Two Years of Infertility. One Decision to Try a Different Puzzle. This Is Meredith and Adam’s Story.

A Transracial Adoptive Family’s Story

Meredith and Adam had been trying to start a family for two years when they arrived at a crossroads most couples quietly dread.

IVF was possible, but statistically unlikely to work on the first try. Not becoming parents was technically an option. But they’d decided early: if they weren’t going to be parents, it wouldn’t be because they hadn’t tried everything.

“If this process doesn’t end the way we expect,” Adam said, “maybe we just need a different puzzle.”

They connected with Adoption & Beyond for their home study. The organized, step-by-step process gave structure to something that had felt impossibly large. And the education they received – including training on transracial families – turned out to matter more than they could have predicted.

Because Meredith and Adam are white. And when they matched with their son Theo’s birth mother, they learned Theo would be Black. They had one month between the match and his birth. But the foundation was already there.

“Our family history now includes his family history.”

Today, Theo has a Black pediatrician, a Black barber, and a Black swim instructor. He is surrounded by mirrors – people who look like him, who share his heritage, who can show him a future he can see himself in. His parents work at this intentionally, consistently, without treating it as optional.

“We have to make sure we’re providing him a connection to his history and his culture, not just our family’s history,” Meredith said. “Because our family history now includes his.”

Their relationship with Theo’s birth mother is one of care and patience. When hurricanes hit her area, they checked in. They want Theo to know where he comes from in the best way possible.

The matching process had moments that tested them. The quiet question that haunted them: Is there something wrong with us? Then they met Theo’s birth mother at the hospital. She looked at them and said, “Oh my gosh, you’re real.” They said the same thing back. Nothing was wrong with them. They were just waiting for the right puzzle.