Mum Reflects On 'Heartbreaking Realities' Of Adopting Toddler From China | HuffPost Life

'Preparing to give Nova a magical childhood consumes my mind.'

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

A mum has opened up about the “heartbreaking realities” of adopting a two-year-old child from China.

Elsie Larson, from Nashville, US, and her husband Jeremy made the decision to adopt a child from China’s “special needs” programme in November 2016, as they felt it was the “right choice” for their family.

Once they had a match, in August this year, they named their daughter Nova.

Just before Nova arrives, Larson has reflected on how the toddler must be feeling.

“Nova lost so much in her first two years... her birth parents, her birth name and her birthday,” Larson wrote on Instagram. “She didn’t have a note left with her. Sadly, a lot of Chinese orphans have estimated birthdays.”

The mum continued: “Soon Nova will be losing the place she knows, familiar faces and the country she was born in.

“Today I realised for the first time that most likely we’ll only ever have one photo of her below the age of two - one photo in two years.

“There are so many heartbreaking realities in adoption. Preparing to give Nova a magical childhood consumes so much of my mind.

“I feel lucky that’s she’s young enough to potentially have her first memories with us. We have a lot to try to make up for. Some of it we can’t give back to her, but we will still try.”

The couple were matched with two-year-old Nova, who has albinism, in early August 2017.

“Jeremy and I now spend our nights watching and re-watching a 30-second long video of a two-year-old girl in China, who in just three or four months, will be living here with us in our home,” Larson wrote at the time on her blog.

“We study every little mannerism, we pretend we already know her. It’s honestly kind of pathetic, but we’re loving every moment.”

The couple has since delved into learning about albinism and potential vision impairment so they are prepared when their daughter arrives.

According to the UK government’s website, if you wish to adopt a child from China, you must start the adoption process in Britain and comply with the requirements of UK adoption legislation. You must register and be approved by a registered adoption agency before beginning the process.

The International Adoption Guide (IAG) states China has “very strict criteria” for prospective parents wanting to adopt their children.

China Centre for Children Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) is responsible for inter-country adoptions in China and it runs the “special needs” adoption programme.

Children may be considered special needs because they had a corrected surgery at birth, because they have a birth mark, they are missing a finger, they were a premature baby or have health issues.

For more information on the adoption procedure in China, click here.

Before You Go

Adoption Stories

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Kevin and Gina Nelson adopted Katie from Korea in the '70s. (credit:Katie Nelson )

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My husband and I were childhood sweethearts (on again, off again since first grade) and were married in 2003 after 8 years of dating. After trying to conceive and undergoing fertility treatments for 3 years, we felt we were being led to adopt a child. We were told by our adoption agency that it would be two to four years before a child would be available for us to adopt, so we were ready to wait. A week after that news, on October 26, 2010, we received a phone call from a friend who was an OB-GYN. A woman was going to give birth to a baby boy in 3 weeks and needed a home for her baby. Our David was born on his paternal grandmother’s birthday, November 19th, and we were at the hospital for his arrival. This picture was taken minutes after his birth with all of his grandparents looking through the nursery window. Our miracles were not over. On October 26th 2012, two years to the day from the first call, the same doctor called to see if we would like to come and get another baby boy. Our Jacob had been born the night before… on his maternal grandmother’s birthday. Two miracle babies, two miracle birthday gifts. David’s name means 'blessed' and that’s the best word to describe how our family feels. (credit:Rachel & Daniel )

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My husband Louis and our daughter Gabriella. We had fostered her from the time she was 4 weeks old straight from the hospital after withdrawing from the opiates her birth mother took during her pregnancy until the day the adoption was finalized 26 months later in June 2013. Adoption Day June 10th 2014 (credit:The GrowMiller Family )

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My parents, Don & Mary adopted me when I was 6 weeks old. (credit:Rebekah Bacigalupo )

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The picture was taken in August 2013 in Jinan, China about 30 minutes after we'd met. His caregivers from the orphanage were just outside of the picture. At this point, he thought I was just some nice lady with snacks. It had not sunk in that we were forever. He was three on adoption day. (credit:Jill Robbins)

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This was taken on June 2nd. He was 4 days old. My husband and I had a long hard road to parenthood. We went through 6 failed IVFs, 4 surgeries, 1 failed adoption and 1 failed match. Everything was worth going through to become Elijah's parents. He was our answer to prayer. We know that everything else did not work because we were meant to be Elijah's parents. (credit:Katie Dooley)

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Me, my husband and my son taken on December 23, 2013 in Nanjing, Jiangsu China. (credit:Amy Penny)

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This was the day we meet our son, Myles. My husband, Adam, likes to say of this photo, "it's hard to tell who's more nervous, me or Myles." We were both nervous since Myles was our first foster placement and we had never been patents before. He was placed with us at DHS offices on January 6, 2012 and we officially adopted Myles on December 17, 2012. Thanks for checking out our picture and hearing a very little piece of our story. (credit:Shelly Daigle)

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We're Cathy and Dave! We have an adoption page on Facebook, 'Cathy and Dave's Adoption Journey,' all about how we've been bringing our three children home from Kiev, Ukraine. We started our adoption process in October 2004. Over six years we were with three different agencies and four programs looking for the right fit. In December, 2010, Dave posted a New Year's Resolution, 'I want to be a dad in 201' on Facebook. Then he got a message, 'There's this boy, named Georgiy,' from a friend. We hosted him for a week, the first week of January 2011, and all three of us knew it was meant to be. He came home to us for good on October of 2011! You could call it coincidence, but we all know better. This is our first picture together, from church, Sunday, January 9th, 2011. (credit:Dave & Cathy Anderson)

