Why we have Instagram to thank for finding our baby.

By now you know we fostered and adopted a baby girl all in secret in the last year. (We had to keep her identity hidden per the laws in California.) But what I haven’t told you, is how we found our little girl. Well, I guess technically she found us.

It all began one random Wednesday evening in January 2020 when I received a message on Facebook.

It was strange that I even managed to see this particular message because I rarely ever check that FB account. I have messages backed up from years ago just waiting to be read. But something made me check my DM’s that evening and inside I found a message that changed my life forever.

There, sitting in my inbox like a beautiful, shiny present under the Christmas tree was this message just waiting to be opened.

How exciting! A stranger offering us a chance to adopt their newborn baby girl!? I mean, this is truly the answer to a prayer!

I forwarded the message to Gabe with a “Is it ok to look into this?” sort of mindset. He said yes, but of course we were cautious. We’d been through a failed adoption prior to Grant and understand just how tricky the whole process can be. Plus in the past we’ve been offered many wonderful gifts from people we do not know…embryos, eggs, sperm…but it’s not so simple when you’re talking about an actual child that has been born. And we understood that.

The events that happened over the next few days felt like a whirlwind. I connected with Lila, the birth grandma, the next day to discuss the situation in more detail. She was reaching out on behalf of her son who wasn’t ready to be a dad, but also wanted the baby to have a loving home.
And perhaps more than that, this family wanted assurance that they would somehow be involved in this baby’s life…an open adoption with updates and visits, and photos. Gabe and I believe wholeheartedly that an open adoption is healthier for everyone involved, as evidenced with Grant’s adoption, so of course we were on board with that request.

I remember Grant and Gianna were in the middle of a swimming lesson and I ducked out of the building for a moment to have this very surreal conversation.

Honestly it seemed almost too good to be true to. Here was a wonderful, kind and loving family that wanted us to have their sweet newborn baby girl. We’ve been praying about this for years and it’s actually happening!

Ready to learn what’s even more astounding? I asked Lila how she found out about me? Remember, we were total strangers! How did she find me and know we wanted to adopt?

Lila said that when she found out her son had a baby, she reached out to a small circle of trusted friends and asked if they might know someone who could take this baby?

A friend of Lila’s, named Katie who I do not know, replied with the message below.

WHOA.

A woman I do not know that follows me on Instagram, heard my story, understood my desire for more kids and passed my info along.

This woman, Katie, is the reason we have our daughter. Literally because of Instagram connecting us, Francesca is in our family.

It’s mind blowing, right?

I haven’t had the chance to meet Katie yet to say thank you thank you thank you, but plans are in the works for a lunch date with Lila, Katie, myself and of course our Frankie.

It still blows my mind to think about how this all happened. We quite literally prayed to God to give our family a child and I even made a plea to you guys, my online fam, and look what happened.

A miracle baby.

An Instagram connection.

Prayers answered.

Two families forever linked by this amazing child.

So if you ever wondered what’s the point of social media…it’s this right here.