Our Adoption Journey, Part 7

If you are just joining us, please refer to the following posts first:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6


February 14, 1995
Valentine's Day

Dave and I went out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day and to get a break from the phone, from staring at it, waiting for it to ring. We walked in the door and to our astonishment, the phone was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Alison. This is A."

My heart stopped. Time stood still.

"Hello A", I stammered. "How are you?"

"Good. Happy Valentine's Day. Are you ready to be a Mom?"

That is exactly what she said. Those 7 words changed my life forever. In that moment the breath I was unaware I was holding left my body. The smile that grew on my face let my husband know that finally we had some good news. In that moment I forgot about the pain, the waiting, the disappointments, the anger, the fear, the hurt. I felt immense joy, immense love, immense peace.

"Yes A, I am ready to be a Mom."

We talked, we cried. She said that she wanted to give us a Valentine's Day gift and that was why she waited until then to call. I was astounded by her maturity and selflessness. Through all her soul searching and decision making, she thought about us and wanted to give us a gift.

The Gift she is giving us is the Gift of Parenthood. Words cannot describe the immensity of this Gift. This young woman is selflessly putting the needs of your unborn baby before her own. She has made the commitment of 10 months of pregnancy, labor, delivery....to give someone she just met a Gift. She will trust us to love and cherish her baby and give her baby a life she would love to, but is unable to. She will trust us with her Gift and we will trust her to take care of her Gift while she has possession of It. She will have It for 10 months, we will have It for a lifetime. We will both hold her Gift in our hearts forever.

The baby is due on May 31. We have plenty of time to ready ourselves and our home for our new addition. No rush this time. We don't need to travel. A lives 45 minutes away from us. We are able to talk and visit frequently. We are able to establish a relationship and a bond. We are able to form a trusting relationship. Adoption is all about trust - A trusts us with her most precious Gift, and we trust A to allow us to parent her most precious Gift.

The birthfather is open and accepting towards the adoption. Unfortunately, we are unable to meet him. He signs his papers before the birth and we are able to terminate his parental rights quite easily. A will sign papers terminating her parental rights after the birth of the baby. She will have 2 weeks to change her mind. We don't any qualms about this. We already trust her.

The pregnancy is very normal and A is very healthy. I am able to attend doctor's appointments with her and I am able to see our baby for the first time 2 weeks before the birth. The baby is very large and her doctor wanted to get a final ultrasound to determine the baby's weight. I go with her to this appointment and see our beautiful baby girl for the first time on the ultrasound screen. Yes, she is a girl!! She appears to be healthy and everything is going along smoothly. We are estatic...we are overjoyed...words cannot fully express our feelings....our feet do not touch the ground when we walk.

A week later I am at work when I receive a phone call from A.

to be continued....