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My parents, David & Lyndy Edwards planned their whole life to adopt but after having 3 biological children, life got so busy that they began to think it wouldn't happen. However, once my sister and I were in college and my brother was in high school, they finally decided it was time. They chose Taiwan through Gladney and waited for a referral. They expected one little girl and were surprised with a little girl AND a little boy. They began planning to adopt and were ready to go when 3 days before they were to leave, my dad was killed suddenly in a head on collision. Though devastated, my mom knew legally the children were still hers and she decided to adopt them! On December 25, 2009, she met Molly & Mason for the first time. She is a single mom now of 5 children and now has 2 grand babies too. (credit:Emily Ha)

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I have been a proud foster mother of two beautiful children, Seven and Savanna for the past two and half years that I officially adopted, August 12, 2014 in Houston, TX. (credit:Kimberly Harris )

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We adopted our son in April of this year from China. He was 16 months and scared to death of us. He's our first child and he has taught my husband and I so much in 6 short months about love, patience and what makes a family. Adopting from China changed our world and it was an amazing experience all the way around. We hope to adopt from China again someday. (credit:Kim Bell)

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This picture captures the very first moment my husband and I saw our beautiful daughter, Bella Rose! She was 5 hours old and our birth mother called us at 2am on May 10th 2012 to tell us she had just given birth to our child! Thank God we were already packed! We jumped in our car and made the anxious 5 hour drive from Los Angeles to Fairfield California where our birth mother lived.I can't even put into words the love, excitement and purr joy we felt the moment we saw her! We had waited 8 long years to be parents and had been married for 12. Our family was complete and we thank God for our sweet birth mother, who is still in our lives today. She gave us the gift of life! (credit:Robin & Gary Pasillas)

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Daughter is adopted and at the finalization in court, (pic on left) this was the look she gave her new (biological) brother and she's been entertaining us since :) the 2nd pic is our first holiday with her after finalization. These were taken in June and July this year.We received the call after waiting 2 years. The birth mom had 2 sets of parents to choose from. She said one of the reasons she chose us was because of our (love of) pizza page in the profile book and her birth daughter's favorite food was pizza.Our daughter came to live with us 7 days later and it's like she's always been with us. The connection we had with our 15 month old girl was crazy. Her birth name meant Bright Star and I had purchased a painting (with a poem about happiness) 2 years prior while on vacation of a girl looking at the stars. We're so lucky to have her. (credit:Anita Katzman)

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September 26, 2004, was the day our worlds changed. She took her 5-month-old in her arms, hugged her, picked up a camera, and handed her daughter to me. She took the first pictures of me holding my daughter-to-be in our local Department of Human Services visitation room, our daughter looking perplexed, and pure elation on my face. Little did we know how our adoption story would play out--that she would actually take our daughter back home for months before our daughter would come to my house forever, the ups and downs of learning new family roles, figuring out how one becomes a mother when you don't start with a newborn. It would take 6 years, 9 months, 21 days, and 20 hours for a judge to tell me what I had known since the first moment I had laid eyes on that butterball of a baby: she was my daughter, from that first confusing moment in my arms until forever more. She was, is, and always will be a part of me, even if genetics don't show it.This was our first picture, that very first moment, when we met. (credit:Mary Cordry)

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This photo was taken 10/27/24. These are my amazing parents, Dawn and Rhett. After a tragic two years, our family is starting a new chapter! My mom and dad adopted my two nieces today, Kennedy and McKinley! (credit:Erica Hellrung)

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We conceived our son via IVF in 2007, so made the assumption that getting pregnant via IVF would be easy. Boy were we wrong. For 4 long year we tried, IVF cycle after cycle. We got pregnant twice only to be told the babies would not survive and we had to end our pregnancies. Our last cycle was in February of 2012. I sat on the couch and cried, with my 4 year old son next to me. I sent my husband a photo of a puppy to adopt via text, hoping this would heal me. he instantly sent me a website on adopting a child. We had never talked about adoption before, he would not go there. That night we started looking into agencies. After multiple phone calls to different agencies, lawyers, ect we decided we would work with an agency out of Kansas City. Our application was competed in August of 2012 and we began our wait. We were ready to wait for years, as we heard adoption takes forever. On September 20th, 2012, just more then a month after completing our application we found out a birth mom choose use to parent her baby. She was due on October 15th! She chose us! Our lives instantly changed, we were going to be parents again! We set up a Skype call with our birth mom as soon as we could. My four year old got on the screen and said “thank you so much for giving us your baby Kailee. I love you.” At about 9:30 pm on October 8th, we got a call from Kailee’s mother. Kailee was showing signs of labor. My husband and I instantly hopped in our car and started driving to Michigan from New Hampshire. We drove through the night, with a couple stops on the way, Niagra Falls being one of them. We arrived on the 9th in Michigan and got settled. On October 10th, our birth mom was in full labor and admitted to the hospital. The only way i can describe this feeling is that it was surreal. We were there, but it just did not seem real. Within moments we were going to be parents again through the most amazing gift in the world. We sat in the waiting room with our birth mothers family (who are incredible and just like us). We talked, laughed, cried and knew that this would be the start of our lives together. The nurse came out at about 8:45 and said, "are you the adoptive parents?" we said yes, she said "you will have a baby before 10 tonight." It still was not real to us. At 9:17 I got a text from our birth mom's mother "she's here". We finally lost it. We held each other and cried and just wanted to see her. We knew that according to the birth plan that our birth mother’s family would spend time with the baby before us, so we gave them time. We also knew that Kailee did not want to see or hold Harlowe. Totally understandable. Before we left Michigan, we met up with Kailee and her family and Kailee did meet her when she was about 18 days old. As she held her, I asked her how it felt, she said “it feels like i am holding your baby.”We have stayed in touch, over the past two years, sending photos and letters. Just a week ago, for Harlowe’s second birthday Kailee came to visit with her mom and sister. it was the most amazing feeling ever seeing our daughter as a two year old meet her birth mom. Kailee hugged Harlowe, kissed her and loved her. Our heartache is over. We feel beyond blessed that a woman would have the courage and strength to allow us to parent her child. Our birth mom is really one of the most amazing, strong, beautiful woman I have ever met. She chose life and love for Harlowe and we are forever grateful. She told us, she never once had regrets about giving Harlowe the life she lives. She is so thankful for everything she has. We are thankful she can be a part of it and know that Harlowe is doing wonderful. (credit:Catharine Morris)

