"We couldn't have done anything without the constant support from Carly. She was attentive, friendly, caring...basically everything that you would hope for."
Kim & Andrew, Illinois
Andrew and I always dreamed of having children, both adopted and biological. However, after years of unsuccessful and heartbreaking failed fertility treatments, we had closed the door to having a biological child.
I knew that I could never do fertility treatments again, it was painful, disappointing, and emotionally and physically exhausting. It just didn’t feel right. We then started researching adoption agencies in the Chicago area and fell in love with one about an hour away from us. We quickly put together a profile and felt very confident that we would be matched with our child.
After 2 years of no matches or prospects, we talked to our social worker about expanding our search and looking into interstate adoption. At first, this was really scary, but she reassured us that there were great consultants to help guide us through the process. We got the names of four consultants and interviewed each one of them. RG Adoption Consulting was our last interview and within seconds we knew that this is who we were meant to work with.
Both Carly and Becca were on our introduction call and we felt an immediate connection with them. I cried, a lot, feeling a new sense of excitement and hope after a long, unsuccessful wait time. We felt the love and support that we found with our Illinois agency and knew that we wanted to proceed forward during that very phone call. Within hours, we connected with our consultant, who was luckily Carly!
We couldn’t have done anything without the constant (and I mean constant) support from Carly. She was attentive, friendly, loving, caring…basically everything that you would hope for. She answered every question we had and helped make that scary process, of going interstate, so much more comfortable.
The speed of working with RGAC was a huge surprise. After waiting for 2 years with our Illinois agency, we were shocked to see so many situations come our way and to be matched so quickly! But before that match could happen, we experienced some heartbreak.
We experienced a failed match and felt a large moment of despair. It happened with our home study agency, here in Illinois. Although this was not an agency that RGAC connected us with, Carly was right there with us, helping us navigate the stress, anxiety, and grief that went along with it.
Carly would check on us multiple times a day, offer encouraging words, what questions we should ask, and so much more. After the birth mom had a change of heart, Becca and Carly offered us a place to express grief but more importantly offer us ways to cope with it. Becca recommended we reach out to a Chicago-based therapist, Faith Donohue. I started working with Faith 1-2 times a week, and she helped us TREMENDOUSLY. Thankfully, Faith is someone that I still see, virtually, once a week. We are so grateful for her insight, support, and love.
The RG Adoption Consulting community was also phenomenal in supporting us. Through the community, we gained the friendship and love of a fellow hopeful adoptive family. After the worst of COVID, we met up, and feel like we are long-lost friends.
We are able to pick back up where we left off with an open heart for what was to come. We got a call on April 14th at 11 AM from our Florida agency and they said that there was an expectant mom who was going to be due that day. The mama-to-be fell in love with us, wanted us to be there for the birth, and asked if we can make it to Florida.
After talking it over with Carly, we booked a flight for that very day. We spent about an hour talking with the expectant mother and getting to know her. The next morning we went to the hospital to meet our soon-to-be son’s birth mom and immediately fell in love with her. We shared the most precious moment coming together and picking out a name for our son.
Later that afternoon, she was ready for her C-section and requested that I be in the delivery room with her. We both scrubbed up and I held her hand as they began to deliver our son. All of a sudden the doctor said, “There you are! Happy Birthday!”
Birth mom and I looked at each other and both cried. The doctors showed us our baby, he was gorgeous with beautiful dark hair…and lots of it! That was the most amazing experience we’ve ever had…to be there with the birth mom for the birth of our son. We got to see his birth mom hold him for the first time, give him his first kiss, and witness the love she has for him.
We shared the news with our extended family and friends (some who didn’t even know we were adopting). The excitement and love that we received were so special. At discharge, birth mom signed her papers and the NICU staff threw us a special celebration, took pictures for us, and showered us with gifts and love.
Both sets of grandparents traveled to Florida to see their new grandson AND we even got a surprise visit from our consultant, Carly while we waited for our son to be discharged from the NICU! It was so special to see everyone come together to help bring our son home quickly and safely. We got the chance to meet with our son’s birth mom for lunch before we left for Chicago. Giving her one more moment with our son and offering the closure that she deserved was an unparalleled experience. We’re so thankful for the close and open relationship we have with our son’s birth mother.
Shortly after we made our way home and came back to decorations and love from our dog Lucy, family, neighbors, and friends. It has all been a dream come true!
