Hallie's Story

After making the decision to add to our family through Adoption, we spent a considerable amount of time researching adoption agencies local to Portland, where we live.  We were initially drawn to Heritage because of their fantastic website.  We liked that the agency was forthcoming about fees and timelines on the web, where many of the other agencies in town were not.  When we called the agency we were also thrilled to be put directly on the phone with domestic adoption director, and later with the executive director of the organization.  The staff was so friendly and patient from the beginning, it was like calling an old friend. 

We moved through the paperwork process fairly quickly, meeting with staff the first time in late September, having our home study in November and then scheduling our orientation in late January.  A few days before our orientation we discovered that due to a series of unrelated events the other four couples scheduled to take the class had cancelled and that we were the only ones going to attend.  We had one on one time with Sue, our wonderful advisor in the process, and spent a good amount of time in a safe environment discussing our concerns, anxieties and excitement about welcoming a baby to our home through adoption.  We got to talk to another family that adopted through Heritage and found that their adoption experience, while not without hiccups, was as scary, exciting, emotional and wonderful as we expected the process to be.  The message we also received that Heritage had been a stable guide to the process, presenting the facts truthfully, and supporting the decision and feelings of the birth parents and the adoptive families.  

After the orientation and completion of our ?Dear Birth Parent? album we went home, expecting to wait several months for a match.  We were therefore surprised and shocked when we received the call about four weeks after our album was complete.  A young mother in Montana who was already parenting a child had decided that she could not care for a second child the way she wanted to.  During our initial conversation we found we had many things in common and realized within minutes that we had made a match.  The three weeks until her due date were the most frenzied and exciting time that we had experienced.  We spoke to the birth mother many times and our connection grew with every call.  When we arrived at the hospital 6 hours after our daughter Hallie?s birth meeting her birth mother was like meeting an old friend.  Our Montana case worker, Linda, was there to make the whole process more comfortable. 

At the time of our match, Sue let us know that there was a chance that our adoption could be prevented by the actions of the birth father, who did not want to surrender his parental rights.  As it turns out, there were problems after Hallie was born and for a short time it looked like our adoption might not be successful.  As stressful as it was we were blessed to be supported through the process by Sue and Linda and their kind but truthful guidance.  We know that they were blessings to Hallie?s birthmother too, as she struggled with both the adoption and the idea that in the end she might have to parent. 

Our adoption story has a happy ending.  We have a beautiful daughter and a good and open relationship with her birth mother who we talk to and exchange letters with frequently.  We are also blessed to know that the support and care we all received from all of the Heritage staff made our adoption possible.  When we are ready to add to our family we will definitely call on Heritage again.