FINDING DAVID - Part Two

A month ago, I had six children and nine grandchildren. I now have seven children and eleven grandchildren. You see I found the son that I was forced to give up for adoption at birth in May of 1967.  He was born at Lion's Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, B. C. David lives in Bagley, Minnesota with his wife Stefani and two children, Elizabeth (Lizzy) 17 and Nickolas 14.
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On March 7, 2013 I received an email that changed my life and the lives of most of my family.  Forever!
 
 Toni,
I was searching on adoption.com and stumbled across your information. I left a message for you on that site as well a Facebook. I found your info on adoption.com very intriguing! I am married to David, who was adopted in 1968. His birth name was Glenn Turner. We celebrate his birthday may 13th (actual birthday is questionable due to multiple dates on various documents.) He was born in North Vancouver in 1967. He was adopted through Lutheran Social Services in Minnesota. His sister thought it was possibly through Minneapolis. His adoption was finalized in 1969. I feel you may be his birth mother. He gave me permission to contact you. He is uncertain how he wants to proceed at this time. I, of course, am eager to talk to you. We have two wonderful children who would like to know as well. I found you email on a genealogy website. I'm sorry this all seems weird. David's mother passed away a number of years ago. He's always been curious about his birth parents. I am only pursuing contact since the adoption.com info looked like you were interested in contact as well. Please feel free to email me if you wish!
Sincerely,
Stefani Anderson

Previous to this email, I had a "friend" request from Stefani Anderson, which I ignored.

We were heading back to Canada and had just settled in a casino parking lot at Corning, California.  I read the email and I said to Doug "Oh my god, I think this is real."  Doug tells me my face turned white and my voice got all shaky.  I remember my heart pounding so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest.

In David's words this is what happened at their end.

She found you one night when she was having trouble sleeping, the next day Nickolas & I were downstairs watching a basketball game & she sent me a text wanting to know if I would be mad if she did some investigating into my birth moms whereabouts ( having already found you at the time) I said not at all & she asked me to come upstairs & when I did she turned her iPad around & said "I think this is your mother!" 

What I didn't know was.

 Then we stalked you on Facebook for a month until she sent you that friend request/e-mail


Since that time, we have chatted on-line several times a day and have Skyped with the whole family a couple of times.  David has met most of the family, not in person but at least through the computer.

About twenty-five years ago, I decided to join what is called the passive adoption registry.  The passive adoption registry made me available to be found but did not contact David.  I did not want to cause disruption in his life.  Some children that are adopted don't even know they are.

My whole life I had had this little hole in my heart.  Doug and I talked about it a lot.  I decided that for my sake and for the sake of my son Jason who has many half brothers and sisters as well as step sisters, I would register myself and see what happened.  David is Jason's full brother.  I had Jason 3 years after I gave up my baby.  They have the same father.

The outcome has been incredible.  It's like the last piece of the puzzle has miraculously been found and fit perfectly.  

The similarities are uncanny. David's adoptive parents are of Norwegian descent.  My father's family is all Norwegian, just second generation.  No one in our family drinks coffee, nor do they.  My grandmother, mother and I have had our gall bladders removed, David, his wife and daughter too!
Daily, we ask questions, and most of the answers match. David always considered himself Canadian and actually kept the weather in Vancouver on his cellphone.  He has always followed the Vancouver Canucks.

Okay and now the pictures.  Thanks to David's wife Stefani for making them.

Jason (l) and David (r) about 3 years old

 

Jason (l) and David (r) Grade 1

Jason (l) and David (r) 

Jason and David as adults

And of course, David and I.  

 We have plans to go to Bagley, Minnesota to meet face to face at the end of September and David and his family are making plans to come to British Columbia in September 0f 2015.   He says his family is as anxious to meet me as I am to meet them.  I am very anxious to thank his father and his sisters to for taking such good care of him.

Nothing but happy endings.