"I think a misconception we deal with often is adoption is the easy way out . . . especially in our situation. Technically I could have gotten pregnant again, although I probably would have ended up on a heart transplant list. I think a lot of people thought we adopted so we could 'get our girl' since we had two boys. In reality, we actually opened up all our preferences in the end to include any gender, any ethnicity, etc. We felt like if we were meant to have a daughter, it would happen and we needed to trust in whatever came our way...that was a really hard point to get to, but one of the lessons I know I needed to learn in the process: to trust, to turn over "control". . . NOT easy!
The adoption process is NOT easy . . . it is HARD, it is PAINFUL, it is SCARY, it is GUT-WRENCHING, it is EXHAUSTING, it can be LONG, it can be LONELY. It is an emotional roller coaster. However it can also be AMAZING, HEARTWARMING, SACRED, TESTIMONY-BUILDING, A JOURNEY IN COMPASSION AND SELF DISCOVERY, and HUMBLING.
For all the tears shed in despair and heartache, I know that ten times as many were shed in expressions of pure joy and gratitude. The journey that adoption has taken my family on hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't trade any of it because of the strength that those experiences gave to our family."
-Cydnee, Adoptive Mother