She’s a ball of energy, she’s amazing, she’s taught us a lot about ourselves,” says Chris Ritton-Stokes who – along with husband Michael – adopted Charlotte almost three years ago.  The Naugatuck couple got to know her birth mother and were in the room when the little girl was born.  “I did skin-to-skin with her for the first hour,” remembers Chris.

“When they first weighed her, I was there,” says Tiffany Mitchell of Farmington who saw little Ivy’s birth, as well. 

These parents connected with their children through Adoptions From The Heart, a Glastonbury agency that specializes in open adoptions. 

“The majority of these adoptions are open meaning there’s some contact and communication between birth parents and adoptive parents,” explains district supervisor Susan Myers. 

Some birth and adoptive parents fear the relationship will be uncomfortable or confusing but she believes that’s a myth. 

“Experience has shown that open adoption is what’s best for children, when they know where they come from, when they are able to know something about their heritage,” she says.

“You know, I didn’t know what to expect, I was definitely nervous,” says Tiffany, a single mom. 

But, initial nerves aside, both families say their arrangements have been successful. While situations vary, open adoption always includes letters and pictures and the possibility of one or more visits a year. 

“I don’t think she’ll grow up ever having this large question of, ‘Where did I come from, what is my medical history?'” says Michael of Charlotte.  “The more we can normalize it, the more the stigma goes away.  This is just her reality – that she has two dads and a mom that loves her a lot.”

“I definitely think it’s Ivy’s story, it’s her truth.  I want her to know where she comes from,” says Tiffany who is incredibly grateful for the woman who carried Ivy…her little miracle.  “I can’t imagine my life before her. Everything before Ivy is a blur.”

According to Adoptions From The Heart, the adoption process takes an average of eighteen months.  Click here for more information.