Our story started in November 2008, the day before Thanksgiving, actually. We got a call that we were being considered by a woman in Delaware who just gave birth to a baby boy. That was the longest 4 hours of my life. The first call came in at 8am and the second at noon. We were surrounded by family when we found out we were going to be parents! How awesome is that?
We got the last flight out the night before Thanksgiving and headed to Delaware with our newly purchased car seat, a pac and play, and stomachs full of anxiety.
Will she like us?
Will we be good enough parents?
Will we get to hold him right away?
Oh shit. We dont have clothes, or diapers, or blankets...
We met WA's birthmother at 930am and she led us down to NICU because she wanted to "introduce him personally to his new parents". My heart melted. My first glance at that sweet sleeping boy was pure and utter love. I imagine it might be how a mother would feel right after giving birth, but I wont know for sure. All I knew was I loved him. I loved him, very much. And I loved her.
Her story is not mine to tell, but she will always have a huge room in my heart. She is like a sister to me. We spent some good quality time together while my Kentucky Gentleman stayed behind in NICU with WA. We are very much alike in small ways and in much larger ways. And we are forever connected by this wonderful being that we love so much. I know she loves him because the choice she made to not parent him, and hand him over to me, completely trusting that I would do a wonderful job, was a difficult choice. A very difficult choice. And she did it. She put aside any selfishness and made the hardest decision of her life. And I dont take that lightly. I will spread the word high and low, so that no one, anywhere, anytime will ever take that lightly. I do not know how it feels to place your baby for adoption, or choose an alternative lifestyle but I do know it IS difficult. It is by no means "the easy way out".
And I will love her for the rest of my life because she gave me the most wonderful and amazing gift that anyone could ever give me.
That is my adoption story and I am willing to share it with anyone who will listen so they know that it is beautiful and loving and not scary and selfish.
Oh, and remember a few paragraphs back when I said "oh shit we dont have any clothes, diapers, bottles, etc"? Well, we have amazing friends. I got home to a surprise shower with 60+ people in attendance with everything I could possibly need for this baby for his first year of life. I'll be eternally grateful for all of them.
Cheers! And Happy National Adoption Month!
And make sure you also read this blog, because people can say some really messed up shit about adoption, and quite frankly, it has to stop.
