A New Plan for a Bright Future

Shannon had a tough choice to make. She was eighteen, already a single mom, and pregnant. She knew she couldn’t provide the home or the opportunities she wanted for her baby girl.

Della had been diagnosed with a disease that gave her very high-risk pregnancies. Although she was able to give birth to two sons, Della and her husband knew they had more than enough room in their hearts and their home for more children. 

Shannon had chosen three families to interview from an adoption agency portfolio, and Della had started the process for an international adoption, when Shannon’s parents, who were old friends of Della and her husband, told the couple over dinner that their daughter was pregnant and wanted to place her baby in an adoptive home. Just a few days and phone calls later, both Shannon and Della knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Shannon’s baby belonged in Della’s family.

Before dawn on Christmas morning, Della got the call she had been waiting for: baby Elizabeth was coming soon. Shannon was on her way to the hospital. It was time for Della and her husband to meet their daughter.

As soon as the grandparents arrived to take care of their sons, Della and her husband took off for the hospital. Shannon invited Della to be in the delivery room during the birth, a moment Della will treasure for the rest of her life.

After Della and her family met and held their baby girl, it was Shannon’s turn. Shannon spent one precious day alone with little Elizabeth, more certain than ever that she loved this little life with all her heart and wanted the very best for her. Then their day was over, and everyone came back to sign the adoption papers. It was time for baby Elizabeth to go home.

Shannon, Della and Elizabeth enjoy a very open adoption. Shannon does not share parenting duties, and Elizabeth has never called her “mom,” but she is involved in Elizabeth’s life, and she shares both good times and hard times with the family. Shannon has been able to see her baby girl grow and thrive, and, though it is still painful at times, she knows she made the best decision for everyone.