Birth mom has daughter as flower girl in her wedding, due to ‘blessing’ of open adoption

Jessica Harris was 24 years old and a struggling single mom when she became pregnant again in 2019. She told TODAY that though the baby’s father was a professional athlete who encouraged her to abort their baby, she was determined to choose life for her daughter.

Ultimately, Harris chose to place her daughter for adoption and was thrilled when she found the perfect couple to raise her baby: Kelly and Drew Moyer.

“I felt the Lord shining his light on this family,” Harris says. “I had to meet them.”

The Moyers encouraged Harris throughout her pregnancy and went so far as to let Harris choose the name for her newborn: Sloane. They all agreed on an open adoption, which meant that Harris has been a regular part of the family’s life, especially during Sloane’s first months.

“I was pumping for Sloane and would come over with stashes of milk,” Harris told TODAY. “I felt like I was giving her something, even though I wasn’t physically there.”

That closeness continued even after Harris moved, and this summer, when Harris got married, Sloane served as her flower girl. In fact, the entire Moyer family traveled to Mexico for the occasion.

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“The fact that they came to my wedding all the way in Mexico, I wasn’t expecting it. I told them I was getting married and the next day I get a call, ‘Alright. We’re there.’ They want this relationship just as much as I do,” Harris said.

Since Sloane’s birth, Harris has often advocated for open adoption on her Instagram page.

“Open adoptions are based on hope, faith & trust. Trusting your heart, trusting the adoptive families, trusting the birth mom.. & most importantly trusting God. Grateful for my daughter’s parents for supporting & encouraging us to create these special memories together,” she wrote in one post.

In another, she thanked the Moyers for their role in her life.

“Open adoption has been one of my greatest blessings and it wouldn’t be possible without her incredible parents,” Harris wrote.

“To my daughter’s parents, thank you for being there. Thank you for loving me for who I was when I was broken and struggling. There was nothing but encouragement & understanding, always being a positive influence in my life. Thank you for being the best parents to Sloane raising her in a Christ centered home full of love and laughter. Thank you for going above and beyond to fill our lives with excitement & adventure with this special girl 🩷 thank you for encouraging Sloane to know us, and to know I’m her birth mom.”

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