"The best part of it all was having our consultant, Rachel, with us through it all. She was there for us and always had our best interest at heart."

Adoption has always played a role in our lives and families. With Kendra’s sister having adopted all four of her babies and Ian having cousins and aunts who have adopted, it was something that felt ingrained within us. Both sides of our families were very supportive and happy with our decision!

We were led to adoption for the second time because we really wanted a sibling for our daughter to grow up with. We wanted her to have someone who she could talk to about her adoption and share that special bond with.

The first time around we worked with Rachel Patten and we couldn’t have been more thankful that she was working at the agency we adopted our daughter through. We loved working with her so much then that we reached out to her and found that she was now working with RG Adoption Consulting. Working with RGAC was the best decision we made through this process—everyone was very kind, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Our journey was not one without frustrations. The agencies we worked with were not very effective or efficient. At times it felt as though we were doing some of the work for the agencies. Through all the craziness that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a long wait for ICPC.

As far as surprises go, we weren’t too surprised by anything since we went in knowing what to expect. However, it does seem harder to adopt now than almost four years ago, but that is what we had anticipated. If we were to experience all this for a second time, we would tell ourselves to not compare past experiences to this one. All it does is worry us unnecessarily.

Despite all the obstacles, there were precious moments that we will never forget. Our first favorite moment was holding our baby. We both cried, as it had been a long road to get to him. Our second favorite was when our daughter first saw him virtually. She was so excited and told us all these plans she had made for the two of them. I can only imagine the moment where they meet in person…I’m certain it will be another favorite moment.

Our relationship with our birth mother was another thing that will always hold dearly after this experience. About a week before the baby was born, Kendra started texting our baby’s birth mom. It was tricky due to a language barrier but we managed. We ended up taking her to the hospital and were there for much of labor and delivery. Kendra truly fostered a beautiful relationship with our son’s birth mother. It was very hard to leave her at discharge, but we still talk everyday.

We wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world. The best part of it all was having our consultant, Rachel, with us through it all. She was there for us and always had our best interest at heart. When things became frustrating she would always empathize with us. We always felt listened to and understood!