Today we are continuing our week with Solly Baby Wrap. Our partnership with them ends tomorrow so you still have time to purchase a Baltic Blue Wrap to support our orphan care nonprofit with 20% of every sale being donated to The Archibald Project!
The Archibald Project is an orphan care advocacy organization that uses media to tell stories. Our stories advocate for orphans, educate on orphan care, build community and inspire people into action.
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Hannah and Josh decided to start their family through domestic adoption! This past April, they received the call that would change their lives forever. Hannah, will you tell us a little bit about meeting your twin daughters for the first time?
“I was in the hospital room with our birth mom when she gave birth. The girls were immediately swept off to the NICU and my heart was torn. I wanted to be with the girls, but I also wanted to be with our girl’s birth mom and love and care for her.
Then, later that night, right as their birth mom was waving goodbye, we had our first experience alone of as a family of 4. All at once my heart broke because that’s not how it was supposed to be… adoption is born our of brokenness, and yet I could not contain my joy and excitement of becoming a mom.
And then my husband was handed our little ones and he lost it. I watched him sob and laugh and fall completely in love with our two precious little girls.”
Adoption is beautiful, but like Hannah said, it first begins from tragedy. A mom cannot or will not care for her babe, so the first relationship that child ever has, is broken. And there lies the beauty of adoption. A family choosing to love a child not born of their flesh and blood, but born in their hearts. Which makes the bonding process all the more important in adoption. Through all of our travels and work we have seen how incredibly important physical touch is when bonding with your adoptive child.
“Since the twins spent the first two weeks of their lives in the NICU, the first time we were able to bond and wear the girls was in the airport while traveling home.
It felt so freeing to wear them because for the first time they were not restrained to cords and machines.
Every single person asked what we were wearing as we walked through out the airport because they were so small and we were excited to share our story with anyone who would listen.”
Traveling with twin newborns must have been hard, what was that like?
“It was actually so easy to travel through the airport because we were wearing the girls. We were able to carry all of our luggage, eat, board the plane, etc with ease because they were strapped to our chests.
There is something so special about wearing your adoptive children. You don’t have the history of carrying them for nine months so when you are finally able to have them be a part of your body and allow the bonding process to start it is just so wonderful.”
Spending time with Hannah, Josh, Olive and Ezra I was able to witness firsthand how natural and beautiful was their family dynamic. Their bonding had really taken shape and life was so normal.
“As a twin mom I feel like my attention is always split or divided. I can only give attention to one at a time. But then when I realized I could use my solly wrap to wear one, and hold the other, my world changed and I realized I could give myself fully to both girls at the same time.”
And it’s true, Hannah and Josh have given themselves fully and truly to their daughters. As our time together came to a close I asked if they would have more children.
“We think we’ll adopt again. We haven’t decided how many children we’ll have, Josh thinks five or six, we will just have to wait and see!”
Since their adoption, Hannah, the twins mom, has started a beautiful organization called Kindred + Co. Kindred + Co. is a brave adoption community, with weekly blog posts and custom adoption profile services!!! If you have ever considered adoption, you guys have to check out their site, it is beautiful and will definitely inspire you!
You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram!
If you are moved by The Archibald Project we would like to invite you to purchase a wrap to support our mission, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and give to our life changing storytelling here.
