This has been an exciting week and a half in our household. We've been so excited, but very cautious in wanting to share our good news. But after today, we can say that we've been matched with an expectant mother and father! They have chosen us to be adoptive parents of their baby
girl, due August 8th! YAY!! Now here's the story about how all of this came about. And, please bear with me if it's a little long!
Two Wednesdays ago, I came back from lunch and stepped away from my desk. I came back to see that I had two missed calls from our adoption worker (let's just call her Jane). I knew right away that something was up. Since finishing up our homestudy we NEVER talk to our adoption worker on the phone. She emails us regularly just to check on us, see how we're doing, and that type of thing, but we don't talk on the phone. Anyway, Jane left a message saying something along the lines of "I'd really like to talk to you so give me a call back as soon as you can. And, if there is any way you can get Kevin on the phone, I'd love to talk to both of you together." Um, yeah. I was freaking out.
So I immediately called Kevin. We couldn't figure out 3 way calling on our cell phones so I just called her myself. Jane told me that a couple had selected our profile, gave me a little bit of background on the couple, told me the expectant mother was due September 1st (more on that later) and that they were in NC. She asked if we were interested in meeting with them. No brainer. Of course we were! It seemed perfect. I called Kevin, told him what I knew and then told him to call Jane himself so that he could hear it straight from her in case I'd left anything out. He told her we were definitely interested. So, Jane contacted the expectant couple's adoption worker and we started trying to set up a meeting. I was so excited that I couldn't concentrate at work. I ended up taking the rest of the day off! :)
Well, on Friday the expectant couple's adoption worker called me to give us an update on where everything was standing. She also wanted to let me know the REAL due date. Jane had been told that the due date was the end of August/first of September, but the actual due date is August 8th... just 5 weeks away! Wow!
Anyway, we originally set up the meeting for July 16th but this past Wednesday (July 6th) we got another phone call asking if we could meet with the expectant mom and dad THIS Saturday. So, today we made a road trip to NC.
It went GREAT! I was so nervous, but it turns out that the expectant mom was very nervous also. We spent 2 hours talking to them, getting to know them better, and telling them a little more about us. It turns out that among other things, they liked that we were into sports/athletics, that family was very important to us, and they liked that we had two big dogs. We had a lot in common. At the end of the meeting, we hugged and the expectant mother said to me "So I'll see you in about 5 weeks!".
Since the baby will be born in NC, we have to follow NC laws relating to adoption. In NC, the birth mother has 7 days to change her mind (this is the revocation period). As in any adoption, she could still change her mind at any point and because she is in NC she has the additional 7 days after the baby is born. But for now, both she and the expectant dad have decided to trust us with their child. We're so excited and blessed! We have trusted God through this whole journey and we know that if she does change her mind, we'll be disappointed/hurt/broken, but we know that He has a plan for us. Most people have 9 months to know that they'll be a mom. We have 5 weeks! I'm sure they'll fly by but I'm sure they'll also be creeping slowly. Wow! I'm still in shock! :)