I remember the day I received that call from Leah. At the time, 3 potential expectant moms had chosen us as their first pick. Leah scrolled through their names…one women was due in July…one in September…and then the last women… December. At that moment, I remember thinking… it’s going to be December. Sure enough, the first two brave women chose to parent their children.
Once October rolled around, we finally had the opportunity to meet with the expectant mom that was due in December.
Immediately after leaving our first meeting, we locked in. There was something special about this woman. She spoke of this child, as if he was already ours. I remember her saying, “this is your child, I’m just carrying him.” I knew that our expectant mom could change her mind at any time, but for some reason we felt this calm come over us. We grew to love this woman and we knew that no matter what she would choose, we would support her. She was going to give this precious child life and we knew that whatever was to happen was already written in God’s plan. We know all stories are different, but it’s amazing that after all10 years of marriage, of our fertility struggles, the pain and grief of watching others enter parenthood, and anxiousness, upon entering adoption, this was ourtime.
Our son was brought into this world on December 8th, exactly one day after his due date.
Jason and I got to be in the delivery room. As soon as he was born, the nurses rushed him to the nursery. The plan was for me to go be with him, but I wanted to remain by her side. After a few minutes, she looked at me and encouraged me to go to the nursery to be with my new family. She is the strongest woman I have ever met.
After signing, we had the privilege of taking our birth mom back to her home, while our son stayed in the nursery.
I remember hugging her and looking into her eyes with so much thankfulness and gratitude for this precious gift. Our son is over 9 weeks old now and HE IS PERFECT. God made him to fit perfectly in our arms.
I send texts and emails to our birth mom on a weekly basis, just because I miss getting to visit with her.
I find myself wanting to know how her week is going, how her kids are getting along with school, and that she is happy. At this time, we aren’t exactly sure how much contact she will continue to have, but we will always be open to whatever makes her comfortable. She was there at the beginning and whether she is here physically or not, she will forever be on our minds, and in our hearts.
After a few weeks of being home, I was listening to an online sermon.
Pastor Brian spoke about Zechariah and Elizabeth. They longed for a child, probably much longer than me and Jason! An angel appeared before Zechariah and told him that their prayers had been heard by God. God was fulfilling His promises. God had fulfilled their personal desire to have a child, but even greater than theirdesire, was God’s desire…His eternal plan for their son, who would become John the Baptist. God fulfilled our want for a child too, but even more importantly is that there is an amazing story and journey ahead for our son, Isaiah. We look back and laugh… why, after all the challenges we’ve faced? WHY IS THIS THE PERFECT TIME?!
When we look at Isaiah, we know. And if you saw our son, you would know too…