Not What We Were Expecting

by Angela Dawn Vesely

How hard would you be willing to fight, to fulfill your dreams? What would be your breaking point? Angela and Jason Vesely had a simple wish: to have a baby and start their family together. A common desire of most couples, but not always so easy for a growing number of the population. Their story of reaching a seemingly average goal is anything but typical. Were they able to conquer the extreme circumstances they faced on their unimaginable journey? This is the story of the Vesely’s battle for their son. An adoption agency and birth mother want to take back a 3-month old baby boy from a couple who wanted to give him a loving home after learning that the adoptive mother was pregnant. The 22-year old biological mother (who had signed away all parental rights) said that she wanted the parents who adopted her son to not have their own biological children. She wanted them to either raise her son as an only child or to adopt if they wanted to expand their family (Does she have the right to dictate these terms?). But Jason and Angela Vesely say they didn’t purposely hide Angela’s pregnancy when they applied to adopt two years prior; as this is an impossibility. They were guardedly optimistic about this pregnancy because Angela had miscarried three times before. They say they were never asked whether she was pregnant or not and were never told of the birth mothers wishes for no biological children. They loved their adopted son as if he was their own and an agency wanted to take him away. A court battle ensued.

262 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2014

About the author

Angela Dawn Vesely resides in rural northeast Nebraska. She and her husband, Jason, are thankful for the blessing of raising their two beautiful children, on her husband's family farm. Angela, a licensed massage therapist, is a stay-at-home mom, who loves spending time with her husband and children, cooking, reading, listening to music, and life on the farm.

Reviews

[Jennifer Pletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story of a husband and wife who tried for over a decade to have a family. Several attempts at in-vitro, child loss, and then finally adoption. The story is full of one heart break after another as these two people try to have a child of their own.



I liked it okay. I did feel for this couple. They tried everything and they buried several children due to being born too early. You could feel how much they longed for a baby. The problems I had with it were mostly the writing (again I know this is a story being told by a non-writer, but she should have had some help) and some of the decisions they made. But that is just my personal issues. You will feel for these people if you read this book.



So - give it a try. I really like true story books.

[Stephanie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Note: I have a LOT to say about this story, but I will be limiting my comments in an effort to keep from spoiling potential surprises for future readers.** Boy, the first thing I have to say is that the title is definitely truth in advertising! I had wanted to read this book for a number of months, but knowing there was some tragedy involved in the story, it took me a bit of time to work up the courage to take it on. The beginning was, unfortunately, pretty much what I expected. Angela did a great job of taking us along on her journey of grief and distress as she and Jason suffered through multiple failed attempts for a "successful pregnancy". What I didn't expect were their insane legal challenges later in the book. This was one of those stories I pretty much described verbatim to my husband after shaking my head in complete disbelief as I read. My (12-year-old) son overheard my initial retelling (when I was at about the 75% mark) and woke the next morning, asking me for an update on the story. Even if I had wanted to take my time to finish reading the book, he wouldn't have let me, as he demanded to know what happened in the end. I went on to tell my best friend (an attorney) the story after finishing it yesterday, and she shook her head just as much and offered just as many OMG's as I did as I read it. It's just a crazy ordeal that nobody should have had to face! I think I was most amazed by Angela's and Jason's ability to hold their marriage together. It was rocky at times, but that could only be expected under the extreme circumstances. I thank Angela from the bottom of my heart for sharing her tale. I know it's hard to open up [publicly] about so many deeply personal feelings, experiences, and decisions. I sincerely hope that someday the person I think this tale was intended for will read this and walk away with an appreciation for the love that fueled each decision made (regardless of whether his perception of those decisions was that they were right or wrong, good or bad).