To Complete a Family

Mark and Jeanette share their adoption experience when adopting their daughter, Mya.

After ten years of failed attempts in trying to have our own biological child, both naturally and through infertility treatments, we still had the strong desire to raise a family. Therefore, we decided to open our hearts to adoption and started our journey. After doing research and attending different informational sessions, we chose Holt International to be our adoption agency.

The Adoption Process

The adoption process was difficult at times in the beginning because, as a couple, we were not always on the same page and we discovered that we were open to different things. It was also challenging because we both wanted a baby right away!

Throughout the process, we learned that you have to be honest with each other and you should never hold your feelings back because you are afraid you will hurt or upset your spouse. We also grew as individuals as we learned to be more patient.

Holt International was very helpful throughout the adoption journey. They educated us on the realities of pre-adoption, adoption and post-adoption through the various classes and workshops we attended. Most importantly, our social worker, Nancy Crouch, was there to guide us through every step of the process. She was always there for us in any way we needed her.

Meeting the Birth Family

Nancy also helped set up our initial meeting with our child’s birth family at the Holt International office. We were both extremely nervous for this first meeting, but knowing that Nancy was there to mediate made everyone feel more at ease. Meeting our daughter’s birth mother and birth grandmother felt very natural. Throughout our conversations, we felt as if we had known each other for a long time. After the initial meeting, we felt very excited and hopeful.

We have an open relationship with our child’s birth mother and birth grandmother. At this time, the birth mother has decided not to be a part of our child’s life. However, we have told her that if she should ever change her mind, we are open to her getting to know our daughter and playing a role in her life.

We currently have a relationship with the birth grandmother through texting, sending photos and occasional meetings. It has been a great relationship so far and we are happy to say she is a part of our daughter’s life.

Our Daughter

Our daughter Mya is a beautiful and very happy baby. She lights up the room with her beautiful eyes, her colorful personality and her contagious laugh. She joined our family 10 minutes after being born and we have never looked back. The bonding process has been amazing and we feel that we were meant to be a family. It is so natural that we sometimes forget that we adopted Mya!

Adoption helped us become more open minded and it helped us realize that children do not have to be biologically yours in order to complete a family. We are Mya’s parents, and she is our daughter in every way that matters.

Through adoption, our family is now complete.

Mark & Jeanette | Adoptive Parents