We decided on the first day we were married that we didn't want to take birth control because we wanted to be open to having babies whenever The Lord saw fit. We figured we'd get pregnant right off the bat, and we were okay with that! After a year of no birth control, and no baby, we went to the doctor. They ran some tests and a few weeks later informed us that because of conditions we each had, we'd never be able to have children naturally. The doctor then told us about all of the options; artificial insemination, invetro fertilization, hormones, egg/sperm donors, etc. We thanked the doctor for her opinions, and options, and we left feeling a little bit sad at the news, but surprisingly at peace with the news. We got in the car and imediately disucssed our options, but we added an option that the doctor had missed, and that was adoption.
You see, Ashlee's 2 oldest brothers are adopted, and if anybody had a sweet, tender, wonderful feeling and experience with adoption it was us. We knew it was a blessing, and a special way for Heavenly Father to makes families complete and whole. So we talked about all our options and then we let everything sink in for a while. For about a year we spent lots of time praying, pondering, and attending the temple in hopes that Heavenly Father would guide us in what to do. At the end of that year we decided to do one round of hormones. The doctor told us it wouldn't work, and she was right. It didn't. So we spent some more time talking about our options. A few months later we decided that adoption was our first choice! We felt at peace with that decision and decided to do that instead of any of the other medications of procedures that might result in pregnancy.
And here we are today. Fully aware that we could go through medical treatments to get pregnant, but feel way more at peace with the decision to help our family grow through adoption instead. We have a testimony of adoption and that it is a beautiful thing. We know of the sacrifice it is for birth parents, but we also know of the miracle it is in the end. We are grateful for adoption and are grateful to you for considering that as a possibility.
