25 iParent Magazine August 2015 www.iparentmagazine.com
They all met again one more time before Megan’s due date to coordinate the details of her delivery day and on March 13, 2014, Magdalene “Maggie” Rose was born via caesarian section. Megan had asked Erica to be in the room for the delivery so Erica was the first one to meet their precious baby! It was a beautiful experience for everyone, even Megan’s adoptive mother was in the delivery room.
Megan allowed Maggie to stay with Mike and Erica at the hospital for the entire 48-hour period following her birth. The hospital even had accommodations for all three to stay in a suite with a private nurse so Maggie never left their side.
Before Mike and Erica took Maggie home, Megan asked if she could say goodbye. Erica, Mike and Maggie were able to all say goodbye to Megan, Maggie’s birth father, and Megan’s parents. It was a very special day. Bittersweet and tearful for everyone, but beautiful nonetheless. And before they all left, Mike and Erica signed what is called an Agreement of the Heart with Megan. Mike and Erica agreed to send Megan monthly updates and pictures of Maggie for six months and then at any major milestone indefinitely.
Well, almost a year and a half later, Megan and Erica text occasionally, Erica sends Megan pictures of Maggie regularly and Megan sends Erica the sweetest messages on Mother’s Day. Megan has expressed her gratitude on many occasions to Mike and Erica for providing and an amazing life for Maggie. She often says that choosing adoption for her child and then choosing Mike and Erica to raise her were the best decisions she has ever made.
Megan has an older daughter already and Maggie’s birth father has a son. This entire adoption process has allowed communication for all three siblings to know each other as they grow up. That is more than Mike and Erica could ever have imagined. This adoption story has a beautiful ending for this little family and Erica has been able to help other families to learn about adoption by consulting with couples considering adoption. Erica also has recently joined the Board of Directors for Gift of Adoption, a national charitable organization that inspires adoption by providing grants to qualified parents – giving children who need families a permanent home and a chance to thrive.
If you would like to learn more about adoption, please contact Erica at [email protected].
If you would like to learn more about or donate to Gift of Adoption, please go to https://www.giftofadoption.org/donate/whyDonate.html.