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My husband adopted my daughter this June. He has been in her life as long as she can remember & has always been a father role. But on June 13th, 2014, we were all blessed to make it legal. She is SUCH a daddy's girl and the bond between them makes me the happiest, proudest, & luckiest mommy/wife ever! Their adoption day was the Friday before Father's Day & even made it into the Des Moines Register here at home! (credit:Shelby Shafer)

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We are foster parents. Our daughter was placed with us 1/7/11 one day after her first birthday. We officially adopted her on 8/5/13. We call it forever family day.We had a (bio) son in 2012.We are currently a family of 5 as we have our two and a 4 month old foster baby. (credit:Amy N Carder)

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Taken on 22nd Sept 2014. We brought our baby girl home 5 weeks ago! (credit:Jana Kingston)

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This is my daddy holding me for the first time at LAX. 1982 (credit:Sylvia Spence Blair)

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2005, the day we became parents. We had only found out four days earlier that our birth mom was carrying twins!! Best day ever! (credit:Chrissy Parker Runnels)

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1st picture of our family together. (credit:Beverly Cornell-McGlynn)

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This was the first kiss we had as a family...this was in the court room (credit:Jennifer Muscato)

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All adopted, two sibling groups. We adopted the oldest three together, on National Adoption day 2009. (credit:Christina Kay Brown)

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Both of my "new" babies togerher, August 7, 2014 (credit:Shannon Merritt)

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This is my family. Both of my children are adopted. They have truly been a blessing in our lives. This was our family fall photos in 2013 (credit:Rebekah Chambers)

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The 1st time we (hubby was taking the picture), met our Micheal at an orphanage in Russia. Micheal was 10 months old in this photo. We were thrilled to finally hold him in our arms and hated to leave after only 2 hours of visiting and getting to know him, but after 3 seperate trips to Russia we brought him home to the USA on December 7, 2004. (credit:Gina Boyd Bryers)

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This picture was taken Christmas of 2012. My husband and I adopted my younger brother! (credit:Vy Simmons)

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We are the proud parents of 10 amazingly brave, bright, talented young people! After nine years of waiting and praying we were so blessed to adopt our first and oldest child privately at her birth! We later became a foster family and have since adopted nine more blessings!!! (credit:Melissa Scott)

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I was lucky to be in the room when our son was born. When he was delivered, the doctor looked at his birth mom and asked who to hand the baby to first. She pointed to me and said 'His Mom'. I melted... I had never see what face looked like 'beaming' until we developed this picture (circa 1998). SO blessed to be his mom to this day! (credit:Jeanene Leverett Phillips)

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Here is a picture of my husband with our daughter, our first early morning feeding. 8-23-12, notified 4 hours before she was born, and when I called my husband to tell him we were matched, and the mom was in labor, he was rear ended by another car!! Everyone was safe, no damage, made it just in time to meet our baby girl! (credit:Keri Korkhouse Hale)

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My youngest son, Phoenix, born June 29 2014. I was blessed to be in the hospital room as he came into this world! We had previously adopted his biological sister as well. (credit:Valerie Aguilera)

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We were foster parents to a newborn boy for 4 mths (was supposed to be a 2 wk placement) and we were heartbroken when he was sent back to his mother. We waited a year for a 2nd private adoption with no luck. We got a call that the county had our former foster baby and were we interested in adopting.....YES! This is my baby James the day he came home forever at 17 mths. (credit:Katie Smith Manning)

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I am a single mom who adopted my daughter Lily from China in January 2010 after waiting almost 4 years. Lily turned 1 on January 2, 2010 and this picture was taken a couple of minutes after she was handed to me in Nanchang China on January 10, 2010. I am so grateful that the Peoples Republic of China chose me to be her mom! (credit:Diane Finn)

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The first time my husband held our two day old baby girl Jan, 2011--she came straight from the hospital. The paperwork in the picture was our foster agreement. Adoption came 15 months later! (credit:Kena Gottier)

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Our first adopted daughter, on her adoption day April 1st 2014. (credit:Valerie Aguilera)

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My beautiful daughter, adopted May 7, 2009, best day of my life! (credit:Cody Burnett)

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Things 1-4 were all adopted at four different times through Foster Care, two sets of half siblings who get to grow up together. Then, after 20 years of infertility (IVF, meds, surgeries, etc and finally acceptance), we were shocked to have our first EVER positive home pregnancy test. I was 40!! And we named her Quinn Kathleen which means 5th Little Darling. Seriously, how blessed is this Momma???! (credit:Jenna Robertson)

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Oct 4, 2013- meeting our son when he was 4 days old. We had been in the process for almost two years (deployments and moves to different states had been roadblocks) and finally were done and ready, received a phone call two days later that there was a baby who's mother had decided to place. The minute I saw him I fell in love and knew he was my baby. He just turned 1 and I still marvel at how things happened. In the middle of the process for baby #2 now. (credit:Jacqueline Hewko Forsyth)

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Our son feeding our daughter shortly after we brought her home. They have the same birth mother and we had the amazing good fortune to be in the delivery room for both of their births! (credit:Deb Klecha)

