Strangers Throw Surprise Baby Shower for New Parents on Plane Ride Home with Adopted Daughter

Dustin and Caren Moore were bringing their newborn baby girl home to California when flight attendants stepped in to make the occasion even more special

Photo: Dustin Moore

A California man and his wife were already on cloud nine while bringing their adopted baby girl home — so an impromptu baby shower arranged by a pair of flight attendants only sweetened the deal.

Dustin Moore, 33, shared the heartwarming story in a viral Twitter thread, writing that it was important to him to show how the kindness of strangers on a Southwest Airlines flight impacted his growing family.

Moore told the Washington Post that he and his wife Caren, 35, were overjoyed bringing their newly adopted daughter home to Buena Park from Colorado.

About halfway through the flight, though, the 8-day-old baby awoke and grew fussy, indicating it was time for a diaper change, Moore wrote in his Twitter thread.

That’s where Jenny, a Southwest flight attendant, came in, offering the couple some space in the back to change the girl’s diaper in privacy.

Moore filled Jenny in on a “shortened” version of the couple’s adoption story, and about 10 minutes later, a second flight attendant named Bobby came over to ask further questions, Moore recalled.

“My wife and I exchanged curious looks, but thought nothing more about it,” he wrote of their encounter with Bobby.

It wasn’t until Bobby hit the intercom that they realized what was happening.

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“The attendant Bobby came on and announced a special guest on the flight. Our daughter,” he wrote. “’She’s just been adopted by her parents Caren and Dustin, and is making her way home.’ The entire cabin erupted in cheers and applause.”

Passengers soon received pens and napkins, and were encouraged by Bobby to share words of advice or encouragement for the new parents. The 60 napkins were then collected, and a select few were read over the intercom.

Dustin Moore

“We sat in speechless gratitude, as people kept peeking over their chairs to congratulate us,” Moore wrote.

Eventually, Moore and his wife received the bundle of napkins, along with a set of pilot wings for their daughter — and they soon learned there was a surprising connection between Jenny and Bobby.

“We learned they were married, and that someone had done a similar act for them on their honeymoon flight,” he wrote. “When I had spoken with Jenny, she thought it was a perfect opportunity to pay forward the kind act they had been shown on their honeymoon.”

Dustin Moore

The act of kindness meant more than anyone on the flight could have known, Moore said, as he explained that he and his wife had been trying to start a family for nine years.

“Our hearts were full,” he wrote. “But theres more. What all of those perfect strangers and attendants did not know, was the emotionally tender state of two brand-new parents. Parents who after 9 years of trying had been blessed with their first child. Parents who felt scared, but determined in their new role.”

Dustin Moore

He continued: “The outpouring of love from that flight, brought on by the actions of two thoughtfully observant flight attendants… it exceeds my ability to describe what it meant to us. How much those wings and written notes uplifted two new parents determined to love their new daughter.”

In a statement to PEOPLE, Southwest praised the flight crew’s good deed, and wrote that “our people are our best assets.”

“We join in the new parents’ joy and wish them a lifetime of love and baby snuggles,” the statement read.

Moore told the Post that his mom collected the notes — which said things like, “I was adopted 64 years ago. Thank you for giving this child a loving family to be part of. Us adopted kids need a little extra love. Congratulations” — and compiled them into a scrapbook.

“It’s just amazing having a daughter,” he told the outlet. “All the little details that are mundane to other people are amazing to us. When she burps, we’re like, ‘What an accomplishment!’ It was a long, long wait for her, but every minute we had to wait was worth it.”