Our Adoption Story: I Always Knew

Olivia came into our lives through adoption just a few short weeks ago.  I still feels like it must all be a dream.  She has filled our lives.

Every child has a birth story.  I have shared some amusing parts of my pregnancy with Paityn, and how her birth changed me forever. 

Olivia's birth story is beautiful, but it's not mine to share with the world.  But the story of how she came home to our family is.

This is our adoption story.

I have always wanted to adopt.  "Always" meaning since I was a young teenager.  I knew several families who had grown through adoption, and something about it resonated deep inside of my heart.  If I could tell you exactly what it is that touched me so, I would, but it's not any one thing.  It's the entirety.

Giving birth to Paityn was the singularly most beautiful moment of my life.  The minute I held her, I loved her fiercely and completely.  It was amazing to finally meet this little person who had been growing inside of me for all these months.  We looked at each other and just knew.  There was a moment of recognition and I knew that this little soul had been meant to be in my care.

But for a long time, I had known that there would be a another child meant for my arms who would not grow inside of me. 

Do you believe that there are some people who were meant to be together?  I do. 

And I don't think it's limited to romantic love.  I believe that friends can be meant to have found each other; my best friend and I truly complete each other.  And I simply can't imagine that all the crazy circumstances that brought Dan and I together were simply chance.  

In the same way, I believe that Paityn was meant for us.  Who else would have held her night after night, month after month, when she was a baby?  Who else would understand her fiery temper and know that someday, it will be valuable?  Who else would sympathize when she doesn't want to talk to anyone at school because of her shyness, but chatters my ear off as soon as I get home?

I just knew there was another child out there who needed us. 

After Paityn turned a year old, I started talking to Dan about adoption.  We knew it would be a long process.  But I knew that someday, there would be a baby that would need us just as much as Paityn does. 

Continue to the second part: Our Adoption Story: Lost in a Sea of Paperwork

Please stop back for the rest of our adoption story.  If you don't want to miss it, you can have new posts from Raising Paityn delivered to your email.  It's easy!  Just enter your email address in the upper left "Raising Paityn by Email."