Ok, so here goes. When I started writing this the details were much more in focus but now they are getting hazy so I hope to do this well.
I left off when we got the call. It was a Tuesday and I was taking kids home from midday school when Justin called me to ask if I had heard from Karine our social worker. My heart began to pound, no, I said, what did she say? Well, it appears that we have been chosen by a birthmom in Mississippi. Wow! We didn't even know that we were being shown! So, I raced home to chat with Justin. Needless to say I was thinking Yes! Yes! Yes!. Was there even a question?? At this point we knew that the baby was a girl and she was due in three and a half weeks. Seriously? Less than a month!? Yep.
We called our social worker back to say that we'd like the afternoon to think about it. I knew though that it would be difficult to say no. I wanted to call her back immediately. But we needed to talk about the logistics of travel and what it all would mean for our family.
I should point out that this situation what what I had longed for for many years. An infant - my favorite age; a girl - I had two already, I can do that! So, we said yes and then waited to hear from the social worker in Mississippi for more information. We still have the envelope that I took notes on about Kareena's birthmom and all the details we would need to have.
At this point we had told the kids. Abby said that she was screaming inside that she was so happy. Caleb's only comment was that he wanted a boy. Hannah smiled a lot. I wondered how many people to we tell at this point? Will it really happen? When do I start shopping? Justin and I went into our respective corners to plan. He to figure out how we would pay for her and me to figure out what stuff we would need.
Then the real waiting began. For real, I thought the 3+ years were hard! Those three weeks when we knew there was a little girl out there and a birthmom trying to make the right decision for herself and the baby were excruciating!! I think God was sitting back enjoying Himself as He watched us vacilate between giddyness and anxiety. With each update on her birthmom's condition our excitement began to build. But I also began to fret more and more about all the unknowns. In the end I heard the Lord say that this was the path He had for us and that I was to keep walking forward whether it worked out or not.
Our plans began being formulated but everything was so tentative. I remember that we got the call that she had her check up and was being admitted due to high blood pressure. That could mean that she would be in labor that day or not. We waited (an ever present theme) to get the final word about labor before we bought a ticket for me to fly down. This call came around 12 noon or so.
To understand the timeline a bit, we had been waiting to meet with a local organization who may or may not have given us a grant. Their only stipulation was that they meet us in person before they will consider anything. Our appointment was for Wednesday - the next day. We called when we heard that she was in labor and prayed hard that we could see someone in their orgaization before we left. She said yes, in between sporting activities for her own kids. We packed (I had already packed for the kids) the van and went to pick the kids up from school and meet with this lady on our way to the airport to drop me off.
Amazingly it all worked out. I made my flight. We met with the lady who later told us we had more than we thought we would get. Justin was planning on stopping at the bank on his way out of town but it closed minutes before he got there. This meant that he had to stay in Cedar Rapids and go to the bank the next day. At the time we were both disappointed that he would be arriving with the kids the next night instead of in the morning but it also meant that I had the whole day with Kareena and her birthmom and didn't have to divide my time between them and Justin and the kids.
to be continued...
