Open Adoption, Open Heart Blog Tour: Guest Post & $25 Amazon Gift Card or Cash Giveaway
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Open Adoption, Open Heart Blog Tour: Guest Post & $25 Amazon Gift Card or Cash Giveaway


Welcome to the Blog Tour for Open Adoption, Open Heart by Russell Elkins!

I have the pleasure of hosting today's tour stop and sharing with you a guest post written by Russell Elkins. You may follow the rest of the tour here.

We are not only still in contact with the biological mother of our adopted son, but she comes over to visit. We are really laid back with our visits, enjoying each other’s company with a laugh and a smile, but there’s always an inner desire for us to show her she made a good choice when she chose us. Then again, there was one embarrassing time when I didn’t exactly make myself out to be the world’s best father.

Our son’s birth mom, Brianna, lives clear across the country, so she can’t exactly stop by to share a pizza on her way home from work. She does make the flight every once in a while, though, when she can. The last time she made it out was last March. The weather was still pretty cold when we were loading into the car that morning to go out for breakfast. I put our son into the car (the same little boy she placed for adoption with us). With my arms full of stuff, I got him strapped into his seat and shut the door. Almost as soon as I shut his door I heard that familiar *click* I hear every time I use the remote door lock on my keychain. Horrified, I looked up to see my little 2 year old holding the only set of keys we had to that car, and pressing the buttons on it one by one.

Surely, being so keen on pressing those buttons meant that I just had to wait for him to press the unlock button and I could quickly open the door before he pressed the locker again. Nope. He pressed the lock button 30 times in a row, then pressed the honking button 40 times in a row, then the trunk button 50 times in a row, only to return back to the lock button again. For some reason the unlock button was the only one that didn’t interest him.

The good news is that almost all lock and key businesses will come unlock your door for free if a child is locked inside somewhere. The problem with that is that they know they’re not getting paid for it and that’s how fast they move. They asked us if he was in danger, which he wasn’t, so it took an hour to get there.
Meanwhile, hanging out on our couch was his wonderful and patient birth mother. I’m glad she has a good sense of humor because I sure felt like a fool. So much for looking like the world’s best dad in front of someone who entrusted me to raise her baby.

We tried as we waited to get him to press the right button, but my little man just kept opening the trunk and honking the horn until he dropped the keys onto the floor.

We had a great visit despite my absent mind. There were ups and downs with each person’s emotions, but we love each other soooooo much that we’re all in this together. When one person is feeling down, the other people lift them up. Our son’s birth mother lifts our spirits all the time when we’re feeling insecure and we do the same for her. And trust me, our story has lots and lots of ups and downs.

Open Adoption, Open Heart is our story, beginning with our trials of infertility and going up until about a year after our son was placed into our home. It was important to me to not stop the story when our son came to us because building relationships with the biological family is a very important part in an open adoption. That relationship still continues to grow, evolve, and change- I’m sure it always will. It’s quite the journey, and even our best friends and next door neighbors read our story and said, “I was living right by you the whole time and I had no idea about a lot of this.” It’s not just for those who are considering adoption, but anyone who loves a true and touching story.


About the Book

The world of adoption has changed dramatically over the past twenty years. No longer do biological parents have to say goodbye to their child forever. They now have more options when deciding the type of adoption to pursue, such as open adoption. Open adoption creates the opportunity for a special relationship between biological parents, the adoptive parents, and the child.

Open Adoption, Open Heart is an inspiring and true story, which takes the reader deeper into the feelings and emotions experienced by adoptive parents. As you read this incredible story, you will experience the joys, difficulties, and amazing victories facing adoptive couples. Russell and his wife, Jammie, invite you to share in their inspiring and heartwarming journey.

Purchase

One lucky person will win choice of $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash!


Giveaway ends on 12/23. Open to all. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below or load the widget here. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. icefairy's Treasure Chest is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

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