By now, I think most of you have heard our news...but I'll go ahead and tell the story again just in case anyone missed it. :)
About a week and a half ago (Wednesday, Nov 4 at about 10 am to be exact), Mark and I were both home from work. I had just gotten back from a doctor's appointment and Mark was home because he wasn't feeling well. Suddenly, the phone rang. Caller ID showed "LDS Family Services" which immediately piqued our interest, since they don't normally call us. Let alone on a Wednesday morning when we would normally be at work. So, Mark answered the phone. It was our case worker, Spencer. He wanted to know if he could drive up from Columbus to meet with us the next day while he was in the area. Thursday wasn't really very good for us since we were both working and I had a RS activity that evening that I felt I should attend (since I'm the new RS President and all). So, he asked if he could come over that afternoon. That worked much better for us, so we agreed. We spent the next 2 or 3 hours trying to keep busy and not wonder too much why he was driving all the way up from Columbus just to meet with us. After all, if he had a potential birthmother, wouldn't he just tell us on the phone? Anyway, 2:00 finally arrived and Spencer arrived shortly thereafter. We spent a few agonizing minutes making small talk and eventually he came to the reasons for his visit.
Reason # 1 - there was a new policy in place to visit with adoptive couples more often. ("Oh, that explains it" we thought to ourselves...as the hopefulness we had tried so hard to supress came crashing down)....But then he came to reason # 2.
Reason # 2 - Spencer had been meeting with a birthmother. He spent quite a while detailing her story. We listened with great interest as he told us about this anonymous woman who made some poor choices and is now trying to get her life back together and make things right. He told us about all the preparation she had done in choosing the right agency to place her baby with - even attending our church for several months to make sure she liked what was taught there. And how she decided that adoption is the right choice for her and the baby, but she wanted the adoption to be completely closed - no contact before or after the birth. Not even names or pictures. She wants to make a clean break and move forward with her life. This last part made me sad because I've always imagined we'd be able to send pictures and letters and have stories to tell our kids about the birthmothers who chose a better life for them. Then came the best part of his story - the baby was due in about 2 weeks. And we were chosen to be the baby's parents.
So, that's our news. A few days ago, we found out that the birthmom is scheduled to be induced on Monday evening (11/16), so we're expecting to have a baby sometime Tuesday (the gender will be a surprise since the birthmom didn't want to know if it's a boy or a girl). After the birth, there's a waiting period of 72 hours before the birthmom can sign the relinquishment papers. Mark and I are planning on leaving for Columbus Tuesday morning. We'll only be allowed to visit during visiting hours, and the normal rule is only 2 hours at a time, although we're hoping they might bend that rule for us. If the baby is born before Tuesday evening, the signing should take place on Friday, then we'll be able to bring baby home after that. We're both incredibly excited, but still cautious since there's still a chance she could change her mind. We really appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that are being sent out in our behalf. I'll be sure to post updates when I'm able to... So be on the look out for a birth announcement early next week! :)
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