Christmas came early this year for the Myers family, whose lengthy legal battle over the parents’ adoption of their own biological children ended less than two weeks ago.
“I still pinch myself and say, ‘Oh my gosh, we adopted our children,’” mother of three Tammy Myers, 41, tells PEOPLE. “I’m still in disbelief.”
As PEOPLE previously reported, Tammy and her husband Jordan, 39, finalized the adoption of their 23-month-old twins Eames and Ellison — who were born Jan. 11, 2021, via a gestational carrier — on Dec. 8. That gave the Grand Rapids, Mich., couple and their 10-year-old daughter Corryn the greatest gift any of them could ask for: relief.
“Words cannot express how excited we are to put this adoption process behind us,” Tammy told PEOPLE earlier this month. “This ongoing whirlwind has become our normal, and this craziness has all led to this special moment.”
As soon as the fight was over, Tammy says the whole family “got some sleep and felt like a weight had been lifted.”
The years-long burden of having to adopt their biological children began as Tammy was battling breast cancer. Following the birth of their daughter Corryn, the couple wanted to expand their family — but due to the cancer treatments she endured, Tammy was unable to carry any more children, so they chose surrogacy.
“It almost feels like — and I joked with Jordan — I made it through cancer and that long, drawn out process, and years later I still look back and think, ‘Holy crap, did I actually have cancer?’ It’s still a wow moment, and I feel the exact same way about this,” Tammy says. “It was so traumatic, so crazy, so unbelievable on every level.”
Although the couple had the full support of their surrogate Lauren — who is now godmother to the twins, and whose husband Jonathan is their godfather — Michigan’s 1988 Surrogate Parenting Act makes compensated surrogacy illegal for carriers and intended parents. Even if a surrogate isn’t compensated, the law means any agreement made between parties wouldn’t be recognized in court.
“We are so relieved that our adoption process is over,” says Tammy, who is now focused on a having a festive family Christmas.
