We have BIG news!!
After five years of trying to start a family through IVF and being unsuccessful we have decided to adopt a baby! We met in Greensboro, NC in 2015 and were married on March 3, 2018 in a historic theater in Washington, NC.
Justin is a native of North Carolina and works as an Assistant District Attorney. He graduated from East Carolina University and Elon Law School. Jennifer was born in Michigan and has lived in North Carolina for the past 27 years. She works from home as a Quality Specialist Lead for a health insurance company. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
We both love to travel and have visited six countries and multiple states together. We don’t drink, are non-smokers, enjoy the outdoors, love game nights and weekends with Family and Friends. Our only child is one spoiled twelve year old Cavachon dog named Zoe. She loves to travel with us especially to the beach.
We are asking for help as IVF the past five years has slimmed down our savings. We are currently finishing up the home study paperwork, attending classes and working on our profile for prospective birth mothers. We need an additional $24,000 for the agency fees and $4,000 for birth mother expenses. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
We are so excited to finally be able to introduce everyone to our son, Grayson Michael Byrd!! He was born on January 27th weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces and 19 inches. The story of how he became our son is unique and feels like it was meant to be.
It’s amazing how one social media post can change your life for the better and give you what you have been wanting for what seems like forever. We posted to our Facebook and Instagram adoption pages that our adoption website was launching today and told family and friends to share as they could be the link to finding our baby. Justin’s cousin Meagan shared that post and it made it to the godmother of the birth father who had just had an unexpected baby with his girlfriend. It was a cryptic pregnancy and the birth mother didn’t know she was pregnant until she was 31 weeks along. She was induced at 37 weeks due to preeclampsia. The birth parents were shown our adoption page and our YouTube video on Sunday, January 28th. That afternoon we received a call on our adoption google phone number from the birth father’s older sister asking if we were still interested in adopting as she knew of a baby available. Everything after that was so extremely fast and surreal. We talked to the BF’s sister and then later to the BF in the hospital. We rushed to call our social worker to talk to the birth parents and sister in the hospital within the next hour. On Tuesday we went to a match meeting at a restaurant with another social worker and the birth parents. We were all nervous but there wasn’t an awkward moment for two and a half hours. We hugged when we parted ways. The entire way home we kept feeling like this was meant to be and worried about getting our hopes up because it felt too good to be true. Shortly after our drive home we received a text from the birth parents asking us to be Grayson’s parents! We spent the next three days back and forth with the birth parents, three social workers and the adoption agency’s lawyer dealing with all the logistics, paperwork and getting what he needed. We didn’t have anything so it was a very hectic three days. It was decided on Saturday, February 3rd the birth parents would bring Grayson to our house. We sat and talked for four hours before the emotional goodbyes. We took pictures together and will have an open adoption plan. We have so much love and respect for the birth parents. They love him so much and knew that they just were too young and couldn’t give him everything he needed. I can’t even imagine how hard this was for them. His birth parents chose his first name and the middle name of Michael is for my dad. His name reflects all three of his families.
Even though he was born premature Grayson is completely healthy and the cutest little guy. We have fallen head over heels in love with him from the moment we met him. Grayson loves to have his hands up by his face at all times and is so very easy going. He makes the cutest faces and has a tight grip on the pacifier or bottle. He loves to snuggle and we are soaking up every moment. At his last pediatrician appointment on Wednesday he went up to 6 pounds 10.6 ounces.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us through this journey!
We have been home study approved! Yesterday our adoption profile went live and sometime this week it will be added to our adoption agency's site. We have been posting to our Facebook and Instagram adoption pages weekly as well. Please check out our website, Facebook and Instagram pages. YOU could be the link to our expectant mama and baby so make sure to follow and like our posts on our social media pages.
Thank you for your support! It means the world to us.
Sincerely,
Jennifer & Justin
Our Adoption Social Media:
Website: www.jenniferandjustinadopt.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferandjustinadopt
Instagram: instagram.com/jennifer_and_justin_adopt
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6CqVdy1neo
