For brand new Utah dads Ammon and Jeff, the decision to adopt was an easy one.
“We asked ourselves, WHY do we want to be fathers?” Ammon shared, “The answer had nothing to do with passing along a bloodline lineage or continuing genealogy traits, it was about shifting from living our lives for us and our things, to living for our child and what they could learn and carry on after we are gone.”
Jeff Lecky, a lead marketing manager, and Ammon Carver, a creative director for a leading beauty brand, have been a couple since 2017 and live in Draper, Utah.
They signed up with an adoption agency to match with a birth mother, and were fully prepared to bring home a newborn child. Fate, however, had other plans when they were instead matched with a three-year-old.
“Zach came through the agency as an unexpected fluke,” he continued. “We heard Zach’s story, and by an absolute stroke of luck, we got to meet with him the next day. We tried very hard to remain logical and not react emotionally for this big decision. Zach felt like he had found us, and, for us, he would be the unexpected gift we hadn’t even planned for.”
And so they decided to adopt him and start their lives together.
“He is a typical three-year-old, sweet and funny, but capable of throwing a serious tantrum,” said the dads. “It has only been a month and our life has flipped upside down. There is nothing more rewarding than caring for him, and watching him learn and grow because of what we’ve taught him.”
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While it has been only a short time since the day they took Zach home, their life has flipped upside down. Their partnership, as well, has grown from the experience. They shared, “our relationship has welded even stronger because of Zach. We have to operate as a team, and we have to communicate better than ever so that we are aligned with what is expected of Zach. We are filled with joy because of our little Z-man!”
The family’s favorite time of day is bed time. “Zach is great about going to bed and it’s the one time of day when his 3-year old, high-energy body craves cuddles and kisses. He says ‘I love you’ at least 10 times before we turn out the lights. Bed time fills our hearts.”
Their advice to other hopeful dads is simple but strong. “Be patient, enjoy the process. Just when you think it’s taking longer than it should and you wonder if something is wrong, BOOM a child will be there, and you’ll realize you weren’t ready anyway. Enjoy every second.”
Follow them: @theUtahDadz