Visit From Kellen's Birthmom

This month was special because we got a visit from Kellen's birthmom, Rena! She and her family came for a quick visit to celebrate Kellen's birthday. Kellen and Mason got to play with Kellen's two half-brothers and those four boys had hours of fun playing-- scootering, drawing with chalk, hunting for bugs, and playing with hot wheels. They just had a blast. 

Lots of our neighbors got to meet Rena and her family (from a distance), which was special because Kellen had been telling everyone for several days that his birthmom was coming. He wanted everyone to meet her, which was really sweet. 

I think many people have some curiosity about our relationship with Rena because it is such a unique one. Some people have a hard time wrapping their minds around what our open adoption looks like. We filmed a little interview with Rena while she was here, just because we wanted to share her thoughts on adoption from a birthmom's perspective. Hopefully we can share that soon. 

What does open adoption look like for us? One night when we were up late just chatting, Rena's husband told us hanging out with us gave him "in-law" vibes. It's kind of a funny way to describe it, but I totally get what he was getting at. Basically, our adoption family is just... family. So our time together feels like spending time with family because we are. If that makes sense. 

What I love most about adoption (and there are actually a lot of things that I love) is this: Kellen gets to know the woman who gave him life. He gets to know who gave him his big brown eyes and crinkly-nose smile. He knows that he was wanted and adored before he was placed in our arms. I believe that he will feel more rooted and secure in his identity because he has access to all the pieces of his story as well as a beautiful relationship with his birth family. 

Then, there is the added bonus that Rena is just an amazing human and a lot of fun to be around. She's funny, kind, and just a delight to spend time with. Watching her with her little family just fills my heart to the brim. Our dearest desires are for her to be happy. I'm so grateful to have her in our lives.