Heritage Adoption Services: Testimony/Charlie

Charlie's Story

Our adoption story started one August when we walked into Heritage with a million questions...

We had tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant with our third child and decided it was time to stop the fertility treatments. The minute we met with Vanessa and Deborah at Heritage we knew we had found the right place. Our initial "quick visit" took 2 hours during which they spent time really getting to know us, answering questions and making us feel welcome without any pressure whatsoever. We spent the next month reading, soul searching and talking about our readiness to jump into the life long adoption process. What did "open" really mean? Who would this birthmother be? Whenever we had a question, Heritage was there to answer it. We went to the adoptive parent seminar a little skeptical about taking two days off work to sit around? talking adoption. Wow! We were surprised to find how helpful the two days were. We met other couples in different stages of the process; we met birthmothers and adoptive parents. The thing that struck us the most was how committed Heritage is to all its clients -- birthmothers, adoptive parents and adopted children. We loved that they cared so much for all the people involved in an adoption. We turned in our application on the second day of the class and set a timeline to finish our home study within the month.

Much to our surprise, we received a phone call just 2 weeks after the class! YIKES, were we ready for this? We jumped on a plane to Alaska to meet a birthmother, a young woman who wanted to make an adoption plan for her baby. Initially we'd had so many fears about open adoption, but ultimately we decided we couldn't have it any other way. We want our son to know where he came from and how loved he was. We made the ?match? and came back to Portland to spend the next six weeks preparing for a baby! When the time came, we flew to Alaska and spent a week with our son's birth family while waiting for his arrival. It gave us such peace of mind knowing he came from a family who truly loved him. And from a birth mother who made the most unselfish decision of her life. What a gift. We grew to love and admire her before Charlie was even born. When Charlie made his way into this world we were thrilled to be a part of it -- from the birth to those first days in the hospital all together.

There were bumps in the road. There were tears, uncertainty, fear and moments of panic. Heritage was there for us through every step. We know some couples go through this process without the support of an agency and we can't imagine doing it that way. Vanessa, Deborah and Lynne literally took us by the hands and led us gently over the bumps. They did the same for Charlie's birthmother, and they will do the same for Charlie. We would recommend Heritage to anyone taking on this incredible life journey.

When Charlie came home to Portland to meet his big brother and sister it felt like Christmas. That day will be vivid in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Our family is complete now. We are so grateful to Heritage for helping us find an incredible birthmother and our sweet baby Charlie.

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Charlie's Story
Our adoption story started one August when we walked into Heritage with a million questions...

We had tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant with our third child and decided it was time to stop the fertility treatments. The minute we met with Vanessa and Deborah at Heritage we knew we had found the right place. Our initial "quick visit" took 2 hours during which they spent time really getting to know us, answering questions and making us feel welcome without any pressure whatsoever. We spent the next month reading, soul searching and talking about our readiness to jump into the life long adoption process. What did "open" really mean? Who would this birthmother be? Whenever we had a question, Heritage was there to answer it. We went to the adoptive parent seminar a little skeptical about taking two days off work to sit around? talking adoption. Wow! We were surprised to find how helpful the two days were. We met other couples in different stages of the process; we met birthmothers and adoptive parents. The thing that struck us the most was how committed Heritage is to all its clients -- birthmothers, adoptive parents and adopted children. We loved that they cared so much for all the people involved in an adoption. We turned in our application on the second day of the class and set a timeline to finish our home study within the month.


Much to our surprise, we received a phone call just 2 weeks after the class! YIKES, were we ready for this? We jumped on a plane to Alaska to meet a birthmother, a young woman who wanted to make an adoption plan for her baby. Initially we'd had so many fears about open adoption, but ultimately we decided we couldn't have it any other way. We want our son to know where he came from and how loved he was. We made the ?match? and came back to Portland to spend the next six weeks preparing for a baby! When the time came, we flew to Alaska and spent a week with our son's birth family while waiting for his arrival. It gave us such peace of mind knowing he came from a family who truly loved him. And from a birth mother who made the most unselfish decision of her life. What a gift. We grew to love and admire her before Charlie was even born. When Charlie made his way into this world we were thrilled to be a part of it -- from the birth to those first days in the hospital all together.


There were bumps in the road. There were tears, uncertainty, fear and moments of panic. Heritage was there for us through every step. We know some couples go through this process without the support of an agency and we can't imagine doing it that way. Vanessa, Deborah and Lynne literally took us by the hands and led us gently over the bumps. They did the same for Charlie's birthmother, and they will do the same for Charlie. We would recommend Heritage to anyone taking on this incredible life journey. When Charlie came home to Portland to meet his big brother and sister it felt like Christmas. That day will be vivid in our hearts for the rest of our lives. Our family is complete now. We are so grateful to Heritage for helping us find an incredible birthmother and our sweet baby Charlie.

<< Back Home