Family Feature: Monica, William, Max & Liam
Family Feature Series
We live for the beautiful, resilient, loving, and precious moments that our families experience on their adoption journeys. No two adoption paths are the same. No two families are exactly alike. Each story is precious and filled with love. There are hopeful adoptive parents who are waiting for a bundle of joy to call their own. There are also many birth parents making a loving sacrifice to place a child with those adoring families in waiting.
We hope that our Family Feature Blog Series gives both adoptive and birth parents a beacon of hope, a realization that no matter what the future holds, there is a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. The journey to adoption is often filled with many emotions, but at the end of the path, it’s all in the name of a shared love for that beautiful child.
Family Feature: Monica, William, Max & Liam
Monica’s Story of Love
What advice would you give to adoptive parents in the waiting stage?
Don’t ever give up hope. You will get placed. Don’t worry or be anxious about that — instead, enjoy setting up your nursery and getting ready for your child to arrive.
You’ve experienced the joy of adoption twice with Max and Liam. No two adoptions are exactly alike. How did your experience with them differ?
Our experiences were so different between the two boys. Max’s placement happened very close to his birth so we only had a few days to prepare ourselves and get to Florida; whereas, with Liam, we had months to prepare and think of his name. Our birth parents also had different healing journeys after the adoption and we had to learn to respect the different emotions and wishes.
Describe the thoughts and emotions you experienced when you received the phone call(s) that you were going to be Max and Liam’s mom.
Both times, we were overjoyed, nervous and so excited. We spoke to the birth moms right away in both adoptions and we remember being so nervous and excited. During the calls, we asked them lots of questions that later became essential for the boys’ life books. Asking questions was a great way to relax all of us and assure the tummy mummies we were listening.
What advice were you given that really stuck with you during the adoption journey?
First, adoption will teach you empathy quickly. Everyone involved is trying to do the right thing and has emotions and feelings that all require compassion.
Why did you choose Heart of Adoptions?
We wanted to be assured we were with an agency that treated all parties with empathy, care, and respect. The birth families are the families of our children and we wanted to assure all would feel they were treated well throughout the process.
Describe a memorable moment that really stood out to you during the adoption process.
For both boys, we were in the delivery room, and hearing their little cries were so special. Holding the boys for the first time was so special. And Max seeing his baby brother for the first time — when Max saw Liam, He said, “we will take care of him.” It was such a special moment.
Tell us more about your sons Max and Liam. How old are they now? What are some of their favorite things?
Max is 6 and Liam is almost 4. Max loves to run, play soccer and baseball and read. He also loves to draw comics.
Liam loves rainbows, stickers, and unicorns and is a budding drummer (it is very loud in our house). Liam also loves to paint and dance.
How has adoption changed your life?
What is your favorite thing to do together as a family?
We live less than a mile from the beach and so when the weather is good — we are building sandcastles, searching for shells, playing in the water, or having a beach picnic. Both boys like to be buried in the sand, or even better burying their dad. The boys also are connoisseurs of dim sum and we enjoy visiting all that Chinatown has to offer.
A Message from Heart of Adoptions
There is nothing more heartwarming than hearing amazing adoption love stories like these! Thank you to Monica, her husband William, and their boys Liam and Max for sharing their story with us. If you’d like to speak with someone about placing baby for adoption with an individualized plan, call us at 1-800-GO-ADOPT). We are available via text too: 754-238-5537.
We are so thankful to Monica and her family for sharing her story with us. If you are a Birth or an Adoptive Parent and would like to share your Heart of Adoption story for our next Family Feature, please email [email protected]
