Stephanie, Adam (10 months), and Dave at Disney World
Stephanie and I began our adoption journey well before we first sat down with Adoptions from the Heart in early 2013. We had been discussing bringing a child into our family by this route for some time preceding formal investigation along with crafting our application. As with so many families, after submitting the application, we waited. And waited. And waited some more for what felt like forever. We tried not to think about it. We kept our decision to go on an adoption list to as few people as possible to make the waiting easier. Months went by, life circumstances moved along as they tend to do, and then one Friday evening in March 2015, the phone rang when I was sleeping before a night shift and we were told that our baby boy was waiting for us in New Jersey. We were barely able to contain our excitement. Our first call was to my secretary at work to get immediate time off. Then we packed up for a very new journey. Two days later, my wife and I were holding our son Adam in our arms.
For those who are unaware, I am an ER doctor. Getting to that point in a career takes many years. While going to work provides some professional satisfaction, even my coworkers know that perhaps that single thing I am most proud of is being a dad. In the five years since Adam’s birth, two younger brothers have joined him. They are inseparable. Adam is the leader of the pack. Adam is my eldest son. He is my little protégé, my sidekick, and seeing him laugh and smile with his brothers is the highlight of my day.
Right now, it feels as though my years before Adam joined us were from a different lifetime. Looking at pictures from before his arrival, I look for Adam and wonder where he and his brothers are in the pictures. Certainly, our two cats have since noticed their marginalization in favor of the boys. Being a parent is life-changing. Priorities shift, goals gravitate toward the children and one finds a sense that oneself is no longer the center of their existence. As the years go by, I feel as though I mark time with new life events based upon how old the boys are and where they are in their childhoods.
The Grace of God has inspired Adam’s birth parents’ decision and has brought Adam to us, and Stephanie and I now devote our lives to being good parents to our children. We will be a family forever and know that there are many happy memories yet to come.
Family of five at Disney World January 2020
