This adoption was a second adoption. The youngest girl had been adopted into a home where she wasn’t doing well, so with the help of an adoption agency she was adopted for a second time into this family.

My husband and I had known that we wanted to adopt since we were high school sweethearts.  After getting married and settling down, we began the long and arduous process to adopt from Uganda.  After years of waiting, we were matched with our beautiful daughter, who was eight at the time. We traveled to bring her home and began the process of learning to be a family of three! 

After a few years of being home and feeling secure in our family, our daughter kept asking for a sister. I told her we wanted to adopt again, but she would have to be patient and she may get a sister OR a brother!  We talked about the many different routes that we might use to adopt again, but nothing ever felt quite right or the way God was leading us.

I had followed Second Chance Adoptions of Facebook for a few years and really had a heart for these kids, especially since adopting our first daughter and knowing the challenges yet joy that adoptions can bring.  Every time a new face would appear on the site, I would read their stories and wonder if we might one day open our home to one of these little ones.

In the fall of last year, as we were still going round and round about our second adoption, I saw the most precious little girl’s profile pop up on Second Chance’s Facebook page. I read her profile and the requirements, and we met all of them.  I sent the initial e-mail to learn more and before I knew it we were home study ready and getting ready to travel out of state to get our sweet Little D (as we affectionately call her)…our new daughter and little sister!

I have to tell you that she has been such a joy and a blessing to our family!  Adoption is not a fairy tale, and we knew that going in. Every day is not perfect, but every day with her is a blessing.  We know that all adoptions come from a place of loss and pain, but we are so thankful that God redeemed D’s story to one of hope and joy. 

We have watched negative behaviors melt away and we’ve witnessed her being able to attach and bond with us (something she was not able to do in a healthy way before).  Second Chance understands how these adoptions can heal a child and give them a fresh start where they can bloom and thrive. We are so thankful that she is a part of our family and we can’t imagine life without both of our bubbly, sassy, sweet girls!