Adoption story: Brad + Miranda

I fell in love with Miranda and Brad when we first spoke -- they had been waiting to build their family for so long, and they were ALL IN to what an adoption journey might entail.  They were Home Study ready, and as a professional writer, Miranda had already created a stunning profile book.  As soon as they went active with me, we were off to the races, praying that the Lord would do great things.

Miranda shares their story below.... I hope this encourages families considering adoption or for those currently waiting. I love the way that the Lord allowed so many special dates to align with Brad and Miranda's journey to their daughter.

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Our journey to parenthood took many twists and turns that we didn’t ever expect, and the emotional roller coaster felt, at times, unbearable. But now that we have our daughter in our arms, we know that the twists and turns weren’t wrong turns or obstacles – they were the direct path we had to take to get to our happily ever after.  

Shortly after my husband and I got married, we started trying to grow our family. Three years later, we felt like we had made no progress – no pregnancies, no babies and no more treatment options available. After an unsuccessful round of IVF, we knew we couldn’t keep going on that path. We started seriously considering adoption. We had always talked about it casually, but in our state, most agencies require adoptive parents to be married three years before being approved to adopt, so we always just hoped (and assumed) we’d conceive before then.

When we realized that we were close to the point of being married three years and able to meet the adoption requirements in our state, the dream of adoption became firmly planted in our hearts. Shortly after the news of our failed IVF, our pastor delivered a sermon about adopting his daughter. We felt as if God was speaking to us through him and giving us the peace we needed to move forward with our decision.

In April we began the home study process with an agency in our state. We were home study approved in July and were told the wait would be about two years. It seemed so long, but it was also exciting to know that once our home study was approved, we would eventually be parents. During our home study process, and even before we started, we reached out to Gretchen at Christian Adoption Consultants to learn more. We always felt strongly that we should enlist her help on our adoption journey, but we weren’t exactly sure what was best for us.

On a trip to the beach that summer, we discussed all the options with our parents and decided that CAC was definitely the best choice for us. We officially signed on with Gretchen Aug. 31, with hopes that we would soon be matched with an expectant mother.

We were never matched with an expectant mother. That’s because the mother we matched with had already given birth. On July 31, two weeks to the day after our home study was approved, our daughter was born. We would not learn about her for about two more months. On Sept. 28, one year to the day after we learned that our IVF failed, we were matched with our daughter.

In the year that we were working toward adoption and healing from the brokenness we felt after IVF, God was restoring our hearts and putting all the pieces back together. He was preparing us for the ultimate happily ever after we would have in becoming parents to our precious girl.

Our true joy came in October when we held her in our arms for the first time. She was perfect – more wonderful than any baby we could have ever dreamt up for ourselves. And she looks like us! She has a head full of hair just like my husband did as a baby, and she has our blue eyes. But more than our physical similarities, our souls were made for each other. She lights up our world every single day, and I can’t believe we ever lived without her.

our first night with our sweet girl

Her adoption was finalized on my husband’s birthday – the best gift he could ever receive. No part of our journey was a mistake, and God really showed out. All of the coincidences with how the dates aligned were “God winks” to remind us that He is in control.

We look back in awe at all that we endured to meet our sweet Teagan, and we are so grateful for every step of it. Early in our adoption journey, we were given a helpful reminder: God won’t let you miss the child meant for you.

There’s nothing more true of adoption. The stress, anxiety, waiting and uncertainties are all worth it when you meet the child God has picked out for you – and He won’t let that child pass you by.