Real Stories About Adoption

A FAMILY FOR BABY SOFIA

Published September 2012 By Shelbie Bostedt, Intern For Tammi and Marc Kotarski, meeting Sofia was love at first sight. Baby Sofia was born on April

AN OPEN ADOPTION STORY FROM A FAMILY WHO ADOPTED THROUGH THE CRADLE

An open adoption story from a family who adopted through The Cradle

Jane’s Adoption Story

Jane’s parents talked about her adoption story from a young age. Learn how their memories of The Cradle’s adoption process instilled an appreciation for the

ALENA’S ADOPTION STORY

Our Amazing Trip to Russia by John and Kym Conis John and Kim adopted their daughter in January 2004 Published July 2004 To retell our

AND BABIES MAKE FOUR!

Published November 2007 By The Cradle Staff Brooke and James are among a proud group of Chicagoland families who completed a Sayers Center adoption recently.

A SIBLING ADOPTION STORY

Published August 2011 By Heidi Bloom The two girls have the same straight, lustrous black hair, parted in the middle. They both do gymnastics, play

LESSONS FROM NINA

Published October 2012 By The Cradle Staff When Becky and Rich Carter brought six-week-old Nina home from The Cradle in the spring of 2009, they

BRYAN, WHO ADOPTED THROUGH THE CRADLE ADOPTION AGENCY, DISCUSSES OPEN ADOPTION

Bryan, who adopted through The Cradle adoption agency, discusses open adoption

PHOENIX’S ADOPTION STORY

Published August 2010 By The Cradle Staff All for the Love of Phoenix On December 9 of last year, Jala Anderson-McKee came to The Cradle

MAKING THE CONNECTION

I was adopted through the Cradle in 1979 by two very loving and wonderful adoptive parents. Although my life with them was happy and full,

LIANA’S ADOPTION STORY

Adopting Liana We adopted our beautiful daughter Liana, whom we adopted through The Cradle and Holt International in September 2004. We had a wonderful experience

MEANT TO BE: THE NIEMIS’ ADOPTION JOURNEY

Published January 2014 By The Cradle Staff A family sits around a picnic table at the zoo. There are older members and younger members, Asian

JUMPING FOR JOIE – MEREDITH, RENEE, AND JOIE’S STORY

Published October 2014 By Shelbie Bostedt, Intern At first glance, Renee and Meredith seem like any ordinary pair of Facebook friends. But at the heart of

BRYAN TALK ABOUT HIS PROCESS IN ADOPTING A CHILD

Adoption through The Cradle’s Sayers Center for African American Adoption Openness at the Sayer’s Center for African American Adoption

JEAN’S ADOPTION STORY

I gave birth to Laura Helen in 1951. At the time, I was an unwed, college-aged woman, and parenting my child just wouldn’t have been

FAITH AND JACOB’S ADOPTION STORY

Published January 2009 Celebrating A Year of Joy As we look back over the last year since Jacob and Faith came home, we think back

A CROSS CONTINENT ADOPTION REUNION

On November 1st, 2005, I will be flying across the Atlantic to England to meet my birth sister for the very first time. At the

MAX’S ADOPTION STORY

Published October 2005 By The Cradle Staff Bringing Max Home Terri and Chuck Petry adopted their son, Max, through The Cradle’s Russia Program in February

MEET FR. WOODBURY: CRADLE BABY AND CRADLE DAD

Published January 2015 By The Cradle Staff Father Bob Woodbury knows adoption from two perspectives. A retired Episcopal priest, Fr. Woodbury was adopted through The

The Williams Family Story: Adopting Aljur

Monica and Jeff didn’t typically follow the traditional order of life, except when it came to children. As soon as they got married, they immediately

THE HJERPES’ HAPPY ENDING

Published September 2013 By The Cradle Staff Teresa Hjerpe had known from the beginning that one day, she would adopt a child. “It was always

JESSICA CHOSE ADOPTION WITH THE CRADLE ADOPTION AGENCY. HEAR HER STORY

Jessica chose adoption with The Cradle Adoption Agency. Hear her story

CARISSA’S ADOPTION STORY

I was starting my senior year of high school and found myself pregnant. I thought of my unstable home, the stepfather I didn’t get along

ARRYN’S ADOPTION STORY

A Year in the Life of Arryn Published January 2012 By The Cradle Staff Arryn Jolie Barton turned one on January 3rd. Since it was

THE ABBEDUTO FAMILY’S ADOPTION STORY

Published March 2011 By The Cradle Staff Meet the Abbeduto Family Dennis Abbeduto, proud father of one-year-old Vincent, will tell you that while adopting a

ADOPTING JACK: THE PERFECT ADDITION

Published January 2015 By The Cradle Staff Patrick Murphy doesn’t understand why some friends put on the sad, sympathy face when they learn he has

THE DOWDALL ADOPTION STORY – FIVE YEARS, TWO MONTHS, NINETEEN DAYS, TWO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS

Published March 2014 By The Cradle Staff It was two years, eight months and nine days before Susan and Dennis Dowdall received the call from

“I HAD TO FIND WHO WAS RIGHT FOR ME…AND WHO WAS RIGHT FOR MY DAUGHTER.” RENEE’S ADOPTION STORY

Renee, who chose adoption for her daughter, describes the process of choosing a family for her open adoption, her concerns and her expectations. Choosing a

COMPLETING THEIR TRIANGLE: THE ECKELKAMP ADOPTION STORY

Published July 2014 By Shelbie Bostedt, Intern Anita and Jim Eckelkamp first contacted The Cradle in 1984, after enduring the loss of three babies who passed

AN ADOPTED PERSON DISCUSSES ADOPTION AND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GROW UP ADOPTED

An adopted person discusses adoption and what it’s like to grow up adopted

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