Ian and kelly's adoption.

Kelly and Ian on their wedding day in 2009.

Everything doesn't always go according to our plans. This is a life lesson that all of us have experienced in one way or another, and although these struggles can turn our lives upside-down, it's best to try to make the most of the cards we are dealt.

I am not going to even try and pretend that I know what it is like to deal with infertility. Growing up, I, like many women, dreamed of becoming a mom. I pretended to be a mommy to my baby dolls when I was a little girl, fantasized about the day I would marry the man of my dreams, and imagined what our future son or daughter would look like. Many of us (including me) spend our younger-years trying to do all that we can to prevent pregnancy, never even considering the thought of a struggle to actually get pregnant when the time is "right". However in the US, 1 in every 10 women (age 15-44) have difficulties getting pregnant (according to the CDC). Infertility is a common problem. But we never think this "problem" will be our own.

Kelly and Linna.

One of my very good high school friends has been dealing with infertility for a couple years. Ever since Kelly married her husband Ian, they dreamed of becoming parents. After months of trying to get pregnant the "old-fashion" way, Kelly and Ian sought out medical intervention. I have watched Kelly and Ian go through numerous tests, hormone treatments, IVF... you name it, they've tried it. My heart broke each time Kelly painfully told us that an attempt to get pregnant had failed. Her years of tears and heartbreak are more than any woman should ever have to go through.

Kelly is one of the most positive and happy people I have ever known. When she met and married her husband Ian, they became this power-couple that could seriously run the world. They are humanitarians, activists, volunteers, and speak up for those less fortunate than themselves. A story doesn't get much cuter than two librarians, meeting in a library, and eventually falling in love. But that is Kelly and Ian's story. They are smart, caring, gifted, and so funny! They are the two people that we should all want as role-models for our children.

Recently, Kelly and Ian told our circle of friends that they were moving onto the next stage in their journey to become parents. They have decided to adopt a baby. I am thrilled for Kelly and Ian, as they take steps toward welcoming a baby into their family. They, like many married couples, dream of carving pumpkins, riding bikes, traveling, and reading books with their little one. Now, they are asking for your help.

Kelly has been a part of all of our babies' lives, and now
we wait with excitement as she becomes a mom too.

Did you know that currently over half of all adoptions are designated (meaning that through word of mouth, the power of Facebook, or through a friend-of-a-friend, a birth parent is connected to a prospective adoptive family)? This is why my friends are asking for your help. Kelly and Ian have developed an adoption website, and hope that you can help spread the word by emailing it out to your contacts, or posting it on Facebook. If you hear of a friend-of-a-friend or family member considering adoption, please remember Kelly and Ian.

As their adoption website slowly started to make its way around our circle of friends, one of my good friends sent me an email saying, "I just read Kelly & Ian's Adoption site. If I had a child that I couldn't take care of, I'd be begging them". This is so true. I have no doubt in my mind that Kelly and Ian will be raising the future President of the United States. Their child will be a person that fights for the average person, and who will teach others to do the same. That is who Kelly and Ian are, and they are so deserving of becoming "Mom" and "Dad" through the open adoption of a very lucky little boy or girl.

Here is a link to Kelly and Ian's Adoption Website: http://www.ianandkellyadopt.com/index.html