Sometimes the Purest Moments in Life are Our Greatest Gifts

Before Calvin was born 11 weeks premature on July 2, 2007, his birthparents, Mo and Shawn, had decided that for them, adoption was the best path. Struggling college students, they knew that the best life for Calvin was in the home of Brian and Nancy.

“Ours is a most amazing open adoption,” says Mo. “We wanted to be a part of a family and we have become one big wonderful family.”

It Took Baby Jovie To Bring Two Hopeful Families Together

Rachelle found out that she was pregnant at 31 weeks. In denial, she finally saw a doctor after taking a home pregnancy test. Right away, Rachelle knew she would place her daughter for adoption. “I knew I wasn’t ready to parent a child,” Rachelle recalled. “I was 25 and living with my parents and I did not have the means to give this child everything that she deserves.”

A social worker at the doctor’s office directed Rachelle to Nebraska Children’s Home Society. “After I met with Amy, my caseworker at NCHS, I felt so positive about adoption and excited about finding the right family for my baby.” When she read the letter from Kelli and Ed, Rachelle knew they were the couple she would choose to parent her daughter. “Their family shared lots of similarities with ours and they just seemed to fit everything I was hoping to find,” she said. “Everyone at NCHS told me the right couple would just stand out from the crowd and that’s exactly what Kelli and Ed did. I just knew that this was…meant to be.”

Kelli and Ed decided to name their daughter Jovie Rachelle. It meant a lot to Rachelle. “I was honored and touched,” Rachelle said of the Higgins’ decision to use her name. “This little girl will always know I’m her birth mom. Baby Jovie brought our families together.”

“I’m doing fine. I’m happy,” says Rachelle. “I know I made the right decision. Seeing pictures of Jovie and Kelli and Ed shows me that she is safe and loved. What more could I have hoped for? I’m so pleased that my adoption experience turned out the way it did.”