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June 28, 2013 our son Everett was placed with my husband and I with 5 weeks notice and got to be at the hospital during his birth. We finalized his adoption January 17, 2014. We have a strong open adoption with his birth family and we are so in love with our son. Adoption Rocks! (credit:Hollie Majdan)

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I took this first photo of my husband with our son Jack. He was 5 days old. He is now 16 months old. Jack still has this sense of humor. We had less than 24 hours from the first phone call about Jack, to us bringing Jack home. Best day ever. (credit:Melanie Zwycewicz-Hanly)

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First time I met my dad, adoption got finalized while he was on deployment in 1985. (credit:Nissa Cooley)

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Me & my adopted Momma (Dana Gillis). It was offical the Summer of 1987 when I was 17mo old. I was welcomed into a blended family that included two brothers. Im so thankful I was allowed to grow up knowing I was adopted but also knowing my maternal family as well. Adoption made my life amazing beyond words & I will be forever grateful. Especially now that im a mother too !♡ (credit:Anna Dunn)

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This is the day I first met my son. He was 2, and I got to visit him at his foster home. This was a Wednesday, he came home with me for that weekend, and then the next Monday, he was officially placed with me! We finalized 6 months and 2 days later. This was back in 2006. He's 10 now. (credit:Brandie VanNort)

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Sept 16, 2012, we (I'm taking the picture) got to hold our 2 day old son. His birth mother chose us after she have birth to him due to finally finding what she called the perfect parents. Even before we met our son, she wrote us a letter about how from the moment she read our profile, she loved us and knew we were the only ones. We had only 10 days to prepare for this sweet baby boy. Everyday we thank our lucky stars that he is in our lives. (credit:Claire-Lise Wenger Gauthier)

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We adopted Gabe and Jude in 2009 & 2011. Both as new borns and as open, multiracial adoptions in Kansas City. As if a sign, both of their birth mom's had due dates that were July 6! This is G in 2009. (credit:Brian Rast)

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October 1, 2012 - our birth mother had been induced the night before, we made it to the hospital just as she hit 9cm. I was in the room when he was born - heard his first cries and fed him his first bottle. This moment made me melt, after 6 years of infertility, and 5 months after meeting our birth mother I was able to place our son into my husband's arms! (credit:Melissa Roche)

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Our Gotcha Day! December 3rd, 2009. (credit:Katie Bolton Seifert)

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My husband and I suffered a heart wrenching loss of our son who was born still on 05/13/2009 and we never thought we could ever be whole again... Then we were gifted another amazing blessing... Born 08/23/2011, placed in our loving arms 12/23/2011 via Foster Care and it was love at first site!! A very sickly baby grew to an amazingly confidant, smart, sassy beautiful little girl..! On 10/23/2011 the courts finally recognized what God himself made real.. She's not only became apart of our family but she mended two very broken hearts from the moment our eyes met.. (credit:Kendall Neuhalfen)

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Our first family photo in the delivery room. Our baby was an answered prayer and we continue to have a strong relationship with the birth mother. I love how adopting has changed our outlook on what love looks like. (credit:Michelle Joy Callahan)

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We were told it could take up to 2 yrs to get picked by a birth mother. On the 3rd week of waiting I got a call at 4:30pm, we got picked could we come get our baby girl tomorrow morning. Amelia was 10 days old and born prematurely. She just turned 8 last week....this was the first time I held her, still bring tears to my eyes. (credit:Katie Smith Manning)

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Here are my beautiful adopted children...Both were newborns when we were foster parents! Seriana was first then seven months later Ray-Ray came into our lives! Ray suffers from a rare form of childhood Epilepsy and Seriana had some issues from substance abuse in utero.... I have A ton of stories I could share! I love my children best thing I have done with my life!!! (credit:Jenna Seltzer-Smith)

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Our son came home at 5 weeks old. This is us at our wedding when he was 4 months old. (credit:Heather J. Saslovsky)

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All three of our kids are adopted. This was taken at our son's adoption finalization just a few weeks ago. Our girl's adoption finalized in December of 2012. (credit:Melanie Kay)

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Our Christmas after adoption (credit:Maritza Saxe)

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I'm a birthmother. Here's my son and me, the day I released him to his Mom and Dad. This was June 1, 1995 (credit:Annie Riehl Wilson)

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I am a cancer survivor and could not have children. My husband and I got the call 12 hrs before our son was born. We flew from California to Tennessee and made it there 2 hrs after he was born July 19, 2013 (credit:Kim Zweig- Pilon)

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The day we met (credit:Amy Maddox)

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This is the first picture we shared publicly with friends and family. We met our son on December 14th 2012 but didn't get to adopt him for a month. He was 4 months. This is my son Cayden holding his Daddy's hand. We didn't want to share his name or picture until it was really official but he was already our son that day we met him! (credit:Jennifer Jacquet-Murray)

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Miles and Mason Thanksgiving 2012, very thankful for our very joyous adoptions! We are so happy, well Mommy and Daddy are anyway lol. Boys were not happy to be held down for a photo opp (credit:Heidi McAfee)

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This was the very first time I fed my son, at two weeks old. We were called on a Tuesday to come get him two days later on a Thursday and even though we had been "waiting" for almost a year, we had nothing prepared except a car seat because we didn't want to "jinx" anything. We spent a lot of time in Target those two days. It was the happiest, scariest, saddest day of my life. As an adoptive parent, when you finally meet your child, you are overjoyed. But you also grieve for the birthmother and/or birthparents. They have made the hardest decision they will ever have to make. And one that is made out of pure love. I grieved for her loss and still do. I love her, as I do my son and will always be grateful for the sacrifice she made for him to have a better life. He is now 3 and FULL of energy and himself! We celebrate his homecoming day, October 13th, every year. (credit:Sara Johnson Carpenter)

