Kira’s Adoption Story: Tiny But Mighty

This is Kira’s adoption story, and tiny but mighty does not even begin to cover it. Our second daughter came to us when she was just three weeks old — with one of the hardest starts a baby can have — and from that very first day, she has been one of the most extraordinary humans I have ever known.

When Kira came to us at three weeks old, she was still recovering from quite a rough little start. She had cocaine, marijuana, antidepressants, nicotine — all kinds of things in that tiny body of hers. Just months after Hannah’s adoption story finally happened — after a decade of our waiting — there she was. Kira Marie. Three weeks old. We had braced ourselves for a very fussy baby. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

Kira was, hands down, the most chilled-out child I had ever seen. The most chill child of our entire family. Easygoing from day one. But underneath that calm — and this is the part that has defined every season of her life — there is a determination that is unmatched. She does not quit. She does not give up.

School was not always easy. ADD and other learning challenges meant Kira had to work harder than most kids did for the same result. And she did. Quietly. Relentlessly. She kept showing up. She kept overcoming.

This year she is wrapping up another year of college — Lord willing, she’ll graduate next year with her bachelor’s in business. She is already president of her college’s society. She finished high school Magna Cum Laude with National Honor Society, National Beta Club, the FCA Prep Principal’s Award, and a Hutchinson Bell Scholarship. She’ll be a Florida College Falcon all the way through.

But the academic stuff — as proud as I am of all of it — isn’t even the headline for me. Kira is the most loyal friend, the most honest person, the most chill sibling, the daughter who shows up. She’s one of the best people I know.

Kira is the second of our four adopted children. Hannah came first. Then Kira. Years later, Jon’s adoption story would arrive — Down syndrome, big surgery, and a baby who changed everything. Then Alexander. Each of them came to us through a different path, in a different season, with a different need. And every single one of them has been the answer to a prayer we didn’t even know we were praying.

I feel so, so fortunate that God gave Kira to us, and that we got the opportunity to raise her.

If Kira’s story has stirred something in you, Sacred Selections is an organization designed to assist Christian couples whose hearts and homes are open to loving and raising a child. They have helped numerous families adopt and have been instrumental in placing many children in a loving home -— including Jonathan and Alexander.

Why Kira’s Adoption Story Matters

Kira’s adoption story is a reminder that the hardest beginnings don’t write the ending. A baby who came into this world with everything stacked against her grew into one of the most generous, determined, and grounded people in our family. That isn’t luck. That is God, and grit, and a whole lot of family showing up — every single day — for a little girl who never stopped showing up right back.

Want more of the people, stories, and everyday moments behind the recipes? Visit the Family section at Stephanie Cooks For A Crowd, where the food meets the lives that gather around it.