Enough time has passed I think, that I’m ready to share this. Yet the memories of the experience are as real today as they were when I had them. I’ve sat down to write this Story a hundred times, too, thinking it my duty to somehow show the World that miracles happen everyday. Particularly when major events in the world have led people to question whether there is hope and goodness. I’ve wanted to shout “YES! You have no idea how beautiful people are because I’ve seen it and experienced it with my own soul!” 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 its going to take me to write this.

This is not a normal Blog post. You won’t see but a couple of images. You’ll understand why in a minute. But it started with an inquiry for Photography Services that I did not know would change my life (and I’m not exaggerating). It was from a Mother who was contacting me on behalf of both her and the Birth Mother about photographing the arrival of their Baby Girl. So let’s be clear. This is an Adoption. This is an Open Adoption. The Birth Mother, Lydia and the Adoptive Mother were partnering together on this endeavor. Let that soak in y’all. If that hasn’t hit you in the gut yet..hopefully it will when you read the rest of this Blog, and then go back and read it again.

My adoption story started in high school… I was a typical 16-year-old, with an academic focus and dreams in place. Until December 8th, 2001, when I found out I was pregnant. My first thought, was to keep this child I loved so much already, but how? How was I going to take care of a baby when my Mom was still taking care of me?

With many prayers, bill calculations, and late night conversations with my Mom, I decided on adoption. I loved the idea of adoption, it was my only option. 

I wonder what she is doing right now. Is her sweet mama holding her, kissing her cheeks and telling her how much she is loved? Is her daddy blowing raspberries on her tummy and grinning at the sweet sound that comes from her perfect mouth. Is her big brother, laying on the floor beside her swing, telling her a story? Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what she’s doing. I know that she is loved, and that’s all that matters. 

My name is Lydia and I placed my perfect little girl for adoption 2 days after she was born. The raw and painful memories of that day are still so very real for me. But, the absolute joy I got from looking at the faces of her parents radiating with pure love and adoration for that perfect baby girl were all I needed to reassure me that I was doing the absolute best and right thing for her. She had a family. One that had been waiting for her for far too long. 

Do you remember the night of your Senior Prom? The dress, the makeup, the hair, your date….one of the most exciting nights of the year for a Senior in High School. I remember the night of my Senior Prom very vividly. It was the night that I, as a 17-year-old, went into labor. 

I was the good girl in school, I had good grades and never got into trouble. I met a boy, I fell in love and I made adult decisions before I should have. I started my Senior Year at 16 years old, and pregnant. I was so scared and confused. The only thing I knew for certain was that abortion wasn’t an option for me. 

I'm a Birth Mother, and I think that's incredible. When I found out I was pregnant I knew almost immediately that adoption was the path for me because I was not ready to be a mom. Adoption wasn't necessarily a scary thing for me to think about because I've seen first hand from people in my life how beautiful it truly is.

Honestly, I was sad because I knew already in my heart that I loved my baby so much and placing her for adoption would be the hardest decision I would make. But, it was the most loving decision because I was putting the needs of my baby above the wants of my heart. I visited a local Pregnancy Resource Center and that is where I first heard the name Gladney Adoption Center.

My story is not special, there are many others who have a similar story to mine but no two stories are the same and one person’s story could stand to empower, teach and reach people. 

I don’t know if my story has that power but I do know that by continuing to harbor this story like a dirty little secret I’m only hurting myself and I need to heal. So I am finally ready to tell my biggest untold story... 

My name is Jesika and I am many things…I am a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mother, a niece and a birth mother.

In September of 2004 when I was a Senior in high school, I had a boyfriend (we’ll call him Dave) that I’d been with for a little over 2 years, I was on the Varsity dance team, I competed in DECA, I had fantastic grades and I was anxious about heading off to college wondering what I was going to study and what experiences I’d have and whether or not I’d be trying out for the dance team. 

College senior, Army contract, cheerleader, psychology major...all that stood between me and the “real world” was the rest of the basketball season, classes, commissioning, and graduation. Senior recognition night was my last hoorah on home court to perform in front of the entire student body and be acknowledged for all the hard work the cheerleaders had put in the past few years.

My mother made the trek from Georgia with our friend Stephen, both of whom escorted me out to half court for the ceremony at half time. Halfway through the third quarter, I turned to my coach and asked to sit out because I wasn’t feeling well. My mom says that’s the moment she knew.

After the game she and I stopped in at a CVS to buy the test before heading back to our friend’s house on Isle of Palms for the evening. Five minutes from the time I walked in the door, my mother’s instincts were confirmed;

I was pregnant. 

On October 24, 2015 my life changed forever.

A night of partying with friends turned into a night I was taken advantage of. Little did I know that 280 miles away, on the same night of October 24th, a woman was in a nursery praying for a birth mom and her child. That night God gave her the verse, “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones.” (1 Samuel 2:9) This is the prayer she prayed over me, and my baby for the next nine months almost to the day. Ellery was born July 23, 2016 at 1:39 PM, weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 inches long.