National Adoption Month: I'm Adopted!

It's National Adoption Month! YAY! A few of my "adoption" friends have already starting blogging about adoption, so I only felt it right that I do the same. I'll be doing a few posts about adoption this month. My first topic is going to be about me being adopted.

I was adopted when I was born. My birth mother Emily was a beautiful young woman, while despite some drama getting to my actual birth, choose adoption and our Father in Heaven lead her to my parents.

I always knew I was adopted. My parents NEVER hid that from us. (My 3 brothers are adopted as well). All I had from my birth mother was a letter that she had written me. I had no idea what she looked like. But one thing my mother always instilled in me, was how much she loved me. "You are extra loved", she would say. Emily wrote me a beautiful letter about how she wanted a better life for me. Even though I didn't know all the details about why she chose adoption, I didn't need to know. I knew that she loved me and that was all I needed to know.

I knew that Emily would be easy to find. Emily's sister, Becky, married my moms cousin. Confusing right? So my mom and I are kinda like cousins through marriage! I had planned to meet her when I graduated high school. But for some reason, it never happened. As my life progressed, and things got bad for me. I ended up with my own unplanned pregnancy. After choosing adoption for my own son,(which I will discuss in a later post), I decided it was time to meet Emily. She knew exactly what I was going through because she had done the same thing!

When Emily and I first talked on the phone, it was surreal. I had always wanted to meet this woman. The woman that sacrificed for me and gave me my wonderful life. It's hard to explain the gratitude you feel for someone who gave you such a wonderful gift. She was completely understanding of my situation, and from then on, we have continued our relationship. She answered almost every question I had. The only ones she didn't answer were the ones she couldn't remember. I found out that my birth father was Hispanic, which a lot of people already assumed but it was never confirmed. I knew I had a younger half brother, who I now have a relationship with as well. I was able to find out all the events that lead to my birth.

Emily was at my wedding. She was there when I first went to the temple. We send cards and call. At my wedding, people could not believe that Emily was there and that really irritated me. Some people had the nerve to ask my mother if it bothered her that Emily was there. OF COURSE NOT!! My mom is not threatened by Emily and vice versa. We all know the place that we have in each others lives, and no one ever tries to step on anyone toes. My mom has a great deal of love and respect for Emily because with out her, she would not have a daughter.

I love being adopted. It has truly shown me that I can love anyone, blood or not, as if they were my family. Blood doesn't matter. We are all God's children. And I'm just lucky enough to have a mom and a birth mom. And it doesn't get any better then that!


This was the day my adoption was finalized when I was a year old.


Emily, James(my half brother) and I at my wedding.