Dear Birth Mother,
You do not know me, and I do not know you, but you have made a greater impact on my life than anyone ever could.
One year ago, at a family dinner, my wife and I were asked, “How’s the adoption process coming along?”. That was a difficult question for us to hear. You see, we had started the adoption process 14 months earlier and had been legally certified to adopt for six months. There were two “maybe babies'' we thought were going to be ours, but they were not meant for us. Saddened by the news, we continued to carry on. Little did we know that a baby girl, your baby girl, had just entered the world earlier that morning.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited we were when we received a call from our case worker. Filled with joy, we instantly called our family members to tell them the overwhelming news. The next day we rushed around town collecting everything we would need for the baby. Soon after, we drove to the hospital, signed the adoption papers, and with great anticipation, made our way to the nursery. When we entered the nursery, we saw a little baby girl and with great joy my wife asked the nurses, “Is that her?” They nodded. Instantly, tears of joy filled our eyes as we walked closer to meet our daughter. The nurses assisted us to a room where we got to hold her for the first time. She was placed in my wife’s arms and quickly received a shower of tender-loving care. Our case worker asked us, “Do you have a name for her?” My wife and I looked at each other and nodded as I said, “Amelia”. My wife gently gave Amelia to me so that I could hold her. Throughout my life, I have never felt more joy than the moment I held Amelia for the first time. I didn’t think about anything else going on in the world, in the hospital, or even in our room. All I could think about was Amelia. All I could look at was Amelia. Her beautiful eyes instantly connected with mine and at that moment, I became a father.
The past twelve months have been filled with joy, excitement, laughter, love, serenity, pride, and awe. We watched Amelia learn to love bath time as she splashed the water and shouted with joy. We cheered her on as she crawled for the first time, a look of determination in her eyes. We strolled around the zoo as her eyes lit up at the sights and sounds of the animals (flamingos and monkeys are her favorite). We sang and danced to her favorite songs as music filled our living room. We have had Disney movie marathons, countless playdates, and story time every night before bed. If / when you are ready, we would love to share photos with you highlighting these moments and many others.
The reason we have all of these precious moments and more is because of your selfless gift. Thanks to your desire, we have found our greatest blessing. Thanks to your courage, we have become a family. Thanks to your love, our hearts are filled with joy. We have all that we have because of you.
Before I leave you, there is one thing I want you to be assured of. Over the past 12 months, my wife and I have loved Amelia with every ounce of our beings. There has never been a moment that we have not loved her, cared for her, or wanted the best for her. We are going to continue to love her with everything we have because she means that much to us. Thank you for choosing adoption and thank you for making us a family.
Sincerely,
Adoptive Father
