When I first started this blog all I ever thought would come from it would be a resource to other parents as I talk about my life as a father, lessons I have learned and sharing my favorite products. I would have never thought a modern dad miracle would come from it. In June of 2015 I ran a series of infertility posts on the blog. I wanted to share the reality, the pain and the truth about infertility. I haven’t personally experienced the struggle, but know from many close friends and family that it is real.
Keelee and Jason Seguin shared their experience in that series and here is a little recap of their initial post.
Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a mother. Doesn’t every little girl feel that way?
I was married at 19 years old, and crazy enough, if it were up to my naive little self, I would’ve started a family ASAP. We had a tough marriage from the start and so it wasn’t till about 4 1/2 years into it that we started trying. Long story short we divorced eight years later and I was blessd to find my perfect match a few years after that. We knew we might face infertility issues so we didn’t waste any time trying to begin our family.
Our infertility journey has been 12 years waiting and wishing and over $50,000. At the end of the post Jason and Keelee declared that they had decided to adopt (read the entire post here).
Here is their update written by Keelee:
Who knew that writing on The Modern Dad blog last summer would change mine and Jason’s life for the better? Forever?!!
The response to that blog post was one of the most humbling experiences I think I will ever encounter. I was contacted by numerous women I had never met, most living outside of Utah, who expressed thanks and appreciation for a story they could relate to. Honestly that right there made it worth putting our story out there.
But then to top that, I had a couple women offering to be a surrogate and another woman who has actually become my friend (who has had a hell of a fertility journey) offering to give me her left over frozen embryos.
Basically what I learned from this experience is: for the most part people are good, people are generous and people really do love and want to help one another. It truly has restored my faith in humanity. Jason and I had many moments of overwhelming humility where we didn’t even know how to respond to people’s offers. Social media can be toxic but it can be amazing as well and I’ll be forever grateful for it.
Through this simple blog post that exposed my greatest insecurities, and harshest trials, we were connected to a young couple looking for the perfect home to place their soon to be child through a private adoption. The birth mother’s mother happened to know my sister in-law Nikki and got my information from her. I received a text soon after that saying they wanted to meet us. Jason and I were ecstatic and hopeful but didn’t want to get too excited.
We had the birth parents over for dinner and truly fell in love with them instantly. Talk about a blind date to the most awkward degree. We had noooo clue what kind of people were going to show up at our house! Needless to say two tall, beautiful, smart, funny and nervous teenagers showed up at our home. We truly couldn’t have hand picked two better people to genetically make a baby:) I immediately could tell how much they loved this baby but wanted so much to give it the very best life possible! She was only 14 weeks along at the time so there was a lot of time we had to really get to know these two.
Now let me, The Modern Dad, step in here for a second. I have always known that I am adopted and when Keelee told me this story I was in total shock. I had never heard what it could be like to go through the entire adoption process. Who knows what could happen and it truly is a major blessing that they were even considered. I have always known that Keelee and Jason would be the best parents ever and when she told me that she wanted to adopt I supported them 100% on their decision because you never know what the future holds. So, let’s go back to Keelee and what happened next….
We were continuing getting to know this couple and learn more and more about them. Well, Jason and I found out about eight weeks later, we were pregnant! An absolute miracle! In my life with the trials I have experienced, I have learned that timing is everything! God’s plan and time is so different from ours and sometimes it’s funny and quite ironic, how it all works out. The greatest blessing to come from the blog post was that I met the birth mother and father of our brand new precious baby boy Ellis. Jason and I knew that we met this couple at this time for a certain reason. Had it been eight weeks later we simply would’ve probably never met. I know without a doubt that Ellis was always meant to be a part of our little family. I know these two baby boys already have a bond and I can’t wait for them to grow up together and watch them be best friends, and I’m sure worst enemies at times.
Jason and I feel so overly blessed, even if at times it’s hard to wrap our heads around it all. It’s actually turned into a funny joke with how we have a one month old and then I have this huge prego belly. We get a lot of weird looks!!!! Last week I was taking Ellis to an appointment and this lady could not stop staring at me. She finally touched my stomach and said, “Sweety, it’s okay, my tummy took a while to go town too. It will though.” Haha- I love it so much.
I’m sure it’ll only get better as the boys get older and asked if they are twins. What a cool story our little family will have.
Jason and I decided a long time ago that we would be okay with an open adoption. Many people might think the relationship we have with Ellis’s birth parents is unorthodox and weird but who really has ever said what is the right or wrong way with adoption. After all, is there anything wrong with more people loving your child? His birth parents are amazing people and we will never truly be able to thank them for what they’ve done for us.
We will never forget the day at the hospital when Ellis was finally handed over to us. The sacrifice, love and unselfishness that took place that day make me cry whenever I think about it. I know it was the hardest decision his birth parents would ever have to make. And they chose US!
I want Ellis to know how much they loved him and how much they’ve sacrificed for him. His spirit is strong and has changed Jason and I forever. I literally stare at him all day in unbelief that he’s here. I can’t believe how much love we have for him and how attached you become instantly! Adoption has blessed our lives beyond any words I can come up with and I’m sure will only continue to bless our lives every single day! Thank you to everyone who has been with us through this journey and who has been such a support to us.
Even more importantly we thank our Heavenly Father every day for unanswered prayers, knowing what we need and when we need it better than we do for ourselves and blessing our lives beyond anything imaginable.
I have known Keelee forever (since preschool to be exact), she is one person I admire the very most. I can’t think of a greater woman to be the mother of these two special boys. For me, this Modern Dad Miracle has come full circle. I was born to two young teenage lovers who had bigger dreams for my life then they could offer. I was put up for adoption and welcomed with love into a home and a family just like Keelee and Jason’s who were longing for children. Witnessing this miracle has made me so grateful for my birth parents who saw the bigger picture and my own parents who never gave up wishing and waiting for me to join their family.
