I had the pleasure of photographing this sweet family in their beautiful home this summer. Brynne and John adopted their second child when he was a newborn, and because my love for photography is really rooted in my desire to celebrate families and love in general, I was excited to let Brynne share a bit about their adoption story. So without further ado, here it is…
Our adoption journey began long before my husband John, and I ever met. Adoption was a planted seed for me (Brynne) from a very young age. Through the influence of family, neighbors and short-term volunteer trips, adoption laid the foundation of my early childhood to adult life. Now here’s where that seed bloomed: I was in Cambodia when a woman came out of the rice fields, handed me her infant and walked away. It was such bizarre experience. I prayed over this baby for an hour before she returned. My destiny to adopt was undeniable; but what about my future husband?
In the early days of dating, John and I would share our future aspirations over a drink. It turned out we had two major things in common: we both wanted to live in San Diego, and we both “always wanted to adopt”. We were meant to be! When I asked him why his answer was much less elaborate than mine, he said, “I just always wanted to!” Classic husband/wife dynamic.
About three years into our marriage after the birth of our first born daughter, we began the process to become certified to adopt. We asked for referrals from trusted friends who advised we hire an adoption specialized attorney to review potential contracts in conjunction with an agency which would do our “home study” and present our family photo album to birth mothers who contact them through their advertising. So we hired an attorney, and signed up with several agencies to “cast a wide net”. After nine months, and 14 rejected applications/failed adoptions, we got a call about Trey. It was as if we had been waiting for him all along. Only four months of legalities later, he was officially ours forever.
John’s family has a tradition of naming the first born son after the father, so we named him John Charles Gluch III, aka Trey. He is amazing. He is sweet, kind, funny, and completes our family. He is a leader, a deep-thinker, confident, athletic, brave, and gentle. He is chosen and loved. He belongs to us just as we belong to the kingdom of God as His children. Just like pregnancy and labor, it was worth every minute and I would do it all again. If you feel a tug on your heart after reading this story, this joy could be for you too!
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