Amanda & Tyler's Story (from Amanda): On April 22, 2022, we got an 8:30am text message from Chris Ruppe. If you know Chris, you know that this immediately set off all the red flags. 😂 He asked where we were in our adoption process, and I honestly didn’t have a concrete answer for him. After Bethany closed in SC last year, Tyler and I had explored several options and made a decision, but had not taken any concrete steps to move forward. It’s been a hard year for us. But Chris wanted us to think about a family he knew through mutual friends that were considering placing an infant for adoption. After a LOT of Tyler convincing me, we decided to send our information. On April 30, we met our birth mom. I will never stop being amazed by her. She is a young woman who has seen incredible difficulties in her life, and still finds ways every day to be joyful, to laugh, and enjoy what she has. Our birth mom was very up front with us about her situation: she wanted a family for her baby that she couldn’t provide, and she felt like we were that family. I’ll never forget that moment, and that feeling. I’ll never forget watching Tyler’s face as we both broke down in the middle of a coffeehouse, surrounded by strangers. Over the last nine weeks, we’ve had the immense pleasure of getting to know our birth mom and developing the sweetest relationship with her. She is truly incredible. Adoption has been the hardest thing I have ever done. It’s not lost on me that our joy walks alongside our birth mother’s grief. She has given us the most precious gift, at great personal cost. For that, we will be forever grateful. Today, we brought home our daughter, Jemma Grace Antonacci. She was born June 29, 2022 at 8:26 am, weighing 8lbs, measuring 19 1/4inches long. We are completely in love and completely overwhelmed by God’s goodness.
Amanda is allergic to avocado and shellfish. Tyler does not enjoy red sauce.