Adoption Stories: Michelle and Thad Carter

We know our love for each other is strong and have known since the beginning that we wanted to have children. It was our dream to become a mother and a father and to provide joy, love and wisdom to a child. We feel this is our primary purpose on Earth and are excited at how blessed our future will be as a family. We knew from the start of trying to conceive right after marriage that we wanted to pursue adoption. We knew we were starting a family a bit later in life and wanted more than one child. We knew it was going to be difficult to have more than one naturally; and so, we anticipated at least one of our children to be adopted. However, after several years of fertility treatments and multiple miscarriages we had decided to close the chapter of trying to conceive a baby and to pursue adoption. At that time, we felt that it was God’s calling to us to add not just one but for all our children to be chosen through adoption. It was as if God was directing our path for us.

We initially came across Todd Gaudin and Gaudin Law Group with the adoption of our first child. We had been selected by a birth mother through an adoption agency and sought Todd’s feedback given the case and brief specifics. Consulting with him provided us some peace of mind, particularly since it was out of state and our first adoption; everything went well with that adoption. We had also let Todd know how anxious we were at building our family. Who knew that we would meet up with him less than a year later?! We were told by a friend some advice concerning our desire to adopt: “Tell as many people possible. Tell everyone.” And so, we shared our story of adoption and our desire to adopt again with friends and acquaintances. Several months later following our first adoption, we were matched with a birth mother through a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. Matching with a birth mother came earlier than what we had expected; but we felt that this was God’s plan for us and in His timing. This particular baby was to be a part of our family. We knew it was likely the birth mother would deliver early. On top of it all, there were some complexities with this case that could pose challenges and possibly cause this match to go awry. So that meant that we had to find someone who knew what they were doing and who could act fast. Knowing Todd’s expertise and our shared values, we contacted
Todd to handle our case. Todd and his team handled all the specifics and provided guidance through the adoption process. Gaudin Law Group not only looked out for the best of us but also for our birth mother. And that was extremely important to us. They took good care of her – making sure she had everything she needed, including any counseling. We knew we were in good hands.

Within months following retaining Gaudin Law Group, our beautiful baby boy was born. The moment came a bit unexpected. Gaudin Law Group was quick to act, proceeding forward with the necessary steps and having all the paperwork ready. Following placement Gaudin Law Group continued to guide us throughout the adoption process, all the way up to finalization. This included working with us through some minor bumps in the road with our relationship with the birth mother. With Gaudin Law Group’s coaching and guidance, we were able to overcome these hiccups; and to this day we have a fairly good bond with our baby boy’s birth mom. We are grateful for our adoption experiences, are overjoyed and feel so blessed for our family. Our little girl has a younger brother, and the two of them are loving and close. Adoption is hard and yet worth it all! Blood may be thicker than water, but LOVE is thicker than blood. After all, love makes a family.

-Michelle and Thad Carter