Madly in Love --- The Yutkowitz Family

Madly in Love --- The Yutkowitz Family

“We are about to adopt again!”, exclaims Nijole. This is a testament to how Nijole and Larry Yutkowitz have enjoyed the latest addition to their family, their 18-month-old son, Harrison.

Nijole had a seven-year-old daughter through a previous marriage when she met her husband Larry. Nijole says that she ‘always wanted to adopt.” And after going through a series of fertility treatments she and Larry talked more seriously about adoption. As she puts it, “I was there, and my husband was … almost there.”

There were questions and concerns just like any other couple would have. For instance, they didn't know if the child would have any medical or behavioral issues. Also, there was concern about the interaction with the birth parents, “what kind of character would this person have?”

The Yutkowitz's worked through these concerns as they went through the preparation process at The Cradle. During the homestudy, they had a chance to chat with other prospective adoptive parents as well as those who had already formed their family through adoption. They also appreciated the varied perspectives as they heard from adult adoptee's as well as birthparents talking about what adoption meant to them. The classes on openness were especially important for Larry to ease his mind as far as what was expected and how open relationships usually work.

When it came time to meet the birth parents the couple was nervous. Their thoughts were, “let's go in there and be ourselves and hopefully they will like us.” To say the least the meeting went well, and it was decided then that Nijole and Larry were going to be the parents of little Harrison. All the scary “what if's” quickly disappeared.

After leaving the meeting the couple had to rapidly prepare for their son's homecoming. The first stop was Babies R Us, they needed an outfit for the baby to come home in. After that it was home to turn the family room into Harrison's new room.

Nijole loves being a mother. As her daughter is now 16 years old, she was starting to feel the “mothering thing” starting to fade. When Harrison arrived, she says “I didn't realize that I could love like that again.” Having Harrison in their lives has also changed the other family members. Nijole says of her husband, “This has changed the man I married. He is a good father, teacher and protector for our son.” Taylor, Nijole's daughter, has matured and is a fantastic big sister.

Nijole sums it up by saying. “I can't imagine life without Harrison. He was meant to be my child. He has completed my family, and we are madly in love with him.”

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