Our Adoption Story

We are a couple madly in love with each other. We knew each other for nine years and were married for four of them before we came to the decision that we very much wanted to grow our family and share our love with a child. We were fortunate to come across Gladney in our search for an adoption agency. After our initial orientation meeting, we knew Gladney was the right fit for us. Gladney’s history, longevity in the adoption field, and the professionalism of the staff all gave us confidence that we were in good hands.

We were matched with our beautiful daughter, Eliana. We received a phone call on a Monday afternoon from our Gladney case worker about a little girl who was born a few days before, many states away. By Thursday of that week, we were on an airplane headed to the hospital where she was born to pick her up and bring her home. It was a whirlwind! While we were out-of-state picking up our little girl, our family snuck into our home and decked out the entire place in everything we and she could have needed. There was a huge “Our Eliana” sign waiting outside of our home when we drove up! We were not just bringing Eliana home to us; we brought her home to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends. Our hearts overflowed.

Now, we watch her every day in wonderment. It is beyond amazing to see her grow and develop. She is such a happy baby and constantly smiling. She loves to be around people—she is a little social butterfly, interacting with all and babbling up a storm. She also has a streak of independence, wanting to eat her food with her own fingers instead of being spoon fed. We could not have imagined how much joy she would bring us, and we want nothing less than to give her the world. We can’t wait to see her story develop and feel immensely blessed to be part of it.

Veronica & Jim