Hoda Kotb, host of the fourth hour of the Today Show with Kathie Lee Gifford, has been missing from the show for over a week. On February 21, Matt Lauer surprised the rest of the Today Show staff when he announced that he had Kotb on the phone to explain the reason for her absence. Kotb had adopted a baby girl, Haley Joy, who was born on Valentine’s Day.
“I do have something to tell you,” she told her co-workers over the phone. “You know what? How about this? Instead of telling, I’m going to show you something. Do you have a picture you can put up for me?”
A picture of Kotb holding her new baby girl appeared on the screen and the Today Show team was shocked. Lauer and Gifford had known ahead of time, but Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, Carson Daly, and Bryant Gumbel were all surprised by the news. Bush Hager burst into tears of joy as did Gifford.
“She is the love of my life,” said Kotb. […] My mom was here with me. She just got here a couple of days ago. My mom was here. My mom goes, ‘Hello, Miss Haley. We’ve waited so long for you.'”
In another segment of the same show, Kotb spoke with Bush Hager and Gifford and explained the reasoning behind the name Haley Joy.
“I didn’t know that my heart could feel like this. I just didn’t,” said Kotb. “With all the love I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve had the best love. I mean I’ve had the love of a wonderful mom, a wonderful man, siblings, all those things. I never ever imagined that I could feel this kind of… it’s like a warm hand on my heart.”
The dream of motherhood has come true for Kotb thanks to the sacrifices another woman made when she chose life for her child. Adoption is a loving choice that not only saves the lives of children but gives the gift of family to the parents who are waiting for them with open arms and hearts. Statistics show that for every 36 couples waiting to adopt, there is one child placed for adoption. About two million couples are now currently waiting to adopt a newborn in the United States.
“Haley is because of Haley’s Comet,” she said. “And it was one of those things that I just pictured her sailing through the sky. And my sister and I were talking on the phone and she said, ‘Ya know, I’m Halla, you’re Hoda, our niece is Hannah. What about Haley? And Joy just because she brings us joy. She’s got a beautiful way about her.”
Kotb went on to say that every time she walks down the street someone stops and asks her if she has children. She said she was always saddened to say that no, she didn’t. Now, she is happy to finally say that she has a daughter.
“I didn’t know that my heart could feel like this. I just didn’t,” said Kotb. “With all the love I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve had the best love. I mean I’ve had the love of a wonderful mom, a wonderful man, siblings, all those things. I never ever imagined that I could feel this kind of… it’s like a warm hand on my heart.”
The dream of motherhood has come true for Kotb thanks to the sacrifices another woman made when she chose life for her child. Adoption is a loving choice that not only saves the lives of children but gives the gift of family to the parents who are waiting for them with open arms and hearts. Statistics show that for every 36 couples waiting to adopt, there is one child placed for adoption. About two million couples are now currently waiting to adopt a newborn in the United States.
