Meredith’s Story ~ An Ohio Family Photography Session

 

I have had the honor of doing countless family photography sessions.  I have been blessed to work with many wonderful families.  But this shoot was unique to me and heartwarming for all.

 

Meredith’s story begin below……

 

 

John and Micky dated while they were in high school. That was before they went their separate ways for over twenty years. Fast-forward to 2012 when they reconnected and started to date again, eventually getting married in January of 2018.

 

While Micky had three adult children from a previous marriage, John never had the chance to become a father. He finally confessed to Micky his strong desire for fatherhood. And so their adoption journey began.

 

After researching many types of adoption processes, they realized that a private domestic newborn adoption was their best option. John compared this experience to online dating. John and Micky were required to create an online profile that birth mothers would review as they chose potential adoptive parents for their unborn babies. It took them six months to get their application approved. In January of 2019 their profile went online. At that point all they could do was wait and pray that a birth mother would choose them!

 

Their prayers were quickly answered. Just six months later a woman in California chose John and Micky to love and raise her baby girl. The birth mother was 42 years old, and like Micky, she had grown adult children.

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By complete coincidence and before this birth mother had chosen them, John and Micky had already planned a vacation to San Diego which was just 45 minutes from the birth mother. It was on this vacation trip that they first met with her.

 

From July until weeks after Meredith’s November birth, the birth mother could have changed her mind. During this time there were multiple trips to California, stressful moments, countless prayers and many meetings with their social workers.

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Meredith was finally born on November 11, 2019.  She spent three weeks in the NICU at Redlands Community Hospital. John and Micky made it to California on the 11th, just shortly after her birth. Then Micky stayed with Meredith in the NICU while John traveled back and forth from Ohio every weekend.

 

On December 2^nd, shortly after she was discharged from the hospital, Meredith flew with her mommy and daddy to her new home in Ohio.  She arrived to find that Sis (Codi) had cozied up her nursery and bought her some beautiful new clothes. John and Micky’s family and friends loved Meredith before they even met her. There was even a party just to welcome her home!

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Some little girls are blessed with a big brother to love and protect them.  Meredith is blessed with three!  Garret, Adam and Bryce will make sure that she never wants for anything, especially fun! She also has grandparents and aunts and uncles and so many people who will fill her life with love and security.

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Her biggest blessings of all are her mommy and daddy. It doesn’t take long to see how much they love and adore their precious baby girl.  Take a look at these pictures below of Meredith with John. These were not planned shots.  He was just playing with her between poses and I snuck up and got some candid shots of them together. No words are necessary to explain their connection and how much she already adores her daddy. And you cannot help but be touched by Micky’s love and devotion to their beautiful daughter.

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I believe that Meredith Jo has been John and Micky’s daughter since the moment she was conceived. I believe that it was all a part of God’s plan for them and it was God’s timing that eventually brought this wonderful family together. May they always be surrounded with love and joy and countless blessings.

 

To John and Micky, thank you for allowing me to share in your amazing journey and to photograph your precious Meredith Jo.