One of the biggest misconceptions about adoption
is girls think that their baby won't love them,
which is absolutely not true.
Teagan is an amazing girl.
She came to Gladney when
she found out she was pregnant during her senior year
of high school.
I was terrified.
That's definitely
the biggest word I could use
and I didn't really know how to go about the whole situation.
I kind of thought it was just not real.
When I first came to Gladney I was a little more nervous.
And it was kind of more of a for sure thing that, I can think
I'm really pregnant and this is really going to happen.
But it also was a big relief and it gave me some hope
because I knew this was a perfect place to kind of get
started where I wanted to.
I think the change in the openness of adoption
has been positive.
It takes away some of the shame that
may have surrounded adoption,
for the adoptee, for the birth parent.
It becomes more of a natural thing where this is just
their life story that they have multiple people who
love them and care about them.
It is a valuable option that you can
help bring health and stability to a birth family
and also an adopted child that it's not
something to be shameful of that it really is a very
positive parenting option.
The most important thing to Teagan,
really was that they would be able to provide opportunity
and education and that they would be a very loving,
she calls it, traditional family, to uphold
kind of some of the mainstay family values
They give you as much time as you want, it
took me an hour.
Some girls take days or longer to choose.
When Teagan found Lisa and Caleb, she came almost literally
running into my office.
She just knew
right away
there was something special about them.
They had these great smiles,
and that's actually what kind of was like,
oh, these are really cool people.
Caleb and Lisa came to Gladney after struggling
with secondary infertility and the doctors
told them that they couldn't explain why
or what was going on.
They knew that if God put the desire in their heart for them
to have a child, then he was going to make a way.
And so that is how they turned to adoption and into Gladney.
I am kind of nervous and excited to meet the family
for the first time. A little bit worried
that they might not like me or what
they're kind of going to think.
But I'm also really excited to get the process started. Teagan
was you know, she's young,
but she was so mature and she was real easy to talk to.
They do remember being just totally impressed by her. They're
exactly how I pictured them to be, really sincere and sweet
and you know not really like trying to pretend
to be something they're not so
that's nice too. My favorite thing about my son right now is
when he opens those eyes and just kind of know looks around
and I love his hands, when he wraps them around my finger
and everything. Or when he
lays his head on my
chest, that's just everything.
And as soon as you see him,
you're just so excited and everything about him is cute,
like I don't even see flaws in him at all.
It's just a great feeling to see him and kind of bittersweet.
I just want Caleb and Lisa to know that I'm so
happy I could help them become a family,
and I'm grateful for all the stuff
that they're going to be doing and giving to Ryan and all
the love that he already has.
Also that I'm just glad to have connected
and I met some great people.
And that I'm really excited to see what
the future has ahead of him.
And I just can't imagine not doing this
all over again for him.
We told her the promises that we made to her for him, that he
will grow up and he'll graduate high school
as she desires. That he will be loved.
I told her to go conquer the world, she deserves that
and that's the best gift she can give him.
This experience has changed me to kind of
be more confident with who I am
and that life isn't going to be perfect.
But at the same time, we'll all get through it
and everything happens for a reason.
I've never heard of a place like this
and it just kind of felt right to come here.
It's been a great journey with
Gladney. It's not ending today for us.
It's this other door we're going through, continuing on.
I know I really want to tell Teagan
thank you.
It's a dream come true for me.
I'd like him to know that this was probably the hardest
thing I've ever had to face and that he'll always
be in my heart and I'll always be in his heart.
So whenever he needs someone or he just kind of you know, needs to know
he's loved you know that I'm
right there with him, somehow and I will always love him.
My hopes and my dreams for myself is to go to college
and get my education going, and just
to be somebody that someday when my son, if he decides
to come looking for me, he can be proud of who he came from.