One Year Ago Today, part 4

One year ago today we sat across the table from Epiphany's birth parents at Red Robin. Cara, our case worker, was there. So was their aunt.

After we were served our food, the birth mom handed me a card and said something like "this is for you" - I smiled, said thanks, looked at Jesse and said should I open it? I did and he read it over my shoulder.

It was a Congratulations on Your New Baby card.

When I looked up at her with a few tears in my eyes, she was smiling. I'll never forget that smile because my daughter still wears it. They said that they were so glad we were willing to meet with them again, in person, so they could tell us that they would like us to be the adoptive parents to the baby.

Jesse wasn't able to say anything, so I said thank you. Thank you for the card, for wanting to meet with us, for this gift. They also thanked us for writing our profile, for being willing to be interviewed and for bring who we were. They were glad to begin a friendship with us.

I remember they said they'd like us to wait at the hospital during the birth.

And they said we should name her.

We talked for 2 more hours and ended the visit with a plan to meet again the next day for bowling.

Jesse and I drove back to our hotel and hugged & kiss each other before calling our families. This was something I'd waited a long time to do - announce the expectation of our child! 2 weeks! Due in 2 weeks!

After dinner (I have no memory of eating), we went to Babies R Us and we each picked out an outfit for our baby.

One Year Ago, part 3

One year ago, yesterday, I was at work and got a call from our adoption agency.

We had meet the birth parents on March 1st and had a wonderfully long visit with them. We liked them and felt surprisingly comfortable.

But 10 days had passed with no word. We knew there were two other families who had been interviewed also, so we figured our chances were 33%.

Our case worker said we should come down for a second interview. Oh? The other couples were not coming back for a second interview, but the birth parents would like to see us again. Really? They wanted to meet some place more casual then the adoption agency. How does lunch sound? They were going to bring their aunt too. O.K.

I left work after getting permission from my boss, of course, and we hit the road within 45 minutes.

We scheduled our "second interview" for a lunch at Red Robin on March 12 @ 2pm.

One Year Ago, part 2

One Year Ago, yesterday, we met Epiphany's birth parents for the first time. We sat in a room waiting for them and then we heard them enter the main doors of the building and the ladies at the front desk greeted them. We heard them walk down the hallway.

My memories of first seeing them are dim. It was such a rush of excitement and nerves that the moment past without much imprint.

I remember wondering if I should introduce myself with my last name or not.
I remember thinking my palms were sweaty.
I remember hoping I didn't stutter or stumble over my words.

I remember seeing a well-built, dark haired man with a black dog and woman whose pregnancy wasn't immediately noticeable. I remember thinking that was how my mom carried my youngest brother. She was short, with curly hair and was dressed in comfortable pants and shirt with a sweater. It was wonderfully warm for March 1st.

Our caseworker, Cara, began with some general introductions and since they had both brought notepads with them, she offered to let them ask anything they wanted.

I remember feeling like they knew all about us, from the information off our profile, but I didn't know anything about them. I felt comfortable with the way they looked at us, smiled, looked as awkward as I felt.

We were asked questions and we got to ask them a few questions. I wasn't sure what to ask so it wouldn't seem like prying. We heard how they met and how he proposed. We heard about his mission trip to East Europe and her trip to China. He called himself a "Sports Dork" and she liked to write and read.

Our first visit was comfortable and we felt there was room for a friendship to grow. We were excited and worn out.

A year ago we met two people who changed our lives. Our adoption story has been one of great grace, ease and smooth sailing. And a large part of our joy was made possible by two people who cared, loved and freely gave.