Our families have often described adoption as filling a hole in their hearts they didn’t know was there. In the case of our February family, JC and Haley, they knew about the hole in their hearts, it came from a place of loss…and they knew that adoption could never fill that particular space. While that part of the story is one of loss, the Camps have a story that also has so much joy, and we are happy to share it with you. We’re also excited about this one because of our personal connection to the family, their bow choices, and of course their story…which will surely touch your heart in every way possible.

Without further ado, we present the Camps family in their own words:

In their words

Hello! We are The Camps Family and we are so excited to be here! Adoption has been in our hearts for a while now, but we needed to make sure that the space in our hearts was for another little girl, and not just us missing our Mira. Here is a little bit about us and why we’re here.

The first time adoption entered our minds was before we were married. JC was working in Colombia and was able to visit and volunteer at some local children’s homes. He could see what a need there was for loving, stable families. We talked about it as a future possibility and sort of left it there. Initially we thought we would adopt from Colombia or internationally, but our timing would lead us in another direction.

In 2011 we welcomed our oldest son, Xavi. Other than the fact he was six weeks early, Haley had a wonderful pregnancy and felt great for the most part. When her water broke, we were in disbelief; we knew what had happened — but how could it be? It was too soon. Her labor progressed normally, and he was born weighing 5lbs 5oz. As a 34-week-old he had a mandatory five day stay in the NICU — and aside from some minor feeding trouble, he was champ! In fact, he was the largest baby in the NICU and we felt very blessed that he was doing so well so soon. After a quick eight days we were on our way home as a party of three.

Mira’s pregnancy was a surprise, but a great one! We had planned on waiting a little longer before trying to get pregnant again but how fun to have two littles so close together. At our boxers or bloomers party we were over the moon to find out it was a girl! We were so excited to welcome a baby girl!! However, less than a month later, Haley went to the hospital with some bleeding. Once admitted they discovered she was completely dilated, and she had no idea. While the doctors worked to stop Haley’s labor we were given the odds, which were pretty good. Xavi had a couple of NICU roommates that were much earlier than he, so even that aspect wasn’t scary. Never once did the possibility she might not make it enter our minds. With labor progressing quickly Haley was moved to a delivery room, and while she was being prepped for an epidural, Mira was born and quickly taken by the NICU team. They tried their hardest, and for a long time — even longer that normal we were told — to keep her heartrate up. Some of these same nurses and doctors had taken care of Xavi and they were the most amazing group! We know, without a doubt, they did everything they could, but God had a plan for her. She stayed with us for almost an hour before it was her time. We refuse to say we lost anything that night — still gained a daughter and a sister, and we believe that God had a very special job for her to do. To this day we don’t understand, but we trust His plan and are beyond grateful for Mira, just as we are for Xavi and Remi. The following morning they diagnosed Haley with an incompetent cervix. We could have more children but only under close monitoring.

With some extra help we welcomed Remi in 2014, two days shy of his due date. A fairly easy pregnancy, just like Xavi, but with some additional rest and more doctors’ appointments. However, after he was born, we were told that any future pregnancies would be even higher risk — and so we decided that it was best for our family not to get pregnant again. The fact that Remi was full-term was a miracle, and our family had been blessed with two healthy boys and our sweet little angel. It was the right thing to do.

For a long while we felt as though our family was complete. Two was always the number we had talked about, but there was always this feeling — was that Mira’s place in our hearts, or room for another? About a year ago we approached the subject of adoption again. After many conversations over the next few months we decided we wanted to welcome another little girl. Not long after in November we were beside ourselves to find out that we had been chosen. Our baby girl is due next month and we all cannot wait to meet her. There is not a day that goes by that we are not blown away by her first mom’s bravery and love for this little one. She is an amazing woman and we are so, so thankful to her for choosing our family to love and raise this sweet girl.

Our bow choices

We had a blast choosing fabric for our bows! It was so fun to hear why the boys chose different patterns and colors and had some great laughs. For those that don’t know, we are a former Air Force family and a current airline one — so airplanes are a fixture in our home. It’s only natural that baby sister would have an airplane bow. The rainbow sprinkles reflect our love of ice cream treats, and the free rainbow sprinkle cookies from Publix — the boys CAN NOT WAIT to teach their sister about this! For our third choice we really wanted something purple. Mira was wrapped in a blanket with little purple flowers on it after she was born and so it always reminds us of her. She has definitely been with us on our adoption journey and this was a way for our girls to share something special. We loved the color of this fabric!

We are so honored to be one of WAM’s families. Thank you for showing your support for us and this wonderful shop.

The Camps

I’m so excited to see all of your kiddos in these bows, showing your support for JC and Haley. Here’s the link to pick up some for the little ladies in your life! Remember profits from ALL SALES…not just these bows go directly to the Camps family, but these bows just are just a visual reminder of your support.