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Community Corner

Finding Another Way

This San Ramon couple creates their own silver lining.

When they met over a game of Cranium at a mutual friend’s house, Rebecca and Brian Johnson felt an immediate connection. 

They shared an amazing conversation and even the same birthday. Only a few months after that initial meeting, Brian began a job as a counselor at Cal State East Bay Disability Resource Center, where Rebecca also worked as a counselor and nurse. 

The two became fast friends, and after a year the friendship turned into something more.

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In June, Brian and Rebecca will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary with a stay in Half Moon Bay and a sunset kayaking adventure. They love spending time with their nieces and nephews, to whom they are known as the favorite auntie and uncle.

They also enjoy the outdoors with their rescue dog, Emma. They love animals and especially enjoy Safari West adventure in Sonoma. They cannot wait to take their future son or daughter there to discover the elephants, tigers and other large animals.

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As soon as they married, Brian and Rebecca began trying to start a family. They were in their mid-30s and biological clocks were ticking.

After several months without becoming pregnant, they sought out a reproductive endocrinologist, who discovered that both of then had fertility issues.  

“Because neither of us felt that having a biological child is a necessity, we were able to get off the fertility treatment treadmill relatively quickly and change tactics," Rebecca said.

The couple had friends who had adopted a baby from the Independent Adoption Center in Pleasant Hill. So, it made sense for them to choose adoption instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on infertility treatments. 

Brian and Rebecca know that their ultimate goal is to become parents and live their dream of being mommy and daddy.

“Our goal as parents will be to provide our child with opportunities to discover his or her own identity, beliefs, talents, passions, and strengths – whatever those may be,” Brian and Rebecca say. 

They can’t wait to sing lullabies to their baby, have tea parties, play pirates or take nature walks.

The Johnsons have chosen the path of open adoption, in which the birth parents choose the adoptive family and have a continuing relationship after the baby is born, so the child can know about his or her roots. 

The couple want their child to have the knowledge that he or she was so loved that the birth parents chose Brian and Rebecca out of hundreds of couples as parents.  

They are quick to say, “We look forward to welcoming our child's birth mother as a valued and beloved member of our wonderful, wacky and diverse extended family.”

Before choosing the Independent Adoption Center, the couple researched their options. After learning that the center has been at the forefront of open adoption and urged acceptance of all kinds of families, they knew it was the right place to find their silver lining. 

In January, the Johnsons made it official. Their home study was completed and they began the waiting game. They said they know their child is out there. In the meantime, they wait for that one call that will mean their family is complete.

Are you considering adopting a baby? If so, visit www.adoptionhelp.org to learn more about the Independent Adoption Center and how open adoptions work.

If you are pregnant and considering adoption, visit the Johnson’s adoption page at www.iheartadoption.org/users/brianandrebecca or their Facebook page to learn more about this dynamic couple: www.facebook.com/brianandrebeccajohnson.

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