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I was 14 and got pregnant the 1st time I ever had sex. I turned 15 the week before my son was born. I placed him for adoption and have always been so proud of the fact that my poor one night was able to compleat a family. This photo was take. The day he was born and before I handed him to his family. October 14, 1991. It hurts to this day. (credit:Jessica Benton Stokesberry)

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Holding my son for the first time right after he was born on 10/11/12. After a miscarriage and the premature birth of my daughter at 23 weeks gestation, I was unable to conceive again. My daughter fought to survive for 6 1/2 months, but her lungs were too weak. After she passed away, I knew adoption was our calling. 10 months after our adoption process started, I was blessed with a beautiful, smart, funny, amazing little boy, Decklan Charlie. (credit:April Hamm)

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We went from zero kids to three overnight when our girls came to us as foster children. We are now trying to keep up with three busy teenage girls. Weren't looking to adopt back then, but so grateful God brought our family together. (credit:Ginny Howell)

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This is our Christmas miracle, Jorja. She was born at 4:25 pm on Dec 18th 2013, we got a call that we were chosen at 10:00pm and then I went to pick her up at 9:45 the next morning. We were only waiting one day shy of 4 months and told we should expect to wait 2 years! You never know when you will be chosen (credit:Shelly Hoyt)

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This was taken in the NICU in Fort Worth Texas on August 23, 2013. Our son was 3 weeks old.

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Also from December 14th 2012. I have such a glow in this picture! So in love with my new son! And also terrified that the adoption might not go through. (credit:Jennifer Jacquet-Murray)

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Here we are w the judge immediately following the adoption. 2 years in the making a lot of stress, heartache, tears, and of course joy! Living proof that we never have any clue what God has planned for us but he does know best! (credit:Beth Davis)

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6 months after Our first son joined our family, we got the call that bio mom had another baby. Alexander was released from the hospital 21 days after he was born and we brought him home, weighing only 4 pounds. He's our miracle baby.June 2012

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We were matched on July 25, 2011. Clark Douglas was born on August 24, 2011. We brought him home from the hospital two days later. The adoption was finalized that December. We not only gained a son but we gained a wonderful relationship with his birth family. After several years of infertility the unthinkable happened. When Clark was 13 weeks old, we found out I was 11 weeks pregnant. We welcomed his brother on June 8, 2012. Now we are waiting to see if we will welcome a brother or a sister in April. God is good! (credit:Alison Eavenson Webster)

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After spending nearly 1500 days in foster care, these amazing brothers became mine forever on November 9, 2012. #singlescanadopt (credit:Julie Keating)

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When I walked into the DCS office squeezing my husband's hand in a nervous/scared/excited manner, I would've never guessed they would've picked a free-spirited, purple haired, tattooed mama for these beautiful children. But everyday I thank my lucky stars they did! Picture from our adoption day, February 13, 2014. (credit:Mandy Coppinger)

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Not the 1st photo but pretty close. Me and my parents 1985 when they came to get me in Costa Rica. It took 15 years but they finally found a baby that needed a home. I couldn't be happier and thank God everyday for them and for a birth mother with so much love to give me a good home. (credit:Nicole Boily Keuscher)

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We adopted our 4 yr old twins in September 2011 and we recently adopted our 7 yr old in September! (credit:Carrie Ruch Loos)

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Taken on Dec 1, 2013 after 3+ years of waiting! We finally had our precious Ethiopian son in our arms! He's been home 10 months now and our family is simply blessed beyond measure! He is full of life, joy, and laughter...which is fitting because his name is Isaac, which means "He will laugh".

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My last little one on his adoption day with me and my two adopted daughters, who are his natural siblings. I also have two birth children, and I absolutely adore each one of my children, my heart knows no difference. Our adoption journey began seven years ago, with the oldest, then we were blessed with the middle angel five years ago and now the baby this past September. (credit:Kari Safran)

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Our beautiful girl born in Ethiopia came home with us at 8 months old. She is now almost five and I can't imagine my life without her! ! (credit:Connie Taylor-Bartholomew)

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After a year of fostering, we were able to adopt 2 brothers! We are so happy we were able to keep them together. The Foster system is can be hard, but very rewarding. (credit:Dani Forsey Brown)

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I have seven adopted siblings. The first (bottom left) is from here in Iowa, adopted 15 years ago. The other 6 are from China, adopted 1 and 2 years ago. My parents leave soon for China to get our last two (credit:Cassie Ellsbury)

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After years of failed placements, scams and miscarriages, we were finally holding out sweet little boy! I was lucky enough to be able to nurse him only minutes after he was born from our amazing birth mother and that continues to be one of the most amazing moments of my life. We LOVE adoption!!! (credit:Holly Bailey Aprecio)

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September 22 2014. The day we met our beautiful baby Jackson! We are so blessed to have an amazing open relationship with our birthmother. Adoption changed our lives for the better! (credit:Hillary Gordier)

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Only hours after we met! His brother followed just a year and a half later! (credit:Caitlin Watterlond Mori)

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Our (then) Foster son the first day in our home, Aug 201 and his first picture with daddy! Such a happy chunky baby boy! After a long, arduous journey, 19 months later he was our forever son! (credit:Kena Gottier)

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This was two weeks ago in China. Our daughter is a part of the bamboo project, finding forever families for children with Down syndrome. We've been home 5 days and she is just perfect! (credit:Kelley Smith Nichols)

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Im not these two cute little boys biological mom but i am mommy it was such a rough battle to get custody of them but im so proud to call them mine! (credit:Kylee Porter)

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The day my husband officially became our oldest daughter's dad, October 29, 2010. He had played the role for years but it was important to him for it to be official, she wears his last name proudly! (credit:Jennifer Elerson)

