By Cindy B.
“He’s a perfect baby,” said the Smiths as they brought home their newly adopted son. Jason and Mindy have been trying to conceive for years until they finally gave up and chose to adopt. However, they are still waiting on their happy ending.
“We were told the easiest way to conceive was to adopt. My friend knows two women who adopted and then BOOM. Pregnant.” Mindy smiles in anticipation.
Two cribs, two rocking chairs, and two bassinets line the gender-neutral nursery. Jason explains, “We didn’t want to choose pink or blue because we don’t know the gender of our real baby yet.”
No, they’re not pregnant. The adoption was finalized two weeks ago, so they know that any minute now their dream will come true. In the meantime, all of the bottles, diapers, and sleepless nights are great practice for their future baby. “All of the stories we’ve heard can’t be wrong. We tried every method of conception except for this one. Adoption is the great weapon in conception,” she giggles.
When asked how their friends and family have responded, the Smiths revealed that their loved ones have been understanding. Jason explained how their family decided to forego a baby shower for their son and just “have a really big one” when she gets pregnant.
Their places of work have followed suit. Mindy requested time off work after their adopted son arrived, but her boss pushed back: “What do you need time off for? You’re not recovering from childbirth.” Jason’s company simply scoffed at the idea of paternity leave for an adopted child.
Because they both returned to work immediately, they are able to store up even more time off for when baby number 2 arrives. They plan to spend that time bonding with both babies, since their son is “too young to know any better” right now.
Mindy considers herself an adoption advocate now. She claims it has “changed her life,” while still crossing her fingers that a positive pregnancy test is in her future. Jason adds, “Yeah, adoption is great when you get them as a newborn. They’re a clean slate.”
How do they plan to parent an adopted child and a biological child? “Exactly the same,” they exclaim in unison. “In fact, we don’t plan on telling this one he’s adopted until he’s about 18 or 19,” laughs Jason. Their friends and family have agreed to keep their secret, knowing it is what’s best for the child.
Mindy will take another pregnancy test in one week to find out if their plan worked. Until then, they will continue to practice on their son to become the best parents possible for the day their real baby arrives.
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About the Author
Cindy is mom to three beautiful children through childbirth and adoption. Her passion is to educate the world about adoption to prevent more stupid comments about her family in the grocery store checkout line.