on paper all of the moments, thoughts, hurts, fears and celebrations that have brought me to the spot I stand in today.

My heart was pounding as we pulled into the agency to meet her. A beautiful young woman who had chosen us to parent her child. She was due any day. A boy would be born and I would bring him home. I would be his mommy! My heart was overwhelmed with that thought. I was in love with him already, but was overwhelmed with fear that she would change her mind. What if she was like the last birth mother? What if she changed her mind? What if I prepared my heart and home again, only to have her choose to parent? But I was also overwhelmed with grief. Grief for this beautiful soul who would soon have to do the most painful thing imaginable- to hand over her child to another woman. I think all adoptive mothers hurt for their birth moms, but it's different for me. I don't just hurt for her, I grieve with her. I understand and feel her pain in a way that few can.

Four months ago, my husband and I adopted baby Finlay. Finlay is a miracle to us – the child we’ve been preparing for all these years.

I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember, but my womb had other ideas. Without Finlay, I would be a sad, miserable woman with an excess of love in her heart and nothing to spend it on. Finlay has completed us. But we could not have gained this wonderful little human without his incredible birth mother.

Fertility Frustration

Infertility and the frustration and constant heartbreak of failed fertility treatments were really taking a toll on my mental health and our relationship. I felt like a failure as a woman…

BraveLove is excited to share a series of four narratives during the months of October and November!

Taken from an article written by adoptive mom, Helen Harris, these four heartfelt narratives will captivate and challenge your perspective as they clarify how individual experience and relationships change over time. The authors include one adoptee, her birth mom and adoptive mom, and her sister. The relationships challenge the adoption stereotypes of good and bad, address the myths that surround reunion, and propose possibilities for children through adoption that values birth families.

Join us as we share these narratives in celebration of National Adoption Month, and unfold the story of adoption through the lens of first the birth mother, the daughter she raised, the daughter she placed, and finally, the woman she chose to raise her daughter!

An adoptive mother shares the challenges she faced that led her to adoption. Meet Natalie. Read her and her husband's story of adoption.

My husband and I tried to have children for a year and a half before we started fertility treatments. I had a few minor procedures to determine why I was not getting pregnant. I also experimented with several types of hormones, and nothing seemed to work. My doctor referred me to a fertility specialist. I have kidney disease, so I was not excited about adding one more doctor to my list. I went to a fertility specialist, and was told I needed to gain weight and start taking even more hormones. Each time I gained weight and took hormones, my blood pressure increased. It was so hard for me to know what to eat. However, the hormones did not seem to be working and I kept looking back with regret that I did not go to the doctor earlier. I knew something was not right with my reproductive system, but it was just easier not to deal with it.