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My husband holding our daughter for the first time in a hotel room in Guatemala City. December 2. 2007 (credit:Lynse Guerra)

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Taken January 2010. Brought our sweet Kate home to Charlotte from Michigan. Almost 5 now... She is the light of our lives! So blessed. (credit:Jennifer Harlow Lindenberg)

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Adoption Day after 28 months(2012) (credit:Carri Artigue)

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Not the first picture but one very early on. I was blessed to be in the delivery room working as a doula for our birth mom. I got to cut the cord and be present for each moment. 3/16/12 (credit:Amanda Lynne)

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Holding Chase for the first time October 19, 2009. (credit:Cheryl Pelletier Paiva)

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Our beautiful twin baby girls were born June 24, 2012. They were born in Arkansas and had to be in the NICU for almost 9 weeks. This picture is when we actually finalized our adoption and were able to get our hospital bands! (credit:Amber Dawn Rolfe-Voorhies)

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This is my family! We adopted both of our girls! We fostered for a little over a year! They were severely neglected and abused... We are so lucky they were placed with us because now we are a forever family!!! June 27th they were adopted! (credit:Daniella Michelle Row Calderon)

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This is the first family photo after my husband adopted our little girl through step parent adoption on September 19, 2013. She has always been his little girl just as he has always been her daddy but it was finally legal! We couldn't have been more thrilled! Our family was officially complete! (credit:Anne Marie Smith)

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May 1, 2014. We met our son Flint the day be was born and officially adopted him three months later. I don't know if i believed in divine intervention before Flint. Now i have no doubts. He is the best baby for our family for so many reasons: i get to see my mom with a baby and imagine her with me that way, he is up for anything and everything, vocal, extroverted, charming, blissfully happy and loves food, just like his dad and I!! (credit:April Wisdom)

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We adopted Josiane Marie from Haiti. This was July 2011, our first time ever meeting her. She was 5 months old. (credit:Kathy McCue)

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This was the first time I held my son. May 20th 2014 my life changed for the better in an unimaginable way.. my husband and I have been together 9 years now and we have had multiple miscarriages. My brother and sister in law were 18 and already had 2 kids... when they found out they were pregnant last October- they asked us if we would adopt this child.. we said yes. No wait or thinking it over at all best decision we have ever made. Our son is now 5 months old and our whole world (credit:Chelsea Plummer)

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First time holding my son in Seoul, Korea August 2012. We were getting into the cab outside of our agency's office, and his foster mom handed him to me, telling me to "Raise him well" We had been matched with him a YEAR before, but had to wait for paperwork to be done. We had spent that whole year sending him care packages, waiting for email picture updates from our agency, and dying to get our hands on our sweet little boy! So this moment was like finally letting out a breath I had been holding for year. Can't imagine life without him.... Adoption rocks!!!!! (credit:Melissa Dare)

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Sept 23, 2011 the day my life changed. I adopted my niece out of LA county foster care and life hasn't been the same since then. It's been a roller coaster navigating mommy hood but I wouldn't have it any other way. Best decision I've ever made! (credit:Jennifer Janisse)

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Sep 28, 2013. This was the day we introduced our sixth child to our kids. We have adopted six kids so far. (credit:Katherine Williams Dyche)

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This beautiful moment was captured on June 14th, 2014- when I held our daughter Zoey Eva, for the first time. We found out about her on the 11th, the day she was born, and brought her home just a few days later. This picture of me holding her, was the absolute best day of my life. (credit:Deidra Anderson)

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Top left~ We were beyond blessed with our first son Oct. 2007, this is our first photo together holding him. Top right~ Our second miracle was born Feb. 2011 this is us meeting him at 2 hrs. old. Bottom left~ Dec. 2011 our little princess arrived! This was a dream we were living...3 children after 6 years of trying to start out family. This was the first time big brothers and us met her. Bottom right~ Feb. 2013 our 3rd sweet baby boy entered this world and our hearts. This picture is his birth momma introducing him to his brothers and sister. Our life has far exceeded our dreams!!! We are thankful, grateful, and lucky to have been chosen by their amazing parents to be given the honor of raising them. We have open adoptions and love everything about it. These photos are priceless memories. (credit:Meghan Marchello)

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We got the call that our wait was over on March 15, 2011. We had a son & we could pick him up the next day! This pic is the moment he was placed into my arms. He was born on Feb 28, 2011. He was 2 wks old. We named him Bradley (his daddy's name) Luke Perry. We call him Luke. He has changed our lives in so many ways. He is our special gift created by God just for us! After struggling with infertility for 10 yrs & trying everything possible to have a baby, the message from above was clear: there is a baby out there for us. The entire adoption process took 9 mos! It was more than meant to be. And as of today, we also have a 9-month-old daughter. I became pregnant last year...total shocker. Yet again we were blessed. God is good! His plan is always at work, just have to trust & keep the faith! (credit:Julie Perry)

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Adoption day after 26 months!!! (2011) (credit:Carri Artigue)

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After years of struggling with heartbreaking infertility, we turned to adoption. We just wanted to be parents and grow our family... It was the best decision we have ever made! Quinna came first and almost 11 months later her biological sister, Soraya was born. Their Birthmother was so gracious & allowed us in the delivery room with both girls and my husband actually cut their umbilical cords. She has honored us with the role of loving these girls beyond belief, being their parents and watching them become best friends. The joy they have brought is indescribable.Pic is: us holding each girl for the first time, celebrating July 4th 2014, & Soraya's adoption finalization day with the judge. Thank you for giving so many beautiful families the chance to shine bc of the miracle of adoption!! (credit:Amanda Adams-Balog)

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Our rainbow family began in 2005 with the adoption of Dante, 2007 with Nicole and 2011 with Maya. (credit:Claudia Gonzalez-Paredes)

