Juno (spoilers)

I know I'm probably the last person in the infertility/adoption community to see this movie, but I've finally seen it! To be honest, I was really nervous about it. I'm sensitive to how adoption is portrayed, how birth families are portrayed, etc. that I was sure I'd hate it. I also heard that Jennifer Garner's portrayal of an adoptive mother was a bit over the top. I completely disagree. She was anxious and a bit clingy and wired, but I felt that way many times. And if I could've touched Autumn's belly to feel Lily kick, I totally would've! :)

Things I appreciated:
*Juno's humor. Not adoption or infertility related, but dang funny. I laughed out loud more than once.
*The fact that knowing the baby had fingernails made her rethink an abortion. Sometimes it really is the little things that move us.
*The truth of the martial tension between the adoptive couple. Not that we all have such differences, but the reality of many infertile situations includes some marital stress. Again, they ended up being on totally different wavelengths, but you know what they'd been through contributed. And it was heartbreaking hearing her talk about not having a baby shower because of the previous disappointment they'd suffered. BEEN THERE.
*The symbolism of the note Juno left being hung in a frame in the baby's room. It was where the "perfect" family picture was supposed to go. Sometimes our families aren't created the way we think they should be. Vanessa (the adoptive mother) ended up on her own with the baby, but her husband wasn't ready. You can't force anyone into adoption or into being ready for parenthood. I was so afraid he was going to "take one look" at the baby and then want to be a father. I was ready to be mad about that:)
*Juno's tears in the hospital. It was real. She was committed to the adoption. And I love that her father tells her she'll be back there someday on her own terms. But, it still hurt.

**Update: I just did some research and found that many birth families didn't like this movie at all. Now I feel guilty for posting so many positives about it. I guess my perspective is obviously different, but I didn't take it as really trivializing what Juno went through (the hospital scene in particular - this was a young woman who had shown no emotion in regard to placing. Autumn was like this with us. But, at actually going through with the placement, though she had no regrets, she was sad and did grieve.) I do wish that they would've shown more about the after effects. There's no way Juno would just go on about her merry way without ever thinking of the baby. Even though we haven't heard from Autumn, I know there isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't think of Lily. And I know most birth mothers now don't want a closed adoption. But, again, I'm looking at it from our situation and in our situation, Autumn has chosen a closed situation. That wasn't something I wanted. Oh gosh, now I'm all nervous. Should I take this post down? I'm freaked.