A grandma jumped in shock when she walked into her home and was surprised by her daughter holding a “Christmas miracle” newborn baby who she had waited almost four years to adopt.
For the best part of half a decade, 34-year-old Michelle and her husband Dan had been pursuing adoption, which saw them suffer heartbreak as seven attempts fell through.
But with just a few weeks left until the end date of their adoption period, the couple received a dream call from their adoption agency in December 2023, saying that a healthy baby girl had been born and her mother had chosen them for adoption.
Michelle and Dan dropped everything and drove from Illinois to a hospital in New Jersey, where baby Nora had been born.
Due to interstate adoption laws, the couple did not expect to leave New Jersey for at least two weeks, and so they made provision to stay in a hotel and accepted they likely wouldn’t be home for Christmas.
After much support from their adoption team, though, Michelle and Dan were given some incredible news: on the last Friday before Christmas, on December 22, at 4:59pm, they received a call to say that they had been granted clearance to leave the state with Nora.
Knowing how much adoption meant to their families also, Michelle and Dan decided to make their return home a surprise.
As Michelle’s mom, Mary, 67, walked into her Connecticut home on December 23, she immediately jumped and let out a scream when she saw her daughter there, holding her new granddaughter, baby Nora.
The family dubbed Nora being allowed to return home earlier than expected a “Christmas miracle,” and there was more joy for Michelle and Dan’s other two children, Adam and Annabelle, too.
The pair had expected to spend Christmas with family, without their mom and dad, but later in the day they were also able to hold their baby sister.
Despite the moment taking place over the festive period in 2023, Claire’s sister, Michelle, who helped plan the surprise did not share her video of the moment on TikTok until the summer of 2024.
Speaking of her mom’s surprise, Michelle said: “When my mom walked through her door, Dan and I were standing in their kitchen holding our sleeping newborn daughter in our arms.
“None of our family had met Nora yet, and they weren’t expecting to see us for weeks given the uncertainty of timelines with the adoption.
“But when my mom walked through the door and saw us, she nearly fell backwards in shock and had to catch herself by grabbing the doorframe at her sides.
“She was completely floored and overcome with joy!
“She had been diligently praying about our adoption journey for years, and this was the kind of fairytale ending none of us could have ever dreamed of.
“I remember saying and feeling like I had never felt more whole in my life.
“All the puzzle pieces had finally come together, and our family was complete.
“Being able to share that special moment with my parents was such a blessing.
“Specifically, my mom who has always been one of my biggest supporters and fully believed in this dream of ours from Day 1.
“Being able to hug her and let her hold her new granddaughter, all at the holidays, was just priceless.”