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This is my husband, Corey, and I with our four gorgeous children (left to right Joseph, Joy, Vincent, and Jacob), shortly after we became their foster parents. We adopted them 6 months later on National Adoption Day, Nov. 21, 2009. Hard to believe we'll be celebrating our 5th family birthday in less than a month! (credit:Emily Dykstra Martin)

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After 16 months in Foster Care we adopted our 3 boys on April 24th 2014 (the baby in the bottom of the stroller and the two boys directly in front of him, all brothers. The other 4 are our biological children.) The baby was 11 days old and the older boys were 2 & 3 the day they walked into our hearts and thankfully they will never have to leave. We are blessed x7!!!! (credit:Scott N Jenn DesAutels)

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The day she came home from the nicu. August 19th 2013 will forever be the best day of our life. She was. 6 weeks old. & beautiful (credit:Dina Sommerer)

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We adopted Josiane Marie from Haiti. This was July 2012, when we finally got to bring her home, age 15months. (credit:Kathy McCue)

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March 30, 2011... The day we finalized the adoption of 3 of our 9 children. They were a sibling group (1 boy and 2 girls) we had been fostering. The other 6 are our birth children and I will let you guess who is birth and who is adopted except to say that the one child who is always the first picked out as adopted and seems to be an obvious guess is not adopted. We have been truly blessed with the whole foster-adoption experience and are grateful each day that we are lucky enough to call these 9 beautiful babies ours. (credit:Lisa Jeffs Estey)

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My sweet son. This is at 10 mos. He'll always know how much she loved him and wanted him to have it all. Today's he is almost 4. He is my gem. Fearfully and wonderfully made! (credit:Fabio N Michelle Dias)

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This is me (left) very preggo in 2008 with my son, of whom I openly adopted to Dominique, the woman standing next to me (credit:Ashley Tidwell)

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We have 9 children... 5 are adopted. This is our four youngest. A sibling group of four we adopted on December 31, 2012. Talk about a Happy New Year! (credit:Carrie Ellington)

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Here I am, looking tired but feeling very happy. We flew from MA to CA. I am phobic of flying, but nothing could hold me back from flying to our son. After 8 horrible years of unsuccessful fertility treatments and 2 years in the adoption process, I finally became a mom at 44..Adoption is a true miracle. So many things have to come together. I truly believe God hand chose this child to be our son. (credit:Kerry Dee)

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Our boys moved in February 24th, 2012. They were a legal risk pre-adoptive placement so we weren't allowed to post pics of them publicly. They were 5 & 6 when they moved in and this National Adoption Day they are ours forever. (credit:Sabrina Heisey)

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Here is what we look like now. They are 9 & 8 and surprise, we had twins after them! (credit:Sabrina Heisey)

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We adopted our son Aug 2013 from foster care he is amazing and was 8yo at the time this photo was taken with his first ever dog Missy Moo. They have such fun together! (credit:Tammi Stacey Howerton)

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After having our oldest son, Caleb, we suffered the loss of two babies through miscarriage... But because of that loss we looked into and decided to adopt-- we have been SO blessed!Our adoption miracle, Carson, was born May 29, 2011 and delivered right into my arms. His official adoption was just a few months later:) (credit:Jessie Dickinson)

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I tried to email but not sure if it went through. I am the mother of an amazing beautiful daughter. She came to me right before St Pattys day 8 1/2 years ago at age 5 and is now almost 14. She is the light of my life. (credit:Sue Thompson)

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After years of infertility treatments, 3 miscarriages and 2 failed adoptions we finally held our baby girl on August 19, 2014. Tessa Hope is our dream come true. We couldn't be happier!! (credit:Rebecca Feller Amos)

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This photo was taken on March 13th, 2014, when our daughter was just 15 hours old. We found out we were chosen to be her parents that morning and rushed to be with her. In 1 week we will finalize her adoption. We are blessed to be her parents. (credit:Kayla AuBuchon Nelms)

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One bio son, one adopted. First Christmas as a family of 4. December 2011. (credit:Danielle Gray Hansen)

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September 12, 2013 - five weeks old! Maizey Bay Burke Vann (credit:Cherie Baker Vann)

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We adopted our children 2 years and 4 months after they were placed in foster care with us - nov 20, 2013. We've been so blessed (credit:Tiffanie Michael)

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Our 1st family photo on July 3, 2013. We have had our little guy since he was 3 1/2 months old, he is now almost 4. Love him more and more everyday!! (credit:Brandy Trahan)

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These are my 3 sons... Matt is my birth son in the middle. .. to his right is chinh and to his left is Quang...quang and Chinh were our neighbors. ..my son LOVED them and so did I. ..in the summer of 2005 their mother became ill and passed away. ..the boys were going to have to go back to Vietnam because they had no relatives here. ...I decided at that point that i couldn't let that happen. ... their mom had sacrificed so much to bring them here to have a better life. ..we needed to honor her. ...I was single but i knew God world provide for us. ...a year after i adopted the boys i met my husband and he adopted them. ...I was then blessed again with 3 wonderful step children, Rebekah, Seth and Jacob. ... today chinh lives in Texas and had a good job, Quang just graduated with a degree in engineering and he has a great job, Seth is in college, Matt and Beka are juniors and Jacob is in 6th grade. ...adopting the boys was an awesome decision. ...I am so proud of all of them (credit:Cindy Zimmerman)

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Eight years ago our family was started through adoption..I'm so grateful for our infertility so that these three kiddos could be mine..I'm one lucky mama (credit:Lyndsay Davis Followell)

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The day we left the orphanage in Tabarre, with Josie and her nounou (caregiver) Amite. What a wonderful job she did raising our little girl until we could. We were petrified we would un-do all the good that she had done! July 2012, Josie was 15mo old. (credit:Kathy McCue)

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After years of struggle, we were ever so lucky to be blessed by infant adoption of our miracle baby, from his first day home to adoption day we thought our world was complete! However, today we are a full house as our son sweetly embraced the role of big brother a year ago to our Foster children's who (at the time) were 2 days old, 16 month's old and 2 1/2 year old. We learned very quick how to be a large family, he absolutely embraced the role of big brother - hopefully soon we will have the opportunity to adopt the rest of the family. God's plan will unfold, we Trust in Him! (credit:Meg O'Wheels)

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After fostering my kids for nearly two years, I was able to adopt them in September 2010, and this is our photo right outside the courthouse immediately after the adoption. They are the world's most badass children, and you can read more about their story and our family at www.badassamys.com. (credit:Shelley Cadamy)

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12/9/2012 in the hospital right after our daughter was born. This is one of my favorite photos. Seeing her for the first time was love at first sight, but holding her she looked at me like she knew instantly I was her mom (credit:Suzanne Gascoigne Cullen)

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This is me and my husband the night we met our son! We had went through 8 yrs of fertility treatments with no luck. We decided to adopt because we felt that was God's plan for us. About 14 mths later, on February 11, 2011, we got the call that we were the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. He was only 7 days old. We went that same day and brought him home! He became legally ours on June 23, 2011. We are so blessed!! (credit:Erica White Jefferys)

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The day we brought my son home. The day our family was complete. (credit:Amity Ziegler)

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Our son & daughter:)They were 4 & 3 days old in these pics:) Our full story is at www.LetLoveInOpenAdoption.com (credit:Ashlene Williams)

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My husband and our beautiful daughter, adopted at birth in 2012 She is such a blessing to our family! (credit:Elizabeth Anne)

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The first day of school with my 'new' babies. My husband and I ended up adopting two sets of twins within 3 months of each other (the sets are not related to each other) (credit:Deborah Fox McIntosh)

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By these wonderful people who are my parents regardless (credit:Kaitlyn E. Gallagher)

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We became foster parents and brought our daughter home when she was 2 weeks old. Fourteen months later, in 2008, the adoption was final, and we couldn't have been more blessed adding her to our family! She is AMAZING. (credit:Kati Johnson Wilson)

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Here is my Alice the moment I first saw her. (March 2, 2014) Our adoption will be finalized in January, but we have had her since she was born. Alice is my niece by birth, my sister gave birth to her a few short weeks before she passed away. It has been a roller coaster since she was born, but she is the brightest light around and makes us all so happy! One more picture to follow! (credit:Amy Rich Hollingsworth)

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This is my daughter Ivey and I on the day we met her. She was born June 6th and we met her on June 12th, 2013. After nine years of waiting and 5 failed adoptions we finally met our daughter. All the wait, all the money, all the heartache was worth it for this moment. Adoption made us a family. We are so lucky to be a part of this amazing community. Thank you for doing this!! (credit:Tobi Gray Weldon)

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Grace Dolores 8.20.10 adopted at birth. We adopted her biological sister 18 months prior ( see post below-Audrey) and when her birth parents got pregnant again, we adopted Grace. These little girls saved us! (credit:Holly Meers Shields)

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We have adopted 6! ( 2 sibling groups) The bottom pic is our first adoption of 4 kids, the top right is the adoption of #5, and the top left is the adoption of #6. We are blessed beyond measure. (credit:Tiffany Vangunten Brocker)

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10/19/12.... We brought our son home in the pouring rain after two anxious hours of signing paperwork with his birth parents. When I pulled into the garage I shut the door and felt like I could finally breathe. All the painful years of infertility were erased in an instant (credit:Gretchen Badalamenti)

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February 3, 2008 Guatemala City, we held our son for the very first time. After 6 misacrriages, I had never felt such joy and the depth of love I felt, before in my life as I did when I finally held my son in my arms! That feeling, to this day, has only become stronger. This gorgeous, amazing and special boy saved my life, gave me purpose and made me a mommy. We are forever grateful to the beautiful woman who made this life, with our precious boy, possible; you are my angel. (credit:Darla Baugh Highfield)

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This is me holding my daughter for the 1st time the day after she was born in September 2004. She is 10 years old now & she has a wonderful relationship with her biological mother & siblings. I can't imagine life without. She's my everything. (credit:Jackie Yukubousky)

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Here they are at 7 and 6 3/4 today (credit:Danielle Gilbert)

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Our first official picture as a family! Our boys came to be with us in December 2012 at 5 and 7. Lainey was born Nov 29 2013 and we brought her home December 2 2013. All three were placed with us as foster children. On July 30, 2014 Gage and Gabriel were officially adopted and then on October 9 2014 Lainey officially joined our family when her adoption was final. This picture was taken just two days later (credit:Tonya Scott Brakenberry)

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October 2, 2013. We were fortunate to be present at our daughter's birth...best day ever! (credit:Jeanee Autrey Bacon)

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This is me with my daughter, Abigail Faith. This was the first time I held her - 1-12-07. She did not come home until 8-14-07. She is from Guatemala. I spent a glorious week with her when she was 2 months old. Hence this picture. I didn't see her again until she was placed in my arms forever on 8-6-07. Her adoption was long and hard - but I would do it all again just to be her Mommy! She will turn 8 on 11-08-14. (credit:Karen Durrett)

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My daughter lily & i (and another adoptive parent in the background). changsha, china, 4/17/02. it took a long time, and there were obstacles, but we did it! (credit:Celeste Piazza Meehan)

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She is biologically mine but was adopted by my husband on July 12, 2013. That's our attorney and the judge. (credit:Cath Leen)

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Alice is almost 8 months old now. She is the center of the universe around here. Loved and maybe a tad bit spoiled. (credit:Amy Rich Hollingsworth)

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